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Barnard Arnold “Barney” Gumble is a recurring character in the American animated TV series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared in the series premiere episode “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”. Barney is the town drunk of Springfield and Homer Simpson’s best friend. His loud belches and desperation for alcohol serve as frequent sources of humor on the show, though Barney sobered up in the Season 11 episode “Days of Wine and D’oh’ses”. Barney was inspired by the cartoon character Barney Rubble from The Flintstones and by several barflies from other television programs. In 2004, Castellaneta won an Emmy Award for voicing various characters, including Barney.