| abstract | - The two characters are members of a fictional alien race called Rigellians. In common with all Rigellians, Kang and Kodos have green skin and large heads which are usually covered by protective domes. They have pointed ears and each have a single large eye which resembles that of a cat. They have sharp pointed teeth and saliva constantly drips from their mouths. The rest of their bodies is largely made up of tentacles. By an amazing coincidence, their native language, Rigellian, happens to be exactly the same as English. In their first appearance, in a segment called "Hungry are the Damned", Kang, Kodos and some other Rigellians take the Simpson family aboard their spaceship and promise to take them to a better life on their home planet. The girl Lisa Simpson begins to suspect that the aliens really plan to eat them. Gradually, the rest of her family begin to share her suspicions. However, the aliens truly intended to offer the human family a better existence on their own world. They are horrified when they find out that the Simpsons believed that they were being fattened up to serve as the aliens' food. Deeply offended, the aliens take the Simpsons back to Earth, telling them that they missed out on the opportunity of living a life far better than they can imagine. Lisa Simpson sadly comments that it was she and her human family who were the monsters on board the spaceship, not the Rigellians. In most of their subsequent appearances, Kang and Kodos have shown nothing but contempt for the "foolish humans", watching with delight as the town of Springfield is overrun by zombies and mocking the boy Bart Simpson for being frightened of what they believe to be an imaginary gremlin. Most Treehouse of Horror episodes which have featured stories based around the characters, rather than just featuring them in cameo appearances, have shown Kang and Kodos planning to conquer the Earth and sometimes achieving their goal, or at least conquering the United States. Kang is voiced by Harry Shearer and Kodos is voiced by Dan Castellaneta. One distinction between the characters is that Kang has a slightly deeper voice.
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