Seymour Skinner

Background

Skinner's uptight, military manner comes from his years as a Green Beret sergeant in the Vietnam War, where he was captured at Khe Sanh and held as a prisoner of war. He takes orders readily, above all from his mother Agnes and from Chalmers. He and Bart have a love-hate bond: when Skinner was fired and Ned Flanders took over the school, Bart found pranks pointless, and the two grew close until Bart helped get him reinstated (Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song). The season 9 episode The Principal and the Pauper claimed he was really an impostor named Armin Tamzarian, a reveal criticized by many fans and by Matt Groening and Harry Shearer.

Role in The Simpsons

Skinner frequently struggles to secure school funding and maintain discipline, often to impress his strict boss Superintendent Chalmers during inspections that are typically disrupted by Bart Simpson's pranks. Despite this, Skinner develops a love-hate relationship with Bart; when Skinner is fired and replaced by Ned Flanders, Bart finds pranks less meaningful, and the two bond, leading Bart to help reinstate him. Skinner is a former Green Beret sergeant who served in the Vietnam War, was captured at the Battle of Khe Sanh, and spent three years as a prisoner of war, contributing to his PTSD.

He is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and sometimes uses his military experience to command respect. Skinner is weak-willed and dependent on his mother Agnes, who lives with him and calls him "Spanky." He has a romantic relationship with Edna Krabappel, which leads to them being fired and later reinstated; they become engaged but cancel the wedding. The episode "The Principal and the Pauper" reveals Skinner is actually Armin Tamzarian, an orphan who assumed the identity of his sergeant, but the real Seymour Skinner briefly returns.

Creation

Principal Skinner first appeared in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," the first aired episode of The Simpsons. Matt Groening created the initial drawing, basing the character on a composite of principals from his own youth. Writer Jon Vitti named him after behavioral psychologist B. F. Skinner. An early concept had Skinner continually mispronouncing words, which was used in the series premiere but later abandoned. Another original idea was for Skinner to wear a toupée, but the writers dropped it because they disliked that type of joke. In later episodes, the character's behavior was influenced by teachers that producers Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein had in high school.