Metalcasting facilities get animated.

As metalcasters look for increased recognition for whay they contribute to society, they can find it in an unusual place--the animated world.

Throughout the years, the metalcasting industry has been there to help solve the problems faced by some cartoon characters as well as assist others in their everyday life.

In "The Simpsons," the town of Springfield (where the Simpsons live) is home to a metalcasting facility. During the Halloween episode, "Treehouse of Horror II" in the series' third season, we first learn about its existence.

After trick-or-treating, members of the Simpson family eat too much candy and all have separate nightmares. In Lisa's dream, the family finds a magical monkey's paw in Morocco that grants three wishes. Her wish is for peace on earth. As a result, weapons across the globe are destroyed.

In Springfield, townspeople enlist the help of a local metalcasting facility to melt down guns, brass knuckles and ninja stars (Fig. 1).

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

During the eighth season of "The Simpsons," Springfield's metalcasting facility is again mentioned. In the episode, "Homer's Enemy," Homer attempts to befriend new co-worker Frank "Grimey" Grimes (Fig. 2), who has earned everything the hard way but never let it get him down. Grimes was abandoned by his parents at the age of 4, never went to school and was blown up in a silo explosion as a teenager.

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

Grimes eventually gets a job at the nuclear power plant working beside Homer. And to be able to afford living in a single-room apartment that is above a bowling alley and below another bowling alley, Grimes worked the night shift at the Springfield metalcasting facility.

The references, although sublte, show the metalcasting industry has value on a number of different levels even it is to animated characters.