After 30 Years on ‘The Simpsons,’ This Iconic Character Is Finally Calling It Quits

Troy McClure. Edna Krabappel. Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. Bleeding Gums Murphy. Marvin Monroe. Lionel Hutz. Over the years, The Simpsons has had to say goodbye to several original characters for various reasons, including the passing of a voice actor, shifting cultural conversations, and evolving creative choices. But as of last Sunday, another familiar face headed to retirement.

After three decades of tank tops, endless beer promos, and irresponsible drinking, the scantily clad, booze-slinging Duffman (Hank Azaria) shouted his final “Oh yeah!” as the series officially shelved the character.

In the January 4 episode “Seperance,” Homer’s (Dan Castellaneta) optimism gets him recruited by Enthusiasm on Demand (EOD), a mysterious company offering a procedure to remove personality hurdles, but it has unforeseen consequences at home. A clever parody of Apple TV’s Severance (which featured Zach Cherry as Farley and Julianne Moore as Consonance), the episode saw Duffman himself, a.k.a. Barry Huffman, recruiting Homer for the position, knowing the long-time Duff Beer aficionado would have a hard time saying no to the former mascot.

Fox/20th Television

Duffman first appeared on The Simpsons in the 1997 Season 9 episode, “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson,” crashing Moe’s Tavern with a Duff Beer promotional party, quickly becoming a popular mascot character known for his catchphrase, “Oh, yeah!” (which was sort of “borrowed” from the Kool-Aid man).

It appears that, in his time away from the public eye, Duffman was forced to hang up his cape when he became a figure of the bygone era.

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“The Duff Corporation has, uh, retired that character forever,” he announced in his signature booming voice. “All the old forms of advertising are now passé. Corporate spokesmen, print ads, TV spots — today’s kids can’t even sing the jingles.”

Much like Joe Camel, the Burger King, Spuds MacKenzie, Mayor McCheese, and the Noid, poor Duffman was ultimately phased out as cultural attitudes shifted and once-beloved mascots came to be seen as relics of a more aggressive, less self-aware era of marketing.

Though the episode ended with the Simpsons and Barry escaping the grasp of the evil corp EOD, it is doubtful fans will see him don the red hat and belt of beers again.

The Simpsons, Season 37, Sundays, 8/7c, Fox