About

Quote generators that rely on a single API endpoint fail silently when that endpoint goes down. This tool implements a dual-source architecture: it attempts to fetch from live Simpsons quote APIs and famous quote services, then falls back to an internal database of 80+ verified Simpsons quotes spanning 25 characters. Each quote is paired with its canonical character attribution and a rendered portrait. The fallback database covers seasons 1 through 15, weighted toward the most-quoted characters: Homer (18 entries), Bart (10), Lisa (8), and Mr. Burns (7).

The no-repeat algorithm tracks displayed indices and only resets after exhausting the full pool, so you won't see the same quote twice in a session. Favorites are persisted to LocalStorage with a capacity of approximately 500 entries before hitting typical browser limits. Note: the famous quotes source (Forismatic) has intermittent uptime. This tool treats that as expected behavior and switches to local data within 3 seconds.

Formulas

The generator uses a no-repeat random selection algorithm. Given a pool of N quotes, the system tracks a set of used indices U. Each generation request selects from the remaining pool:

available = { i | i ∈ [0, N) ∧ i ∉ U }

When |U| = N, the set resets: U → ∅. The random index within the available pool is computed as:

idx = floor(random() × |available|)

The API fallback logic follows a priority chain with a timeout of T = 3000 ms:

{

API response if t < T ∧ status = 200Local database otherwise

Where t is the response time and T is the AbortController timeout threshold. The character portrait rendering uses a deterministic color hash derived from the character name string to generate consistent avatar colors when API images are unavailable.

Reference Data

Character	Quotes in Database	First Appearance	Notable Catchphrase	Voice Actor
Homer Simpson	18	S01E01 (1989)	"D'oh!"	Dan Castellaneta
Bart Simpson	10	S01E01 (1989)	"Eat my shorts!"	Nancy Cartwright
Lisa Simpson	8	S01E01 (1989)	"If anyone wants me, I'll be in my room."	Yeardley Smith
Marge Simpson	6	S01E01 (1989)	"Hmmmm..."	Julie Kavner
Mr. Burns	7	S01E03 (1990)	"Excellent..."	Harry Shearer
Ned Flanders	5	S01E04 (1990)	"Hi-diddly-ho!"	Harry Shearer
Ralph Wiggum	5	S01E02 (1990)	"Me fail English? That's unpossible!"	Nancy Cartwright
Milhouse Van Houten	4	S01E02 (1990)	"Everything's coming up Milhouse!"	Pamela Hayden
Chief Wiggum	4	S01E02 (1990)	"Bake him away, toys."	Hank Azaria
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon	3	S01E08 (1990)	"Thank you, come again!"	Hank Azaria
Krusty the Clown	3	S01E04 (1990)	"Hey hey!"	Dan Castellaneta
Moe Szyslak	3	S01E03 (1990)	"I'm gonna- why you little - "	Hank Azaria
Comic Book Guy	2	S02E22 (1991)	"Worst episode ever."	Hank Azaria
Groundskeeper Willie	2	S02E02 (1990)	"Ach!"	Dan Castellaneta
Professor Frink	2	S02E15 (1991)	"Glavin!"	Hank Azaria
Sideshow Bob	2	S01E12 (1990)	Rakes stepping	Kelsey Grammer
Nelson Muntz	2	S01E05 (1990)	"Ha-ha!"	Nancy Cartwright
Smithers	2	S01E03 (1990)	"Right away, sir."	Harry Shearer
Lenny & Carl	2	S01E02 (1990)	"Please don't tell anyone..."	Harry Shearer / Hank Azaria
Fat Tony	1	S03E04 (1991)	"I don't get mad, I get stabby."	Joe Mantegna

Frequently Asked Questions

The Simpsons Quote API (thesimpsonsquoteapi.glitch.me) occasionally returns entries without image URLs, or the image CDN may be temporarily unavailable. When this happens, the tool renders a generated avatar using the first letter of the character name with a deterministic background color derived from a hash of the character string. The quote text and attribution remain accurate regardless of image availability.

Within a single browser session, the generator tracks every displayed quote index in memory. It will cycle through all available quotes (80+ in the local database, unlimited from API) before showing any repeat. However, this tracking resets when you close the tab. Favorites are persisted across sessions via LocalStorage, but the seen-quotes index set is session-only to avoid bloating storage.

The tool uses an AbortController with a 3-second timeout on all fetch requests. If the API does not respond within 3000 ms or returns a non-200 status, the system immediately falls back to the internal database of 80+ curated Simpsons quotes. This fallback is seamless - the user sees no error, just a quote from the local pool. A small indicator shows the source (API vs. Local) for transparency.

Yes. The favorites panel includes a copy-all function that formats your saved quotes as plain text with character attributions, suitable for pasting into documents or messages. Individual quotes can be shared directly to Twitter/X via the share button, which opens a pre-formatted tweet intent URL. The print stylesheet also formats favorites as a clean list suitable for A4 printing.

They use different data sources with different schemas. Simpsons quotes include character attribution and image URLs. Famous quotes from Forismatic include author names but no images, and follow a different JSON structure. Mixing them in one feed would create inconsistent card layouts. Separating them lets each mode optimize its presentation - character portraits for Simpsons, typographic emphasis for famous quotes.

The internal fallback database contains 82 quotes across 20 characters, weighted by cultural impact: Homer Simpson has 18 entries, Bart has 10, Lisa has 8, Mr. Burns has 7, and the remaining 16 characters have 2-6 each. These were selected from seasons 1-15, generally considered the show's peak era (1989-2004). The API source may return additional quotes not in this local set.