TORONTO - In the world of "The Simpsons," politicians are sleazy crooks, teachers are dispassionate drones and police officers are comically incompetent.

During the ongoing run of more than 20 years on the air, the creators of the Simpson clan have created an empire out of collectively mocking authority and poking a finger in the eye of the establishment.

But when Toronto native John Ortved began investigating the behind-the-scenes history of the show for his book, "The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History," the longtime fan came to realize that "The Simpsons" has become a tightly guarded establishment of its own.

"('Simpsons' producer) James L. Brooks drafted a letter to everybody who had worked on 'The Simpsons' ever - everyone who was working on the show and everyone who had worked on the show - asking them not to speak to me," Ortved told The Canadian Press in an interview at his parents' home in Toronto.

"They did make it quite hard for me."

Yet over the objections of Brooks and series creator Matt Groening, Ortved was able to gather more than 80 interviews for an expansive history of the longest-running sitcom of all time.

"The Simpsons" debuted in 1987 as a series of shorts, drawn by L.A.-based artist Groening, on Fox's sketch comedy program "The Tracy Ullman Show." In 1989, with the help of seasoned TV veteran Brooks, the show was expanded into a half-hour sitcom with its own prime-time slot on Fox.

Pretty soon, "The Simpsons" were everywhere: on T-shirts touting 10-year-old Bart's sassy slogans, on magazine and newspaper covers across North America, and on enough licensed merchandise to make Krusty the Clown blush.

Ortved reports the show hauled in an estimated US$750 million in merchandising revenues in its first year, as fans happily bought "Simpsons" bubble gum, snow boots and even pasta.

Ortved was nine-years-old and, like many children, he was completely transfixed.

"I wasn't allowed to watch TV a lot as a kid, or at all," recalled Ortved, who's now 29. "But I remember going over to friends' houses and it was the biggest treat in the ...[next page]