Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a recurring character in the American animated television series The Simpsons. He is an Indian immigrant proprietor who runs the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and is known for his catchphrase, "Thank you, come again". He was voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". He was named in honor of the title character of The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray.
| Apu Nahasapeemapetilon | |
|---|---|
| The Simpsons character | |
Apu doing an Indian namaste pose | |
| First appearance | "The Telltale Head" (1990) |
| Created by | Matt Groening |
| Designed by | Matt Groening |
| Voiced by | Hank Azaria (1990–2017) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Owner/operator of the Kwik-E-Mart Chief of Springfield Volunteer Fire Department Computer scientist |
| Family | Sanjay (brother) Tikku (brother, deceased) Vijay (cousin) |
| Spouse | Manjula |
| Children | The Nahasapeemapetilon octuplets |
| Relatives | Pahusacheta (niece) Jamshed (nephew) |
| Religion | Hinduism |
A 2017 documentary, The Problem with Apu, written by and starring comedian Hari Kondabolu, criticized the character as a South Asian stereotype. In January 2020, Azaria reacted to this by announcing that he and the production crew of the series had agreed for him to step down as the voice of Apu. The final time that Azaria voiced Apu was in the season 29 premiere "The Serfsons" in 2017; since then, he has only appeared as a background character.