OK, but I still think South Park is much better than the Simpsons.

Yes! I've grown up watching this guy get drunk and hurt in all manner of ways.

"I AM SO SMART!  I AM SO SMART!  S-M-R-T!"

With Homer's crayon-studded brain, he's one of the best cartoon characters made.  He's definately got a lot of time under his belt (since 1989, The Simpsons is the longest-running cartoon AND the longest running sitcom), and he's fairly recognizable.  You could even find "D'oh" in the Oxford English Dictionary because of him, and other cartoons geared towards older audiences also pay their homage to the Simpsons.  While I think that the show has lost a lot of steam in the past several years, I still have to give it credit where it's due.

Probably the oddest entry on this list, Homer is everyman. He is our failures, our frustrations, our job we hate, and then, he has those noble moments that give us hope no matter how screwed up things get. My hats off to Homer.

Is it weird that after Bill Cosby, my next highest vote would go to a cartoon character?

Personally, he is the most iconic figure on television for me. I always grew up watching Homer, and though I have stopped watching the Simpsons, I loved Homer Season 1 through 12, possibly 13.