Apu Nahasapeemapetilon

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Apu's biography reveals a complex journey from immigrant to naturalized citizen. He originated from Rahmatpur, West Bengal, and began working at the Kwik-E-Mart during graduate school to pay off student loans. At one point, he attempted to become fully legal by purchasing a forged birth certificate from the Springfield Mafia, listing his parents as Herb and Judy Nahasapeemapetilon from Green Bay, Wisconsin. However, realizing this meant forsaking his origins, he abandoned the plan. In 1985, he joined the barbershop quartet The Be Sharps with Homer Simpson, Barney Gumble, and Principal Seymour Skinner, adopting the stage name "Apu de Beaumarchais." He is a dietary vegan, a fact revealed in the season 7 episode "Lisa the Vegetarian," and maintains devout Hindu faith, particularly venerating Ganesha. His brother Sanjay helps run the store, while his cousin Kavi works for American companies using various accents.

In Their Own Story

Apu's personal life exploded with joy and chaos following an arranged marriage to Manjula, whom he had not seen since childhood. After initially trying to escape the arrangement by having Marge Simpson pretend to be his wife, Apu fell in love with Manjula at their wedding. Their union produced a massive family after fertility drugs led Manjula to give birth to octuplets: Anoop, Uma, Nabendu, Poonam, Pria, Sandeep, Sashi, and Gheet. In the episode "Bart-Mangled Banner," when Springfield was renamed Libertyville for patriotic reasons, Apu temporarily renamed his children Lincoln, Freedom, Condoleezza, Coke, Pepsi, Manifest Destiny, Apple Pie, and Superman. Their marriage faced significant strain when Apu worked excessive hours and even once became unfaithful, causing him to move out and contemplate suicide before reconciling with Manjula.

Reader's Guide

Fans can find Apu in various video games beyond his television appearances. He is a playable character in The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003), where he must redeem himself for unknowingly selling tainted Buzz Cola that drove residents insane. He also appears as a passenger and unlockable character in The Simpsons: Road Rage (2001) and is acquired early in the online game The Simpsons: Tapped Out (2012). In 2015, he appeared as a non-speaking extra in Lego Dimensions during the Simpsons levels. His voice was inspired by Hank Azaria's interactions with Indian convenience store workers in Los Angeles and loosely based on Peter Sellers' character Hrundi V. Bakshi from The Party. Apu's surname is a scrambled version of "Pahasadee Napetilon," a schoolmate of writer Jeff Martin.

Did You Know?

• Apu graduated first in a class of seven million at the Calcutta Technical Institute.
• He temporarily renamed his eight children to match patriotic themes like Lincoln and Manifest Destiny.
• Hank Azaria based Apu's voice on Indian workers he met in Los Angeles and Peter Sellers' character from The Party.
• Apu once purchased a fake birth certificate claiming his parents were Herb and Judy Nahasapeemapetilon from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
• In 2015, Apu appeared as a non-speaking extra in the video game Lego Dimensions.