Snowball I

"Snowball" redirects here.

For other uses of Snowball see Snowball (disambiguation).

Snowball I (1984-1989) is a white cat and only briefly appears in flashbacks, but has been mentioned numerous times. She was the Simpsons' first cat and was five years old when she died.

Biography

Snowball I was first mentioned in a Christmas letter that Marge was writing where she explains that Snowball I had died that year^[1].

Snowball I was, according to Lisa in one of her poems, run over by a Chrysler. Later at some point, it was revealed that Snowball I was ran over by Clovis Quimby, the drunkard brother of Mayor Quimby. Snowball I was buried in the cemetery in the Springfield Pet Cemetery, which is next to Antonio's Ice Palace. However, at one time, her grave was seen in the Simpsons backyard, next to Snowball IV's grave ^[2]. At one point, Sideshow Bob ended up using Snowball I's name among several other deceased members of the cemetery to commit "voter fraud" to win the election of Springfield's Mayor, with Lisa considering this the last straw (superceding even the fact that Sideshow Bob tried to murder her brother Bart a few times).^[3]

Snowball I has been shown as black in some pictures; however, she is generally seen as white. She was named due to her white-colored fur, though in a few occasions, Snowball I is pictured similar to Snowball II. Snowball II's name is an obvious use of irony. Besides her fur color, Snowball I's eyes were green.

Snowball 1 in heaven — Snowball I in Heaven

Snowball I portrait — Black Snowball I's portrait

Life After Death

Although the Sunday school teacher, Ms. Albright, tells Lisa that Snowball I cannot go to Heaven, this proves to be wrong as Snowball I has been seen in Heaven by characters who have undergone near-death experiences, including Bart, and sometimes in flashback sequences. She was listed as voting for Sideshow Bob in mayoral elections.

Non-Canon

The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed.

In Treehouse of Horror III, Bart and Lisa try to bring back Snowball I using a zombie spell in the pet cemetery, but inadvertently awaken the human corpses in the nearby Springfield Cemetery.

In the "Treehouse of Horror XIV" segment Reaper Madness Homer mentions that he killed the Grim Reaper as revenge for killing Snowball I and President John F. Kennedy.

Behind the Laughter

Many Simpsons books are jokingly dedicated to her. For example, in The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (in which she is mistakenly colored black), the dedication reads, "We hope that they change your cat box in kitty heaven more often than we did down here."

In The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror: Fun-Filled Frightfest, published by HarperCollins in 2003, the more morbid dedication reads "We're sorry you're gone. You would have made a tasty hors d’œuvre." Also, in The Simpsons Holiday Humdinger, it reads, "As this snow sculpture thaws on the first warm day, so will our hearts melt whenever we think of you."

A passage in Cartooning With the Simpsons reads, "Dedicated to the memory of Snowball I: You may be gone, but we still remember how to draw you." Many other Simpsons books are dedicated to her, but the dedications ceased in 2005.

Physical Appearances

Snowball II appears in Moaning Lisa and The Telltale Head. These episode were produced before (but aired after) Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire with mentioned Snowball I’s death. So, in the original episode order, it’s written as Snowball I instead of Snowball II.