Fan Fare

“The Simpsons” is holding a contest to see who can create a new character for the Fox cartoon.

Producers announced the contest this week, under the handy slogan “Unleash Your Yellow,” in reference to the odd skin color most of the characters on the show have. Here is the link to the website where members of the public can enter.

In their description of the contest, the show’s creative team wrote jokingly that after 20 years of working on “The Simpsons” they were “tired and frankly too rich to care anymore,” and that they needed some inspiration from the public.

Those entering the contest simply need to come up with a name for the character, a catchphrase and a brief description. The winner will get the chance to travel to Los Angeles and work with the creative team behind the show for an episode scheduled for Jan. 31, 2010.

“The Simpsons,” starring Simpson family members Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie, has become the longest running show on television, by entering its 21st season this fall and eclipsing the western drama “Gunsmoke,” which ran from 1955 to 1975.

Earlier this month, the show’s creative team landed matriarch Marge Simpson in the pages of Playboy magazine.

But some media commentators have accused the show of getting flat.  Maybe this contest can add some fizz.