Legendary indie animator Bill Plympton was commissioned to produce a short film for The Simpsons‘ rotating “couch gag” for the show’s opening title credits. The result aired during the April 15 episode, “Beware My Cheating Bart.” In typical Plympton fashion, the 80-second spot combines humor, pathos and great sight gags to weave a tale of the lifelong love affair between Homer and his beloved couch. It’s a great piece that only makes us wonder how long until we get a full-length Santa’s Little Helper and Guard Dog crossover episode?

Plympton is currently working on his latest animated feature film Cheatin’ and will be releasing both a DVD of his re-imagining of the Windsor McKay film The Flying House and a new book called Make Toons That Sell (Without Selling Out).

You can follow the progress on all of his projects at his official website and on the Scribble Junkies blog.