United Kingdom, June 7 -- Matt Groening has revealed The Simpsons only happened by accident.

The 72-year-old creator of one of television's most successful cartoon franchises has revealed the series began as a spur-of-the-moment idea, and admitted he only created The Simpsons moments before a crucial meeting because he feared the fledgling Fox network might not survive.

Matt reflected on the origins of the long-running animated series while speaking at the Peabody Awards, explaining he had originally intended to pitch a different concept to producer James L. Brooks for a series of animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show.

Instead, at the last minute, he decided to keep his existing idea in reserve and invent something entirely new.

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