5 Unfortunate Times The Simpsons Accurately Predicted the Future, Ranked
One thing The Simpsons is great at is foretelling the future of the world and being shockingly accurate about it.
Here are five times The Simpsons told us what was going to happen, but we didn’t notice.
5. The Horse Meat Scandal
In 1994, lunch lady Doris served “assorted horse parts” to the students of Springfield Elementary (and this is your reminder to pack your kids’ lunches at home).
In 2013, an actual horse meat scandal broke out in Europe – it was discovered that some supermarkets sols beef burgers that were in fact 19% horse.
4. The COVID-19 Pandemic
Believe it or not, The Simpsons even predicted something as unlikely as the Coronavirus. In the 1993’s episode, Marge in Chains, the people of Springfield came down with a mysterious disease (similar in symptoms to the flu) after a shipment of contaminated products from Osaka arrived in the city.
Just like COVID-19, the disease originated in Asia before spreading to the U.S., and no one had the treatment ready immediately afterward.
3. Donald Trump’s Presidency
In the 2000’s episode, Bart to the Future, Bart Simpson saw the future, and it did not look pretty. In the future, Lisa Simpson became the President of the United States, and Bart found out that Donald Trump held the same post before Lisa and left the economy a mess. In 2016, real-life Trump was elected President of the United States.
That scene with Trump descending an escalator actually came true 16 years later!
2. Toys “R” Us’ Closure
In 2004, Mo pulled down the Toys “R” Us sign after a group of havoc-mongers decided to destroy every children-associated thing in the city.
The episode may not have foretold that the store would be going out of business, but many fans treat the hint as such. In 2018, the company actually started closing down its stores around the world, following its bankruptcy.
1. The Siegfried & Roy Incident
The Simpsons’ predictions got specific in the 1993’s episode, $pringfield. The episode was essentially a parody of magicians Siegfried & Roy. They were performing in a casino when they suddenly got attacked by a white tiger and sustained severe injuries.
In 2003, all that actually happened – Roy Horn was jumped mid-show by Mantacore, one of their white tigers. The entertainer survived, but his injuries were so critical that the duo’s career was over.
The Simpsons’ creators are not to be toyed with, that’s for sure.