Laura Powers: Bart's first love

CharacterBart SimpsonLaura Powers

A teenager moves into the Winfields' old house, and ten-year-old Bart falls in love at first sight. The daughter of Ruth Powers, Laura exists only in "New Kid on the Block" (season 4, 1992), an episode written by Conan O'Brien and directed by Wes Archer, which also sees the birth of Ruth and Captain McAllister. Babysitter, a waltz in the living room, rivalry with Jimbo Jones, a prank call to Moe that turns into a kitchen knife: it is all there. You will come away with the show's most tender heartbreak.

A new neighbour, a ten-year-old boy's heart and a prank call that goes wrong: Laura Powers is Bart Simpson's first great love.

She really appears in only one episode — but what an episode. A look back at a crush that became a cult favourite.

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Who is Laura Powers?

Laura Powers is a teenager who moves to Springfield with her mother, Ruth Powers, freshly divorced. The two women settle into the old house of the Winfields, the Simpsons' elderly neighbours, who have left for Florida — driven out, it must be said, by Homer's behaviour.

🚿 Ruth and Laura Powers settle into the Winfields' old house after the couple leaves for Florida; when you're the one moving in, our Simpsons shower curtains make a bathroom left behind by someone else feel like yours in no time.

An essential point: Laura is neither a classmate nor a girl from the elementary school. She is a neighbour older than Bart, and it is precisely that gap that gives the episode all its flavour — and all its melancholy.

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An episode written by Conan O'Brien

She appears in "New Kid on the Block" (season 4, 1992), an episode written by Conan O'Brien — then a writer on the show, before his career as a talk-show host — and directed by Wes Archer.

The episode is a triple baptism: it marks Laura's first appearance, but also that of her mother Ruth and that of Captain McAllister, whose all-you-can-eat restaurant provides the setting for the subplot.

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Bart's first crush

Bart falls in love at first sight. Laura, sharp and far more mature than he is, takes a liking to him: she becomes his babysitter, reads his palm, teaches him to waltz in the living room.

The whole tragedy of the situation lies there: what Bart experiences as a budding love story is, for her, nothing more than a friendly rapport with the kid next door. It is the character's very first great crush, long before the other romances that will dot the show.

💃 Laura teaches Bart to waltz right there in the living room: at your place, one of our Simpsons rugs rolled out in the middle of the room makes a ready-made dance floor for your own first dance steps.

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Jimbo, the rival

The coup de grâce comes when Laura tells Bart she is going out with Jimbo Jones, the Springfield bully. Asked what on earth she sees in him, she answers, in essence: because he's an outlaw.

For Bart, the betrayal is twofold: not only does he lose Laura, he loses her to his own tormentor.

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The prank call that goes off the rails

Bart's revenge goes through his favourite weapon: the prank call to Moe. He calls the tavern, asks for a customer whose name is impossible to say aloud without humiliating yourself, then — when a furious Moe threatens the prankster — introduces himself as Jimbo Jones and gives an Evergreen Terrace address.

Except that Moe turns up for real, armed with a large kitchen knife he himself describes as rusty and dull. Faced with the blade, Jimbo bursts into tears and begs to be spared. Moe backs down — but the damage is done: Laura, disgusted by her boyfriend's cowardice, dumps him on the spot.

The ending is bittersweet: Bart gets his revenge without getting the girl, and the two neighbours console themselves by making one last prank call together.

📱 A fake name, Jimbo Jones, and an Evergreen Terrace address blurted out over the phone: that's all it took for Moe to show up. Your own phone probably handles tamer calls, and our Simpsons Samsung cases protect it whenever it slips out of your hands.

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Laura Powers' voice actors

In the original version, Laura is voiced by actor Sara Gilbert — Darlene from the series Roseanne — credited as a special guest. Her mother Ruth is entrusted to Pamela Reed.

On the French side, no reliable source credits an actor for Laura. As is often the case for single-episode characters, the French cast was never documented.

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Summary table

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FAQ

• Who is Laura Powers?
  The daughter of Ruth Powers, a teenager who moves in next door to the Simpsons and with whom Bart falls in love in season 4.
• Which episode does she appear in?
  "New Kid on the Block" (season 4, 1992), written by Conan O'Brien. It is her only episode with a real speaking role.
• Does Bart go out with Laura?
  No. She sees him as a nice little neighbour, and goes out with Jimbo Jones — which triggers Bart's revenge.
• What happens with the prank call to Moe?
  Bart makes Moe believe the prankster is called Jimbo Jones. Moe turns up with a large kitchen knife, Jimbo bursts into tears, and Laura dumps him for his cowardice.
• Who voices Laura Powers?
  Sara Gilbert in the original version. No French actor is credited by any reliable source.

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Conclusion

Appearing only once, Laura Powers nonetheless left a lasting mark: that of Bart's first heartbreak, handled with a tenderness rare in the show. An episode that proves The Simpsons can be gentle too.

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