What characters have disappeared over the years?

[leprechaun_dan]

Hank Scorpio

[Granto]

Really?! Are you serious!?

OMG! I've been waiting forever for this!

Not really, jk, but still...

you or biff should change your av.

[Dave Shutton]

most of these characters are seen all the time in the background, they just never get speaking parts anymore

[iambobdole1]

Smooth Jimmy Apollo. Great character design/voice.

[Üter]

I thought I'd already said this.. Well here I go again

Miss hoover disappeared for a couple of years and now only appears for a few small roles

She even appeared as a corpes hidden in a ceiling once

[lionelhutz123]

What episode was that?

[Üter]

I cant remember... it's only very quick as the camera pans up from one floor to another... (just a quick gag an animator threw in) It was probably in the later classic seasons

[lionelhutz123]

Are you sure it's not the vent scene from "24 Minutes"? Because that's just her passed out.

[Üter]

Are you sure it's not the vent scene from "24 Minutes"? Because that's just her passed out.

My initial thoughts are no, because I've only seen that episode once... Hmm. I'll check though and get back to you

[Little Nellie Kelly]

My initial thoughts are no, because I've only seen that episode once... Hmm. I'll check though and get back to you

I believe lionelhutz123 is right, since I can't remember to save my life Miss Hoover being used as a corpse (excluding the THOH episodes, of course).

[Kiyosuki]

He hasn't disappeared per se, but Barney is definitely the biggest character that comes to my mind when I think of this subject.

I mean, he's around yeah, but compare to before where he was Homer's absolute best friend, had constant cameos, had episodes dedicated to him, and then now. He's even flatter than before he became sober, and his status as Homer's bff is basically nonexistent now, he's been replaced by Moe more or less in that department. Hell two seasons ago he all but disappeared for a while.

That mysterious coworker with the glasses that was often with Homer, Lenny, and Carl at the plant sort of disappeared too, but he was super minor anyways. Still though, I don't know why...but I'm always reminded of him when I think of characters you don't see anymore.

[jbauer]

The problem with Barney is that he played the role of the funny drunk. In comedy tropes, that's one device that really fell out of fashion and favor over the past 15 years or so.

You don't see funny drunks anymore, especially given the way the media demonized drinking in general. When a show tries to do it, it ends up looking a bit dated.

When Dan and Deb wrote the script that sobered him up, they essentially took the purpose out of the character. Combine that with the increasing popularity of Lenny and Carl and you get a redefined tavern dynamic. Barney simply became less relevant.

[lionelhutz123]

I think Barney would make a great character if they blended his comic relief of drinking with a development of more self-awareness. There are so many times in the classic era where they touch on this and it comes off so great. Sober Barney wasn't a bad idea either, because we got to see more of his real self, but his signature was sacrificed. I'm sure there is a fair way to compromise on both aspects so his character can become more layered. The writers are so addicted to Moe in the jean era because they realize what a great payoff it is when they experiment with his more emotional side, that they tend to ignore the fact that other characters have the potential for that very same payoff.