With the Simpsons’ 20th anniversary now upon us, it’s been an optimal time for Simpsons reminiscing throughout the internet, tv, and print, particularly, on just about every occasion, from cultural critics endlessly praising the show’s ability to incorporate and lampoon popular culture unlike any show before it or since.
While this is certainly true, why not go the extra step to prove the Simpsons’ keen cultural eye by pointing out instances where The Simpsons didn’t just imitate real life, but where real life imitated The Simpsons? In tribute to the 20th anniversary of the show so good it parodied things before they even happened, here are 7 Simpsons Jokes That Ended Up Coming True:
1. My retirement grease!
Homer and Bart’s grease-stealing scheme (Lard Of The Dance, Season 10) initially smacked of latter-season plot desperation on the part of the Simpsons writers, but it turned out to be an act of incredible foresight, as soaring oil prices throughout the 2000s turned leftover grease into a valuable bio-commodity, and grease stealing became a regularly occurring crime. Safe to say, Groundskeeper Willie might be able to retire even earlier than he could’ve ever expected.
2. It tastes like…Grandma!
Homer’s disgusting but irresistible “tomacco” plant (E-I-E-I D’oh, Season 11) became a reality when Rob Baur, a senior operations analyst at an Oregon sewage treatment plant, proved his Simpsons fandom scientifically by grafting together a tobacco root with a tomato plant to create real-life tomacco, without even enlisting the aid of radioactive material. To date, no nearby farm animals have gone berserk and articulated their tomacco desire through speech, at least on record.
3. We call it the “Good Morning Burger”
What began as an intentionally-exaggerated object of Homer’s most obese desires, the Good Morning Burger (Bart’s Friend Falls In Love, Season 3) has more or less been replicated by dozens of fat envelope-pushing restaurant establishments, including the above-pictured “breakfast sandwich”. What, they don’t sell it anymore?? What a load of rich creamery butter.
4. No, what I said was, “He sleeps with the fishes…”
Troy McClure’s fishy “romantic abnormality” (A Fish Called Selma, Season 7) may have initially seemed too absurd to be unairable, but Troy can now point a finger in his defense at a Lynwood, NY man who stole a $350 nurse shark from an aquarium and took it home in his jacket. An employee on the scene remarked, “This guy obviously has a thing for fish” — though the “S” word was never actually brought up by the arresting officers, here’s hoping the guy at least learns to take the “Follow Me To The Lynwood Aquarium” sticker off his bumper.
5. Ice to see you
McBain emerges from an ice sculpture at the villain’s dinner party, declaring “Ice to see you” before killing everyone at the table (Last Exit To Springfield, Season 4) — it would’ve been a funny exaggerated example of a groan-inducing Schwarzenegger one-liner, except for the fact that Batman and Robin got made four years later and actually included Arnold quipping “Chill out,” “Cool off,” “What killed the dinosaurs? The ice age!” and literally about fifty additional ice puns. Ah well.
(Ed Note – This was also my lone contribution to the similarly-themed, mind-blowing Collegehumor article about jokes coming true.)
6. Don’t worry Frinkie, you’ll have these babies out
on the market while he’s still grappling with the
pickle matrix!
Professor Frink’s (top secret) hamburger earmuffs may have coincided with Homer’s Thomas Edisonlike inspiration to invent something that no one’s thought of yet (The Wizard Of Evergreen Terrace, Season 10), but Nike beat both of them to the punch with the AirMaxBurger 360, a combination of lunch food and footwear that doesn’t function well as either. Granted, it’s not technically the same as earmuffs, but the fact that it’s actually less useful qualifies it for this list on thematic grounds.
7. Itchy’s a jerk
Itchy and Scratchy may have been the first to promote their movie with a blood-spraying billboard (Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie, Season 4), but a tv station in New Zealand borrowed the concept for their own blood-spattered piece to promote the television premiere of Kill Bill. And the best part is, when it came time to put up the ad for Auckland Barber College, they didn’t have to change a thing.
There’s literally hundreds more examples (feel free to leave others in the comments), so why stop at seven? In honor of 742 Evergreen Terrace. And because these were the seven most specific ones I could actually find. Also, I was stealing projectors. Cough.
