"The Simpsons" is so much more than just a quirky cartoon with lovable characters—it's also somewhat of an all-knowing oracle that gives us a predicted look into the future of our world. Through the decades, the hit TV show has made some disturbingly precise future forecasts, leaving audiences in awe and amazement.
Its predictions on developments in technology, political trends, and cultural transformations have been particularly on point, from Donald Trump's presidency to the eve of smartwatches and wearable tech. Whatever major event our world is going through now, "The Simpsons" has probably alluded to it before. Whether it's just a mere coincidence or the writers really do know something we don't, one thing is for certain—"The Simpsons" predictions have truly cemented the show as a social trendsetter.
Smartwatches
"The Simpsons" presented an incredibly futuristic view of our world in a 1995 episode called “Lisa's Wedding”. The episode predicted the widespread use of smartwatches well in advance of their actual release. There was a moment in the episode where Lisa's fiancé used something that looked like a modern smartwatch to communicate with her. More than a decade later, this strange prophecy came true, and it aligned strangely with the advancement of technology that made wearable tech ubiquitous.
Farmville
In the "Bart Carny" episode from 1998, "The Simpsons" inadvertently foretold the commercial success of FarmVille, the widely played online game. There is a tangent storyline in the episode where Homer spends countless hours maintaining a virtual farm because he is obsessed with a carnival game of a similar nature. The creators had no idea just how closely this comical depiction of Homer's fixation would resemble the gameplay and enticing features of FarmVille.
The immensely popular game came out more than 10 years later after the episode aired.
Faulty Voting Machines
In "The Simpsons" 2008 episode "Treehouse of Horror XIX," fears about faulty voting machines were hinted at in an eerie fashion. In one scene, Homer tried to cast his ballot for Barack Obama in the US presidential election, but the machine kept changing his vote to John McCain instead. Concerns about the reliability of voting technology in the real world came after "The Simpsons" ironic interpretation of election disasters. The episode highlighted the possible shortcomings of modern voting equipment and unknowingly anticipated the conversations and debates that would later follow regarding election integrity.
Predicting Trump's Presidency
A mind-blowing example of an uncanny prediction "The Simpsons" made was when they foresaw Donald Trump winning the presidential election in the episode "Bart to the Future". In this satirical episode, which aired in 2000, Lisa Simpson was shown becoming president following Donald Trump's rocky run as president himself. The writers did not anticipate that their prediction (which was farfetched at the time) would come true. Indeed, Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States in 2016.
This episode not only demonstrated the show's uncanny knack for making predictions but also its adeptness at satirizing real-world political developments.
Auto-Correct Fail
In a 2010 episode called "Loan-a Lisa," "The Simpsons" foresaw the first-world problems that would eventually come with autocorrect. In one scene, autocorrect changed Lisa's original statement, leading to a hilarious misunderstanding. The writers had no idea how well their amusing take on the drawbacks of autocorrect technology would translate to the real-world challenges that many people encounter with it.
Higgs Boson Equation
The prophetic prowess of "The Simpsons" was put on full display in an unexpected twist of scientific discovery in the 1998 episode "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace". A mathematical equation was displayed briefly on a chalkboard during this episode, and interestingly, it matched the equation that predicts the mass of the Higgs boson particle. This inadvertent mirroring of the complex equation hinted at the 2012 CERN discovery of the actual Higgs boson. Viewers were mind-blown to see that "The Simpsons" was able to foresee even the most intricate scientific breakthroughs.
Smart Home Technology
"The Simpsons" showed off their amazing insight once more in the 1991 episode "Treehouse of Horror II". The episode featured a futuristic scene in which the Simpson family's home has a clever voice-activated living area—which unintentionally foreshadowed the development of smart home technology. It was one of the first instances in which audiences were introduced to a possible world where homes could respond to voice commands.
Obviously, the episode aired in the early '90s, long before the popularity of gadgets like Amazon's Alexa.
Facetime
Yet another one of “The Simpsons’” tech predictions came true after the show introduced a FaceTime-like concept. In the same 1995 episode in which smartwatches were predicted, Lisa is also seen talking to her fiancé using a novel video-calling technology that had a striking resemblance to Apple’s FaceTime technology. FaceTime would only be introduced to the world a decade later, and today, such forms of visual communication are commonplace.
Siegel & Shuster Dispute
"The Simpsons" flexed its psychic abilities in the 1992 episode "Radio Bart," in which it unexpectedly coincided with real-life court cases. In a lighthearted manner, the episode portrayed a court battle between Itchy and Scratchy's authors, which was reminiscent of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's legal battles over Superman. Years later, the humorous depiction in the show reflected the real-life difficulties that comic book authors faced in getting their copyrights.
Disney-Fox Merger
Last but not least, "The Simpsons" accidentally predicted the Disney-Fox merger in a 1998 episode called "When You Dish Upon a Star". The episode included the words "A Division of Walt Disney Co". posted outside a 20th Century Fox studio.
No one could have predicted that the scene would resemble Disney's actual 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Fox.
