Are the writers time travelers, or are they related to Nostradamus? The Simpsons never disappoints viewers with its eerie Simpsons predictions that ring true years later. The Simpsons family is made up of several characters, but the main characters are Homer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta), Marge (voiced by Julie Kavner), Lisa (voiced by Yeardley Smith), Bart (voiced by Nancy Cartwright), and Maggie. Each episode is filled with the Simpsons family interacting with other residents of Springfield including guest stars that appeared in some episodes on The Simpsons. Yet what intrigues viewers is how some events were predicted by The Simpsons writers at least five years before it happened.
So, what did The Simpsons predict? Could it be that The Simpsons really predicts world events or is the world just following The Simpsons script? With the 35th season of the long-running sitcom recently concluding, fans saw a return of more creative, powerful, and witty storylines that are reminiscent of the beloved classic Simpsons seasons. There's no doubt that the wild narratives from more recent seasons will be added to the growing Simpsons predictions list, there's no telling exactly which ones will come true in the coming years. The best Simpsons predictions aren't just shocking, they're also often strange, funny, and somehow make sense all at the same time.
The Simpsons
TV-14
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
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*Availability in US
- Release Date
- December 17, 1989
- Cast
- Dan Castellaneta , Julie Kavner , Nancy Cartwright , Yeardley Smith , Hank Azaria , Harry Shearer
- Seasons
- 36
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Studio
- Fox
50 The Shard
"Lisa's Wedding" - Season 6, Episode 19 (1995)
Many characters from fan-favorite shows will travel to London for its iconic sights, and The Simpsons is no different. One of these trips comes with a strange prediction, as Lisa's future is predicted and a flash-forward portrays her meeting with a fellow university student named Hugh Parkfield during a trip to London.
A blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot shows a familiar-looking pointy building behind Tower Bridge, which is recognizable to many London locals and tourists who know it today as The Shard. The only issue? The Shard hadn't been built yet at the time the episode aired, as it would only start being constructed in 2009, making its spot-on location and silhouette just a few of the weird predictions from this particular 1995 episode. Of course, that may be reading too much into a random building drawn by one of the artists from the show, but it's fun to see it that way anyway!
49 Ferrets as Toy Poodles
"Papa’s Got a Brand New Badge" - Season 13, Episode 22 (2002)
Marking one of the most peculiar yet uncanny predictions of the series, The Simpsons’ Season 13 episode “Papa’s Got a Brand New Badge” prophesied a bizarre toy animal scam that occurred in Argentina. The episode sees Homer form his own police force with his friends in response to city-wide riots that lead to Lisa’s Malibu Stacey doll collection being stolen.
One of the crimes Homer ends up stopping is Fat Tony’s scheme which sees his crooks gluing cotton balls to ferrets and selling them as pet poodles. Remarkably, in 2013, a retired man in Argentina was discovered to be doing the exact same thing in a market in Buenos Aires, selling the weasels for $150 each. The ferrets had been given steroids and groomed in order to resemble toy poodles.
48 Bloody Billboards
"Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie" - Season 4, Episode 6 (1992)
A hilarious exaggeration of cartoon violence, particularly pointed towards series like , The Simpsons’ ‘The Itchy and Scratchy Show’ stands as one of the show’s most shocking and hilarious ongoing gags. In Season 4’s sixth episode, Bart Simpson is punished for his bad behavior and negligence, with Homer refusing to let him see the episode’s titular film. As part of the marketing for the cartoon movie, a billboard is established in Springfield that sees Scratchy being decapitated with blood spraying from the poster.
The gag was as crudely humorous as it was realistically impractical, at least that’s what many would have initially thought. As part of the promotion for Quentin Tarantino’s revenge thriller Kill Bill, an advertisem*nt in New Zealand saw the Bride (Uma Thurman) posing with her sword as blood sprayed from her blade and beyond the margins of the billboard, covering the wall and the street.
47 America Wins the Gold Medal in Curling
"Boy Meets Curl" Season 21, Episode 12 (2010)
Everyone loves an underdog story, and The Simpsons were able to predict the most unlikely of tales in the Season 21 episode, “Boy Meets Curl.” Released in 2010, it centers on Homer and Marge as their search for a fun date takes them to the winter sport of curling. Teaming up with Agnes and Seymour Skinner, they are brought into the U.S. Olympics team for the sport and embark on an incredible run to win gold.
While the episode was released in conjunction with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada, it would be eight years later that the prediction would come to fruition when America took home gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. Like in “Boy Meets Curl,” the Americans had to topple Sweden to emerge victorious.
46 Ebola Outbreak
"Lisa's Sax" - Season 9, Episode 3 (1997)
"Lisa's Sax" is an episode that tells the origin story of Lisa's love for the musical instrument. In one scene, Bart is shown sick and feeling down, so Marge attempts to cheer him up by reading a strangely titled book. The book, titled "Curious George and the Ebola Virus," is a strange narrative choice considering Ebola wouldn't be widely known until the outbreak in 2000, and then again in 2014.
The Ebola outbreak back in 2000 made headlines for claiming the lives of 254 people in the Republic of Congo, and 224 more in Uganda. It's bizarre to see the disease featured on The Simpsons, as it was still relatively unknown by the time the episode premiered. It's a shaky connection, but one loyal fans are still willing to make and point out.
45 Barbie Mania
"Lisa vs Malibu Stacy" - Season 5, Episode 14 (1994)
Greta Gerwig’s comedy hit Barbie became the biggest box office success of 2023, grossing over $1.4 billion as it took the world by storm, enveloping pop culture in pink hysteria with Margot Robbie’s leading performance becoming instantly iconic. While the film was a critical success that earned plaudits aplenty for its social commentary, The Simpsons initially pictured a world engulfed in a doll daze in the Season 5 episode “Lisa vs Malibu Stacy.”
Touching on themes similar to Barbie, the episode focuses on Lisa as she grows concerned about the message that the Malibu Stacy dolls send to little girls about what womanhood can and should look like. When her pleas with the doll’s designer see a progressive shift in the product, mass hysteria takes over Springfield as everyone reacts to the new range of dolls on display.
44 Donald Trump Being Arrested
"Lisa vs Malibu Stacy" - Season 5, Episode 14 (1994)
Despite being released in 1994, “Lisa vs Malibu Stacy” proved to be an episode that held a lot of relevance for viewers in 2023. Not only did it preface the fanfare surrounding Barbie, but it also subtly hinted at Donald Trump’s arrest. On the 24th of August, the former President of the United States surrendered himself to authorities after being indicted on charges relating to racketeering.
Quite hilariously, “Lisa vs Malibu Stacy” sees newsreader Kent Brockman speak at great length about the popularity of the playthings before offhandedly closing the broadcast with a brief mention that the president was arrested. While vague, it could be viewed that the episode not only predicted the craze of Barbie, but even foreshadowed the social response that starkly contrasted between the political bombshell and the Barbie fanfare.
43 Kamala Harris’ Presidential Run
"Bart to the Future" - Season 11, Episode 17 (2000)
Given the satirical nature of The Simpsons, it is perhaps no surprise that as global politics and the world, in general, seem to grow stranger by the day, more and more moments from the animated series come to fruition. One of the latest examples concerns Kamala Harris’ recent nomination as the Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party in the wake of Joe Biden’s decision to remove himself from the campaign.
In the Season 11 episode “Bart to the Future,” visions of Bart’s future show Lisa Simpson becoming the first straight female U.S. president. While it would be premature to claim that The Simpsons has made a prediction in this regard, the purple outfit and white necklace that she wears in the episode is eerily similar to Kamala Harris’ attire. Series writer and showrunner Al Jean took to X to express his pride in being connected to the prediction and what it could mean for the upcoming election.
42 Robots as Librarians
"Lisa's Wedding" - Season 6, Episode 19 (1995)
It would make sense that "Lisa's Wedding," an episode that's essentially a flashforward into the future, would have many Simpsons predictions. It's centered on Lisa's experience with a fortune-teller, who predicts that she will fall in love and marry an upper-crust English man named Hugh Parkfield, whom she'll meet at her future university. In that future, librarians have been replaced with robots.
In 2016, some brilliant Aberystwyth University students did exactly that by building a prototype for a library robot that can walk around and assist people. The robot's name might sound familiar, as it's also called Hugh. Hugh's job is "to listen to [a person's] request, find the book, and take" them there. With recent advancements in robotics, it's safe to assume this will be a reality for many libraries around the world soon enough.
41 An All-You-Can-Eat Restaurant's False Advertising
"New Kid on the Block" - Season 4, Episode 8 (1992)
For Homer, the all-you-can-eat buffet by "The Frying Dutchman" was a dream come true. He takes full advantage of the promotion by eating for hours, finishing most of their items including the shrimp and two plastic lobsters. This causes management to call him "a remorseless eatin' machine" and eventually kick him out of the restaurant, which could go bankrupt because of his patronage. Homer is annoyed and takes them to court for false advertising.
A real-world court case would soon take place when a man from (coincidentally) Springfield, Massachusetts suesGolden Corral Corporation for $2 million for false advertising. This is after he's kicked out of one of their all-you-can-eat restaurants by one of their employees. Much like Homer, the man ends up accepting an "out-of-court settlement."
40 Doughnut-Shaped Universe
"They Saved Lisa’s Brain" - Season 10, Episode 22
“They Saved Lisa’s Brain” is a busy episode of The Simpsons, following Lisa as a letter she writes concerning how Homer humiliated the city sees her inducted into Springfield’s Mensa society which then goes on to rule Springfield when Mayor Quimby flees. As the situation escalates, Stephen Hawking arrives to see what the Mensa society has done, declaring his disapproval of their actions before going to Moe’s Tavern to share a drink with Homer.
While at the bar, Hawking compliments Homer on his theory of a doughnut-shaped universe, saying the idea is intriguing before mentioning he may steal it for himself. Interestingly, there has been a theory of a doughnut, or rather a “torus,” shaped universe since the 1980s. However, it has only risen to popularity early in the 2000s, meaning Homer may have inspired a new understanding of how the universe functions.
39 Whacking Day
"Whacking Day" - Season 4, Episode 20 (1993)
The episode "Whacking Day" is named after an annual tradition in Springfield where the residents gather to joyfully beat snakes to death to allegedly keep the snake population under control. Though it's said to have originated from founder Jebediah Springfield, this is later proven to be false. Only the first half of the plot has made it to real life, with the "Python Challenge" having a similar idea.
The Florida Python Challenge calls on individuals to help control the population of invasive Burmese pythons, and it has become a highly anticipated annual event. With cash prizes that go all the way up to $10,000, the event sees more participants every year, with no soul singer like Barry White around to give them a reason to stop.
38 A Late Letter From The Beatles
"Brush with Greatness" - Season 2, Episode 18 (1991)
In the Season 2 episode "Brush with Greatness," Marge picks up a paintbrush again for the first time in a long time after learning about the fate of her Ringo Starr portraits. One of the scenes in the episode shows Ringo Starr himself carefully replying to countless fan mail piled all around him, with many having been written several years ago.
This isn't too far from a real-life event involving Paul McCartney, who replied to two fans from Essex, London in September 2013. This was a response to a letter they sent in 1963, which ended up in a car boot sale. McCartney hilariously wrote back "better late than never" and thanked the fans for their "lovely tape."
37 Daenerys Targaryen's Villainous Turn
"The Serfsons" - Season 29, Episode 1 (2017)
Game of Thrones will forever be remembered as a great fantasy show that went downhill and gave its fans one of the worst TV finales ever. One of its most questionable plot points was on The Simpsons before it ever made it on the HBO series. In "The Serfsons," an episode that parodies Westeros and GoT in general, a dragon burns down the Serfsons' village after Homer revived it.
This likely reminds most of how Daenerys Targaryen's Drogon burned King's Landing in GoT, even after the people had already surrendered. It was an infuriating scene for many fans and critics, and it was only about to get worse, with Daenerys' villainous turn transforming her arc in the worst way possible.
36 Stealing Cooking Grease
"Lard of the Dance" - Season 10, Episode 1 (1998)
The Season 10 premiere may not mark one of The Simpsons' most ground-breaking predictions, but it certainly does contain one of the series’ most unusual. “Lard of the Dance” sees Homer concoct an ambitious get-rich-quick scheme when they learn from Apu that there is a market in Springfield for used cooking grease. Dragging Bart along to help him, Homer tries to steal grease from Krusty Burger and even the school dance to gather enough grease to turn a profit.
The episode was mentioned in a New York Times article from 2012 that confirmed that the series had made yet another baffling prediction. As it turns out, cooking oil grease can be recycled into biodiesel and animal feed, giving it a surprising market value. Eager to capitalize on that, thieves took inspiration from Homer Simpson to hit restaurants around New York to steal their grease in hopes of getting some quick cash.
35 Autocorrect
"Lisa on Ice" - Season 6, Episode 8 (1994)
"Lisa on Ice" sees the brightest Simpson in danger of failing thanks to new "Academic Alerts" that have identified gym class as her weak point. She immediately tries to change this, appealing to her gym teacher and reaching an agreement about joining a sports program outside of class. In the meantime, Martin is, as usual, in danger of bullying.
One scene sees school bullies read a memo to "beat up Martin," only for the message to be scrambled to read "eat up Martha." Anyone who's ever experienced the frustrations of autocorrect can immediately see the parallels here, with the Newton device clearly being a very early version of the iPhone.
34 A Submersible Disaster
"Homer's Paternity Coot" - Season 17, Episode 10 (2006)
A more recent prediction from The Simpsons became clear earlier this year, when fans made the connection between the Titanic submersible disaster and the episode "Homer's Paternity Coot." In the episode, Homer finds a man he thinks is his long-lost father and agrees to venture into the depths of the ocean with him in an attempt to find an old ship. Disaster strikes and Homer gets stuck, but thankfully opens his eyes in a hospital a few days later.
Last June, a real-life submersible carrying five passengers toward the sunken Titanic unfortunately imploded. The expedition to see the wreck dominated conversations around the world, and the tragedy has raised crucial questions about safety regulations and protocols to prevent a similar event from ever happening again.
33 Planning to Block the Sun
"Who Shot Mr. Burns?" - Season 6, Episode 25 (1995)
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When oil is discovered right beneath Springfield Elementary, Mr. Burns ruins any chances of financial gain for Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers, who had started taking suggestions from students and residents about what they should do with their newfound money. Instead, Mr. Burns beats them to drilling the oil and subsequently blocks out the sun with a giant disc so every person in Springfield is forced to use energy from his power plant.
A real-life billionaire, George Soros, recently had a similar idea, but not for the same reason Mr. Burns did. At the Munich Security Conference, Soros suggested using a cloud cover as a sort of shield over the melting Arctic in an effort to reduce global warming. It's a totally different intention, and actually one worth rooting for.
32 An Eerie Reference to 9/11
"The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson"
While many of the predictions in The Simpsons are playful in nature, pure coincidence and vested interest from viewers in finding as many possible predictions as they can sometimes lead to premonitions that no one would make. One of the most obvious and painful examples of this comes in the 1997 episode “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson”, in which the Simpsons travel to New York City to retrieve the family car from being illegally parked at the World Trade Center.
While in the Big Apple, Lisa holds up a magazine with a cover that reads “New York $9”. The placement of the 9 directly next to the silhouette of the Twin Towers in the New York skyline is eerie as it effectively uses the two tall buildings as an “11.” While completely unintentional, the brief moment in the episode holds a mighty weight given the series’ knack for predictions.
31 Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s Election
"West Wing Story" - Special Short (2019)
In a special short that takes aim at former President Donald Trump, The Simpsons parodies a song from West Side Story. In the process, it depicts a competition of sorts between Trump and other political figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While this sing-off thankfully didn't actually happen in real life, there's a short scene that bears a shocking resemblance to recent political changes.
Director David Silverman shares the moment on X, recounting how he "set up this kick line for [the] ending," which shows Trump standing next to a line-up of dancers. One of pair of dancers standing there happens to be President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who weren't running mates at the time the short aired. Addressing showrunner Al Jean, Silverman continues by asking if the just happened to "predict [the] future again" by creating that scene.
