Matt Groening explains why he made the Simpsons yellow

The Simpsons has been on our TV screens for decades - to be exact, the first season released in 1989 - making it 33 years old this year.

That has made us feel slighty old - D'oh!

Homer, Marge, Bart and co have become part of pop culture across the world, with many of us quoting famous lines from the show on a regular basis.

One thing many of us probably haven't questioned, though, is why the Simpsons are yellow.

It is just normal isn't it - we've always known The Simpsons to be in yellow.

The thought of them being blue, red, or even green sounds grossly wrong - especially green, they'd look like aliens!

But why exactly did The Simpsons creator Matt Groening decide to make the Simpsons yellow over any other colour.

In an interview with the BBC back in the day, Groening revealed how he wanted to make the cartoon unique, so he wanted that to start with a dashing colour.

United Archives GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

He revealed that an animator came up with the idea of yellow and he was instantly sold.

"An animator came up with the Simpsons’ yellow and as soon as she showed it to me I said, 'This is the answer!' When you’re flicking through channels with your remote control, and a flash of yellow goes by, you’ll know you’re watching The Simpsons," he said.

Groening also said in an interview with a daily portal he did not want to pick the "conventional cartoon colours" for the characters.

Back in the day, it must have been strange for viewers to see characters with a bright yellow skin tone, and probably took some getting use to.

Although choosing yellow was a stroke of genius by Groening and his team considering the success The Simpsons has had in the last 30 years, there may be some scientific evidence behind it.

The colour theory may have had an impact on the decision to go with the bright colour, as yellow is also known to have a psychological effect on the human brain.

thesimpsons/ Instagram

Because of the way our eyes process light, yellow is the most visible colour to the human eye.

The colour also represents optimism and joy.

So when you are making a new cartoon show, a family who stick out like a sore thumb in a colour that represents joy can only be a good thing.

We see you, Mr Groening.