Bart is a self-proclaimed underachiever who begins each show writing detention lines on the blackboard (see list of Bart Simpson's blackboard sentences). Bart's interests include skateboarding, comic books (esp. Radioactive Man), terrorizing his sisters, Dickensian chimney sweeps, and prank calling Moe Szyslak at his tavern.

In an interview, Simpsons creator Matt Groening stated he chose the name as an anagram of "brat".

Episodes that feature Bart extensively include (but not all):

• Bart the Genius - in this episode, he is mistaken for genius.
• Bart the General - bart takes on the class bully.