On the Internet you can often find the phrase “The Simpsons already predicted this!” But usually these predictions, which have become an Internet phenomenon, have quite simple and logical explanations. Therefore, we have compiled a selection of ten popular fakes about the predictions of the animated series.
There is an opinion among Internet users that The Simpsons predicts the future. And after reading numerous articles or watching videos with collections of predictions from the animated series, you may get the impression that the authors of the cult cartoon about the yellow men from the city of Springfield hire fortune tellers and time travelers to write scripts. The series has been running for more than 30 years and consists of more than 700 episodes. Therefore, it is not surprising that there may be some coincidences with future events. However, most often popular predictions have a simple explanation: it is either photoshop, or fan art, or a substitution of dates, or the scene refers to an event that has already occurred.
1. The Simpsons Predicted the Notre Dame Fire
After fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in April 2019 on the Web distributed allegedly a still from the animated series, which depicts Springfield Notre Dame engulfed in flames. In some publications with a picture it’s simply it says: “The Simpsons had an episode about Notre Dame burning,” and in others indicatedthat this is an episode from 2007.
Is it true: this is actually an edited shot. In the original image from the cartoon No no cathedral in flames, no Mr. Burns standing outside. The actual footage is taken from a scene in the seventh episode of the 19th season (2007), which parodies "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". It actually shows the Cathedral of Our Lady of Springfield. Moreover, Homer Simpson, who had his wife Marge in his hands, was chased by an angry crowd with pitchforks and torches, but the building was never set on fire.
And Mr. Burnes was probably added because of the consonance of his surname with the English word burns (“burns”), and also to repeat famous meme with a little girl against the backdrop of a burning house.
By the way, the fake has several variations: for example, in one version of the picture the fire is photoshopped differently, and the city of Springfield replaced to Paris.
Fake
2. The Simpsons Predicted the Seizure of the US Capitol
After assault of the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump in January 2021, another prediction appeared. A still from the animated series shows gardener Willie screaming against the background of the Capitol, whose image repeats the recognizable appearance of one of the protesters, conspiracy theorist Jake Angeli, nicknamed the QAnon Shaman. On social networks claim, that the episode with this shot was released a couple of months before the real events.
Is it true: in fact, there was no such episode, and before us is again a fake frame. Image from prediction consists of from three different pictures. First, the background with the building borrowed from the second episode of the third season (1991), and the frame is mirrored. Secondly, the Simpsons images cut out from the regular promotional art for the series. Thirdly, the bare-chested figure of Willie taken from the mobile game The Simpsons: Tapped Out and remade into the image of Angeli.
Fake
3. The Simpsons predicted smart watches
In some articles approvedthat The Simpsons also predicted the emergence of smart watches - 20 years before the release of the Apple Watch. The evidence in this case is a frame from the 19th episode of the sixth season (1995). In the story, the fortune teller told Lisa about back in 2010 and about her possible future boyfriend, who had a watch on his wrist with a built-in communication function and more.
Is it true: Apple Watch really came out in 2015, but the cartoon is nothing again didn't predict.
Firstly, it is not clear why the article refers specifically to an Apple device, because Omate TrueSmart or Samsung Galaxy Gear devices came out a couple of years earlier, and the watch-phone SPH-WP10 from Samsung in general appeared more than 20 years ago.
Secondly, wristwatches with which you can communicate are a common element of fantasy. For example, in 1990 came out film adaptation of the comics about Dick Tracy, who is famous for his clock radio. "Dick Tracy Clock" appeared in comic strips in 1946: first it was a wrist radio, in 1964 - a wrist TV receiver, in 1986 - a wrist computer, and that's not even all the functions. In addition, smart watches were shown in The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Star Trek, Inspector Gadget and many other works.
Misconception
4. The Simpsons Predicted George Floyd's Death
After murders George Floyd in May 2020 on the Internet appeared a frame from an animated series supposedly predicting this event. In the picture, Police Chief Wiggum has his foot on the African-American man's neck, and Lisa stands behind her, demanding justice for George. You can also notice signaturethat this scene is from the 1990s.
Is it true: in fact, this is not even a still from the animated series, but a fan drawing. This is the work of artist Yuri Pomo, art appeared on his social networks a few days after Floyd's death, at the end of May 2020. You can even see the author's signature in the picture.
Not true
5. The Simpsons Predicted Auto-Correct Problems
In collections about predictions, there is also a paragraph about auto-correction. An example is a scene from the eighth episode of the sixth season (November 1994), where the phrase "Beat Up Martin" written on an Apple Newton becomes "Eat Up Martha". Based on this moment, a statement appeared that the animated series predicted either auto-correction, or her "jambs".
Is it true: autocorrection appeared before 1994, for example in Microsoft Word. According to The New York Times, Microsoft advertised this feature back in October 1993. Back then, a dictionary was not used for auto-correction, and the program checked words against a table of standard errors. For example, the phrase “SHip teh cartons Friday” became “Ship the cartons Friday.” And in an episode of the animated series, they joked about another topic that was fashionable at that time - handwritten text recognition.
In 1993, The Apple Newton, one of the first pocket personal computers (PDAs), went on sale. And it had a well-known problem: the device's software didn't recognize handwritten text very well, which criticized in the media. This is exactly the problem that The Simpsons made fun of.
By the way, the joke influenced Apple. So, former head of iOS development said: “If we talked about the keyboard, the joke about “Eat Up Martha” was always mentioned. We had to make a better keyboard. And we had to make sure that text input there worked as it should. Otherwise there would be jokes about 'Eat Martha' again."
Misconception
6. The Simpsons Predicted the Censorship of the Statue of David
In 2016, Russian media reportedthat in St. Petersburg they decided to “dress” the statue of Michelangelo’s David. First, a townswoman complained that the copy of the sculpture spoiled the image of the city and had a bad influence on children, and then the area of embarrassment was covered with a headdress. Then some users remembered, that in 1990 there was an episode about the censorship of David (the ninth episode of the second season), in which pants were put on the statue, and a new prediction was born.
Is it true: the frame of the animated series is real, but the censorship of the statue of David and his copies has centuries-old history.
After 1990, indeed, was There have been several cases where people have demanded that the groin area of the sculpture be covered. However, the scriptwriters did not predict future events, but ridiculed those that had already happened. Campaigns to censor David began immediately after the sculpture was exhibited in 1504 in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. Then the clergy considered the work was too provocative, and later the figure was surrounded by many metal sheets.
And on the website of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London indicatedthat, according to historical sources, Queen Victoria was so shocked when she saw the replica statue in the mid-19th century that a special fig leaf was commissioned and hung on David during royal visits. Later, at the beginning of the 20th century, one gentleman complained about the nudity of the statues in the same museum: “It is difficult to call these figures art, and if you can, then it is a very undesirable form of art.”
Misconception
7. The Simpsons Predicted a Black Captain America
In the movie "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), an aged Steve Rogers (Captain America) gave the famous shield to his friend and comrade Sam Wilson (Falcon). It was implied that Wilson, played by black actor Anthony Mackie, would inherit the nickname and become the new Cap, which ultimately happened in the series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier". However, on the Internet claimthat there was a black Captain America in The Simpsons back in 2004, attaching frame from the animated series.
Is it true: The posts show a real shot from the episode "My Big Fat Geeky Wedding" - this is the 17th episode of the 15th season (2004), and Dr. Hibbert is in the Captain's costume, but this cannot be called a prediction. In the Marvel comics, Falcon has donned the Captain America costume several times. For example, in 2014 he received the title is official, but we are interested in earlier periods. Thus, in Captain America #126 (1970), Falcon put on disguise suit, and in 1999 was becoming Cap for a couple of issues in the Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty series. Moreover, in 2003 appeared the other black Captain America is Isaiah Bradley.
Misconception
8. The Simpsons predicted a photo of Donald Trump and Greta Thunberg
In 2019 appeared video showing Donald Trump and climate activist Greta Thunberg. The shot of Thunberg looking at the president's back has become a popular meme. Then Internet users again started talkingthat The Simpsons predicted this too. The proof was a frame where Lisa Simpson looks at Trump’s back, and the composition of the image is really similar to the frame with Thunberg. Sometimes in posts add information that the episode of the animated series was released in 2007.
Is it true: this is photoshop. Real footage of Trump taken from the 2016 short film The Debateful Eight (it plays on the title of the film “The Hateful Eight”, so it can be translated as “Debateful Eight”). This is the story of Marge's presidential debate nightmares. In the original, Ted Cruz, a senator from Texas, stands next to Trump, so someone had to photoshop Lisa.
Fake
9. The Simpsons Predicted Pokémon Go
The famous mobile game about catching Pokemon with augmented reality elements came out at the beginning of July 2016. And almost immediately there were posts saying, “The Simpsons already had this.” The proof is in a shot of a character playing something that closely resembles Pokémon Go. Some publications also claimthat in the animated series they “knew about the game much earlier” - long ago before her appearance.
Is it true: this is a fake frame. Background taken from the second episode of Season 14 (2002), in which Homer goes to rock 'n' roll camp. According to the plot, he overeated on pills, as a result of which he began to hallucinate: he began to see Jesus, at whom he pointed his finger. And the mobile device with the game running was simply photoshopped.
Fake
10. The Simpsons predicted a photo of Trump with a glowing ball.
In May 2017 on the Web became viral frame from video from the opening ceremony of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh. In the image, US President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi touch the glowing globe to "activate" the center. Then publications appeared approvers, that in The Simpsons there was a similar moment with the ball 15 years ago, that is, in 2002 year.
Is it true: Both the photo and the frame from the cartoon are real, but the photo in the cartoon is appeared not in the 2002 episode, but in a short film about the 125 days of Trump's presidency. She came out May 26, 2017, that is, after the American leader visited the capital of Saudi Arabia. The picture can be seen at the very beginning - it hangs on the wall.
Not true
Read on the topic:
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- The fictional world of geek publics
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