Having watched The Simpsons for over 15 years and not once questioning why Maggie is being scanned at the checkout till in the opening credits is a little concerning.

Seasons two to 10 are still on repeat in my house, although I no longer wait for the 6pm slot on Channel 4. And that's not because it moved to E4 in January 2025, which is just weird.

Thanks to Disney Plus, I can just stream the classics when I want, which also means skipping past the opening credits.

Taking a closer look at the intro, however, The Simpsons hasn't massively changed it since 1989. Even in the newer episodes, Maggie is still being accidentally scanned like a product on a conveyor belt at the supermarket.

Why though? It's an intro we've all seen hundreds of times but likely paid little attention to.

Upon first glance it seems like the youngster has been crawling amongst the groceries after Marge tries to get a moment to herself and read a magazine.

So in the earlier seasons, the number $847.63 would flash up on the till after Maggie is scanned, which was the monthly estimated cost for raising a child in the US back in 1989.

Later episodes have since seen the creators give up on estimating the constantly rising cost of having a child, with a more recent intro seeing Maggie double the bill from $243.26 to $486.52.