For lovers of “The Simpsons,” watching the show’s annual “Treehouse of Horror” episode is as much a part of the Halloween season as carving pumpkins and finding the perfect costume.
Minnesotans have an extra reason to be excited about this year’s installment. Ward Sutton, who was born in Minneapolis and graduated from St. Olaf College, created the opening credits, joining a list of past guest artists that include Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro and “Ren & Stimpy” creator John Kricfalusi.
“It’s like a dream come true that I never thought to dream because I never even imagined it could be possible,” said Sutton, who first became a “Simpsons” fans nearly 40 years ago when he was a cartoonist for the Twin Cities Reader. “It’s like winning a lottery I didn’t even enter, only better!”
Sutton’s work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Village Voice and Rolling Stone. But he’s best known for his nearly 20-year stint at the Onion, where he regularly skewers conservatives under the pseudonym Stan Kelly.
The “Simpsons” team, who were big fans of his Onion drawings, reached out to him in January. His main collaborator during the process was Michael Price, who also co-created the Bill Burr animated series “F is for Family.”
The 20-second, black-and-white short is more political than most “Simpsons” openings, with a patriotic family feeling threatened by monsters sporting T-shirts with messages like “Trade Wars” and “Pronouns.”
The generic clan escapes into their living room, where the father pounces on the remote control to tune into “The Simpsons.”
“America’s only true safe space: Network television,” the dad says as “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening cackles through the window.
