Ralph Wiggum

Ralph Wiggum is a recurring character in the animated series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright. Ralph, the son of Police Chief Wiggum, is a classmate of Lisa Simpson and is characterized by his frequent non-sequiturs and humorous behavior. His lines range from nonsensical and bizarre interpretations of current events to profound statements that go over people's heads. His behavior varies between blissfully unaware, dim-witted, awkwardly spontaneous, and even occasionally straightforward. The creator of the show, Matt Groening, has cited Ralph as his favorite character. He generally remains one of the more popular and often quoted secondary characters in the show. In 2006, IGN ranked Ralph No. 3 on their list of the "Top 25 Simpsons Peripheral Characters," behind Sideshow Bob and Troy McClure. Role in The Simpsons Ralph is characterised as a mentally challenged and good-natured 8-year-old boy in Lisa Simpson's second-grade class, taught by Ms. Hoover. For the first few seasons, he is mostly used as a background child character, with very few speaking roles or consistent personality traits. In later seasons he becomes one of the more prominent secondary characters on the show, even being the focus of, or at least a major character in some episodes. The reason he is mentally challenged is because his father accidentally dropped him on his head as seen in a flashback. These episodes include: "I Love Lisa" (season four, 1993), an episode which set him apart from other tertiary characters and defined much of the character, "This Little Wiggy" (season nine, 1998), and "E Pluribus Wiggum" (season nineteen, 2008); as well as appearances both minor and prominent in many other episodes. Ralph also appears in various other media, such as the Simpsons comic book series by Bongo, and has even received his own entry in The Simpsons Library of Wisdom series.