The Simpsons' Predictions and Conspiracy Theories: A Peek Behind the Curtain.

A Satirical Sociocultural Odyssey Of The Simpsons

The Simpsons is a Fox Broadcasting Company animated hilarity developed by Matt Groening. The show stipulates an amusing glimpse at American culture, societal issues, human circumstances, and showbiz. The Simpsons has stood on screens since 1989 and is the longest-running animated series in TV's history.

Springfield, a fictitious town that's a microcosm of American tradition, is hometown to the Simpsons. The show has satirized ranging from politics to popular culture to modern-day ventures.

The Simpsons were also championed for its social insights and ability to photograph the zeitgeist.The Simpsons has won a slew of honors, spanning 34 Primetime Emmys, 34 Annie honors, a Peabody Award, and a Grammy Award

The Simpsons are a cultural phenomenon that has left an indelible mark on popular culture. The show has been discussed in many distinct works of texts, and it prompted an array of popular spin-offs, including The Simpsons Movie and The Simpsons Game.

The Simpsons' Nostradamus Effect: When Fiction Becomes Reality

People started connecting real events with The Simpsons as early as the 1990s. This had been very a hot topic around the globe. As, the closeness of the predictions were reality was accurately close enough.

In the near years since, there have been many other examples of real events that have seemed to mirror The Simpsons. Here are some of the early years predictions that The Simpsons made that have come true,

Three-eyed Fish (Season 2, Episode 4,  "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish") 

The episode aired on January 19, 1990, features Bart catching a three-eyed fish in the river near Springfield's nuclear power plant. The fish is named Blinky, and it becomes a local celebrity.

In 2011, a fisherman in Argentina caught a three-eyed wolf fish near a local power plant. This was the first time a three-eyed fish had been caught in the wild, and it led to renewed interest in the Simpsons episode.

Censoring Michelangelo's David (Season 2, Episode 9,  "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge")

It aired on December 20, 1990. In the episode, Marge Simpson becomes a crusader against violence in cartoons after her son Bart is traumatized by an episode of Itchy & Scratchy. She forms a group called SNUH (Springfieldians for Nonviolence, Understanding, and Helping) and protests the show's studio.

Meanwhile, Michelangelo's David is scheduled to be exhibited in Springfield. SNUH members are outraged by the statue's nudity and demand that it be censored. Marge initially agrees with them, but she eventually realizes that art should not be censored. 

The episode's prediction of the censorship of Michelangelo's David came true in 2016, when a Russian campaign was launched to clothe a replica of the statue that had been set up in central St. Petersburg.

Baby Translator (Season 3, Episode 24, “Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?")

The Simpsons predicted the invention of a baby translator on the episode aired on May 14, 1992. The episode features Homer's brother Herb Powell, who is trying to make a comeback after his car company goes bankrupt. He invents a device called the Baby Translator, which can translate babies' cries into English. The translator is a success, and Herb becomes rich again.

In recent years, there have been a number of apps and devices that claim to be able to translate babies' cries. 

The Corona Virus Pandemic (Season 4, Episode 15, "Marge in Chains")

On February 19, 1993, this episode aired. Marge is caught for burglary in the episode after unintentionally taking a pen from a store. She has been sentenced to 30 days in prison. Marge discovers of the Osaka Flu, a virus that is sweeping across Springfield, whilst she is in jail. 

The virus is called for the Japanese city where it first appeared. Marge is ultimately freed from prison, but she still has the Osaka Flu. She is isolated in her house till she is healed. The symptoms of the Osaka Flu are alike to those of the coronavirus, and the episode pertains to a scene of people freaked out and frantically searching for a treatment.

It is also worth noting that the Osaka Flu episode aired 20 years before the coronavirus pandemic. 

Accessible Space Travel (Season 5, Episode 15, "Lisa on Ice")

The hotel is in low Earth orbit offering visitors with a range of facilities such as a swimming pool, a gym, and a bar.

It broadcast 23 years ago, when space travel was still prohibitively costly and exclusive. However, there has been an acceleration in optimism about accessible space travel lately. 

A number of businesses are now designing suborbital spaceflight vehicles, which may render space travel more inexpensive and accessible to the general population.

Richard Branson's Voyage Into Space (Season 25, Episode 15, "The War of Art" ).

In the episode, an art forger named Klaus Ziegler boasts about his work to Lisa Simpson, claiming that his forgeries "give pleasure to people all over the world." Numerous cutaways prove his point, including one of Branson, who is seen admiring a painting, while floating in the interior of a spaceship.

This prediction came true on July 11, 2021, when Branson became the first billionaire to go into space on his own commercial spacecraft, Virgin Galactic.

Serving Horse Meat (Season 5, Episode 19, "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song")

The episode aired on April 28, 1994. Lunchlady Doris is seen serving the school children food from a drum ominously labeled "assorted horse parts". 

It was an irony at the time, but it proven prediction in 2013, when a big horse meat scandal surfaced in Europe.

The scandal began when it discovered that some meat steaks sold in the United Kingdom comprised up to 29% horse flesh. This led to a large recall of meat goods, causing profound public apprehension

Facetime (Season 6, Episode 19, "Lisa's Wedding")

This episode was aired in March 19, 1995 . In the episode, Lisa travels to the future to see what her life will be like. She sees herself married to a man named Hugh and they are using a video calling device to talk to her parents. The device is shown to have a screen that shows the person's face in real-time, attached to a rotary dial.

FaceTime was not released until 2010, but the Simpsons episode predicted the basic functionality of the video calling app. The episode also predicted the use of video calling to stay in touch with family and friends, which is a common use for FaceTime today.

Smartwatches (Season 6, Episode 19, "Lisa's Wedding")

The episode aired on March 19, 1995. The episode features a future where Lisa is married to a man named Hugh Parkfield. In one scene, Hugh is seen talking on a watch-like device that looks very similar to a modern smartwatch.

The smartwatch was not actually invented until 2013, so The Simpsons' prediction was about 18 years ahead of its time. 

Murder Hornets (Season 7, Episode 11, "Marge Be Not Proud")

This episode aired on December 17, 1995. In the episode Bart was stung by a swarm of killer bees. This is the scene that some people have seen as a prediction of the murder hornets. However, killer bees and murder hornets are two different species of insects.

The murder hornets, also known as Asian giant hornets, are a real species of hornet that is native to Asia. They were first confirmed to have arrived in the United States in 2020. But, we can say that they took the inspiration to relate the killer bees with murder hornets. 

The Discovery of a New Strain of Ebola (Season 9, Episode 3, "Lisa's Sax")

This episode premiered in 1997 and portrayed the outbreak of a novel strain of Ebola in Africa. In 2014, a new strain of Ebola arose in Africa, triggering a massive pandemic that killed over 11,000 people..

Walt Disney and Fox Merger (Season 10, Episode, 5, "When You Dish Upon a Star)

In the annum 1998, in the episode "When You Wish Upon a Star," Homer J. Simpson encountered the thespians Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, who were both providing their own vocalisations for the episode. Homer determined to collaborate with them, and during a telephonic communication with 20th Century Fox executives, he proffered an idea for a motion picture. The succeeding scene in the episode demonstrated that 20th Century Fox was presently owned by Walt Disney.

This scene is currently among the notorious things that The Simpsons have prognosticated, as in March 2019, Walt Disney proclaimed a $71 billion merger with 21st Century Fox. In 2021, Disney and Fox attained an accord concerning the streaming rights to the motion pictures that Disney would own. In other words, this accord settled which motion pictures would be accessible exclusively on Hulu/Disney+ or HBO Max, and the deadline for the accord to take effect.

Real Tomacco Plants (Season 11, Episode 5, "E-I-E-I-D'oh!") 

The episode aired on February 20, 1999. Homer creates a hybrid tomato-tobacco plant called "tomacco" by using nuclear ingredients from the power plant. The tomacco is a bizarre combination of the two plants, and it has a powerful addictive effect.

In 2003, a real-life tomacco plant was created by Rob Baur, a Simpsons fan. Baur grafted together a tobacco root and a tomato stem to make the tomacco, and he even tasted it. He said that it tasted like a "really strong tomato" with a "hint of tobacco".

The Discovery of The Higgs Boson (Season 11, Episode 14, "The Simpsons and the Mona Lisa")

This 1999 episode depicted scientists at the Large Hadron Collider discovering the Higgs boson. The Higgs boson was discovered at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012, confirming this hypothesis. The discovery of the Higgs boson was a significant advance in physics, shedding insight on the basic nature of the cosmos.

The Rise of Donald Trump (Season 22, Episode 24, "Treehouse of Horror XXXI")

This specific episode aired on the 27th of October, 2012. In this episode, Homer made it to gain the role of President of the USA by intriguing to build borders along the shared border with Mexico. This prediction came true in 2016, when Donald Trump was elected president after promising to build a wall on the border.

The episode aired four years before Donald Trump was elected president. In the episode, Trump's political goal grew quite comparable to Homer's.Trump also vowed to build a border wall with Mexico and to make America great again.

Tom Hanks endorses US government (The Simpsons 2007 Movie)

This episode aired on March 19, 2000. In the episode, Lisa Simpson is shown becoming president of the United States in 2030. She inherits a "budget crunch" from her predecessor, Donald Trump.

"I'm proud to endorse Lisa Simpson for president," Hanks is heard saying. She is the only one who can save us.. She's the only one who can save us from ourselves. The episode was made before Hanks ever endorsed any political candidate. He endorsed Joe Biden for president in 2020.

The Matrix Resurrections (Season 15, Episode 14, "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner")

The episode was aired in March 19, 2004. In the episode, a poster for a movie called "A Matrix Christmas" can be seen in the Springfield multiplex. The poster features a Simpsons version of Keanu Reeves and the tagline "What if Christmas was just another glitch in the Matrix?".

The Matrix Resurrections was released on December 22, 2021, little over 17 years after The Simpsons featured the "A Matrix Christmas" poster. Keanu Reeves returned to the character of Neo in the sequel to the original Matrix trilogy.

The Matrix, the first film in the life-threatening future privilege, was released in 1999. In 2003, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions were released as counterparts. The Matrix Resurrections, the fourth film in the series, was released in 2021. The film's poster depicted the franchise's protagonist, Neo, although he was not wearing a Christmas hat.

The Legal Reeferino in Canada (Season 17, Episode 17, "Midnight Rx")

This episode initial broadcast in 2005. In the episode, Ned Flanders flies to Canada to get inexpensive prescription medicine. While there, he runs with his Canadian twin, who gives him a "reeferino" (marijuana). Ned is first apprehensive, but inevitably relents and takes a hit.

On October 17, 2018, Canada enacted recreational marijuana. This became the world's second country, after Uruguay, to legalize recreational marijuana on a global level.

The electronic voting machine (Season 17, Episode 19, "Treehouse of Horror XIX" )

During the 2008 presidential election, electronic vote machines in Florida were proven to be vulnerable to cyber assaults, confirming the projection. The event was broadcast only 48 hours before the election. There were multiple reports of difficulties with Florida's computerized voting machines on election day. Certain people believe that these errors may have impacted the election's final outcome.

USA's Olympic curling win (Season 21, Episode, 12, "Boy Meets Curl")

It aired on February 12, 2010. In the episode, Homer and Ned form a curling team to compete in the Olympics. They end up winning the gold medal, defeating Sweden in the final.

The episode aired eight years before Team USA actually won the gold medal in curling at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The team was also led by skip John Shuster, just like in the Simpsons episode.

Lady Gaga and The Superbowl (Season 23, Episode 22, "Lisa Goes Gaga") 

Lady Gaga appears in the episode to assist Lisa with her self-esteem.The episode obtained a combination of favorable and bad remarks, with a few appreciating Lady Gaga's overall performance and others criticizing the storyline. 

Although Lady Gaga's Super Bowl appearance isn't always expressly referred to in the episode, she is portrayed as a performer at a Springfield occasion. It's manageable that the episode's writers had been hinting at Lady Gaga's upcoming presence at the Super Bowl, but it is also conceivable that they have been just noting her reputation on the time. 

The Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage. (Season 16, Episode 10, "There's Something About Marrying") 

On February 20, 2005, it broadcast. In the episode, Homer will become an ordained pastor online in order to capitalize on Springfield's new equal-sex marriage statute. He marries a number of same-sex couples, including Marge's sister Patty and her assistant, Selma.

The event elicited a range of emotions. Some viewers commended it for portraying identical-sex marriage positively, while others condemned it about being excessively preachy. 

The episode aired four years before the US Supreme Court affirmed marriage equality. The Supreme Court's monumental ruling embodied an imperative and radical moment for the LGBTQ+ community, granting an aura of victory that had been anxiously awaited by many people who support the pride.

The Use of Virtual Assistants  (Season 7, Episode 13, "Lisa on Ice")

Lisa Simpson is shown using a virtual assistant called "ALICE". ALICE is a voice-activated computer program that can help with tasks like scheduling appointments and making travel arrangements. This prediction came true in the early 2000s, when virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa became popular.

The Metaverse. (Season 33, Episode 12, "Pixelated and Afraid")

Th episode aired in aired on January 29, 2023, Bart and Lisa Simpson are shown entering the virtual world,  which is presently believed as the metaverse. The Metaverse is a virtual world that is becoming increasingly popular. 

The Use of Drones. (Season 9, Episode 3, "Homer Goes to College")

The episode which aired in 1997, Homer Simpson is shown using a drone to deliver pizza. Drones were not widely used at the time, but they are now commonplace, and very popular.

The Rise of Social Media. (Season 10, Episode 17, "The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase")

The episode which aired in 1999, there is a scene in which the Simpsons are shown using a social media platform called "Springfieldian". Springfieldian is very similar to social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Jon Stewart's Success (Season 11, Episode 17, "Bart to the Future")

This episode first streamed on March 19, 2000. Lisa Simpson appears as President of the USA in 2030 in the episode. She is speaking at the United Nations when she mentions Jon Stewart as Secretary-General.

This prediction existed prior to Stewart began hosting The Daily Show in 1999. Stewart grew to prominence as one of the world's most popular comedians after The Daily Show became a massive hit.

Stewart's success was not solely attributable to The Simpsons' forecasts. He was already quite successful before the show aired, and he began to be highly lucrative after the episode aired.

Disappearance of a Titan Submarine  (Season 17, Episode 10, "Homer's Paternity Coot")

During the episode, Homer Simpson and his estranged father, Mason Fairbanks, embark on an aquatic voyage on a subaquatic vessel. Unfortunately, the submarine becomes entangled in a coral reef and runs out of breathing air, forcing the two people to flee. In actuality, the Titan vanished on June 19, 2023. 

The Titan, an underwater submarine run by OceanGate Expeditions, was on a scientific trip to study the submerged ruins of the Titanic when it mysteriously vanished. Despite significant efforts to locate the Titan, the search was eventually called off, leading to the idea that the submarine suffered a disastrous collapse.

The Demise of Queen Elizabeth (Season 15, Episode 4, "The Regina Monologues")

The episode aired in 2007, which shows a future where Marge Simpson becomes the Queen of England. Some people have claimed that this is a prediction of Queen Elizabeth's death, as Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022.

The Zombie Virus (Season 25, Episode 2, "Treehouse of Horror XXIV") 

In this episode, a zombie virus is created when a meat sauce made from high-quality cows is fed back to the cows. The virus then spreads to humans, who become zombies. Thie zombie virus was found in a 30,000-year-old sample of permafrost in Siberia in 2014. Pithovirus sibericum is a giant virus that can infect amoebas

The GoPro (Season 7, Episode 10, "Homer and Apu")

The episode features Bart ordering a "spy camera" that can be worn on the head. The camera is very similar to the GoPro, which was not invented until 2002. 

The Nobel Prize  (Season 22, Episode 1 "Elementary School Musical" )

In the episode, Milhouse Van Houten is shown betting on who will win the Nobel Prize in Economics. He lists Bengt Holmström as his pick, and Holmström actually won the prize in 2016.

The NSA ("The Simpsons Movie")

In the episode, the Simpson family is on the run after escaping Springfield, which has been quarantined under a giant glass dome. Surveillance officers of the National Security Agency (NSA) are attentive in on what they say when aboard a train at a specific time. 

The NSA, a real government entity, is in charge of gathering and analyzing worldwide intellect. The CIA has come under fire for its massive monitoring efforts, which have been alleged of breaching individuals' personal privacy.

The episode of The Simpsons that predicted the NSA was released in 2007. In 2013, Edward Snowden leaked classified documents that revealed that the NSA was indeed engaged in mass surveillance programs.

FIFA corruption scandal (Season 9, Episode 14, "Homer's Phobia")

In the episode, Homer is forced to attend a soccer game with his son Bart. At the game, Homer is disgusted by the corruption that he sees. He sees a FIFA official giving a bribe to a referee, and he is shocked to learn that corruption is rampant in FIFA.This episode aired in 1998, and the FIFA corruption scandal did happen on 2015.

The Siegfried and Roy tiger attack is (Season 5, Episode 10,  "$pringfield Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)".

The episode aired on February 17, 1993, and the real-life attack happened on October 3, 2003. It features the Simpsons family visiting Las Vegas, where they see a performance by the German magicians Gunter and Ernst. The magicians are attacked by their white tiger, Montecore, after they taunt him by calling him a "stupid cat".

The attack in the Simpsons episode is very similar to the real-life attack on Roy Horn. Both attacks involved a white tiger named Montecore, and both attacks happened during a performance.

The legalization of marijuana. (Season 5, Episode 3, "Homer Goes to College") 

In the episode, Homer smokes marijuana and has a series of hallucinations. The episode was aired in 1995, and marijuana was not legalized in the United States until 2012.

The Simpsons' Unfinished Auguries: What Will Come True?

The Simpsons has a long history of predicting the future, some of which have come true, while others have not. Here are some of the Simpsons predictions that have not happened yet:

The Cubs winning the World Series.

In the episode "Homer at the Bat," the Simpsons go to see the Chicago Cubs play in the World Series. The Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908, so this prediction is still pending.

Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming president. 

In the movie "The Simpsons Movie," Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected president of the United States. Schwarzenegger did not become president in real life, but he did serve as governor of California from 2003 to 2011.

The discovery of lost city of Atlantis. 

In the episode "The Simpsons Go to Atlantis," the Simpsons discover the lost city of Atlantis. Atlantis has not yet been discovered in real life, but there are many people who believe that it exists.

The colonization of Mars. 

In the episode "Lisa on Ice," Lisa and Marge travel to Mars. Mars has not yet been colonized, but there are several plans to do so in the near future.

A robot uprising. 

In the episode "The Simpsons Guy," Homer Simpson meets Peter Griffin from Family Guy. Peter tells Homer about a robot uprising that happened in the future, and Homer is understandably concerned. However, as of 2023, there have been no signs of a robot uprising.

The decline of newspapers. 

In many regions of the world, this forecast has come true, as newspapers have struggled to compete with the internet. 

The Simpsons has made various references to social media throughout the years, yet social media did not take off until the early 2000s.

The invention of self-driving cars. 

In the episode "Future-Drama," Lisa is shown riding in a self-driving car. This prediction is still possible, but it is not yet a reality.

The discovery of alien life. 

In the episode "Deep Space Homer," Homer is sent on a mission to Mars and discovers life on the planet. This prediction has not yet come true, but it is still a possibility.

The end of the world. 

In the episode "The Simpsons Movie," the world is destroyed by a giant donut. This prediction is hopefully not true, but it is a possibility.

The invention of a time machine. 

In "Treehouse of Horror X," Homer builds a time machine. This prediction might not to come true because there is no scientific proof that time travel is feasible. But, with the conspiracies and controvesries we're supposed believe that the time machines are already found. Do you agree ? 

The Divinely Rapture

The Simpsons did predict about the Rapture in an episode titled "Thank God, It's Doomsday". In the episode, Homer Simpson incorrectly predicts the Rapture and ends up being the only person taken up. The episode aired on March 12, 2005, and the Rapture is a Christian belief that all true believers of the king Jesus christ.

Its obvious that the certain predictions are about to happen in near future. All we can hope that everything brings no disaster in global peace.

The Simpsons' Fallible Foresight: When the Show Missed the Mark

Of course, not all of the real events that have been connected to The Simpsons have been accurate predictions. 

Well, let's look where the Simpsons have had missed the catch,

• In 1995, the show aired an episode called "Homer the Moe" in which Moe Szyslak becomes a successful businessman. However, Moe's real-life counterpart, Moe's Tavern owner Moe Howard, died in 1975.

• Also, the Simpsons predicted that the London Eye would collapse. In the episode "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson," the London Eye collapses. However, the London Eye is still standing today.

• The Simpsons anticipated that the United States will attack Iraq. In "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson," Homer gets imprisoned for intending to export nuclear weapons to Iraq. The US, though, did not attack Iraq until after the show aired.

• The Challenger Space Shuttle calamity. In the episode "Space Pilot 3000," Homer appears as an astronaut on the Space Shuttle Challenger. The Space Shuttle Challenger destruction yet hit in 1986, prior to the show was ever televised.

• The collapse of the Berlin Wall. In the episode "Marge vs. the Monorail," Homer suggests building a monorail that links Springfield and West Berlin. But the Berlin Wall collapsed in 1989, before the show was first displayed.

Despite the fact that not all of the true events related with The Simpsons have been accurate predictions, the show's track record is yet impressive. The Simpsons has predicted actual events with astounding accuracy on countless occasions. This has caused some people to conclude that the software contains magical abilities. 

Most experts, however, hold the view that the show's writers are just very good at satirizing current events and trends. They have the ability to see patterns and trends that are already occurring in the world and to extrapolate those trends into the future. It is hard to say when people began to associate real-life events with The Simpsons.  

Overall, it is vital to remember that the Simpsons is an ironic series that pokes fun contemporary happenings and trends. Some of the program's predictions may be purposely inaccurate, while others may just be too complex to actualize. Nonetheless, it is entertaining to watch the show and see if any of its predictions come true in the future. 

It is clear that the show has a long history of predicting the future. Whether or not this is due to supernatural ability or simply good forecasting, The Simpsons is a show that continues to fascinate and entertain audiences around the world.