Do we like them?

Do we like Lisa Simpson?

A character from The Simpsons (1989–present)

Our score: 8 out of 10. Yes, we'd back her. She's smart, principled and kind, and the occasional smugness and sulking only make her more believable.

Lisa is the middle child of Homer and Marge Simpson, sister to Bart and baby Maggie. She lives in the cartoon town of Springfield, where she's easily the brightest kid in a school that doesn't value brains. She plays baritone sax, is a vegetarian, and cares a great deal about the wider world.

Across the show's long run she's the family's moral compass and its resident intellectual. She takes up causes with real conviction, from animal welfare to politics to honesty. She's often the only person in town who sees through a scam or a lie. She is also lonely, sometimes snobbish, and not above a good sulk or a bit of sibling rivalry with Bart.

That's why she scores high. Her flaws are the ordinary ones of a gifted kid who feels out of place: impatience, a touch of superiority, and a hunger to be understood. Her heart is almost always in the right place. In a family and town full of chaos, she's the one you'd want on your side.