The Simpsons’ Marcia Wallace Chalkboard Tribute Is Fitting Send-Off For Mrs Krabappel

The Simpsons paid a fitting tribute to Marcia Wallace, the voice of Bart’s ever-present teacher, Edna Krabappel, on Sunday evening, using the show’s opening chalkboard routine to remember the beloved actress.

Throughout the show’s 25 seasons, The Simpsons has always opened with Bart writing a humorous gag on Edna’s chalkboard during detention, but Sunday’s edition instead began with Bart standing beneath the emotional message, “We’ll really miss you Mrs. K.”

The Simpsons’ latest episode, “Four regrettings and a Funeral,” was the first to be aired since Wallace’s death. It was also preceded by Season 22’s, “The Ned-Liest Catch,” which saw Mrs Krabappel get together with Homer and Marge’s next door neighbour, Ned Flanders.

Despite this glowing tribute, The Simpsons‘ bosses confirmed that Wallace’s voice will still be around for quite a while yet. Al Jean, the comedy’s executive producer, has confirmed that the character will eventually be killed off, however he also added that Wallace has recorded enough episodes to last for another year.

Jean also went on to state that no-one could replace Wallace as Mrs Krabappel, and he noted that writers on the show are now currently hard at work trying to scribe a perfect last episode for the character.

Many fans of the show believed that Mrs Krabappel was set to be killed off anyway, after Al Jean and the show’s cavalcade of other writers confirmed that they were going to kill one of the show’s characters in the upcoming season.

However, Jean vehemently denied that this was their plan, stating, “Earlier we had discussed a potential storyline in which a character passed away. This was not Marcia’s Edna Krabappel. Marcia’s passing is unrelated and again, a terrible loss for all who had the pleasure of knowing her.”

Jean announced Wallace’s death via a message on Facebook on October 25, writing, “She was beloved by all at The Simpsons and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character.” He also called her “brilliant and gracious.”

Wallace succumbed to complications from pneumonia on October 25, at the age of 70, in her home in Los Angeles. Her work on The Simpsons was wholeheartedly praised, and she even won an Emmy in 1992 for her voice work on the show.

All in all she made an appearance in 178 episodes of The Simpsons, with Edna turning up in just three of them.

What’s you favorite memory of The Simpsons’ Edna Krabappel? Were you moved by the show’s tribute to her on Sunday?