After nearly three decades, American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set to launch the first Simpsons store in Beijing, China, in March. It will be opened in Sanlitun, a well-known destination for fashion enthusiasts in the city. 

The store will reportedly expand to Shanghai by June and then to 100 other locations across the world, according to 20th Century Fox Consumer Products president Jeffrey Godsick in an interview with China Daily. Although the exact location in Shanghai is still unknown, it will most likely be in a stylish mall like in Beijing. 

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The flagship stores in Beijing and Shanghai will span 250 square meters floor space and display up to 200 licensed Simpsons products such as clothings, accessories, stationery, lifestyle accessories, sneakers, socks, shoes, phone cases, to name a few. 

Furthermore, Godsick claims that they will continue to expand and introduce something new according to seasons. He further revealed they are planning to exclusively sell between 25 and 50 percent of these merchandises in these standalone stores. 

It can be recalled that The Simpsons was banned in China. The ban followed after a controversial episode in 2006 that showed Homer Simpson insulting Chinese people and the communist government during his visit to the country. 

Since the ban has been lifted in 2014, The Simpsons has been a hit across China. Currently, Sohu, a streaming website, is holding the right to air the show. Godsick revealed that items released in China were sold out quickly and that people had to bear a three-hour queue just to enter a store that is launching Simpsons' merchandise.

Fox acknowledged the first family's increasing fame in Asia is the rationale why The Simpsons store was first put up in China and not USA (or Springfield). 

TagsThe Simpsons, Sohu, Simpsons in China, Beijing, 20th Century Fox