- 2 months ago
Did these animated shows have crystal balls in their writers' rooms? Join us as we explore the eerily accurate predictions from The Simpsons and South Park that later became reality! From Trump's presidency to COVID-like outbreaks, Lady Gaga's Super Bowl performance to Miley Cyrus' rise to fame - these adult cartoons saw it coming years before we did!
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00:00What kind of cybertronic ultrabot would I be if I let those beautiful hands touch dishwater?
00:06No, I'm asking.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're taking a look at 10 times The Simpsons and South Park saw the future.
00:13For this list, we're highlighting major cultural, political, and pop culture topics
00:18that both adult animation shows have tackled that eventually became a reality.
00:22Wendy, there is a health crisis right now.
00:24Right, and when things change or things come up, you don't forget about everything you promise people.
00:31Mindless Gaming, Yardwork Simulator, The Simpsons
00:34When the Simpson family visits Colonel Tex's traveling carnival,
00:38Bart is drawn to a virtual reality game called Yardwork Simulator.
00:42Marge hilariously informs him that he can do real work like this at home.
00:45I'm gonna go on the Yardwork Simulator.
00:48But when I ask you to do yard work?
00:50Naturally, real effort doesn't seem that appealing to Bart.
00:55But things have definitely changed since this episode aired in 1998.
00:59Modern gaming is full of simulator experiences.
01:02Through consoles, PCs, and smartphones, players can do seemingly boring chores digitally.
01:08There's even options to perform these tasks in virtual reality.
01:11While the games aren't for everyone, 90s Bart would be in heaven in the 21st century.
01:16You chop my hands halfway off, and then I'll still have enough strength to chop-
01:19Get to work!
01:21Mindless Gaming, Freemium Games, South Park
01:24When was the last time you downloaded a free game only to find yourself harassed by advertising or in-app purchases?
01:30There's a new Terrence and Phillip mobile game, and it's so amazing and incredibly fun.
01:34Oh, really?
01:35Yeah, and the most unbelievable part?
01:37It's totally free!
01:38You should download it to your phone right now.
01:39I mean, come on.
01:41If it's free, why wouldn't you?
01:43Cool, thanks Jimmy.
01:44I'll check it out.
01:45This is the world of freemium games.
01:48South Park did a whole episode mocking the entire idea of micropayments
01:51and how they can often be linked to addictive behavior with mobile games.
01:55In a bit of irony, the show inadvertently predicted its own future
01:59when South Park Phone Destroyer was released three years later.
02:02Hey, new kid, we need you to come play with us.
02:04Put on some cowboy shit and meet us outside.
02:06And bring your phone!
02:07It too was free to download and play.
02:09But much like other freemium games, it came with a plethora of upgrades you had to pay for.
02:14Food Scandals
02:15Horsemeat
02:16The Simpsons
02:17More testicles mean more iron.
02:20In 2013, the food industry in real-life Europe was in shambles.
02:25It was discovered that various frozen foods, which claimed they contained beef, actually had up to 100% horsemeat.
02:32Some apparent beef dishes also included various other animals, including pork,
02:36which greatly affected those from religions that forbid the consumption of swine.
02:40Nearly two decades before, in 1994, The Simpsons aired the episode Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badass Song.
02:47During events, we see Springfield Elementary School has been cost-cutting their food expenditures
02:52as lunch lady Doris is mixing in assorted horse parts with extra iron from the stallion's nether regions.
02:58Delicious.
02:59Have you ever tried horsemeat?
03:00They eat it raw in Japan, and...
03:02Food Scandals
03:04Chipotle Contamination
03:06South Park
03:07Hi, Billy Mays here for Mega Scrub Cleanser!
03:11The main plot of this episode centers around Ike Broflovsky being tormented by dead celebrities,
03:17but a subplot involves Billy Mays advertising a product called Chipotle Away,
03:22which is able to remove the bloodstains people get in their pants after eating food from Chipotle.
03:27Well, now there's a product that can clean even bloodstains caused by Chipotle right off your underwear!
03:32Chipotle Away!
03:33Six years after it aired, E. coli in Chipotle products caused more than 50 people to get sick.
03:40The 2015 outbreak meant the chain was forced to close 43 restaurants in Oregon and Washington alone.
03:46Unfortunately for the customers affected by the outbreak,
03:48no such Chipotle Away-type quick fix exists in the real world.
03:52I know we're never going to eat there again after this.
03:55This was just a horrible experience.
03:58Voting Problems
03:58Faulty Voting Machines
04:00The Simpsons
04:01In 2012, people were outraged about a video showing a Pennsylvania citizen attempting to vote for Barack Obama
04:07in the U.S. presidential election, only for the electronic voting machine to select Mitt Romney instead.
04:13As of now, we have two reports of voters who complained that their vote for Barack Obama in a Pennsylvania voting machine
04:20was changed to a vote for Mitt Romney.
04:22The machine was taken away and fixed before returning to the voting floor.
04:26Well, in the 2008 episode, Treehouse of Horror 19, the opening segment features this exact issue.
04:33Homer tries to vote for Obama, only for the machine to select John McCain.
04:37Six votes for President McCain.
04:40Hey, I only meant one of those votes for McCain.
04:43This machine is rigged!
04:44After several tries to get the vote through, Homer attempts to warn officials, only for the machine to consume him and spit him out.
04:52Thankfully, that latter part did not happen in real life.
04:55Yet.
04:56Voting Problems
04:57The Power of the Vote
04:59South Park
04:59One of the fundamental precepts of democracy is the right for the people to have their say in who is elected to power.
05:06Kenny, what's funnier, giant douche or a turt sandwich?
05:08Oh, you're just saying that because I broke your cat's leg last week.
05:12Stan, do you pick giant douche or a turt sandwich?
05:14Dude, I really don't care.
05:15This right is exercised through the act of voting.
05:18It's always been important, but since 2016, the power of the vote has become a much more topical conversation than ever.
05:25Back in 2004, South Park did a whole episode around Stan's decision to not vote in a school election.
05:31He wasn't keen on either candidate and felt his vote wouldn't matter anyway.
05:35Dude, so my vote didn't even really matter.
05:37Hey, that's not true, Stan.
05:39You can't judge the merits of voting on whether or not your candidate won.
05:43Your vote still mattered.
05:45Given the political climate of the last few years, it seems South Park knew back then what we're all learning now.
05:51Every vote counts.
05:53Smart Tech
05:54Ultra House 3000
05:55The Simpsons
05:56Today, many people have smart speakers in their houses that help them get through the turmoil of modern life.
06:02Hey, Pierce. How'd you know our favorite foods?
06:04I analyzed your, um, leavings.
06:08Whether it's Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant, or another brand, these virtual assistants can help remind us of tasks, lock doors, turn on lights, and whatnot.
06:18In 2001's Treehouse of Horror 12, the second-story House of Wax had the Simpsons install an Ultra House 3000.
06:25With the suave voice of Pierce Brosnan, the helpful device takes care of a lot of the family's troubles and tasks.
06:31However, the tech eventually goes awry when it falls in love with Marge, leading the family to destroy it to save their lives.
06:38Hopefully, real life doesn't take inspiration for the latter part of the story.
06:42I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission.
06:48And I want to help you.
06:51Smart Tech
06:51AI in Hollywood
06:53South Park
06:53One of the biggest sticking points in the 2023 writers and screen actor strikes was artificial intelligence being used to replace real-world professionals.
07:02The last few years have seen a massive uptick in the use of AI in all aspects of life, including the creative arts.
07:09Okay, how about this?
07:12Adam Sandler is, like, in love with some girl, but then it turns out that the girl is actually a golden retriever or something.
07:21Oh, perfect!
07:23We'll call it puppy love!
07:24Back in 2004, Cartman's faux robot, Osimo, was hired by movie producers when they couldn't come up with new film ideas on their own.
07:32Cartman in a robot suit certainly is not AI, but it does surprisingly show how easily Hollywood executives can jump on the bandwagon to use technology over real individuals.
07:42Adam Sandler is trapped on an island and falls in love with a coconut.
07:48Great, Osimo, great!
07:49Pop stars, Lady Gaga's halftime show, The Simpsons.
07:53As the title suggests, the 2012 Lisa Goes Gaga episode sees pop star Lady Gaga visiting Springfield and winning the young Simpsons' heart.
08:02I just can't ignore a billboard in pain.
08:05We're stopping in Springfield.
08:06What?
08:06No buts!
08:07During her musical performance, the musician wears a bluish-silver outfit and flies over the crowd in a harness.
08:13The scene initially came off as a satirical love letter to Gaga's outrageous and bombastic style.
08:18However, it eventually became a reflection of real life.
08:22When Lady Gaga performed the halftime show at Super Bowl 51 in 2017, the similarities to the Springfield concert were striking.
08:30Lady Gaga wore an outfit very similar to the one seen on the animated show.
08:34Additionally, she just so happened to hover over the crowd in a harness.
08:38What's wrong, honey?
08:40Please, I've had enough attention for one day!
08:43Pop stars, Miley Cyrus' fame, South Park.
08:46Britney, watch! Keeping you up to date with all your Britney Spears news!
08:51Oh boy, what's she done now?
08:53In the 2008 episode Britney's New Look, the four boys try to help Britney Spears escape the torment of the paparazzi and general public,
09:01who are obsessed with taking her photo.
09:03Even more so after she shoots herself in the head and somehow survives.
09:07At the end of the episode, Britney dies surrounded by South Park citizens taking her picture.
09:13And soon after, a news anchor reports that Miley Cyrus, who was just 15 when this episode aired and still starring in Hannah Montana,
09:20will become the next big thing, a la Britney.
09:23Hannah Montana's Miley Cyrus, though only 15 years old, is already on her way to being a major superstar!
09:29Looks like next harvest will be even better.
09:35Considering Miley Cyrus' controversial phase in the early 2010s,
09:39it seems that the folks in the South Park writers' room got it right again.
09:43And we can't stop, and we won't stop.
09:48Censorship. The Censoring of David. The Simpsons.
09:52Few marble sculptures are as popular as Michelangelo's David.
09:56Get dressed, Marge. You've got to lead our protest against this abomination.
10:01But that's Michelangelo's David. It's a masterpiece.
10:05It's filth!
10:06In the second season episode, Itchy and Scratchy and Marge,
10:09David goes on a tour throughout the eastern United States and stops in Springfield.
10:14Some people take umbrage with the statue's nudity and attempt to censor it.
10:18There are people who even went so far as to cover it with a pair of jeans.
10:22With this gag, The Simpsons was both satirizing the past and predicting the future.
10:27Various campaigns have attempted to cover up David since the episode aired.
10:31Incidents have arisen in 2001, 2014, and 2016.
10:36It's unknown whether more campaigns to conceal the statue's natural form will pop up in the future.
10:41I told you she was soft on full frontal nudity.
10:43Censorship. Abolishing Columbus Day. South Park.
10:46It's Columbus Day in South Park, and just when the kids expect to have a day off school,
10:51they find out it's been canceled due to a protest started by Randy.
10:55I've decided that school will not celebrate Columbus Day this year.
10:58I realize this is a hot-button issue for many families,
11:01but one parent in particular has really swayed my opinion with his passion.
11:05Mr. Randy Marsh.
11:07From there, it cuts to his efforts to tear down a statue of Columbus in a nearby city.
11:12The episode came about just as similar protests began to surface regarding the actions of Christopher Columbus.
11:17Look, I was younger.
11:19We were all younger.
11:21It was another time.
11:23You have to understand.
11:24It was 2013.
11:25Everyone was stoked on Columbus back then.
11:28It offered commentary on the situation,
11:30but also predicted that this recontextualizing of history would continue.
11:34Further protests about Columbus and other historical figures happened years later.
11:38Public Health.
11:39COVID-esque Illness.
11:41The Simpsons.
11:42As we alluded to earlier,
11:441993's Marge in Chains had another big reason to terrify the year of real-world 2020.
11:50Good lord.
11:51Flu germs entering every orifice in my head.
11:55After watching a shopping channel commercial for the Juice Loosener,
11:58the residents of Springfield go crazy for the device and order it in droves.
12:02However, one worker shipping the items in Osaka, Japan,
12:06is so fearful of missing a day with the flu that he ends up coughing his disease into the boxes.
12:11When it gets to Springfield,
12:12the town is soon infected with very visual virus clouds,
12:16giving them all Osaka flu.
12:18The dreaded Osaka flu has hit Springfield with over 300 cases now reported.
12:23In real life,
12:242020 saw COVID-19 sweep across the world with a pandemic,
12:28causing many to sadly lose their lives as countries went into lockdown.
12:32Public Health.
12:33Ebola in the U.S.
12:35South Park.
12:36Airing on October 1st, 2014,
12:39this episode was less than two weeks ahead of numerous deaths from an Ebola outbreak in the U.S.
12:45Oh my god!
12:46These people don't even know!
12:48Hurry, you gotta go!
12:49Oh Jesus!
12:50Hey!
12:51It isn't safe in there!
12:52The episode isn't strictly focused on Ebola,
12:56instead suggesting that the fad of gluten-free diets in the U.S.
12:59mirrored the rise of ongoing outbreaks of Ebola in Africa at the time.
13:03But it's still unsettling that the first case of Ebola in the U.S.
13:07was announced the day before the episode aired,
13:10with the first death reported on October 8th.
13:13While we don't know how Parker is able to make such prescient episodes,
13:17we do know that you can't get Ebola from consuming gluten in real life.
13:22We just need you to be in quarantine for a while until everyone figures out what's going on.
13:26No!
13:27Not Papa John's!
13:28I don't want to go to Papa John's!
13:30NFL Predictions
13:31Washington Wins
13:32The Simpsons
13:33In 1992, three days before Super Bowl XXVI,
13:37the Simpsons episode Lisa the Greek aired.
13:39With a title playing on Jimmy the Greek,
13:41Lisa has a knack for helping Homer rake in money by betting on American football games.
13:45My mom sure will be happy you won $50!
13:48You'd think that, wouldn't you?
13:49But you see, Lisa, your mother has this crazy idea that gambling is wrong.
13:54When the Super Bowl approaches, a disheartened Lisa, who realizes her father is using her,
13:59says that if Washington wins, she still loves Homer.
14:02Amazingly, she was right when the then-named Washington Redskins
14:05defeated the Buffalo Bills in real life.
14:08But that's not all.
14:09The episode was dubbed during reruns the following year and also in 1994.
14:14Yeah, ever since I was a boy, I've always loved the Atlanta Falcons.
14:18Yeah, they're good, but I wouldn't count out the Denver Broncos.
14:21Each time, Washington was switched with the Dallas Cowboys, who won both Super Bowls.
14:27NFL Predictions
14:28Sports Teams Changing Names
14:30South Park
14:31Although not a prediction, there is a telling throwaway line by Jimbo
14:36in the episode about South Park's flag,
14:38where he asks Chef if the Cleveland Indians should change their name for being offensive.
14:43Chef, what about the baseball team, the Cleveland Indians, huh?
14:46Should they change their name because it's racist?
14:48Yeah.
14:48No, because it's their history.
14:50Look, I have gone through every quiet protest I could.
14:53I've ridden everyone.
14:54I've put up signs.
14:55That was in 2000.
14:56And two decades on, the team announced they would be switching their team name to the
15:01Guardians because of the former name's appropriation of Native American culture.
15:05However, it wasn't the only time South Park examined this particular topic,
15:09featuring a whole episode about the similarly named Washington Redskins football team.
15:13In it, the boys are able to get the trademark for the team,
15:17while the owner laments over them, quote, culturally appropriating it.
15:21Look, don't you see that when you call your organization the Washington Redskins,
15:25it's offensive to us?
15:27How is it offensive?
15:28How is it offensive?
15:29Jesus!
15:30We are a proud team, Mr. Cartman.
15:32The episode aired in 2014, and six years later, after much mounting pressure,
15:38the Redskins would abandon their name.
15:41Legal Weed
15:41Legalized Marijuana in Canada
15:43The Simpsons
15:44The Simpsons managed to predict the future and take shots at the American healthcare system
15:49in one delightful plot.
15:50And that's why I personally thank God we pay too much for drugs.
15:56I mean, uh, the right amount.
15:58When Mr. Burns cancels the prescription drug plan, many other companies follow suit.
16:02After people realize they can't afford medication,
16:05they hoof it over to Canada to get what they need.
16:07The journey paves the way for Ned to meet his Canadian doppelganger.
16:11During the encounter, the Springfield native was offered some legal referino.
16:15Say, would you like to puff on a referino?
16:17It's legal here.
16:18They warned me Satan would be attractive.
16:21Let's go!
16:22While the green stuff wasn't legal in Canada at the time,
16:25it didn't take too long.
16:26Referino was officially given the okay across Canada in October 2018.
16:31That was nearly 14 years after the episode aired in January 2005.
16:36Legal Weed
16:37Medicinal Fried Chicken
16:38South Park
16:39As strange as it may seem,
16:41those born into this latest generation likely won't recognize a world where marijuana was predominantly illegal.
16:47South Park did an entire episode around Randy going to extreme lengths to acquire the recreational drug.
16:52Dad, Mom says to stop trying to give yourself cancer.
16:55Just gonna get a little bit of cancer, Stan.
16:58Tell Mom it's okay.
16:59This was at a time when only a handful of places in the United States allowed the substance to be sold legally for medicinal purposes.
17:05It was, however, a peak into the future.
17:09Several years later, many parts of the country would lift regulations and allow marijuana to be purchased openly,
17:15without restriction in licensed dispensaries.
17:17Isn't this great, Stan?
17:19Living off the land?
17:20No, it sucks.
17:21I hate this.
17:22I want to go back home.
17:23Randy himself would become a major proprietor in later seasons.
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17:43Trump
17:43Donald's Budget Crunch
17:45The Simpsons
17:46Like Lisa's wedding, Bart to the future depicts, well, the future.
17:50While Bart lives as an aspiring rock star, Lisa is President of the United States.
17:55She inherits a massive financial problem that was caused by the last president, real estate mogul Donald Trump.
18:01As you know, we've inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump.
18:05How bad is it, Secretary Van Houten?
18:07This episode was produced during his presidential campaign of 2000, when his victory seemed extremely unlikely.
18:13However, it stopped being a joke when Trump was declared the 45th President of the United States.
18:19The first episode following the announcement contained a chalkboard gag that read, quote,
18:23Being right sucks.
18:25This drawing showed that the writers are not always happy about what they predict.
18:29If I'm going to bail the country out, I'll have to raise taxes.
18:33But in my speech, I'd like to avoid calling it a painful emergency tax.
18:38Trump
18:38Garrison Becomes President
18:40South Park
18:41You see?
18:42There!
18:42This is why it's happening!
18:44Many people didn't believe Trump would win the 2016 election, including Parker and Stone,
18:50who had to hastily rewrite the end of season 20 to accommodate for the fact that he, and therefore Garrison, was the victor.
18:56Just as J.J. Abrams did with Star Wars, I will make this country great again!
19:02But they already predicted this outcome an entire year earlier, in an episode that aired in September 2015.
19:09South Park is awash with Canadian immigrants in this season, who have all moved down south to escape from Canada's own Donald Trump in the Great White North,
19:18who has even built a wall to separate the country from the U.S.
19:21Yeah, though they already covered Trump's potential victory 14 months prior, even they didn't realize he'd actually win.
19:29Which of these shows do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below.
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