Have you ever wondered why so many Simpsons predictions seem to come true? For over 35 years, the show has acted as a satirical mirror of our society, but occasionally, that mirror looks straight into the future. From technological breakthroughs to massive political shifts, the chronological record of these hits is undeniably impressive. Below, we break down the most famous instances where Springfield’s finest “scripted” our reality.
1. 1993: The “Murder Hornet” Invasion
Episode: “Marge in Chains” (Season 4, Episode 21) In this episode, a “pancake flu” sweeps through town. When a panicked crowd demands a cure, they accidentally knock over a crate of “Killer Bees.”
- The Reality: In 2020, during a global pandemic, headlines were dominated by the arrival of Asian giant hornets in North America.
2. 1994: Early Simpsons Predictions of Autocorrect
Episode: “Lisa on Ice” (Season 6, Episode 8) Bully Kearney uses an Apple Newton to jot down a memo: “Beat up Martha.” The device’s faulty recognition changes it to “Eat up Martha.”
- The Reality: This joke forecast the “Autocorrect” era. Former Apple employees have admitted this specific scene was used as a “cautionary tale” while developing the iPhone’s keyboard software.
3. 1995: The Smartwatch & The Shard
Episode: “Lisa’s Wedding” (Season 6, Episode 19) This futuristic episode gave us two hits. Lisa’s fiancé speaks into his wristwatch, and a shot of London shows a pointy glass skyscraper behind Tower Bridge.
- The Reality: The Apple Watch wouldn’t launch until 2015, and construction on London’s “The Shard” didn’t begin until 2009.
4. 1998: The “God Particle” Simpsons Predictions Episode: “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” (Season 10, Episode 2)
Homer writes a complex equation on a chalkboard while trying to become an inventor.
- The Reality: Physicists later realized Homer’s math actually predicts the mass of the Higgs Boson (the “God Particle”) 14 years before scientists at CERN confirmed it in 2012.
5. 1998: The Disney-Fox Merger
Episode: “When You Dish Upon a Star” (Season 10, Episode 5) A quick gag shows the 20th Century Fox studio lot with a sign underneath that reads: “A Division of Walt Disney Co.”
- The Reality: In 2017, Disney announced a $71 billion acquisition of Fox, turning a 19-year-old joke into reality.
6. 2000: The Donald Trump Presidency
Episode: “Bart to the Future” (Season 11, Episode 17) In a vision of the future, Lisa Simpson becomes President and mentions she has inherited “quite a budget crunch from President Trump.”
- The Reality: This is perhaps the most famous of all Simpsons predictions, coming true 16 years after the episode aired.
Pending Simpsons Predictions: What’s Next?
While the show has a high success rate, there are several “future” scenarios they’ve written that haven’t happened… yet.
Mars Colonization (Written in 2016)
In the episode “The Marge-ian Chronicles,” Marge and Lisa volunteer to be among the first settlers on a one-way mission to Mars.
- The Potential: With SpaceX and NASA aiming for the 2030s, this could be the next big hit.
Virtual Reality Dining (Written in 1995)
In various “future” episodes, we see characters “eating” through tubes while wearing VR headsets, experiencing 5-star meals digitally.
- The Potential: As the “Metaverse” grows, digital sensory experiences are becoming a real-world focus for tech labs.
What Do You Think?
The writers are geniuses at looking at today’s trends to guess where we’ll be in twenty years. Which of these pending Simpsons predictions do you think is most likely to come true next?
Cast your vote in the comments below!
