CINCINNATI (AP) – For the first time, the celebrity leading a massive, yearly dance in downtown Cincinnati will be a cartoon character.

Homer Simpson – or someone dressed like the patriarch of TV’s popular cartoon family – will be out in front of what they call the World’s Largest Chicken Dance, part of the city’s annual Oktoberfest celebration on Sept. 20.

The Fox Network sought the invitation to promote the 20th anniversary of “The Simpsons.” The new season premieres Sept. 27.

Previous lead chicken dancers have included Weird Al Yankovic, the Bengals wide receiver now known as Chad Ochocinco, and actor Verne “Mini Me” Troyer from the “Austin Powers” movies.

The two-day “Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati” draws more than a half-million people each year.