"The Simpsons" will further expand its influence on popular culture with the opening of its first themed stores in Beijing and Shanghai, China.

China Daily reports the Beijing location, the world's first "Simpsons" brick-and-mortar store, will debut in March, followed in June by Shanghai. Each of the stores is expected to cover nearly 2,700 square feet, filled with about 200 "Simpsons" products, ranging from apparel to cell phone cases to "lifestyle accessories."

Jeffrey Godsick, president of 20th Century Fox Consumer Products, said the plan is for there to eventually be 100 such stores, which will sell 25 percent to 50 percent of "Simpsons" products exclusively.

It's another twist in the complicated relationship between "The Simpsons" and China: The long-running animated series didn't debut in that country until 2000, and was banned six years later. It returned in 2014 through a deal between Fox and Chinese web portal Sohu.

(via Mashable)