By now, we all know The Simpsons seems to have a knack for predicting things to come. From the COVID-19 pandemic, to Donald Trump’s presidency and subsequent riot on Capitol Hill to what Vice President Kamala Harris would wear at her inauguration.
Former staff writer Bill Oakley has previously suggested that The Simpsons writers room has less of a magic lens into the future and more of a knack for learning from the past saying, “I would say in general when people say The Simpsons has predicted something it is just that we were satirising real-life events from years before and because history keeps repeating it just SEEMS like we were predicting things.”
That may be so, but the long-running animated series has also made a fair few predictions that have yet to come true, but very well could. While we aren’t necessarily in need of another juicer like the one that brought the Osaka flu to Springfield, or Homer’s terribly ill-conceived makeup gun, there are a few things that could really make life in 2022 easier and beyond.
Virtual Reality Food
In this episode, The Simpsons time travel to the future–in this case, 2030–and enjoy some “virtual fudge” with the use of VR glasses and feeding tubes.
We might be a little ahead of schedule for this one because Royal Caribbean Cruises are already onto the virtual reality dining experience!
Mail By Hologram
In the episode Bart to the Future — yes, the same episode that predicted Trump’s presidency — mail is delivered by holograms. Hologram technology has advanced greatly in recent years and has been used to bring deceased artists such as Tupac Shakur to life for concerts, so perhaps it’s not that crazy to think it could become a feature of Australia Post.
The only downside? Not being able to convince yourself that invites to weddings and birthday parties “got lost in the mail.”
The Baby Translator
Honestly, why doesn’t this just exist already? What parent would not want a machine that translates their baby’s coos and cries into discernible sentences?
In the episode Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?, Homer’s estranged half-brother Herb Powell returns — having lost his car company and vast fortune after Homer designed a monstrous car for Powell Motors. Herb thinks it’s only fair that Homer lends him some cash to get him back on his feet, and used the money to make the prototype of the baby translator which goes on to be a huge success — just as it would be in real life.
To be fair, there is an app called Cry Translator that, as the name suggests, interprets the cries of a baby to determine if it’s hungry, tired, bored, stressed or in discomfort (and it did come out well after The Simpsons episode aired) but a machine that delved into a little one’s thoughts Look Who’s Talking style would surely sell like gangbusters.
A Female President
When millions of Americans voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to win the 2020 election, they did so with the knowledge that there is a great likelihood that Harris will step into the top job in the next four to eight years.
Of course, while we absolutely do not wish any harm on 78-year-old Biden, it is conceivable that he may turn his duties over to his deputy at some point which would make Harris the first US female president ever.
Happily, if Biden serves the full four-to-eight years, Harris will be eligible to run for the presidency which could mean that The Simpsons’ prediction of a female in the White House could finally come true.
World Peace
Perhaps the most pressing predictions that we would love to see come true from The Simpsons — world peace is surely at the top of everyone’s wish list, especially after a year like 2020.
In the Springfield Files — the brilliant crossover episode with The X-Files — agents Mulder and Scully arrive in town to investigate a mysterious, glowing being that appears each Friday night proffering love and peace to the residents of Springfield.
Of course, it turns out to just be Mr Burns, goofed up to his eyeballs after his weekly life extension treatments at the Mayo Clinic and glowing from a lifetime of radiation exposure at the Power Plant, but he still manages to unite the world in a heartwarming display of togetherness, acceptance and song.
Colonising Mars
When Lisa decides to volunteer for a one-way trip to Mars, Marge isn’t happy. In fact, the whole family ends up signing up for the mission, hoping they’ll convince her not to go after all.
The idea of the mission is that they’ll colonise Mars before 2026. When the takeoff fails, Lisa and Marge end up arriving on Mars in 2051.
In real life, of course, we have Elon Musk, who’s got the SpaceX team working with the goal of sending cargo ships to Mars this year.
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