Seymour Skinner (real) (2024)

The contents of this article or section are considered to be non-canon and therefore may not have actually happened/existed.

This article is about the "real" Seymour Skinner. For the Seymour Skinner whose principal's real name is Armin Tamzarian, see Seymour Skinner.

Seymour "W." Skinner is a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, the son of Sheldon and Agnes Skinner. He dreamed of becoming principal of Springfield Elementary School, which he frequently told to the men under his command. After being captured by the enemy in Vietnam, he spent five years in a POW camp, before being sold to a shoe-producing company in the Chinese region of Wuhan, finally being released when the United Nations shut the sweatshop down. He then returned to Springfield, where he tried to take his life back, only to discover that one of the men who had once served in his unit, Armin Tamzarian, had moved to Springfield and assumed the identity of Seymour Skinner, to the point of living in his old house with his mother and even working in his dream job as the principal of Springfield Elementary.

Differences Between the Two Skinners[]

Sergeant Skinner is the 'real' Seymour Skinner-- Springfield Elementary's principal is actually named Armin Tamzarian. The real Skinner and Armin Tamzarian were buddies in the Vietnam War. Seymour Skinner took Tamzarian under his wing and turned him from a rebel into a responsible adult. Skinner would later disappear on a mission. Tamzarian, assuming Skinner was dead, decided to report the death to Skinner's mother Agnes personally. However, she thought Tamzarian was Skinner, who not wanting to sadden her, played along. It is implied that Agnes knew that Tamzarian wasn't really Seymour but carried on with the charade so she wouldn't have to accept that her son was dead. Tamzarian then gave Skinner his life back and left town. As the new principal of the elementary school, Skinner quickly clashes with Edna Krabappel, who is upset over Tamzarian’s leaving. Skinner also clashes with Agnes, who is irritated by Skinner being more independent from her and not obeying her. Agnes realizes she favours Tamzarian more as a son, and with the help of Edna, Homer and Marge, they drive to Capitol City and convince Tamzarian to return to Springfield, where the town are eager to welcome him, as they too, have grown tired of Skinner. Skinner is angry that the town favors Tamzarian over him and states Tamzarian can’t just go back to the way things were now he is here. The town then decide to settle this dispute by literally tying Skinner to a train cart and cheering as he is driven away; effectively riding him out of town on a rail. Agnes tells Seymour that she's happy he's alive and well, but he's not the "kind of son she wants". Judge Snyder effectively gives Tamzarian the right to Skinner’s name and assets, and no one is allowed to mention the events of the real Skinner returning under penalty of torture.

This rule is broken once when Lisa refers to Principal Skinner as "Principal Tamzarian," when he witnesses her name her new cat Snowball II instead of Snowball V in the episode "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot".^[2] Also, a tombstone reading "Tamzarian" can be seen in Homer's fantasy about his own funeral in "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace".

Behind the Laughter[]

When Lisa called Principal Skinner "Principal Tamzarian", this was a self-referential joke, since "I, (Annoyed Grunt)-Bot" used the same plot device of making a major change to the Simpsons' world: in this case, with the death of Snowball II, then effectively erasing the change within the same episode with the appearance of Snowball V (a cat identical in appearance to Snowball II, using her old collars and name for cost purposes).

Appearances[]

• Episode – "The Principal and the Pauper"
• Episode – "Behind the Laughter" (archive footage only)
• Episode – "Lisa the Boy Scout" (archive footage only)
• Video game – The Simpsons: Tapped Out (as Sgt. Skinner)

Citations[]