Every Time A Cartoon Correctly Predicted Devastating Future Events
Sure, cartoons seem innocent enough. After all, they mainly consist of funny drawings and cute jokes designed to make you pass the time after a long day at work or school. However, what if something more nefarious lurked underneath the surface of some of your favorite shows? Namely, what if a bunch of sorcerers were behind the likes of "Family Guy" and "Johnny Bravo" who could see into the future? Once you realize how many of your favorite shows have predicted future disasters with eerie prescience, you may start to wonder if that's the case.
It's honestly kind of remarkable how many instances of a cartoon predicting some catastrophic event exist. And no, they're not all solely limited to "The Simpsons" (although the titular family does make an appearance at some point during the following list). From children's cartoons to more adult-oriented fare, you'll find it all right here.
In all honesty, each entry here is likely a colossal coincidence. When you have such a breadth of pop culture, some of it will inevitably appear to predict future events. Still, it's somewhat creepy to consider how many mystics are part of Cartoon Network writers' rooms that may have led to these parallels.
Johnny Bravo predicted 9/11
"Johnny Bravo" followed the titular womanizer through his various exploits and mishaps in one of the best kids' shows of the 1990s. In the episode "Chain Gang Johnny," which aired on April 27, 2001, Johnny goes to the movies with his acquaintance Carl. The two get into an argument over the film, and if you look to Carl's side, you'll notice an image of a building on fire. As the scene pans over, we see the words "Coming Soon" plastered on the poster.
Seeing how the episode aired less than five months before September 11, 2001, many fans have come to believe it's a subliminal message. The actual answer is likely a bit anticlimactic. Buildings on fire are nothing new to the world of action movies, and it's likely the image merely functioned as an homage to something like "The Towering Inferno." It's also worth pointing out there's only one building depicted in the advertisement instead of the two buildings that would make for the Twin Towers.
Still, it's haunting to look at in hindsight.
The Simpsons also has a 9/11 prediction
9/11 is the single defining American event of the 21st century. It makes sense that people have come up with all kinds of conspiracies surrounding the tragedy, including how various "elites" knew about it well in advance and tried to warn people about what was to come.
In addition to "Johnny Bravo," "The Simpsons" has also found itself at the center of the conspiracy thanks to one scene from a classic episode. In Season 9's "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson," the family decides to travel to the Big Apple to retrieve Homer's car. When discussing how they could possibly afford such a trip, Lisa holds up a magazine promotion, saying how there are rides to New York for just $9. It's innocuous enough on its own and really only exists to fill in some plot holes, but there's another reason why the moment has been cemented into conspiracy theorists' minds.
The magazine Lisa holds up shows how a ride costs $9, and right next to the price is the silhouette of the Twin Towers. It almost looks as though the cover reads "9 11." The presence of the Twin Towers only makes the moment more ominous when watching in the present day.
Even Bugs Bunny has a 9/11 connection
All you need for a beloved children's cartoon to wind up in the midst of a 9/11 conspiracy is two towers that look similar and an airplane. That's precisely what you have with the classic Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Falling Hare."
In it, Bugs goes toe-to-toe with a Gremlin on the side of his plane. It's up to Bugs to navigate the vessel to a safe landing, which becomes all the more difficult when he finds himself in the midst of a massive city. At one point, the rascally rabbit approaches two tall identical buildings extremely close to one another. At the last second, before Bugs would make impact, he turns the plane on its side so that he safely flies between the two structures.
It's difficult not to view the buildings as stand-ins for the Twin Towers, despite the fact that this 1943 cartoon preceded the creation of the Towers by a three decades, as they officially opened in 1973. Little did the makers of that cartoon know all those years ago just how their work of art would take on a sinister new meaning in the 21st century.
The Simpsons predicted Siegfried and Roy's tiger attack
"The Simpsons" has seemingly predicted everything from Donald Trump's presidency to the rise of the NSA. However, one of the show's most spot-on predictions came in the form of Season 5's "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)." The town becomes its very own Atlantic City, complete with a towering casino with live entertainment. One of these shows is "The Flamboyant Magic of Gunter and Ernst," in what is a clear parody of Siegfried and Roy, who had a long-running show in Las Vegas for many years with their signature white tigers.
Gunter and Ernst also have a tiger by the name of Anastasia, and after a moment, when the tiger remembers what it was like to live in the tranquility of the jungle, it attacks the two performers. The scene took on new life when in 2003, Roy suffered severe injuries from a tiger attack in real life. Fortunately, he managed to pull through from the incident, and the duo would go on to perform again.
American Dad! foresaw a Fast & Furious tragedy
Some cartoon predictions aren't super on the nose. But when enough details coalesce into a single scene, it's hard not to feel as though a message is trying to come across.
That's the case with a Season 8 episode of "American Dad!" where Steve and his friends stumble upon a downed plane. Once venturing inside, they find a corpse clutching a script, which just so happens to be for "Fast & Furious 7." The guys are stoked to get a glimpse into the future of the high-octane franchise, but when viewing the episode today, it's hard not to be reminded of Paul Walker's death, whose final, posthumous film role was in "Furious 7."
Walker died tragically in a car crash, eerily reminiscent of the plane crash depicted in the episode. As it just so happens, the scene the friends read from the script heavily involves Walker's character Brian O'Conner to make the connection all the more heartbreaking.
The Simpsons predicted all of 2020
It's pretty impressive when a cartoon predicts a single aspect of the future. It becomes downright bizarre when a single episode contains multiple references to a year that hasn't even happened yet.
Season 4's "Marge in Chains" starts off with virtually everyone in Springfield coming down with a case of Osaka Flu. As we see in a previous scene, the disease spread from Japan after some factory workers coughed into a box on its way to Springfield (via Forbes). Despite the fact this virus came from Japan and coronavirus initially hailed from China, many couldn't help but see some parallels, especially when you stay tuned for the remainder of the episode.
Later in the episode, the citizens of the small town become panicked and turn toward Dr. Hibbert for guidance. He tells them that he doesn't have anything that can cure the outbreak, and in an ensuing clash, people knock over a box of killer bees. Those insects have been around for a while, but it reminded people of the murder hornets that briefly overtook headlines in 2020.
An epidemic plotline is one thing but an additional joke of deadly bugs threatening the populace? That took things too far for some.
South Park knew something we all didn't about Mel Gibson
Today, it's hard to say the name "Mel Gibson" without feeling a little sick to your stomach. The actor/director has said some truly terrible things and has managed to still secure work in Hollywood for some reason. It appears as though some people would prefer to remember the Gibson from the '90s when he was known for blockbuster entertainment like the "Mad Max" movies and "Braveheart."
However, there are those who always suspected Gibson had a few screws loose, like the team on "South Park." In the aftermath of Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," "South Park" came out with a tribute to the film titled "The Passion of the Jew." In it, Stan and Kenny watch Gibson's movie only to determine that it sucks. They then track down the director to get their money back, and Gibson is positively cuckoo.
This episode, which also insinuates Gibson of antisemitism, came out in 2004, while Gibson's rant and subsequent arrest didn't happen until 2006. It seems like Trey Parker and Matt Stone picked up on things about Gibson's feelings from his movies long before he made them public.
Family Guy predicted Kevin Spacey's harassment allegations
Kevin Spacey is another Hollywood star who's had a very public fall from grace. After decades of critically-acclaimed performances, the actor was accused by several men of sexual harassment and assault. His career has nosedived, only appearing in a handful of films since the allegations came out, but the news may not have been too surprising for anyone who enjoyed watching early "Family Guy."
In one episode, Brian and Stewie make a wager, ultimately resulting in Stewie running naked through a mall shouting, "Help! I've escaped from Kevin Spacey's basement. Help me!" Apparently, "Family Guy" creator Seth Macfarlane has a knack for identifying sexual predators. Before he was outed as part of the #MeToo movement, Macfarlane made a joke at Harvey Weinstein's expense during an Oscar-related telecast where after announcing the nominees for Best Supporting Actress, the funnyman joked, "Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein."
Perhaps Macfarlane should work less with cartoons and more with detective work with his batting average.
Hey Arnold! foresaw the disaster of Cats
Not every disastrous prediction has to center around natural tragedies and sexual predators. Some merely warn us about terrible movies on the horizon we would all do well to avoid.
That was the case with the "Hey Arnold!" episode "Quantity Time." The bulk of the episode focuses on Helga and her father trying to get along with one another to no avail. In a last-ditch effort, the two see a musical together, titled "Rats," which is a clear play on the long-running theatrical production of "Cats." In that vein, the show consists of a bunch of rodents singing about what it's like to be a rat, and the central pair can't help but laugh at the farce.
It reminded many '90s kids of the disaster that was 2019's "Cats." The adaptation was lambasted by critics and audiences alike for its poor CGI, ridiculous premise, and overall bizarre aesthetics. If we all heeded the word of "Hey Arnold!," then perhaps we could've avoided spending $12 on the cinematic monstrosity.