A RealLife Version of The Simpsons KwikEMart Convenience Store Has Opened in South Carolina
Fans of The Simpsons rejoice You, too, can hop on your skateboard and swing by the Kwik-E-Mart to pick up a real-life Squishee' beverage. The famed convenience store featured in the longest-running American sitcom and animated program has come to life in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, making it the world's first permanent real-life Kwik-E-Mart store, CNN reports. , The store is designed to look just like the one from the show, and will sell memorabilia associated with characters from the town of Springfield. In the series, the Kwik-E-Mart is run by a man named Apu, who is of Indian descent. The show has drawn criticism from viewers who say Apu's depiction is stereotypical, pointing to the exaggerated accent of Hank Azaria. According to one of the developers, Mark Cornell of SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment, the first visitors included three generations of a family teasing each other about who was the biggest fan among them, according to CNN. "To see three generations walk through the door that all love The Simpsons, how can you say that about anything else?" Cornell told CNN affiliate WBTW. Later this year, a Simpsons-themed Aztec Theater is expected to open next door.