Lisa Simpson
From Simpsons Wiki
Lisa Marie Simpson (voiced by Yeardley Smith) is a sister to Bart and Maggie Simpson and Son to Homer and Marge SimpsonsLisa is the only character Smith voices on a regular basis. Matt Groening, the creator of the series, named her after his sister.
Lisa is an extremely intelligent girl, one of the brightest characters on the show, with an I.Q. of 159. She plays the baritone saxophone. Lisa is also a Buddhist and often serves as a mouthpiece for the show's writers, many of whom are postgraduates, to voice their knowledge of philosophy, science and history. Both Lisa and Bart ranked #11 in TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time.
Personality
In the Tracy Ullman shorts and early full length episodes, Lisa had interests equally as childish as Bart's, including comic books and burping contests. As the show continued however, she became more stereotypically intellectual and began to regard such activities juvenile, engaging in more mature pursuits. Lisa is quite eclectic in her knowledge and is notably more concerned with world affairs than her cohorts. Critics have also pointed out that Lisa's situation alludes to the plight of real children, who are often underestimated by adults. Lisa shares her intellect and overachieving personality traits with other female members of the Simpson family ("Lisa the Simpson" revealed that Simpson males inherit a gene on the Y chromosome that prevents them from channeling their intellect). Lisa also deeply values her integrity, as demonstrated when she cheats on a test on The Wind in the Willows to attain her highest grade of A+++, but later admits her dishonesty to an unreceptive Principal Skinner. (She later re-grades the test as an F.) Despite her intellect, Lisa has received detention, like her brother Bart, quite a number of times, often because of her rebellious and sometimes bitter attitude and anti-social behavior that is capable of deeply embarrassing authority figures. Although her rebellion against social norms is usually constructive, Lisa can be whiny, cruel and self-righteous at times. Notably, in "Lisa the Vegetarian", her increasing sense of moral righteousness regarding her vegetarianism leads her to proselytize, culminating in her spiteful disruption of a "meat-based" barbecue prepared by Homer (an act she comes to rue). At times, Lisa appears to resist certain situations merely for the sake of resisting them, not because of any genuine ideological opposition. She appears to occasionally enjoy breaking the norm for its own sake; in Bart Star, she triumphantly declares that she, a girl, would like to join the football team. When it is revealed that there are already girls on the team, she declares her distaste for a sport that would use a pig's skin to make its ball. When it is revealed that the ball is actually synthetic and that with the purchase of each ball, one dollar is donated to Amnesty International, she is at a loss for words and runs off visibly upset.
Despite her high IQ, Lisa does have typical childhood issues, sometimes requiring adult intervention. In "Lost Our Lisa", she tricks Homer into allowing her to ride the bus alone, only to become hopelessly lost. After his coworkers Lenny and Carl point out that he allowed his 8 year old daughter to ride a bus by herself, Homer comes to her rescue. In one episode, Lisa has a Jewish imaginary friend named Rachel Cohen who "just got into Brandeis University." In the earlier seasons, Lisa displayed more personality traits of an eight-year old, including obsessing over getting a pony, being addicted to TV, and fighting with Bart.
In Japana, the broadcasters of the series found they were able to turn the apparent viewer dislike of the series around by focusing marketing attention on Lisa. Lisa's well-intended but ill-fated struggles to be a voice of reason and a force of good in her family and her city struck a chord with the Japanese.
Intelligence
In Homer's Enemy, it is mentioned that Lisa has an IQ of 156. She is a high-ranking member of Mensa Springfield. Lisa demonstrates an early intelligence by changing her own diaper as an infant. When unable to attend school due to a teachers' strike (in "The PTA Disbands!"), she suffered a sort of "school withdrawal" and invents a perpetual motion machine that Homer describes as going "faster and faster". He goes on to chastise her, saying "In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!"