Times 'The Simpsons' May Have Already Predicted The Future, Ranked By Realism

Episode Title: "Grift of the Magi"

Season: 11

Episode Number: 9

Airdate: December 19, 1999

How Plausible Is This: The SimpsonsThe Simpsons predicted big business would use public school children for marketing strategies in 1999. Consumerism invading schools had started two years earlier due to a feature story in the New York Times.feature story in the New York Times.

States across the country—Utah, Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, and New Jersey included—let school bus advertising. School districts can earn tens of thousands of dollars from these ads.tens of thousands of dollars, which offers a lifeline to cash-strapped educators.

Episode Title: "Bart to the Future"

Season: 11

Episode Number: 17

Airdate: March 19, 2000

How Plausible Is This: Hologram technology has advanced since The Simpsons aired this episode.The SimpsonsThe Simpsons aired this futuristic episode where an older Bart struggles with a failed music career. Since this episode aired in 2000, we have seen the famous Tupac hologram performance at Coachella 2012 and theme parks like Disneyland use advanced holo-tech for their rides.Tupac hologramperformance at Coachella 2012 and theme parks like Disneyland have used advanced holo-techto take the place of old school animatronic puppets in their latest rides.

Hologram messages are close. At the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show, IKIN debuted demos for a smartphone adaptor claiming it turns screen images into 3D, holographic projections. We still need to see if this tech works or is useful.debuted demos for a smartphone adaptor that they claim will turn the images on your screen into 3D, holographic projections. Whether or not this tech comes to fruition, or is even considered useful to consumers, remains to be seen.

Episode Title: "I, D'oh-Bot"

Season: 15

Episode Number: 9

Airdate: January 11, 2004

How Plausible Is This: Fiction uses robots competing. This episode stems from a sci-fi short story by Richard Matheson called "Steel," which also became the basis for a Twilight Zone episode and the Hugh Jackman film Real Steel.Twilight Zone episode and the Hugh Jackman film Real Steel. Robot boxing is a compelling sci-fi idea. An adventurous TV producer tried to make it real.Robot Combat LeagueA SyFy TV series called Robot Combat League aimed to bring this vision to life. Actual robots fought, with human jockeys training them. The novelty ended fast; the show ran only three months in 2013. A critic called Robot Combat League the "Robot Combat League as the "dumbest show on TV"..

Episode Title: "New Kids on the Blecch"

Season: 12

Episode Number: 14

Airdate:February 25, 2001

How Plausible Is This: The Party Posse's hit song message is obvious. The chorus says "Join The Navy" backwards. No one noticed this; it shows Springfield citizens are maybe the least observant cartoons in history.

The idea of subliminal messaging is not new; it wasn't when this episode aired in 2001. In 1943, a subliminal message told people to "BUY BONDS" was found in a Looney Tunes cartoon. UK banned subliminal advertising because manipulative ads worry people. Dr. Wilson Bryan Key became infamous for claiming subliminal advertising's danger in media. Dr. Key was outraged by hidden messages in music.he sued CBS Records in the early '90sfor what he thought were suggestive ideas in a Judas Priest record that caused someone to die.

Recent studies either disprove or back the idea that media messaging alters behavior. Ironically, one study involvedPlacing suggestions inside episodes ofThe Simpsonsmakes people thirstier. The United States has rules that stop and discourage subliminal advertising. We still don't know if the Navy will hire pre-teens to perform a mind control song to boost recruitment.prevents and discouragesthe use of subliminal advertising. We still don't know if the Navy would hire a group of pre-teens to perform a mind control song to raise recruitment levels.

Episode Title: "The Marge-ian Chronicles"

Season: 27

Episode Number: 16

Airdate: March 13, 2016

How Plausible Is This: Colonizing Mars remains a hot topic, even with the Trump administration slashing the NASA budget in 2019.slashing of the NASA budget in 2019. Like this Simpsons episode, Martian colonization is now a private industry project, specifically Elon Musk, the Tesla founder. Musk wants to colonize Mars fast, telling the world in early 2021 heplans to sell all his propertyEpisode, Martian colonization is now a private industry project, specifically for Tesla founder Elon Musk. Musk wants to colonize Mars soon. He told the world in early 2021 that he details broad plansto finance his vision. The website for Musk's SpaceX are now common occurrence and technology seems to improve at a rapid rate, so it feels entirely plausible that we are closer to Martian colonization than we think.are now common occurrence and technology seems to improve at a rapid rate, so it feels entirely plausible that we are closer to Martian colonization than we think.launcheslaunching are common now. Technology improves fast. We feel closer to Martian colonization than we think.

Episode Title: "A Fish Called Selma"

Season: 7

Episode Number: 19

Airdate: March 24, 1996

How Plausible Is This: Movie and TV show adaptations are common on Broadway now. Musical versions ofMean Girls, Beetlejuice, and Pretty Womanclogged theaters on the Great White Way before the pandemic shut down. TheMean Girlsshow succeeded greatly before it closed in March 2020. The show earned804 performancesand recouped its budget while running.

A Planet of the ApesA Planet of the Apes musical might not attract younger audiences as much asMean Girlsdid, but Apesis one of Hollywood's longest-running franchises. There are nine Apes movies, a live-action TV show, comic books, and an animated series right now. Why not add a Broadway show?nine Apesmovies, a live-action TV show, comic books, and an animated series. Add a Broadway show to the mix.

Episode Title: "Treehouse of Horror XXVII"

Season: 28

Episode Number: 4

Airdate: October 16, 2016

How Plausible Is This: The most talked-about prediction comes from a joke in the 2016 'Treehouse of Horror' Halloween special. This episode aired less than a month before the 2016 presidential election. It pictured Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, running for the White House in 2028. Obviously, theThe SimpsonsThe writers had no idea Trump would win in 2016, then lose in 2020. This changes how likely this prediction is.

Still, this is a clever prediction. It has a small chance of happening, considering we already saw oneA child of a president becomes president.We should not assume another one cannot happen sooner rather than later.

Episode Title: "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?"

Season: 3

Episode Number: 24

Airdate: August 27, 1992

How Plausible Is This: Translating a pre-verbal baby's goo-goos and ga-gas is not possible. Homer's long-lost brother might think baby talk equals real communication like a dolphin cry. A real Herb would likely go broke trying this plan. Technology does exist to help children with autism or cerebral palsy who struggle to verbalize.Augmented and Alternative CommunicationAAC devices are electronic tools. They help children with unique needs make themselves heard. Can someone crack the code on baby talk? Time will tell.

Episode Title: "Itchy and Scratchy Land"

Season: 6

Episode Number: 4

Airdate: October 2, 1994

How Plausible Is This: Theme parks like Disneyland and Universal Studios lack robot armies now. However, new attractions like Disney's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge show much more tech than Walt Disney imagined in the 1960s. Overfive million lines of codecreated the computer system running the massive environment. The animatronic host in the Millennium Falcon ride is thesecond-most sophisticatedin history, behind only one found in the Avatar park at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Let's just hope they like us.

Episode Title: "Bart to the Future"

Season: 11

Episode Number: 17

Airdate: March 19, 2000

How Plausible Is This:Foodies hate to say this, but it is highly plausible, maybe even shocking. Because of recent COVID-19 dining limits, wearing a headset to pretend to eat sounds appealing. You can do that for a price. Since 2014,virtual reality dining experiencesThese VR meals flash images and sounds through a headset. They emphasize what chefs want diners to feel while eating, instead of letting the food tingle the senses.

A 2020 CNBC article described 'Virtual Reality Food.' Floating objects and oversized foods appeared. Pink pineapples and blue cherries fell from the sky. Meat danced in the air. Colorful environments lit up with each dish. Music and narration accompanied this. This technology costs $2,000 for a VR meal in Ibiza. The support of the James Beard Foundation helps.Virtual Reality Food costs $2,000.thanks to theThe James Beard Foundation supports this.this concept could reach the IRL equivalent of Homer and Marge in the next decade or two.

Episode Title: "Homer Versus the Eighteenth Amendment"

Season: 8

Episode Number: 18

Airdate: March 16, 1997

How Plausible Is This: The chances of alcohol prohibition returning to America are slim. Alcohol is huge business in the US. Alcohol sales totals reached $6.6 billion in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic.topped $6.6 billion.. Second, the 18th Amendment aimed to improve health for Americans suffering from alcoholism, but alcohol consumption actually rose.consumption of alcohol actually increased.Bootleg liquors, like those Homer and Bart made in this episode, often caused death. Amateur distillers lacked best practices for making their own alcohol. About 10,000 people died from wood alcohol poisoning during Prohibition.10,000 people died.American states now rush to end marijuana criminalization. Oregon decriminalized all recreational drug use in 2020. America going back to alcohol prohibition under that climate seems impossible.decriminalize all recreational drug use.This happened in 2020. America going back to alcohol prohibition under that setting seems impossible.

Episode Title: "Lisa's Wedding"

Season: 6

Episode Number: 19

Airdate: March 19, 1995

How Plausible Is This: Big Ben remains an old, analog timekeeper. However, the United Kingdom has not let it decay. A major renovation project on the architecturally significant attraction was scheduled to finish in 2021.scheduled to finish in 2021.The project faced delays from COVID-19 workflow disruption. Over 79 million pounds have been set aside to finish the project, aiming for Big Ben to stand for years.