Ned Flanders

Ned (short for "Nedward") Flanders is a character on The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. Ned, along with the rest of his family, is a devout Christian, and is often used to satirize the "niceness" of doggedly upbeat born-again evangelicals. Homer once said that Ned is even holier than Jesus. Ned Flanders is named after Flanders St. in Portland, Oregon. Simpsons creator Matt Groening is originally from Oregon.

Related Topics:
The Simpsons - Harry Shearer - Christian - Satirize - Born-again - Evangelicals - Holier - Jesus - Portland, Oregon - Matt Groening

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Ned has the habit of attaching "diddly" and other nonsense phrases to sentences ("Hi-diddly-ho"). He quit his earlier career as a pharmacist to open a store in the mall called The Leftorium, which specializes in products for left-handed people. Ned presumably named his sons Rod and Todd because both names rhyme with God. (An alternate theory on their names is that they are meant to rhyme with Maude, their mother whose name also rhymes with God, whom Ned worships to the point of idolatry.) Despite an outward appearance of exceeding meekness, Ned has an exceptionally well-built physique under his sweater-vest. This is even more impressive upon considering that Ned is actually a very young-looking senior citizen at the age of 60 as evidenced in the season 10 episode Viva Ned Flanders. He also possesses a large "package" as featured in the shower scene of Homer's singles dating video made after Maude's death.

Related Topics:
Pharmacist - Mall - Left-handed - Rhyme - God - Meekness - Senior citizen - Viva Ned Flanders

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Ned was raised in New York City by two nihilistic beatniks whose terrible parenting skills made him a childhood terror. He was eventually put on an experimental eight-month spanking therapy program (the University of Minnesota Spankological Protocol) which taught him to suppress all feelings of anger. Also, all of the family's board games contain no dice, as Ned believes that dice are "wicked". Rod says that they just move one space at a time, as it is "less fun that way".

Related Topics:
New York City - Nihilistic - Beatniks - Spanking - University of Minnesota - Anger

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Despite his firm religious beliefs, Ned is quite timid and often insecure. He is obsessed with following the Bible as literally as possible, "even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff" and is easily shocked when someone challenges his beliefs. This leads to his frequent calls to Reverend Lovejoy ("I... I think I'm coveting my own wife!") who gets increasingly frustrated with Flanders ("Ned, have you tried any of the other major religions? They're pretty much the same"). His sons are very sheltered and raised in an extremely strict climate of Christian morality. Most entertainment enjoyed by the family involves religion in some way. For instance, the family has at least five different Trivial Pursuit sets relating to different versions of the Bible. One of his childrens' stories concludes "And Harry Potter and all his wizard friends went straight to hell, for practicing witchcraft." Also, though they have satellite TV, nearly all of the channels are blocked out. Despite all this, Ned still holds a special reverence for the Beatles, remarking to Homer: "Of course I was into the Beatles. They were bigger than Jesus!". He has collected many Beatles-related items, including vintage records, Beatles-themed soda pop, Beatles bobble-heads, and a cardboard yellow submarine.

Related Topics:
Insecure - Bible - Reverend Lovejoy - Morality - Trivial Pursuit - Harry Potter - Satellite TV - The Beatles - Yellow submarine

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Despite being timid, Ned Flanders can sometimes fight for what he believes in, e.g. when Homer and Bart became Roman-Catholic, which makes him also religiously intolerant: after having shaken a Catholic priest's hand in Episode 1621 (The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star) he made a "note to self" to get his hand "re-blessed". In the same episode, Bart also tells he wants to convert to Judaism, and Ned took out a bottle of chlorophorm. He also showed his "soft anti-semitism" in the episode "A Star is Born-Again", in a day-dream about Hollywood's wickedness: Rod and Todd are in a Mercedes with two gorgeous women and say that they're movie producers ...and jewish.

Related Topics:
A Star is Born-Again - Mercedes

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Flanders' religious denomination (along with that of Rev. Lovejoy) is a matter of much speculation among fans. In Simpsons Episode 6x21 (Where Bart and Homer become Catholic) Rev. Lovejoy states that they will bring Bart and Homer back to the One True Faith: "The Western Branch of American Reformed Presbo-Lutheranism".

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There was a relative of Flanders who served in World War II. He was a superior to Sgt. Abe Simpson. (Note: When Abe threatened to report Pvt. Burns to Flanders, Abe indicates that his rank was commander, which is not a rank in the United States army)

Related Topics:
World War II - Commander - United States army

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Inspired by the character, Brianists use the term "Ned" to refer to Christians in general and Protestants in particular. A "Head Ned" is a pastor or priest.

Related Topics:
Brianists - Pastor - Priest

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Radio talk show host and cultural commentator Michael Medved often says that he was the inspiration for the character Ned Flanders. Medved notes such similarities as the glasses, the mustache, the sweaters, and the faith-based lifestyle (except that Flanders is a born-again Christian, while Medved is an observant Jew).

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Ned is widowed from Maude Flanders and is currently married to a Las Vegas waitress named Ginger. After Ginger managed to track down Ned (Homer's Vegas wife did the same), Ned and his boys tried to reduce Ginger's "peppermint-ness" and have her embrace their Christian lifestyle. However, Ned's goody-goody ways drives her crazy and she flees.

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