Clancy Wiggum (2024)

“If anything goes wrong, just dial 911. Unless it's an emergency.”

―Wiggum ^[4]

“It was only two days till he retired.”

―Wiggum’s catchphrase

“Cuff 'em, Lou.”

―Wiggum's catchphrase

“Let's roll, boys!”

―Wiggum's catchphrase

“Take 'em away, boys.”

―Wiggum ^[5]

“Book 'em, Lou.”

―Wiggum's catchphrase ^[6]

“Oh, don't worry, I'm the pief of cholice. I mean, I'm, uh, the beef with no cheese.”

―Wiggum^[src]

Chief Clancy Wiggum is the head of the Springfield Police Department. He is an extreme stereotype of a lazy police officer. Chief Wiggum is obese, ignorant and lazy, with a fondness for donuts and guns. While he pretentiously feigns authority, he has little regard for individual rights or even public safety. He is uninformed and continuously flaunts his power, albeit with good intentions most of the time. He is part Irish.^[7] He is a major character in The Simpsons and has a supporting role in The Simpsons Movie.

He, along with most of Springfield's government and its police force, is also corrupt, having asked for or taken bribes several times. When Bart bribed him with stolen wedding presents, he told him to read his badge and, at the bottom of the badge, was the caption "Cash Bribes Only".^[8] He has a strained friendship with Mayor Quimby. This strained relationship may help to explain why Wiggum has retained his job, despite his inability to do his duties.

He is often assisted by his more intelligent "top cops", Eddie and Lou. He is completely ignorant of Springfield's laws and even makes up his own laws on the fly. According to The Bart Book, Clancy is also in the SPD Bomb Squad, which is in fact just him in a hockey mask.

Biography[]

Clancy Wiggum was born on April 28, 1947 and was possibly born in Ireland.^[9] He seemed to have spent some part of his early childhood in Maryland, as he mentioned that he used to sell ribbons there with his father, Iggy Wiggum. Iggy was a WWII veteran who died in a parade float accident in 1979, along with Arnie Gumble, Sheldon Skinner, Etch Westgrin, and Griff McDonald, who were all members of Abe Simpson's Flying Hellfish.^[10] He did, however, grow up in Springfield and was among the same class and age group as Homer Simpson, Lenny Leonard, Carl Carlson, Barney Gumble, and possibly Marge Simpson.

At an early age, Wiggum played cops and robbers with Homer and other kids his age, showing a clear ambition to become a police officer.

At the age of 16, he was a hall monitor at high school, and possibly had a part-time security guard job at Springfield State University. Wiggum was present at the University's germ research labs (of which Prof. C. Montgomery Burns was chairman at the time) when Mona Simpson and the hippie activist group she was part of sabotaged the germ experiments. Wiggum, who had suffered from asthma prior to that, was cured by antibiotics that the group released to kill the germs, and helped Mona Simpson escape the police when she was on the run twenty-five years later to return the favor. Near the beginning of the school year, Wiggum, then a drug officer, was investigating Lenny, Carl, and Homer for taking marijuana, and had his sniffer dog, Sergeant Scraps, and was successful in the case.

In 1985, Chief Wiggum was involved in the barbershop quartet called the "Be Sharps". Wiggum was a member with Homer Simpson, Seymour Skinner, and Apu. However, a talent scout, who showed interest in the Be Sharps, didn't like Wiggum as a performer, saying the idea of a cop in the group was "too Village People." Consequently, he was thrown out of the group. When auditions were held to find a replacement for Wiggum, he attempted to be re-selected for the quartet, wearing a disguise similar to Dr. Doolittle, but was found out and rejected from the audition.^[11]

Early attempts to get into the Police Force when he was a teenager were unsuccessful on account of his asthma, so when it had been cured he could then pursue his ambition to become a professional police officer. Having entered the Police Academy by age 24, Wiggum managed to work around his many shortcomings and finally become a full fledged officer. By the age of 34, he had managed to work his way up to the position of Police Chief of Springfield, which most likely was made possible when he "made a deal with the devil to be chief".^[12] He eventually was promoted to Commissioner after Bart's hoax kidnapping case. It is implied that Wiggum managed to overcome his shortcomings with coaxing methods such as great skills with back massages and charm to get the position of Chief, but he actually received the position when the frustrated former Chief resolved to give it to the next person he met, which was Wiggum. Another explanation is when Mayor Quimby said that he made Wiggum the police chief so that the law would not be enforced to the letter, and he could get away with all his corrupt activities. This may also explain why Chief Wiggum has somewhat of a feud with Mayor Quimby, such as getting into a serious argument with him in regards to Marge's arrest,^[13] blackmailing him with incriminating photos,^[14] and even trying to arrest Quimby for corruption charges.^[15] Regardless, Wiggum had accomplished his childhood dream.

Wiggum is currently aged somewhere between 38-43 years old.

Wiggum weighs 360 pounds (163.3 kg) and is 5'9" (175 ¼ cm) tall.

Other than his job as Police Chief, he is also the coach for the Mighty Pigs Hockey team. He is also a participant in the Annual Chili Cook-Off, where it is implied that he holds a grudge against Homer Simpson due to his scathing reviews of various chili. One year, he briefly got his revenge on Homer by including in his chili Guatemalan Insanity Peppers, which he added to his chili specifically in anticipation of Homer tasting his. However, Homer eventually got his revenge by tasting multiple tastes of chili while having coated his mouth with wax after drinking hot wax from a candle, leaving Wiggum stunned. However, Wiggum ultimately got the last laugh as the Insanity Peppers ended up causing Homer to undergo a psychotic break.

Wiggum is also worryingly dismissive of basic firearm safety and uses his gun for various tasks that continuously put his life in danger. Examples include selling pieces of it to feed his family after being fired from his position as chief of police, using it as a nutcracker, and eating donuts off its barrel. When it goes off and nearly shoots him through the head (instead going through the peak of his cap), he merely remarks on what a close call it was and resumes eating.

It was shown that Wiggum dies at the age of 62 after choking on a sub sandwich he stole from Homer Simpson, who had just been killed by his police department.^[16]

Personality[]

Wiggum capitalizes the negative aspects of the police force and service, especially within Springfield and perhaps the judicial system in general. His badge actually states in fine print, "cash bribes only". In addition to the stereotype Wiggum embodies, he often eats donuts, much like Homer Simpson.

Multiple times, Wiggum displays an ignorance for the law, usually making up his own arbitrary reasons for arresting people rather than an actual crime, although sometimes Wiggum has had a clear view of the law, at ties butting heads with Mayor Quimby, who is willing to break legal laws just to retain his position as mayor of Springfield. In some cases, he tries to avoid stopping crimes, such as claiming the caller has the wrong number (912 rather than 911, even though in Homer the Great the “real” number is said to be 912), or is in disbelief when someone is reporting a crime. He also at times mixes up police acronyms, which at times had near disastrous consequences. A notable example of this was his mixing up the terms DOA (Dead on Arrival) and DWI (Driving While Impaired/Driving While Intoxicated), initially claiming to Marge Simpson that her husband Homer had been the former and then corrected himself by stating he was actually the latter when she stated he was dead in horror, only to encounter Mrs. Phillips, whom he earlier called in to pick up her husband due to him supposedly being arrested on a DWI charge, only for him to quickly duck out under the excuse of going to lunch while directing her to another officer due to her husband actually being DOA.

Despite this, there have been instances where Wiggum proves to be a good cop at times, showing a surprising level of competence when push turns to shove; and it is perhaps this quality which demonstrates why he was appointed as 'chief' in the first place. For example, he successfully located the missing Maggie Simpson and helped Homer chase Marge and Ruth Connors when they became convicts. He showed an unprecedentedly high level of dedication to his police work by conducting an extremely thorough investigation when trying to find the shooter who gunned down Mr. Burns. His dedication to his police work can also be shown when he is encouraged by others, such as in 'Pranksta Rap' and in 'The Fat Blue Line'.

It is also shown on various occasions throughout the series that he can be quite loving, such as in S17 E07 "The Last of the Red Hat Mamas"^[17] where he hugs Lou, as well as Homer and Marge in S21 E14 "Postcards From the Wedge" ^[18]. He is also sensitive, fun-loving, and has a cheeky or mischievous sense of humor, and shows genuine care for his son, Ralph. In "Chief of Hearts", he is seen to have a close friendship with Homer, due to their similarities.

Family[]

Aside from his late father, Clancy is the husband of Sarah Wiggum (whom he met when arresting her for possession of drugs that he planted on her to "make her notice him") and the father of Ralph Wiggum, a second grader at Springfield Elementary. He has an unseen cousin named Mark who went to Pennsylvania State University; Wiggum describes him as a "fat kid who played a lot of Tetris." Wiggum also has an unnamed brother who, after attending military school, presumably went crazy and now "owns and operates a famous cave", and he claims to have a sister, who is completely hairless like a Sphinx cat. Besides Iggy Wiggum, his deceased relatives include brother-in-law Fred Kanneke and an uncle who, according to Wiggum, died of "crotch dot."

Non canon[]

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

Treehouse of Horror[]

In "The Devil and Homer Simpson", Chief Wiggum has a brief appearance in the ending where he and the other members of the Springfield Police Department are waiting outside the Simpsons' house, obviously in anticipation of tearing chunks of Homer's doughnut-ified head for their morning coffee (a consequence of his narrowly escaping the Devil's snares).

Wiggum also briefly appears in "Treehouse of Horror VI" as part of the PTA meeting on "Smarch", where he bore witness to Groundskeeper Willie's grisly demise. When Willie ominously threatened them for leaving him to die, Wiggum jokingly asked if he was going to use "skeleton power" against their children in reference to Willie's now-skeletal-like, charred corpse.

In "Treehouse of Horror XV", he acted as the yard inspector in London trying to solve the case of the Muttonchop Murderer that was killing several prostitutes. He eventually arrests Homer for the deed, although he was ultimately exposed by Bart and Lisa as being the true Muttonchop Murderer, and attempts to make his escape via hot air balloon, although his escape was foiled by Kang and Kodos. It is later revealed to be a dream by his son that was caused by his ingesting of opium which he revealed to Wiggum, who revealed that it's still a dream.

In "Treehouse of Horror XXIII", he was called in to investigate the Simpson House after the family discovered unusual activity inside it because of an unusual flame. He identified it as hellfire, and stated that someone sold their soul to the Devil and that he was expecting his due. However, upon the ring of a cuckoo clock, he ended up turned into a skeleton (presumably by the Devil) and collapsed to dust, although not before warning the family that the Devil feeds on "more than just fear."

Future[]

It is shown in Professor Frink's future machine that Wiggum will, along with Lou and Eddie, become a Robo-Cop-like machine-officer with a rotisserie in his stomach.

In "Flanders' Ladder", Wiggum dies at age 62 when he chokes on Homer's sub.

Video-games[]

The Simpsons: Hit and Run[]

Wiggum appears several times in The Simpsons: Hit and Run video game. The first time is during Level 2, where he attempts to arrest Bart for buying illegal fireworks, intending to place him under five life sentences of community service, although he later seems to forget this as he tells Bart that Herman's Military Antiques was robbed of a radio recently, and suggests that the skid marks from tires would probably lead to the culprit. It is implied in the former mission that he uses his son Ralph in sting operations, at least in regards to the sale of illegal fireworks. He later appears in Level 3 when he is trying to bust Snake Jailbird under the Three Strikes Law, but hasn't gotten any evidence yet due to his being a "very, very bad cop" (in his own words). Lisa manages to help him collect evidence to put Snake away in exchange for information in regards to her brother's whereabouts. However, he makes a bigger role in Level 4, where he first asks Marge to collect some donuts which are falling out of a Lard Lad Donuts truck due to suffering a severe case of sugar withdrawal in exchange for giving her information about crop circles, and secondly when he races Marge to 742 Evergreen Terrace after she destroyed several trucks of Buzz Cola (he was particularly upset with Marge for this act, as according to him, Buzz Cola was the only thing that gave him the courage to take his shirt off in the police station locker room).

The Simpsons Game[]

Wiggum appears at the end of Bartman Begins to take Principal Skinner away for having the three teenagers rob the museum. He also appears as one of the contestants in the Duff Ultimate Eating Challenge in Around the World in 80 Bites. He appears as one of the enemies in Mob Rules, where he tries controlling the mob, mainly by blockading key parts of the town but, in the Xbox and PS3 versions, helping try and protect the statue in the town square. He can also be heard speaking through his megaphone throughout the level and he can always be found in the police station during free roam.

Other[]

Chief Wiggum has his own spin-off show in "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase" called "Chief Wiggum P.I." He is fired from the Springfield force for corruption and moves to New Orleans to start working as a private investigator, with Skinner as his partner. Wiggum and Ralph live in a boat house, and Ralph is kidnapped by a villain called Big Daddy. He later finds his son, and lets Big Daddy escape.

Chief Wiggum also appears in the video game Lego Dimensions. He is seen during the Chaos when Lord Business's Micro Managers attack Springfield over in front of the Town hall. Chief Wiggum appears in The Simpsons level pack, "The Mysterious Voyage of Homer" his role similar to that of the episode it's based on.

Behind the Laughter[]

Voice[]

Wiggum is voiced by Hank Azaria on a gruff tone similar to Moe's, however a bit higher and less rough. Azaria first based his voice for Wiggum on David Brinkley, but soon switched it to an Edward G. Robinson impression.

Name[]

His surname "Wiggum" is Matt Groening's mother's maiden name. As a pun, Wiggum was designed to look like a pig. Many characters, such as Sideshow Bob, have made fun of his pig-like appearance, calling him names such as "Chief Piggum".

Relationship with Ralph Wiggum[]

Ralph was not revealed to be the son of Clancy Wiggum until the episode "I Love Lisa", where Ralph seeks advice about his crush on Lisa to Clancy. The writers decided that making Ralph the son of Chief Wiggum would make sense due to similar body types and usual levels of intelligence.

Trivia[]

• According to Hank Azaria, his voice as Wiggum was based on "a bad impression" of actor Edward G. Robinson. This was even given brief nods in several episodes:
  • In the episode "Bart Gets an Elephant", where Chief Wiggum, upon getting a 911 call about a liquor store robbery that had an officer being shot in the line of duty, proceeds to sarcastically dismiss the caller by saying "Yeah, sure. And I'm Edward G. Robinson!"
  • In "The Day the Violence Died", during Roger Meyers, Jr.'s tirade about how everyone had plagiarized against someone to create something, he cites Chief Wiggum as someone who was "plagiarized", referring to Edward G. Robinson's basis for the character.
• In the Italian version of the show, he speaks with a Neapolitan accent, and his last name was changed to "Winchester" for unknown reasons.
• Wiggum is very sensitive to poison oak and immediately collapses from an allergic reaction after in contact with it.
• A flashback in "Mother Simpson" shows that Wiggum and Homer Simpson are about 6 or 7 years apart. However, in "Springfield Up", they are shown to be the same age. This might be due to the bad continuity of the series.
• Wiggum's catchphrase, "Cuff 'em, Lou," could be a reference to the original Hawaii 5-0, where McGarrett says, "Book 'em, Danno."
• His BMI is 53.27.
• On two separate occasions, Wiggum has referenced Goldilocks and the Three Bears:
  • When Homer returned for a rematch regarding the Guatemalan Insanity Pepper, Wiggum, while mocking Homer, stated "Oh no, my porridge is too hot!"
  • He also used the code handle "Papa Bear" when chasing down an escaped Cattle Rustler (Snake Jailbird) when communicating through the police scanner.
• Although Irish, his surname is of Norwegian origin.
• He is left-handed.^[19]
• According to "The Computer Wore Menace Shoes", it is implied that he uses the electric chair to cook chicken.
• He used to be part of the Springfield Fire Department, according to 'Homer the Heretic'.
• In "She Used to Be My Girl", it is revealed that he is a boat enthusiast, an amateur historian, and a yo-yo dieter.
• He is a member of the Stonecutters.
• It is hinted on some occasions that he might be bisexual, such as in "There's Something About Marrying", "Much Apu About Something" and "The Simpsons Guy".
• With previously being a member of the 'Be Sharps' group and often taking part in musicals, it is hinted he might have an interest in singing/acting. His voice actor, Hank Azaria, has sung with Clancy's voice in interviews and even live on stage, singing songs like 'Let It Go' (from Frozen) and 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' (from The Wizard of Oz). Hank stated he thinks Clancy has a decent singing voice and seems to want him to sing more on the show.
• In "Penny-Wiseguys", when asked by Lou, Clancy said the reason why he wanted to become a cop was because he is an "adrenaline junkie".
• Despite being a main character on the show, he has very little appearances in Season 1 and Season 2, only appearing briefly a couple of times in each season. His personality is also seems a little different from the rest of the series, with being more serious and focused on his job, and his voice also sounds a little different from the rest of the series too, as a lot of the characters were back then. This is probably due to his character having yet being developed.
• In "Moe Baby Blues", it is implied that he is a soccer coach outside his police job.
• According to "Covercraft", he calls edamame "Salt Peas".
• He seems to like denim jeans, as shown in S06 E23 ‘The Springfield Connection ' and in S24 E20 "The Fabulous Faker Boy".
• He seems to enjoy playful teasing, as shown in S04 E16 "Duffless" (spraying Sarah with the hose) and S26 E01 "Clown in the Dumps" (grossing kids out with crime photos).
• He seems to like abbreviations, such as in "A Father's Watch" and "To Surveil With Love".
• Even though it's been implied he might be Irish on the show, he stated once in Tapped Out that he is actually not.
• According to the Season 26 episode "The Kids Are All Fight", it was shown in a brochure that he performs in a group called “The Sunshine Boys”, along with the Sea Captain, which could imply that they’re both close friends.
• In addition to his interest in performing, he seems to enjoy entertaining people too, such as in "Lisa the Iconoclast" (using skull as puppet).
• Like most characters in The Simpsons, he doesn’t age. It is revealed in "The Bob Next Door" that he is 43 years old (drawing of gun). However in "The Fat Blue Line", he said to Marge that he’s 38 years old. But in a more realistic sense, he’d probably be around 43-50 years old by now, if he were in his 30s when the show started in 1989, thus born in somewhere between the 1947-1950s.
• Episodes like "I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say D'oh", a scene in Virtual Springfield, and various moments in Tapped Out imply he is into crossdressing, or drag, to some degree.

Appearances[]

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