The Simpson Predict the Future...again?

Are the events in our timeline super easy to predict? Or are the writers of the Simpsons telling us the future in an eerily accurate, yet hilarious, way? Is Matt Groening a time traveler or just genius cartoonist? Tune in as we tear apart this toonspiracy and seek answers to these bizarre questions.

Thanks for tuning in to Uncommon in the Commonwealth. A Paranormal Podcast where we explore all things….uncommon. 

 What do beer, donuts, and a Nuclear Powerplant have in Common? They’re all things deeply loved by Homer J. Simpson? (I made that up by the way).

So, by now I’m sure you’ve figured out we’ll be talking all about the long running hit show, the Simpsons, and the fact that people are talking about their many eerily accurate predictions. The Simpson’s has been on air and going strong since December 17, 1989. So in this weeks episode we’ll discuss some of the times the Simpson’s seemed to predict the future, and let you decide whether these are happy coincidences or creepy prophecies! 

Season 4 episode 21: Corona Virus Episode

The episode shows Moe, Principle Skinner, Homer and a few others opening boxes of things they ordered from china. As they open the boxes a green misty cloud with red specs flies out around their faces. Then it surges through town, infecting everyone. I love it when Mr. burns says, “Smithers this plague doesn’t scare me” Then proceeds to open and enter a bunker he’s built for himself. Another quote I liked from Flanders was, “Watch fox and be damned for all eternity.” “More Flintstones’ chewable morphine”-BART LMFAO. (Colonels quik e mart’s Kentucky bourbon)

On an episode I was watching the other day marge said, “…one day the kids will be out of the house and you’ll regret not spending more time with them.” To which Homer replied, “That’s a problem for future Homer.”

Another Point: Maybe we’re looking at this from the wrong angle…Perhaps the Simpsons popularity influences society rather than predicting popular culture? If you think about it, they are tasked with the creation of new episodes, reinventing the same yellow family members on a different couch each episode for so many years… this forces them to think so far outside of the box in order to be still be original.

WEIRD THEORY: Matt Groening is a time Traveler and Futurama (which he also wrote) is a documentary. (Explosion noise). Okay, my head just exploded. Thanks reddit. We did find an episode of Futurama which could allude to that theory being quasi true.

My Point: The thing is if the Simpsons made an accurate prediction once or twice, it’d be an anomaly (something that deviates from what it standard or normal) but when they make 5, 10, 15 accurate predictions? Come on! If really makes you think, he’s a time traveler!

They are also the longest running animated series. Other long running series are South Park (22 seasons), Arthur (21 seasons), bugs bunny and tweety show (40 seasons!), Space ghost which ended in 2008, had 11 seasons. So my question is…if it just by chance that the Simpsons predicted the future because of how long they’ve been on air, have any other long running series predicted the future? I mean IDK I found a few for South Park but some were slightly farfetched. 

TEN FUN FACTS ABOUT THE SIMPSONS!

(other than finally learning how to properly pronounce the creators name. Matt Groening (Gray-ning)

1. Groening named Simpsons characters after his real life family members. Groening’s’ fathers name was Homer, his grandfather’s name is Abraham and his mother’s name was Margaret, but they called her Marge. That’s definitely an interesting tidbit of fandom. Maybe you already knew that but I think it’s super sweet!

2. Matt Groening’s brother in-law Craig Barlett is the creator of Hey! Arnold and Dinosaur Train? Twilight Zone!

3. Bart’s name is an anagram for BRAT. But like duh. Eat my shorts.

4. Danny elfman, who wrote the theme music, did so in just 2 short days. Musical Genius.

5. Krusty the clown was actually created to be homers secret Identity.

6. Homer’s famed expression D’oh is a real word in the Oxford Dictionary, it simply means and “an annoyed grunt”.

7. In the Arabic version of the Simpsons, Homer is named Omar Shamshoon. Which like what? Look this up, who even knew there were other versions.

8. If you were to binge watch the Simpsons straight through without stopping to eat, or take any watch breaks it would take you 8.5 days but please, do not try this at home.

9. This one will make you feel oldddd, ok so…A child that was Bart’s age when the simpsons first premiered is now Homer’s age. Ugh.

10. The Simpsons has had more guest stars, than it has episodes.

11. The Contract between the writers and the FOX network states that the Network cannot “give notes, make cuts or exert creative control over episodes” Which means…Creative Free rein which is genius in itself. It’s also means they can tirelessly make fun of FOX. Which they do. 

The Simpsons is rumored to be wrapping up the show this year. End of the Simpsons, End of the World? Maybe the truth has to be disguised so as to seem ridiculous. Disguising the truth within humor is a technique that is commonly used. They say there is a grain of truth in every joke.

Over the years, many have picked up on a trend that seems to have become a pattern, and that is the Simpson accurately depicting events, years before they occur. That’s what prophecy is right…a prediction?

Citation

Reiner, L. (2017, October 29). 31 Facts about The Simpsons ←FACTSlides→. Retrieved March 3, 2020, from https://www.factslides.com/s-The-Simpsons

https://www.ranker.com/list/longest-running-animated-series/tvs-frank