Entertainment
The Real Reason The Simpsons Are Yellow Will Blow Your Mind
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Have you ever wondered why everybody in The Simpsons is yellow? There are some fun theories out there, like the entire town of Springfield suffers from radiation poisoning, or that Homer is yellow because of cirrhosis due to drinking heavily. But in order for those theories to work, we need to ask ourselves why all the cousin-marrying residents of Shelbyville are also yellow, and why Homer’s alcoholism would make the rest of his family yellow. The real reason The Simpsons are yellow is actually the result of a brilliant hunch from Georgie Kovacs Peluce, one of the colorists over at Klasky Csupo.
Originally, The Simpsons shorts were going to be black and white, until the fledgling animation studio told Simpsons producer James L. Brooks they would mock up some colored character designs free of charge. There were several iterations and permutations of the characters before they were ever seen on screen, some of which used the traditional peach and tan tones that other animated series use. Peluce had something else in mind, and took it upon herself to design the characters with yellow skin, and, in Marge’s case, blue hair. This initial concept was met with pushback for looking “freakish” by some reps at Gracie Films, Brooks’ production company, but Brooks, Groening, and some of their associates fell in love with it because they knew it would pique viewer curiosity.
From Throwaway Idea To Final Design
It’s hard to imagine a world in which The Simpsons didn’t exist, but the world wasn’t always like that. Back in 1987, a few short years before Simpsons mania conquered the world, the “nuclear” family was nothing more than a rush job by creator Matt Groening, who was approached by James L. Brooks to produce a show based on his Life in Hell comics, an intellectual property that the cartoonist didn’t feel comfortable selling the rights to. Instead, he quickly whipped up a cartoon family based on his own, pitched The Simpsons to Brooks, and we’d first meet Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie through short-form animated skits on The Tracey Ullman Show.
Groening, being totally inexperienced in television at this point in his career, figured that his drawings would be animated in black and white, but the animation studio behind the shorts, Klasky Csupo, had something else in mind. According to Stupid TV, Be More Funny: How the Golden Era of the Simpsons Changed Television – and America – Forever, it was the animation studio that encouraged The Simpsons shorts to be colored in the first place. They were asked to animate everything in black and white as a cost-cutting measure, until Gabor Csupo insisted on trying colored versions as well, offering to do the extra work for free.
Several iterations of the Simpson family were mocked up, but one version from Georgie Kovacs Peluce stuck out more than the rest. Georgie’s design involved yellow skin and blue hair, something that “didn’t look like anything that had come before,” and the design won over Brooks and Groening. The logic was simple: while people were channel surfing, they’d feel more inclined to stop dead in their tracks if they saw a cartoon family that looked so unique.
Back in those days, home viewers didn’t have a lot of options, often switching back and forth between ABC, NBC, CBS, and the new and struggling Fox network. In essence, the desired reaction would involve somebody watching one of the other networks flipping through the channels during a commercial break, catching a glimpse of the Simpson family, saying “what the hell is this?” and ending up watching the whole short.
Peluce’s instinct paid off because that’s exactly what happened, and it was only a matter of time before The Simpsons took the nation by storm, eventually becoming the longest-running animated show in television history. And to think, we almost got a black-and-white version that probably would have been squashed before anybody even knew who they were.
The Simpsons can be streamed on Disney+.
Entertainment
Ive tested dozens of earbuds. I like these 3 AirPods alternatives.
Folks who prefer earbuds with a stem, people who want great ANC for under $100, anyone looking for excellent battery life, and anyone who wants an all-around pair of earbuds that make as much sense at the gym as they do in the office should opt for the EarFun Air Pro 4.
Most similar to: AirPods 4 with ANC
The EarFun Air Pro 4s are a no-brainer pick as an affordable AirPods alternative — they are Mashable’s favorite ANC earbuds under $100 after all. Performance-wise, they’ll sit more in line with the AirPods 4, but fit-wise, they’ll be more similar to the AirPods Pro 3, thanks to the silicone ear tips that situate more firmly in the ear canal. Honestly, that’s a plus — the AirPods 4 can be much more hit-or-miss at fitting different ear shapes. Beyond the design, these earbuds have impressively adept ANC powered by six internal microphones. Plus, it’s adjustable. I can’t say I noticed massive differences between the various levels, but still, I appreciated that the flexibility was there. Much like the Sony XM6 buds, EarFun shows up Apple when it comes to the customization of the sound profile, thanks to the custom equalizer and presets. Especially for the price point, the sound is surprisingly robust, clear, and dynamic. Maybe not quite on Apple’s level, but not too far off, either. Finally, you’ll get between seven and a half to eight hours of battery life per charge, plus 27 and a half additional hours with the case, making them a great option for anyone who finds themselves using their earbuds round the clock and running down the battery more often than they’d prefer.
Affordability: These earbuds are already $79.99, but almost always go on sale for $62.99, and occasionally even lower to $53.99.
What you might miss: Despite the similarly stemmed design to AirPods, EarFun opts for touch controls on these earbuds, which are mildly consistent at best and straight-up inconsistent at work. During my testing of the buds, I ended up toggling the touch controls off because I found them a little too frustrating to use. The case is also on the bigger side, making the earbuds not quite as portable as AirPods.
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for May 17, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will require some sports and pop culture knowledge.
As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
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Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes before the game ends.
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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
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Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
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Yellow: NFC North
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Green: Allegedly an East Coast-based conference
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Blue: Too many Jalens in the NBA
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Purple: Caps. financial or fashionable
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #601 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
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An NFC North Athlete: BEAR, LION, PACKER, VIKING
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An ACC Athlete: CAVALIER, EAGLE, HOKIE, MUSTANG
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Ja(y)lens in the NBA: BROWN, BRUNSON, DUREN, GREEN
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___Cap: BASEBALL, GUARDIAN, RALLY, SALARY
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to today’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for May 17, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.
The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:
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Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
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Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
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Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
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Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
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Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for May 17 Pips
Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. 6-4, placed vertically.
Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 4-2, placed vertically.
Greater Than (2): Everything in this space must be greater than 2. 4-3, placed horizontally.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-4, placed horizontally.
Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 6-4, placed vertically; 4-3, placed horizontally.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for May 17 Pips
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 5-1, placed vertically.
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Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 5-2, placed horizontally; 2-4, placed vertically.
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 5-1, placed vertically.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically; 2-4, placed vertically.
Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 4. 2-6, placed horizontally.
Greater Than (5): Everything in this space must be greater than 5. 6-0, placed horizontally.
Less Than (2): Everything in this space must be less than 2. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 6-1, placed vertically; 3-1, placed vertically.
Hard difficulty hints, answers for May 17 Pips
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 6-2, placed vertically.
Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically.
Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 2-4, placed vertically; 6-2, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically.
Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 6-5, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 5-0, placed vertically; 2-5, placed vertically.
Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically; 6-5, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 4-0, placed vertically.
Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 6-4, placed vertically.
Equal (5): Everything in this space must be equal to 5. The answer is 5-5, placed vertically.
Not Equal: Everything in this space must be different. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically; 1-6, placed vertically; 0-6, placed vertically.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
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