Snowball (The Simpsons)

Snowball II
The Simpsons character
First appearance	Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Voiced by	Frank Welker Dan Castellaneta
Information
Species	Bombay cat
Gender	Female
Relatives	unknown
Color	Dark gray
Status	Alive (Family pet)

The name Snowball refers to five fictional cats that have been owned by the Simpson family in the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. The differences between them are:

• Snowball, a white female cat who died and only briefly appeared in a flashback in the series, but has been mentioned numerous times.
• Snowball II, a dark grey female cat who was the cat owned from the first episode up until her death in the episode "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot".
• Snowball III, a brown male cat who only appears in "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" and drowns when it jumps in the fish tank.
• Coltrane (Snowball IV), a white male cat who only appears in "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot". Coltrane commits suicide upon hearing Lisa play the saxophone, as it either frightened him or it wasn't to his liking.
• Snowball V, a dark grey female cat that first appears in "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" and has been the family cat ever since. In order to save money on a new food dish, Snowball V was renamed Snowball II to save confusion about the cats before her. She is the current cat owned by the family and is identical in appearance to Snowball II.

The various Snowballs have mainly been in the background, but have had larger roles in several episodes, including "Old Yeller Belly", "The Seven-Beer Snitch", and the aforementioned "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot".

Snowball

Snowball
The Simpsons character
First appearance	"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (mentioned)
Information
Species	American Wirehair
Gender	Female
Relatives	unknown
Color	White
Status	Deceased

Snowball, also known as Snowball I, was the Simpsons' first cat. Her death is never seen in the actual series, since it occurred "before" the show's continuity began. She was first mentioned in the series premiere in a Christmas letter Marge is writing where she explains that Snowball had died that year and went to "kitty heaven." Snowball was named due to her white-colored fur, though in a few occasions in the series Snowball I is pictured similar to Snowball II.

In "Treehouse of Horror III", a picture of Snowball I (as a black cat) is shown with the words "1988-90" underneath and Lisa says "she died four years ago tonight ... run over by the Mayor's beer-swilling brother, Clovis" (although that particular episode aired in 1992). In a song Homer wrote for Lisa, he says her cat died on Christmas Eve. Snowball was, according to Lisa in a poem, run over by a Chrysler. At a later point it emerged that Snowball was run over by Mayor Quimby's beer swilling brother, Clovis. Although the Sunday school teacher, Mrs. Albright, tells Lisa that Snowball cannot go to Heaven, this proves to be wrong as Snowball has been seen in heaven by characters who have undergone near-death experiences, including Bart, and sometimes in flashback sequences. Due to election forgery, Snowball was listed as posthumously voting for Sideshow Bob. Snowball also appears in "Bart gets hit by a car" where Snowball is run over by a car.

She is briefly mentioned in "Treehouse of Horror XIV" when Homer kills Death in revenge for her death as well as that of John F. Kennedy. She is also seen in the episodes "Lisa's Sax" and "And Maggie Makes Three".

Snowball II

Snowball II
The Simpsons character
First appearance	"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"
Last appearance	"I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot"
Voiced by	Frank Welker Dan Castellaneta
Information
Species	Cat
Gender	Female
Relatives	unknown
Color	Black
Status	Deceased

Snowball II was the Simpson family's second cat. She was named after Snowball I. Though Snowball I had white fur, which inspired her name, Snowball II had black fur.

She first appears in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", where it is explained that Snowball I had died the previous year and had been replaced with Snowball II. Neither Snowball I or II were seen or mentioned in the Tracey Ullman Shorts. Snowball II received little attention in the series, although she has appeared in many episodes. Snowball II and Santa's Little Helper have always been shown as having a good relationship; usually they are seen sleeping near each other. In the "Fly Vs. Fly" segment of "Treehouse of Horror VIII", Santa's Little Helper chases Snowball II into a transport device and their DNA gets mixed. Two different animals emerge: Santa's Little Helper emerges with both pets' heads, Snowball II with their backsides. Snowball II also found a love interest in Scratchy in the "Terror of Tiny Toon" segment of "Treehouse of Horror IX".

Snowball II's largest role is in the fourteenth season episode "Old Yeller Belly", in which she saves Homer from a burning treehouse built by the Amish after Santa's Little Helper runs away. She also has minor roles in "Bart Gets an Elephant", where she tries to get attention; in "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds", in which she is scared by the many puppies; and in "Make Room for Lisa", in which Lisa has a hallucination where she becomes Snowball II.

In the episode "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", Snowball II is hit and killed by Dr. Hibbert's Mercedes-Benz G500. After numerous fleeting replacements for Snowball II, the fifth (and last surviving) cat is named Snowball II by Lisa, in order to avoid future confusion and having to spend more money on a new bowl.

Snowball III

Snowball III was the third cat owned by The Simpsons. Snowball III was a ginger male cat. In I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot, Lisa adopts him from an animal shelter shortly after the death of Snowball II. She passes over a skunk, a Siamese cat, and a cat with an eye infection before finally deciding upon Snowball III. He drowns trying to catch a goldfish in an aquarium while Lisa is preparing his cat food in the kitchen for the first time. He was voiced by Dan Castellaneta.

Coltrane (Snowball IV)

Coltrane, also known as Snowball IV, was the Simpsons' fourth cat, adopted from an animal shelter shortly after the death of Snowball III. Originally, Lisa is not certain she wants another cat, but Coltrane's name wins her over due to its resemblance to that of the jazz musician John Coltrane. Upon bringing Coltrane home, Lisa decides to play him some of John Coltrane's music on her saxophone, but the noise frightens him and he commits suicide by jumping out the window. He was voiced by Dan Castellaneta.

Coltrane was the Simpsons' only cat since Snowball I to have been white; this was ironic, as he was the only one not to be named Snowball. However, Lisa evidently considers him as part of the Snowball lineage, as she names her next cat Snowball V, implying that Coltrane was Snowball IV.

Snowball V

Snowball V, renamed "Snowball II", is the Simpsons' fifth cat and is almost identical in appearance to Snowball II. In "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot", the Crazy Cat Lady throws a cat at Lisa while she is mourning the death of her other three cats that are killed in the episode. Lisa then tells the cat to leave, because any cat that she owns is unlucky and is certain to be killed. As the cat starts to cross Evergreen Terrace, a car driven by Gil Gunderson drives past. As Gil swerves to avoid hitting the cat, his car hits a tree and bursts into flames, thereby giving him insurance compensation for his meals. Since the cat is unhurt, Lisa takes it as a sign of good luck and adopts her.

Lisa renames Snowball V "Snowball II" at the end of the episode, in her words "to save money on a new dish", also vowing to pretend the whole thing never happened. Most viewers recognize this as the writers making a subtle self-jab at The Simpsons' often-forced tradition of maintaining a status quo continuity in the series. Principal Skinner, who happens to be walking by, asks "That's really a cheat, isn't it?" to which Lisa replies, "I guess you're right, Principal Tamzarian," a reference to "The Principal and the Pauper", another episode with a similar continuity gag at the end.

Snowball V also is the focus of a subplot in the sixteenth season episode "The Seven-Beer Snitch", in which she becomes overweight after abandoning the Simpsons for brief periods to visit a different family. Here she is taught tricks and given the name "Smokey" by the new family.

See also

	The Simpsons portal
	Fictional characters portal

• Simpson family
• List of fictional cats
• Snowball (cat)

External links

• Snowball I's profile at TheSimpsons.com
• Snowball II's profile at TheSimpsons.com