Disco Stu

Disco Stu
The Simpsons character
First appearance	"Two Bad Neighbors"
Voiced by	Hank Azaria
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Dancer
Relatives	Ex-Wife: Selma Bouvier

Disco Stu, real name Stuart Discothèque (voiced by Hank Azaria), is a fictional character from The Simpsons. He is a man who is mentally stuck in the disco era. He is normally featured wearing a rhinestone-encrusted leisure suit. Stu was introduced as the punchline to a joke in "Two Bad Neighbors". In a garage sale, Homer attempts to sell a jacket on which he had once tried to write "Disco Stud" in rhinestones, but having made the letters too big he did not have room for the final "d". After Marge remarks that nobody would ever want to buy a jacket that read "Disco Stu", another customer recommends it to Stu, but Stu replies, "Disco Stu doesn't advertise."

Stu's speech pattern is similar to that of Duffman, also voiced by Hank Azaria; he speaks in the third person, often referring to himself as "Disco Stu" (emphasizing "Stu" and then pausing before saying anything else; whatever follows usually rhymes with "Stu"). According to "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation", Stu actually is aware disco is dead, does not like disco music at all, and worries that his personality may make him a "one-note guy". He got an annulment from Pope John Paul II after a brief marriage to Selma Bouvier. In "How I Wet Your Mother", Professor Frink created a device that allowed people to enter the dreams of others. He stated he had already used the device "To cure another Springfielder of his particular obsession" at which point Stu walked into the frame in khakis and a collared shirt saying "Normal Stu likes normal things." In "Homer Scissorhands", Stu is seen attending a ball alone, saying his girlfriend is not feeling well. She is then seen arriving arm-in-arm with Krusty the Clown. In the episode "Springfield Up", it is revealed that in his younger years, he had a budding career as a sea captain, going by the name of "Nautical Stu", and only finds the joy of disco music when Marge puts some on while taking his picture for his captain's license.

Show runner Bill Oakley described the original Disco Stu as "an old, wrinkly John Travolta". Stu was originally to be voiced by repeat guest star Phil Hartman. However, when the animators remodeled the character, Hartman was not available to dub the voice and so Hank Azaria took over the role. Out of 25, IGN named Stu the 24th top peripheral character in The Simpsons.

He is a disco aficionado and is usually featured wearing a rhinestone-encrusted leisure suit. He often refers to himself in the third person (putting a big emphasis on "Stu" and then pausing before saying anything else) and is noted for being mentally stuck in the Disco Era.

He first appeared in the episode "Two Bad Neighbors", during a neighborhood yard sale day. Near the beginning of the episode, Homer and Marge search their attic for items they might sell. Marge suggests Homer's old Rhinestone Nights Fashion Gun. Homer protests, "...I need it to rhinestone up my old clothing!". Marge then holds up Homer's old leather jacket complete with rhinestone lettering. "Who's Disco Stu?" Marge asks, referring to the words on the back. Homer explains, "I wanted to write 'Disco Stud' but I ran out of space. Not that Disco Stu didn't get his share of the action!". Disco Stu becomes a character later in the episode as part of a callback gag. Homer solicits his jacket to patrons of the rummage sale; One of them calls out "Hey Stu! You should buy that!". Disco Stu is revealed and says, "Disco Stu...doesn't advertise".

Although originally created as a throwaway gag character, Stu ended up being brought back again and again. Disco Stu has also been seen with dead goldfish in his platform shoes, hitting on Marge Simpson at a ski lodge (until he finds out she has children)[1], dancing with Homer after Homer discovers his love of walking, getting smashed by a jukebox thanks to a beefed up Marge, and most recently, a regular on Homer's talk show. During a "taxi cab confession" in the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation", Disco Stu revealed that he's aware disco is dead, and that he does not even like it anymore. He expresses worry that he has let disco define him as a person and fears becoming a "one note guy". In his younger years he had a budding career as a sea captain, going by the name of "Nautical Stu", and only finds the joy of disco music when Marge puts some on while taking his picture for his captain's license (this event suggests, that The Sea Captain and Disco Stu are somehow, at least in that episode, the one and the same person).

Disco Stu has also appeared as "Discus Stu" in a parody of the Odyssey (we first believe he is a suitor to Odysseus's wife, Penelope, but later find out that Discus Stu has enough "ouzo for two-zo" - himself and Bart). He was "Disco Shrew" in the "Treehouse of Horror XIII" "Dr. Moreau" parody, where Stu was turned into a shrew, but wasn't worried about his condition (Disco Shrew...can still bugaloo!). "Big Band Stu" appears in the parody of "The War of the Worlds" radio hoax that takes place in 1938, in "Treehouse of Horror XVII". Disco Stu appears to support himself by running a nightclub, aptly named "Stu's Disco"[2]. He also tried to start the "Can't Stop the Learnin' Disco Schools" franchise chain.

In the season sixteen episode "There's Something About Marrying", it is revealed that Disco Stu was Selma's fourth husband. However, he receives an annulment from Pope John Paul II; therefore revealing that he is of the Catholic faith. This episode aired just six weeks before John Paul II's death.

He was originally voiced by Phil Hartman in the episode "Two Bad Neighbors", but when the animators needed to do a model change, Phil wasn't available to redub the voice, so Hank Azaria took it over.