Marge is the putty that just barely holds the Simpson family together week after week. By sensibly drawing the line at such frivolous expenses as an electric garage door opener and changes of clothing for her children, Marge manages to stretch Homer's modest salary to cover the tremendous costs incurred by a family of the '90s: Homer's beer and donut supply, and such necessary expenses as a day trip to India to meet the owner of the Kwik-E Mart Corporation.

However, Marge doesn't just bake cookies and stand by her man. She has been on both sides of the thin blue line. Not only has she served in Springfield's police department for a short while, but with her freewheeling neighbor Ruth Powers, she has gone on a high-speed consciousness-raising adventure, even outwitting and outrunning Police Chief Wiggum himself.

She also has starred in "Oh, Streetcar!," a musical adaptation of "A Streetcar Named Desire," and worked at the local nuclear power plant alongside her husband. Before leaving that job, Marge bravely accused plant owner Montgomery Burns of sexual harassment. Unfortunately, Marge's attorney, Lionel Hutz, threw in the towel when he saw that Mr. Burns' lawyers owned suits with matching jackets and pants.

Marge's one extravagance is having her tall blue hair done twice a day. Her hair does come in handy, however, as it enables the Simpsons to locate one another easily when they visit an amusement park or zoo.

Lisa Simpson - the saxophone playing family prodigy.

Lisa Simpson takes after both her parents: she has Marge's common sense, hard work ethic and sympathy for others; she has Homer's last name. Lisa's enormous intelligence and moral authority place her in a unique position in the Simpson family -- and, for that matter, Springfield at large.

Each parents' night at Springfield Elementary, Homer and Marge fight to meet with Lisa's teachers rather than Bart's on the theory that being offered a tin of cookies as thanks is less "upsetting" and "costly" than reviewing quarterly property damage assessments for melted playground equipment. This second grader also plays the saxophone with the virtuosity, if not stubble, of Springfield's late blues great, Bleeding Gums Murphy.

For the record, Lisa says she watches TV only for "The MacNeil-Lehrer Report" - particularly since it expanded to one hour - and any Masterpiece Theatre serialization of wordy British novels. In truth, however, she is always willing to interrupt a piercing MacNeil-Lehrer roundtable whenever her beloved "Itchy & Scratchy" cartoons are on TV. Her deep love for cartoon characters proves that, no matter how precocious she may be, Lisa is still a Simpson.

Maggie Simpson - the escapee baby of the family.

For an infant who can neither talk nor walk with any consistency, Maggie nonetheless leads an exciting and rewarding life. She is perhaps proudest of the baby escape she led at the Springfield Daycare Center. Maggie is almost always in a good mood, although once she did develop a rivalry with the mysterious one-eyebrowed baby who lives down the street. Angry pacifier sucks were exchanged.