The Simpsons' Groundskeeper Willie Started A War Between Two Scottish Cities
Groundskeeper Willie, the aggressively Scottish handyman who works for Springfield Elementary School on "The Simpsons," first appeared in the episode "Principal Charming" (February 14, 1991), the one where Principal Skinner (Harry Shearer) attempted to seduce and marry Aunt Patty (Julie Kavner). Skinner and Patty bond over their mutual grumpiness, as he is a stern taskmaster with his students and she is a general misanthrope. Groundskeeper Willie doesn't play a major part in the story, except when Bart (Nancy Cartwright) breaks into his supply shed to steal grass killer. Skinner will pull a similar prank later in the episode. Willie has two lines in the episode: "You'll be back" and "I told you you'd be back."
Groundskeeper Willie (Dan Castellaneta) went on to appear in at least 53 additional episodes of the series, a number that will only continue to grow. He has been greased up by Lunchlady Doris (Doris Grau), fallen in love with his tractor ("Were it not a violation of God's law, I'd make ye me wife!"), and tried to open up his own haggis stand (it was not successful). Actor Castellaneta gave Willie a notably inaccurate Scots accent, having the character emerge more as a caricature than a well-rounded person; indeed, he eventually explained that he's from a city in Scotland called North Kilttown and was friends with Angus McCloud.
According to the 2018 "Simpsons" history book "Springfield Confidential" by Mike Reiss and Mathew Klickstein, the Scottishness of Groundskeeper Willie was an improvised decision that came after a long workday. Castellaneta had to deliver Willie's two lines knowing nothing about the character. Producer Sam Simon, in a flip "I dunno" moment suggested that he should have an accent.
Fast-forward 30 years, and Willie is now the source of a rivalry between Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Groundskeeper Willie is from North Kilttown ... sort of
"The Simpsons" has long had a habit of expanding their one-off, single-joke characters into long-running members of the show's ever-growing ensemble. Otto (Shearer) was clearly meant to be a typical wastoid bus driver but was eventually given stories of his own. Same with the barflies Barney (Castellaneta), and Carl (Hank Azaria, then Alex Désert), and Lenny (Shearer again).
Reiss recalled the inception of Groundskeeper Willie and how little thought went into the two-line character. He wrote:
"[Those] were the last two lines we were recording at the end of a long day. Dan Castellaneta asked us who the character was. Sam Simon replied, 'I don't know. Give him an accent.' We tried the character Hispanic, but that seemed clichéd, so Dan made him Scottish. Forty-five seconds: that's how much thought went into making Groundskeeper Willie Scottish."
Reiss also recalled in one episode, it was explained that Willie had lived in Glasgow, and then later, that he lived in Aberdeen. In the episode "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" (February 7, 1997), Willie refers to himself as the Ugliest Man in Glasgow. It wouldn't be until "Lard of the Dance" (August 23, 1998) that he would clarify he's from North Kilttown. Even that, however, was contradicted. In the episode "The Dad Who Knew Too Little" (January 12, 2003), Willie was said to look exactly like a serial killer called the Aberdeen Strangler. Implying he had a few, uh, extracurricular activities there before emigrating.
Reiss said the inconsistency didn't matter because they didn't much care about Groundskeeper Willie or the continuity of his origins. "In one episode we said Willie is from Glasgow and in another we said he's from Aberdeen. Why? Because we didn't give a crap."
Now Aberdeen and Glasgow fight about it.
Aberdeen and Glasgow fight over Groundskeeper Willie
Evidently, both Glasgow and Aberdeen have been fighting over who gets to "claim" Willie as their own. It's also worth noting that in 2012, Willie also claimed to have been from Orkney, but no Orcadians have stepped forward to fight about it. It's only been Glaswegians and Aberdonians. Reiss said:
"People in Aberdeen and Glasgow care deeply. When these two cities play each other in soccer, a riot breaks out — legs are broken, ears are bitten. Poet Lord Byron was from Aberdeen. Scientist Lord Kelvin was from Glasgow. But these two towns are fighting over bragging rights for a drunken cartoon janitor who lives in a shack."
Know that Willie is not depicted as the kindest, smartest, or most capable man. He does indeed live in a shack, he does drink, and he seems to be based on hazy memories of drunken elementary school groundskeepers from the "Simpsons" showrunners' pasts.
But the people of Glasgow, Abdereen, Orkney, and North Kilttown will be upset to learn of the development presented in the 2023 episode "Ae Bonny Romance" (December 3), wherein Willie takes a plane (owned by the Scottish airline Planespotting) back to his Scottish hometown where he will interact with characters played by reals Scots Karen Gillan, Paul Higgins, and David Tennant. He finds them in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital.
Despite previous claims, "Ae Bonny Romance" seems to be the declarative statement on the matter. Groundskeeper Willie — full name, William Sean Moral McDougal — is from Edinburgh. Now that that's settled, we can continue pondering where in the U.S. Springfield is located.