- “Yay!!”
- ―Rod's catchphrase
- “What's gay mean?”
- ―Rod Flanders
Rodney "Rod" Flanders is the elder son of Ned Flanders and Maude Flanders and a stepson to Edna Krabappel. He has curly hair, light blue shirt, dark blue pants, and gray shoes.
Rod often prays, first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed. He prays for God to watch over him and his little brother, Todd. He prays for the success of his father's business. He also prays for the success of all Christians, but due to his upbringing does not respect people of other (or no) faiths. Aside from praying, Rod enjoys playing with Todd and eating lots of "Nachos, Flanders-Style" (cucumbers with cottage cheese).[1] His one regret is that he can't pray at school.
Rod's favorite songs are "Bringing In The Sheaves" (followed closely by "Noah And The Arky-Arky") and "I've Got The Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down In My Heart."
Rod has type 1 diabetes[2] and has described being quiet during trips as one of his favorite hobbies (including clapping during songs).
Contents
Biography
Rod, like his parents, is very religious; much more religious than his younger brother Todd, who is often the Flanders member to curse. He enjoys attending church, reading Bible stories, watching religious cartoons, and playing religious-themed board games. These games include Good Samaritan - though they do not use dice because Ned says that dice are wicked. Instead they just move one space at a time - he believes "It's less fun that way",[3] and Billy Graham's Bible Blaster, a video game in which players try to "convert the heathens" by firing bibles at them. It cheered him and Todd up when their mother died.[4]
Ned prohibits them consuming foods containing sugar, as he fears it will make them behave badly, in which it does[5] or send them into diabetic shock. He is also extremely entomophobic (particularly with moths and ladybugs), a behavior probably learned from their father, who considers an insect flying near someone a "bug attack". They enjoy stories about robots named Rod and Todd, though these also frighten them.[6] He was also scared by Todd's 'Rod' mask. He claims he's jealous of girls because they get to wear dresses.[7]
Rod obtained new climbing skills and rescued Bart from a gorilla atop a church.[8] Rod thought of Marge as the most fun they've ever had ever since Maude died.[9]
Website Biography
Rod prays. He prays first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. He prays for God to watch over him and his little brother, Todd. He prays for the success of his father's business. He also prays for all the naughty little boys and girls, like Bart Simpson, who are too bad to pray for themselves. Aside from praying, Rod enjoys playing wholesomely with his brother and eating lots of nachos Flanders-style ("That's cucumbers with cottage cheese!"). His one regret is that he cannot pray at school.
Behind the Laughter
Age discrepancy
There is also some controversy as to which of the two is the elder. In "Dead Putting Society" the commentator at the golf tournament states that Todd is 10. In Homer Badman, one of the corrections that the TV-magazine show Rock Bottom makes is to their claim that "the older Flanders boy is Todd, not Rod" (although this could have been included purely to stir up fans). Later, in Bart Sells His Soul, the Flanders family eats out for Rod's "big ten-oh", suggesting the two are of similar age (however, the present time in at least one other Simpsons episode has been set two years before that of others, as shown by All's Fair in Oven War). However, in "My Sister, My Sitter" Lisa, when babysitting Rod and Todd, tells a story about a robot named Todd who "had a brother named Rod, who was two space years older", suggesting that Rod is 12. Todd responds by saying, "I don't like this story!"
As Rod is shown to be quite a bit bigger and taller than Todd, the claim that Todd is the older brother is disputed. Rod and Todd were both born before Lisa (who is eight), Todd appearing a younger age than Bart (who is 10) in the episode "Lisa's First Word" (when Bart was entering "the terrible twos").
Despite these discrepancies, the Simpsons official website states that “Todd is the youngest and most impressionable member of the happy Flanders clan”. This seems to trump any inconsistency concerning age seen in the episodes. On the other hand, the character profile for Rod Flanders in the book "The Simpsons: A Complete Guide To Our Favorite Family" describes him as the "youngest of the Springfield Flanders", but they have made some mistakes in that book. Another possible reason for the variation is that, in the DVD commentaries for show, the writers have stated that they are never sure which Flanders sibling is Rod and which one is Todd and are often forced to check character models to be sure. According to the commentary, early show writers used two different mnemonics to identify the taller brother; first that Todd started with T and was Taller, or that Rod was long like a rod and hence taller.
Non canon
Future
At age 42, Rod, with his brother, Todd, is a cross-dressing lounge singer.[10] They live with their father, who uses his pension to pay for their estrogen treatments. At age 42, he and Todd still live with Ned and take care of him because his eyes fell out.[11]
The Simpsons Game
Rod appears along with his brother Todd Flanders and Ralph Wiggum as Hobbit-like children who help Homer and Marge defeat the two-headed dragon in order to get the Keycard.[12]
Gallery
![]() |
Episode Appearances
The Simpsons: Season Four | ||||
"Kamp Krusty": | "A Streetcar Named Marge": | "Homer the Heretic": | "Lisa the Beauty Queen": | "Treehouse of Horror III": |
Cameo | Absent | Minor | Cameo | Absent |
"Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie": | "Marge Gets a Job": | "New Kid on the Block": | "Mr. Plow": | "Lisa's First Word": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Minor |
"Homer's Triple Bypass": | "Marge vs. the Monorail": | "Selma's Choice": | "Brother from the Same Planet": | "I Love Lisa": |
Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Cameo |
"Duffless": | "Last Exit to Springfield": | "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show": | "The Front": | "Whacking Day": |
Absent | Absent | Cameo | Cameo | Absent |
"Marge in Chains": | "Krusty Gets Kancelled": | |||
Minor | Absent |
Citations
| |||
---|---|---|---|
Ned Flanders ● Maude Flanders ● Rod Flanders ● Todd Flanders ● Agnes Flanders ● Nedsel Flanders ● Grandma Flanders ● Lord Thistlewick Flanders ● José Flanders ● Ginger Flanders ● Commander Flanders ● Ted Flanders ● Bonnie Flanders ● Connie Flanders ● Edna Krabappel ● Maude Flanders' grandmother ● Neduchadnezzar Flanders ● Sir Nederick Flanders ● Augusta Flanders ● Bart Simpson ● Commander Flanders |
The Simpsons Characters
| ||
---|---|---|
The Simpsons and relatives | ||
Homer Simpson • Marge Simpson • Bart Simpson • Lisa Simpson • Maggie Simpson Santa's Little Helper • Snowball II • Abraham Simpson • Patty Bouvier • Selma Bouvier • Mona Simpson • Jacqueline Bouvier • Ling Bouvier • Herb Powell | ||
Around Springfield | ||
Jasper Beardly • Comic Book Guy • Barney Gumble • Maude Flanders • Ned Flanders • Professor Frink • Gil Gunderson • Julius Hibbert • Lionel Hutz • Helen Lovejoy • Reverend Timothy Lovejoy • Captain Horatio McCallister • Akira • Hans Moleman • Marvin Monroe • Bleeding Gums Murphy • Apu Nahasapeemapetilon • Mayor Joe Quimby • Dr. Nick Riviera • Agnes Skinner • Cletus Spuckler • Disco Stu • Squeaky-Voiced Teen • Moe Szyslak • Sam and Larry • Kirk Van Houten • Luann Van Houten • Clancy Wiggum • Eddie • Lou • Crazy Cat Lady • Lindsey Naegle • Cookie Kwan • Wiseguy • Brandine Spuckler • The Yes Guy • Sanjay Nahasapeemapetilon • Blue-haired Lawyer • Judge Roy Snyder • Rich Texan • Luigi Risotto • Old Jewish Man • Mrs. Glick | ||
Media Personalities | ||
Itchy & Scratchy • Kent Brockman • Krusty the Clown • Troy McClure • Sideshow Mel • Rainier Wolfcastle | Arnie Pye • Radioactive Man • Duffman • Bumblebee Man • Bill and Marty • Drederick Tatum • Mr. Teeny • Scott Christian • Booberella • Gabbo • Lurleen Lumpkin • Celebrities | ||
Springfield Elementary School faculty and students | ||
Superintendant Chalmers • Seymour Skinner • Edna Krabappel • Elizabeth Hoover • Groundskeeper Willie • Otto Mann • Lunchlady Doris • Dewey Largo • Dr. J. Loren Pyror • Milhouse Van Houten • Ralph Wiggum • Nelson Muntz • Martin Prince • Rod Flanders • Todd Flanders • Sherri and Terri • Wendell Borton • Database • Jimbo Jones • Kearney Zzyzwicz • Dolph Starbeam • Üter Zörker • Janey Powell • Lewis • Richard • Bashir bin Laden | ||
Springfield Nuclear Power Plant | ||
Charles Montgomery Burns • Waylon Smithers • Carl Carlson • Lenny Leonard • Charlie • Blinky | ||
Villains | ||
Snake Jailbird • Kang & Kodos • Herman • Sideshow Bob • Fat Tony • Frankie the Squealer • Johnny Tightlips • Legs and Louie | ||
Families | ||
The Simpsons • The Bouviers • The Flanders • The Van Houtens • The Wiggums | ||
Miscellaneous | ||
Fictional characters • One-Time Characters • LGBT characters • Parodied celebrities • Animals |
- Male characters
- Alive characters
- Characters
- Incomplete
- Flanders family
- Springfield Elementary School students
- Children
- Recurring characters
- American Characters
- Citizens of Springfield
- Tapped Out Characters
- Season 1 first appearances
- Ginger haired Characters
- Bart Simpson's Friends
- Christians
- Characters voiced by Pamela Hayden
- Siblings
- Brothers
- Stepsons
- 6th Grade Students
- Religion
- LGBT characters
- Death fakers
- Minor Characters
- Characters who swap voices
- Characters voiced by Nancy Cartwright
- Nephews
- Simpsons' Neighbours