Postcards from the Edge of Simpsons History

Greetings from the Simpsons is a little book of 32 tear-out postcards (two of each design), and is another interesting curio for any discerning fan. It was released in 1990, near the beginning of the show's second season, making it one of the earliest pieces of merchandise for Our Favourite Family (note that there was another postcard book with the same name but different designs released in 2007).

I still have one each of 15 of the designs; the Principal Skinner one is lost to time (which is a shame, as it was the only one to include a detail explicitly later contradicted by the series, namely that Skinner wears a toupee.) Here are some pictures of the others.

Now, time for a pop quiz. One of these cards is of particular interest to the blog, because it relates to one of the many previous articles I've written about The Simpsons. See if you can guess which one, then join us below the cut to see if you were right.

Did you guess Grampa? Well done if you did, 'cause you guessed right.

All of the postcards have a little quote from one of the characters, taken from a Season 1 episode. There are two exceptions: Lisa's "I can't believe I'm a Simpson", which she never says in any episode, but sounds like a generic line that might have been used in publicity. And then there's Grampa's: "These reruns get more boring every year." That's something we haven't heard, but we have read. Specifically, we read it in this:

If you haven't read the blog's previous look at this book, do so before you read on. The Simpsons Xmas Book is essentially a novelisation of "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", but it contains several changes compared to the televised version. One of those changes is to change Grampa's line concerning The Happy Little Elves from "Unadulterated pap!" to... you've guessed it, "These reruns get more boring every year." (Note that "Unadulterated pap!" is also seen on the postcard, in Grampa's speech bubble.)

So. The Simpsons Xmas Book and Greetings from the Simpsons were both released in November 1990. I theorised at the time that the Xmas Book's additions and alternate lines could be from an alternate edit of the episode, or just an earlier version of the script. Does the fact that one of Grampa's lines that only appears in the book also appears in another officially licensed piece of merchandise make it more likely that there was indeed another broadcast version of Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire? Especially since both versions of the line can be seen on it?

I can't say for sure, and nearly three decades after the fact I don't see how we can ever find out, but it does add another dimension to the mystery of The Simpsons Xmas Book.