The Simpsons: What Happened To The Original Cat Snowball

Over the course of more than 30 seasons, The Simpsons has introduced as many members of the family as possible, which obviously includes pets – but what happened to the original cat, Snowball? Created by Matt Groening, The Simpsons began as a series of animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. After three seasons, it was developed into a half-hour prime time show, and so The Simpsons made their official debut on Fox in 1999. Since then, the series has been unstoppable, even expanding to other media, most notably comic books and film.

The Simpsons follows the daily adventures of the title family and their friends, neighbors, colleagues, and enemies from the fictional town of Springfield. As mentioned above, the series has introduced viewers to other Simpson family members, such as grandpa Abe and Homer’s brother Herb, as well as the family’s peculiar pets: a dog named Santa’s Little Helper, and a cat, named Snowball. Santa’s Little Helper has been around for years and is Bart’s best friend, but Snowball has a very different history.

Snowball is mostly known and remembered as a dark gray cat, but that’s not the first Snowball cat the Simpsons had. The original one appears mostly in flashbacks, and is very different to the current one. Here’s what happened to it.

The Simpsons: How The Original Snowball Cat Died

Snowball (also known as Snowball I) was the family’s first cat and was five years old when she died. She’s first mentioned in the first episode of the series, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” (or “The Simpsons Christmas Special”), where Marge mentions in a letter that Snowball died that year. Her first actual appearance was in season 2’s “Bart Gets Hit By a Car”, and she only appears in flashbacks as she has been dead since the series began. According to one of Lisa’s poems, Snowball died when she was ran over by a Chrysler, and later on in the series it’s revealed that it was Mayor Quimby’s drunk brother, Clovis Quimby, who ran her over. There are some inconsistencies when it comes to Snowball I, such as how her grave has changed locations (from the Springfield Pet Cemetery to the Simpsons’ backyard) and her appearance, as she’s generally seen as white, but has been shown as dark gray in pictures, even though she was named “Snowball” due to her white fur.

Snowball’s successor was – of course – Snowball II, who first appeared in “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”. Snowball II looked a lot like her predecessor, except she was dark gray and had greenish eyes. She died when she was hit by Dr. Hibbert’s Mercedes Benz in season 15’s “I, (Annoyed-Grunt)-Bot”, and was replaced by Snowball III, a male, brown cat who died minutes after arriving to the Simpsons’ house, as he drowned in the aquarium after trying to catch a goldfish. Then came Snowball IV a.k.a. Coltrane, a white cat that looked a bit like Bart. Once home, Lisa played some of John Coltrane’s music for him, which frightened him and made him jump out the window to his death. While Lisa was mourning the deaths of all her cats, the Crazy Cat Lady threw one at her saying she didn’t want it anymore, and that’s how Snowball V (also referred to as “the new and improved Snowball II” due to their resemblance) arrived. The original Snowball is an often forgotten character or a misremembered one due to her appearance, but she surely has a place in Lisa’s heart.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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