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(#1) J.C. Penney Co. Files For Bankruptcy
The Joke: In the Season 18 episode "Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em", the Simpsons are casually strolling through the mall when they stumble upon a dilapidated JCPenney's (obviously a reference to J.C. Penney Co.), which had been shut down and converted into a mix of candle kiosks and CD stores.
What Actually Happened: J.C. Penney filed for bankruptcy on May 15, 2020, citing financial difficulties due to COVID-19.
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(#14) A Poll Machine Is Hacked
The Joke: In the Season 20 episode "Treehouse of Horror XIX," which debuted in 2008, Homer attempts to vote for Obama, but the polling machine keeps recording it as the 2008 Republican candidate, John McCain.
What Actually Happened: In 2012, as Obama was running for reelection, a polling machine in Pennsylvania was rigged to change any vote for Obama to a vote for his Republican opposition, Mitt Romney.
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(#13) My Retirement Grease!!!!!
The Joke: In the episode "In Lard of the Dance," Homer discovers he can make money by stealing and reselling grease found in the back of Springfield Elementary's kitchen. He and Bart even build a contraption so they can steal the maximum amount of grease in their car.
They eventually give up after a few encounters with Groundskeeper Willie and the Springfield Grease Co. Bart and Homer barely escape an angry, greased-up Willie while trying to make it home-free with their glorious, profit-garnering grease in tow.
What Actually Happened: In November 2011, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported thieves had stolen at least $2,000 worth of grease from the privately owned restaurant St. Louis Wing Co. since April 2011.
"It's a big deal. There's a huge underground out there for this stuff," owner Bobby Tessler said. "Others have said that this is like the new copper... These thieves are getting more sophisticated."
After he called police, they spotted three teenagers taking grease from the back of Tessler's restaurant, as well as others on that same block. The man uses about 60 to 70 pounds of grease every week, so saving money by selling it has always been a way to help break even. A rendering company would have paid the owner of the company multiple thousands of dollars for used cooking grease.
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(#29) Catch Every Prediction On Disney+
Disney+ has an entire collection dedicated to all the times The Simpsons accurately called the future. From Donald Trump’s presidency to Homer actually discovering the mass of a particle roughly 14 years before it happened IRL, you can stream all your favorite episodes and spot even more seemingly absurd jokes that came true when you sign up for Disney+. If you haven't already, start your free 7-day trial today.
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(#8) Lady Gaga Performs A High Wire Act
The Joke: In an effort to raise the self-esteem of Springfield - and boost the spirits of Lisa Simpson - Lady Gaga decides to hold a concert in Season 23's Episode 22, titled "Lisa Goes Gaga."
During her show, Lady Gaga zooms over the audience wearing a wire and a platinum silver outfit. As the crowd looks on she blasts pyrotechnics from her breasts,and sings about loving and accepting yourself.
What Actually Happened: During the Super Bowl LI halftime show, which aired almost five years after The Simpsons episode, Lady Gaga flew over the audience on a wire. People pointed out the similarities between the performance and the cartoon in not only her wire act, but also in her outfit. Unfortunately for Gaga fans, she didn't shoot sparks out of her boobs.
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(#28) 'Star Wars' & 'Alvin And The Chipmunks' Share An Opening Weekend
The Joke: Ginormous Pictures is debuting Star Wars: The Apology and Alivn and the Chipmunks Get Rabies at the same time.
What Actually Happened: Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip both premiered in December 2015.
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About This Tool
The Simpsons is an animated sitcom produced by Fox, which is still very popular today. This cartoon series made a humorous mockery of American culture, society, and many fields. The surprising thing is that some absurd plots in the Simpsons became reality many years later, which are considered prophecies. Since its debut on the screen in 1989, it has been aired for 30 seasons.
The cartoon has already made many successful predictions, including the 9·11, the Ebola outbreak, smartphones, and even Donald Trump becomes president. The random tool explained 29 amazing Simpsons jokes that came true in real life.
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