This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Leonardo2505 (talk | contribs) at 12:26, 29 March 2006. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 12:26, 29 March 2006 by Leonardo2505 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is Bart Simpson's best friend,and son of Kirk and Luann Van Houten and is most distinctive for his extreme nearsightedness requiring thick glasses to correct. Despite being considered a nerd, Milhouse is shown to have just-average intelligence with poor people skills. He is constantly led into trouble by the mischevious Bart, who is not shy about taking advantage of his naïve and trusting friend. On one occasion, Bart got Milhouse to be on the America's Most Wanted list. Milhouse is one of the few residents in Springfield that has eyebrows. He is voiced by Pamela Hayden.
Milhouse harbors a hopeless crush on Bart's younger sister, Lisa, and he is usually clumsy around females. However, in one episode's flashback (during the time that Bart and Milhouse were in kindergarten), a school counselor accidentally revealed that he had assessed Milhouse to be gay.
Milhouse was named after Richard Nixon (whose middle name was Milhous) and, apparently, Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten (There is also a street named Van Houten Avenue in Portland, Oregon, where Matt Groening grew up.); his middle name (established in "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas") is Mussolini, apparently after former Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Presumably his mother's side of the family is Italian, while his father's side, judging from the last name, is likely Dutch. The family name was first used in the third season episode "Homer Defined."
Milhouse is frequently the target of the bullies Jimbo, Dolph, and Kearney. They often put him into situation in which Milhouse comes out extremely hurt. He is also the subject of Nelson's cruel "stop (hitting, zapping, etc.) yourself".
Milhouse is fluent in Italian due to visiting his English-language-hating grandmother Sofie two weeks every year in Tuscany. His uncle Bastardo was the illegitimate child of Milhouse's aunt and a U.S. Army soldier during World War II. Due to his grandmother's beatings, Milhouse learned Italian and started to wet his bed. He has also demonstrated that he is skilled in (if not legally entitled to) operate a Vespa (with pillion passenger) on public roads. It is also in this episode that Milhouse had come closest to wooing Lisa, as she even kept a picture of Milhouse in her room while practicing Italian. It is implied that she is captivated by his impressive command of the language, and a rather romantic outing to the local Italian immigrant establishment. However, he once again reaches a roadblock due to his ongoing fatal flaw when it comes to girls. Milhouse has exhibited a tendency to begin acting rather ridiculously masculine complete with clichéd catch phrases and mannerisms. This case of social anxiety has lost him Lisa's heart three times, as well as a relationship with Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter.
Milhouse's first girlfriend was Samantha Stanky, a new student who had moved to Springfield from Phoenix, Arizona in the episode Bart's Friend Falls in Love. After her father catches her and Milhouse kissing, he sends her to an all-girls convent school.
Categories: