If you have ever found yourself wondering how much it would cost to live in your favourite cartoon characters’ homes, you are likely not alone.
Interior design experts at Hovia have used information from real-estate marketplace Zillow, to estimate the prices of iconic homes from different animated TV series.
With animated TV shows, a spokesperson for Hovia says creators can “really stretch their imagination”, as they aren’t bound by the limitations of set design or location scouting.
“Despite this, many shows opt to centre their characters in places that sound almost real, frequently modelling these fictional towns on places that they encountered growing up.
“It's fascinating to see just how much these fictional homes could cost in today's housing market. Shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy, which have been on the air for decades, feature homes that might once have been affordable for their characters, yet now seem unrealistic given the nature of their jobs in the show.”
Here’s how much these animated homes would costs in real life:
The Simpsons – 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield
- Estimated Price: $458 730 (R8.17m)
The Simpson family live in a four-bedroom home with an attached garage, basement and a generous fenced in yard in the fictional town of Springfield. Although the location of Springfield isn’t clear in the series, the show’s creator Matt Groening revealed in an interview with Smithsonian Magazine in 2012, that it is based on Springfield, Oregon a few hours from Portland where he grew up.
A four-bedroom home in Springfield, Oregon would set the Simpson family back around $458 730 today.
Given Homer’s salary as a nuclear power plant safely inspector and Marge’s fragmented employment history, it’s likely the family would find it difficult to afford a property like this in the current climate.
South Park – 2001 E. Bonanza St., South Park, Colorado
- Estimated Price: $741 919 (R13.2m)
South Park’s Stan Marsh lives in the fictional town after which the show is named. Fans online seem to agree that South Park is based on the town of Fairplay, Colorado. According to Colorado’s official tourism website, the town was actually re-named ‘South Park City’ in 1869 before being changed back to ‘Fairplay’ in 1874.
Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have said that although visually based on Fairplay, the show’s characters were based on their experiences growing up in Denver, Colorado.
A four-bedroom home in Fairplay currently costs a pricey $741 919, which considering Randy’s salary as a geologist and Sharon’s as a receptionist, is not totally out of reach for them.
Futurama – Robot Arms Apartments, New New York
- Estimated Price in 2023: $799 950 (R14.25m)
Futurama takes place in New New York in the year 3000. The show’s protagonist Philip J. Fry lives with Bender the robot in an apartment block built specifically to house robots in the city.
Each apartment has a closet which seems to be the size of a regular two-bedroom apartment, which would cost around $799 950 in New York today. Fry and Bender work for Professor Farnsworth’s delivery company Planet Express as an executive delivery boy and assistant manager of sales, so this definitely seems out of reach for them.
SpongeBob SquarePants – 124 Conch Street, Bikini Bottom, Pacific Ocean
- Estimated Price: $55 (R980)
SpongeBob SquarePants lives in a pineapple, which can cost around $4 (R71) in a store. However, for a pineapple big enough to call a home, the study looked at the Giant Kew variety which can reach up to twenty pounds (9kg) in weight. Using an average of $2.78 per pound (R49.50 per 0.45kg), the estimated cost of SpongeBob's home would be $55. With his salary as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, this estimation means his home is well within his budget.
Rugrats – 1258 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood
- Estimated Price: $668 851 (R11.9m)
Stu and Didi Pickles from The Rugrats, own a four-bedroom home with a garage located in Los Angeles.
The address was shown in one episode to be the location of the studio that produced the series, implying that the family live in Hollywood, Los Angeles. With Stu being an inventor of children’s toys and Didi being a part time teacher, it’s debatable whether they would be able to afford this home with an estimated value of $668 851.
DuckTales – McDuck Manor
- Estimated Price: $25m (R445m)
The most expensive home on this list belongs to the appropriately wealthy Scrooge McDuck from the Disney series, DuckTales.
The manor has impressive gothic architecture and, if it was real, would rival the Biltmore Estate which is currently the biggest home in the U.S. and was valued at around $37 million (R659m) for the house alone in 2017.
As it is smaller than the Biltmore Estate, McDuck Manor would likely be valued at around $25 million, making it the most expensive property on the list.
Phineas and Ferb – 2308 Maple Drive, Danville
- Estimated Price: $152 000 (R2.7m)
Linda and Lawrence Fletcher from Phineas and Ferb wouldn’t struggle to afford their three-bedroom property located in the fictional suburb of Danville, given their jobs in the show. Lawrence is an antique dealer while Linda has a jazz band along with other mothers in the neighborhood.
The real-life location is impossible to pinpoint as the creators have said that the ‘tri-state area’ mentioned can be anywhere in the US depending on the story. For the closest approximation a three-bedroom home in Danville, Virginia was used to get an estimate of $152 000.
The Flintstones – 345 Cave Stone Road, Bedrock
- Estimated Price: $300 000 (R5.3m)
Considering the materials used and size of Fred and Wilma’s home, the Flintstones’ home would cost around $300 000 today.
The house is made of granite with a limestone finish and has enough space inside for a living room, bathroom and two bedrooms. With Fred’s salary as a construction worker, this cost is likely to be far out of reach.
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