1 The Land of Chocolate (Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk)
In this episode, Homer daydreams about a world made entirely of chocolate. While we don't yet live in a world where we can take bites out of chocolate buildings, we've seen the creation of chocolate cities and theme parks around the globe, offering visitors the chance to immerse themselves in a chocolate fantasy. In the episode "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk," which literally translates to "Burns Sells the Power Plant," the plant is sold to three Germans who claim they are from the land of chocolate. Homer daydreams about running around a land made of chocolate.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: In 2013, a theme park opened in Shanghai where most things were made of chocolate. There are many activities to do there, including weighing yourself on chocolate scales. The chocolate exhibit features many beautifully crafted chocolate masterpieces.
2 Rigged Voting Machine (Treehouse of Horror XIX)
This episode showcases a voting machine that changes Homer's vote. Unfortunately, concerns about voting machine integrity and possible rigging have become real-world issues in various elections, fostering discourse about election security.
3 Trump as President (Bart to the Future)
In a 2000 episode, Lisa becomes President after Donald Trump. Surprisingly, this joke became reality when Trump was elected as the President of the United States in 2016.
4 Lemon Tree Theft (Lemon of Troy)
In this episode, the kids of Springfield wage a war to retrieve a stolen lemon tree. While this might seem like a silly premise, there have been reports of citrus thefts in areas where these trees are valuable, mirroring this bizarre plotline. In the episode Lemon of Troy, Shelbyville kids steal the lemon tree in Springfield. Would you believe that a lemon tree was stolen in real life? Well, there's been such a story.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: A mystery person stole a lemon tree out of a woman's garden. It makes you wonder if this person was actually trying to parody The Simpsons in real life.
5 Grease Theft (Lard of the Dance)
Homer and Bart's side job of stealing grease for resale in this episode seemed laughable, yet with the rise of biofuels, grease theft has actually become a real-world problem due to its value as a raw material. In the episode Lard of the Dance, Homer and Bart get into the grease industry. After many grueling days, they turn in all the grease but only get 63 cents for it.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: Many people work in the grease industry sector of the black market, but in real life, grease is worth $1 a gallon. In 2011, grease thieves stole over 8.3 million gallons of grease.
6 Horse Meat in School Lunch (Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song)
Lunch lady Doris uses "assorted horse parts" in school lunches. While unappetizing, this reflected a real-world scandal years later when horse meat was found in products labeled as beef across Europe in 2013.
7 Baby Translator (Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?)
In this episode, Homer's brother invents a baby translator. Today, while we don't have an exact replication, there are several apps and devices that claim to interpret a baby's cries, showing a surprising similarity. In the episode "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" where Homer's brother is seen homeless after the failure of "The Homer" car, Herb bounces back with the Baby Translator.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: There's an app you can get for an iPhone which can "diagnose" a baby's cry. It will tell you what the baby wants.
8 Farming Simulator Video Game (Bart Carny)
The episode features a dull Yard Work Simulator game. Fast forward to reality, and games like "Farming Simulator" have become wildly popular, offering players the experience of mundane tasks as a form of entertainment. I'm not really a fan of virtual reality, so I wouldn't use it. I was interested when I was little and wondered if it would ever be invented. Yeah, I know there was Virtual Boy, but what was the success of that?
9 9/11 Magazine Cover (The City of New York vs Homer Simpson)
This episode featured a magazine cover with a price of $9 and the Twin Towers standing behind the 9, inadvertently creating an image reminiscent of the 9/11 tragedy. This is one of the unplanned Simpsons' predictions that coincidentally turned out to resemble a real-life event. Does this refer to the 9/11 bus ad? That was a creepy coincidence.
Though on a personal level with this episode, while I live right next to a big city, Chicago, whenever I go downtown I completely understand how Homer feels about New York.
10 Riding a Wrecking Ball (Sideshow Bob Roberts)
Homer tries to save his house by riding a wrecking ball, a scene that was mirrored years later in Miley Cyrus's iconic "Wrecking Ball" music video, making this another instance where a ridiculous Simpsons moment became a part of real-world pop culture. Also, he took a ride on one in the movie Between a Rock and a Hard Place.
The Contenders
11 Star Wars and Alvin and the Chipmunks Opening On Same Day (Homer the Whopper)
In a gag about movies, "The Simpsons" displayed posters of a new Star Wars film and an Alvin and the Chipmunks film premiering on the same day. In reality, this happened in 2015 when "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip" were both released on December 18.
12 "I Was Elected to Lead Not to Read" (The Simpsons Movie)
In the Simpsons Movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger's president character proclaims this line, highlighting a disinterest in reading lengthy reports. This was later echoed in the real world when various political figures publicly expressed their lack of interest in reading extensive documents.
13 Mutated Vegetables (E-I-E-I-D’oh!)
In this episode, Homer creates a "tomacco" plant, a mix of tomato and tobacco. This prompted an actual farmer in 2003 to engineer a "Tomacco" plant by grafting together a tomato plant and a tobacco plant, leading to a real-life example of a Simpsons joke.
14 Curious George and the Ebola Virus Book (Lisa's Sax)
A frame from this episode shows Marge offering to read Bart a book called "Curious George and the Ebola Virus". While it was meant to be a morbid joke, the 2014 Ebola outbreak gave this scene a chilling real-world connection.
15 Autocorrect Fail (Lisa on Ice)
This episode features an early version of autocorrect gone wrong, with a memo intended to "beat up Martin" getting changed to "eat up Martha". Years later, autocorrect fails have become a common annoyance for people using smartphones.
16 Smartwatch (Lisa's Wedding)
In a 1995 episode set in the future, Lisa's fiancé is seen using a watch as a phone. Two decades later, this technology has become commonplace with the advent of smartwatches.
17 Gym Mats in Processed Food (The PTA Disbands)
In the episode, Lunchlady Doris is seen cooking with "assorted horse parts -- now with more testicles". Several years later, news broke out about certain processed foods containing azodicarbonamide, a chemical also used in yoga mats and other rubber products. When the school is in dire need of funding, Lunchlady Doris minces up the old gym mats to save money.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: In McDonald's, there's an ingredient in the McRib bread called azodicarbonamide. This substance is used in the manufacturing of foam gym mats and the soles of shoes. The substance is banned in most of Europe.
18 Cough Syrup Cocktail (Flaming Moe's)
Homer invents a secret cocktail using cough syrup. In reality, misuse of cough syrup to create intoxicating "cocktails" has become a public health issue.
19 Electric Cars (Mother Simpson)
In a 1995 episode, a sign in front of a store reads, "Hullabalooza Tickets: Sold Out - Try Our Soylent Green or Electric Cars". Back then, electric cars were seen as an absurd proposition, but now they're becoming increasingly popular. A hippie mentions that his Volkswagen van is "electric" and has 20 minutes, not gallons, MINUTES, left of juice.
20 Scotchtoberfest (Bart's Girlfriend)
This fictitious event from The Simpsons was brought to life by fans of the show who celebrate their love of Scotch whisky in the month of October. Though it may not be an official holiday, it's been embraced by the community, making this joke a reality.
21 Stolen Sugar Truck (Lisa's Rival)
When Homer finds a truck full of sugar that was involved in an accident, he takes it home, hoping to profit from it. This plot took an unexpected real-world turn when a spate of food cargo thefts occurred, including thefts of sugar trucks.
22 The Good Morning Burger (Bart's Friend Falls in Love)
This episode featured an over-the-top unhealthy burger. Since then, numerous fast food outlets have released similar high-calorie, excessive ingredient burgers, reflecting the exaggerated food item from the show.
23 Bloody Billboard (Itchy & Scratchy: The Movie)
The Movie): The episode featured a billboard for the Itchy & Scratchy movie that was so graphic, it caused car accidents. In reality, numerous examples of distracting or controversial billboards have led to public outcry and, in some cases, traffic accidents, echoing this Simpsons episode.
24 Broncos vs. Seahawks (Bart Star)
During a 2005 episode, the show predicted a Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. While the specifics of the game didn’t match up, the two teams did face off against each other in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014.
25 Mass of the Higgs Boson (The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace)
In a 1998 episode, Homer becomes an inventor and is shown in front of a complicated equation. Years later, a physicist noted that the equation predicted the mass of the Higgs Boson particle before it was discovered.