Back in the day before decent digital cameras, a Fox and Pepsi-sponsored competition was held with the main prize being a life-size replica of The Simpsons’ house. Unfortunately its winner chose a cash-prize alternative, and the house was stripped and sold.
Spanning 204sqm, the four-bedroom house was erected in Henderson, Nevada, in 1997. The decorators had to watch over 100 episodes of The Simpsons to get the colours and furnishings just right for the eventual owner. Sadly, the retired factory worker from Kentucky chose $US75,000 instead of the house – which cost $US120,000 to build – and so the house was sold in 2001, sans-Simpsons colours. [Choices, Las Vegas Adventurer, Contaminated and PRNewswire via Curbed]
Awnshegh
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 9:33 AMSilly fool. I’m sure he could have sold it for a whole lot more than the $75 thou he got.
Martin
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 10:07 AMThat is actually a decent sized house. I would of taken the house, painted it back to normal neutral colours and rented it out. Then sold it a few years later. Lots more money that way as long as you have good renters.
MDolley
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 10:47 AMBuilding a Simpsons House – $120000
Taking Cash instead – $75000
Doing a couch gag every single time you come home from work – Priceless
Steve Calhoun
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 10:49 AMI reckOn they should run it again. These days an American would be crazy to pass up a FREE house. No matter what it looked like!
Troy MacDonald
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 10:58 AMIt hardly even looks like it from the outside, though I cant figure out what they could change to fix it, havnt watched that show in a long time.
Sicarius123
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:27 AMThat has to be the most hideous house I’ve ever seen. I bet he’s glad he took the money after the sub prime crisis crashing the US housing market.
Urh
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 2:26 PMAgreed. This house is proof that the animated world doesn’t always translate into the real world. When I saw the title of this piece. Even if you could put up with the eye-meltingly horrid colour scheme, I imagine the novelty of living in the Simpsons’ home would eventually wear off. And when that day comes, selling that place would be a right pain as you’d basically be selling to a niche market.
MarioC
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 11:50 AMI would have taken the house, lived in it for a while, taken pictures for the novelty, then painted it to normal colours, then made a nice chunky profit, hey its a free house.
With the $75K he got, he still needed to buy another house or continue paying rent, mortgage/rent is what takes most of everyone’s income anyways. Silly.
Nozlaf
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:48 PMHe is a retired factory worker, its not unreasonable to assume he owned his own home already
matt
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 12:50 PMlol, typical Australian responses…
“what? they didn’t consider the investment potential?? property doubles every 7 years don’t they know! what about negative gearing!!!”
fact is, I doubt they’d get 70k for it in their current market.
anyway, this is a travesty! they should have had no cash option! why enter if you don’t want it!! there would have been loads of people who would have wanted it!
warren
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 1:17 PM$75k
Paul
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 12:09 PMPretty sure he was stating his doubt that the man could even make 70k off of the house itself, not restating the amount of the alternate cash prize.
Anthony Tam
Thursday, March 17, 2011 at 1:52 PMI would have made it a tourist attraction. $5 entry. $50 overnight stay. It would literally pay for itself after several years.
John
Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 5:00 AMIt’s possible that the house would have come with a bunch of strict rules regarding what they could do with it. There’s a lot of copyright and trademark issues with an individual not associated with Fox opening a Simpsons themed tourist business, even if he did win the house from Fox. I’m sure they also wouldn’t want him doing anything like shooting an adult film there, either.
Now when he refused it, FOX could have taken ownership of the house and opened it as a tourist attraction if they wanted, I guess.
Andrew
Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 6:08 PMInteresting competition. I wonder if the fridge worked?