13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True TV Programs
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13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True

Robert Wabash Robert Wabash Ranker
Staff 1,352,155 views 13 items
One of the most iconic television shows of all time, as well as one of the most quoted properties in pop culture history, The Simpsons has made hundreds of jokes that we all know, remember and reference on a daily basis. Often times, these jokes revolve around extremely absurd concepts that could only happen in a cartoon or a satire -- according to the writers at the time. Sometimes, these jokes underestimate just how low humanity (and often, America) can go.

Here's a collection of hilarious Simpsons jokes that really ended up being true, happening or being repeated elsewhere.
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  1. 1

    There's Very Little Meat In These Gym Mats

    The Joke: As seen in the video above, Lunch Lady Doris is seen throwing gym mats into a meat grinder in order to prepare the school lunch for the day.

    Anyone who's ever had a public school lunch knows how completely inedible they can be, and some of the wet, warm, questionable objects on your styrofoam, sectioned-off tray do seem like they have hazardous chemicals as their base...but gym mats?

    That's unheard of, that would never happen, right?



    What Actually Happened:
    So it turns out that the bread used in the McDonald's McRib actually contains an ingredient (banned in some parts of Europe) that is used to keep gym mats sponge-y.

    Time Magazine's Healthland blog ran a story about the McRib and its ingredients. It identified Azodicarbonamide as one ingredient found in the sandwich's bun and apparently it is most commonly used in the manufacturing of foam gym mats and the soles of shoes.

    The blog also noted that the 70 ingredients of the McRib, including Azodicarbonamide, exist in very small quantities and will almost certainly leave anyone eating a McRib unharmed.

    Still, Azodicarbonamide is a substance banned in Europe and strictly regulated by the FDA.

    Looks like the Doris joke really wasn't that far off.
    BUY @ amazon
  2. 2

    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. They even build a contraption so that they can steal the maximum amount of grease in their car, like so...



    They eventually give up after a few encounters with Groundskeeper Willie and the Springfield Grease Company.



    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 of 2011 The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that thieves had stolen at least $2,000 worth of grease from the privately-owned restaurant The St. Louis Wing Co. since April.

    "It's a big deal. There's a huge underground out there for this stuff," owner Bobby Thessler said. "Others have said that this is like the new copper... These thieves are getting more sophisticated...".



    When he called the police on these thieves, 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.

    BUY @ amazon
  3. 3

    Scotchtoberfest

    The Joke:
    principal Skinner tries to set Bart up to get in trouble, so he concocts something called "Scotchtoberfest" which allows him to control an entire event where he knows Bart won't be able to resist pranking Groundskeeper Willie. Skinner attempts to catch Bart in act.



    What Actually Happened:
    Vintage Wine & Spirits Co. A wine, beer, spirits, cigar and wine accessory specialty shop located in West Des Moines, Iowa created a real Scotchtoberfest held every Saturday in October.

    You can check it out below!

    BUY @ amazon
  4. 4

    Flaming Moe

    The Joke:
    Homer tells the local tavern owner Moe about a secret cocktail that includes cough medicine and fire that he calls a "Flaming Homer".

    Moe steals the recipe and renames the drink the "Flaming Moe" and begins selling it at his tavern, betraying homer in the process. The drink is a success and Moe becomes famous, even Aerosmith drops by to perform at his place!



    What Actually Happened:
    A man who owns a bar in Prospect Heights bar called The Way Station (containing a replica of the giant blue TARDIS -- the time-and-space traveling machine from the BBC's Doctor Who television series) custom steampunk devices, Victorian décor and great cocktails.

    Owner/bartender Andy Heidel said somebody mentioned a Flaming Moe and he just happened to have a bottle of Robitussin behind the bar. Not sure why you would have cough medicine behind a bar, but whatever. So he mixed Pernod, Jagermeister, Robitussin, and a Bacardi 151 floater then set it on fire.

    Thus, we got the real Flaming Moe.

    BUY @ amazon
  5. 5

    Stolen Sugar Truck

    The Joke:
    Lisa begins to feel threatened by Allison, a new student, because she is smarter, younger and a better saxophone player than she is.



    Their rivalry reaches a climax at the school's diorama contest where Lisa plans to sabotage Allison's entry. The episode's subplot sees Homer steal a large pile of sugar from a crashed truck, and begin selling it door-to-door. He keeps it in the back yard and it eventually melts due to rain.

    What Actually Happened:

    Someone actually stole a freaking sugar truck.

    In 2009 two kids were arrested by police in India for stealing a sugar truck from a person actually in charge of delivering the sugar. The kids were actually in charge of cleaning the truck and took it while it was parked at the cleaner/boss's house.

    No word on whether or not they planned to sell it door to door.

    BUY @ amazon

items 1 - 5 of 13

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  1. scoobydoo132
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/14/2013 9:30 PM
    You are taking this real life simpson jokes thing really seriously.
  2. Tony1
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 5/16/2012 7:34 AM
    Herman Cain is just plain ridiculous, but "leaders not readers" became reality when no one actually read the convoluted legislation known affectionately as Obama care before they signed it. It was even admitted by some that did so that the law would evolve anyway and end up up something completely different than this first draft.
  3. Timothy
    The Leftorium at 5/10/2012 9:26 PM
    Uh, just so you know, there has been at least one store for left-handed people that I know of long before 2009. I remember going to Pike Place Market in Seattle several times and visiting a little hole-in-the-wall shop called Lefty's World (I think that was the name of the place). It's been some time since I've last been there so I'm not sure if it's still around, but a left-handed store isn't all that new.
  4. christian
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 3/18/2012 7:24 AM
    there's only 5, i thought it said 13
  5. Valeera
    There's Very Little Meat In These Gym Mats at 1/26/2012 2:07 AM
    I loved my public school cafeteria food. Especially on Fridays. On Fridays we got a burrito from Taco Bell. Ahhh...I miss those days
  6. claire
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/15/2012 4:26 PM
    i miss the simpsons. they used to be so funny. now they just suck horribly. why did the original writers have to leave?
  7. DebbieSlentz
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/14/2012 10:17 AM
    "A man who owns a bar in Prospect Heights bar called The Way Station (containing a replica of the giant blue TARDIS -- the time-and-space traveling machine from the BBC's Doctor Who television series) custom steampunk devices, Victorian décor and great c**ktails. " Can I have the rest of the sentence?
  8. ding
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/11/2012 9:02 AM
    FYI, you can tell on the picture itchy is using an old reel motion camera NOT a sledge hammer.
  9. kickintheface
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/10/2012 8:50 PM
    Haha, was casually browsing the list, then I came to the billboard one and was shocked, because where that white car under the billboard is parked, used to be MY park when I worked at TVNZ. So funny
    1. Hema
      13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 5/25/2012 10:19 AM
      I'm actually wondering if that billboard was ever real. There's only one photo of it on the whole web. No video, no nothing.
  10. Joanna1
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/10/2012 9:14 AM
    Earn some extra bucks, easy part time online work, good salary, check it out... LazyCash10.com
  11. qubicle
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/07/2012 11:45 PM
    Holy crap on no.13. And Ned Flanders shirt says lord love a lefty...Tim tebow anybody?
  12. crochetartist
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/06/2012 11:26 AM
    There's actually one not mentioned here. In one episode Homer sues the church and is awarded the church building in a court law suit. The church then holds it's meetings in the bowling alley. In the late 80's a church in Burien, WA went through a horrible split where the elders and paster were at odds. At one point, they held separate church services away from the church building - one group rented a meeting room in a bowling alley in Federal Way, WA for a few months.
    1. MollySeely
      13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 4/05/2012 8:06 PM
      So it happened BEFORE the Simpsons did it. Hence, it's not a Simpson's joke that came true, but something that Simpsons parodied.

  13. 13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/06/2012 6:40 AM
    good
  14. smellslikedebbit
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/05/2012 4:33 PM
    I'm sure this has been said, but I don't have time to sift through comments... "We need a leader, not a reader" refers to the fact that all that the president does is read off of a teleprompter. The president doesn't lead, just follows the directions of others. It's not tragic, it's "telling it like it is".
  15. Cory
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/05/2012 8:51 AM
    #6, The "leader, not a reader" is obviously about Obama and his teleprompter addiction. When he doesn't have it, he's lost, but when he can read his pre-planned out words, he sounds great. That's what Cain was getting at.
  16. brutony
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/05/2012 8:32 AM
    Does anyone really care about this has-been show anymore? Geez, come on!
  17. Agent M
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/04/2012 3:11 PM
    Fun list, and all from the "good years"! I'd say there's a difference, though, between predicting the f*ture and "I saw it on the Simpsons, so I am going to breed a tomato/tobacco plant!" etc.
  18. TamekaL.Coleman
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 10:31 PM
    Here;s why the whole teleprompter Obama attack is hilarious...I mean aside from the fact that this conversation is happening on a thread about The Simpsons. John McCain reads his remarks constantly. He just uses a piece of paper because he has trouble seeing the prompter without his glasses. Palin uses a prompter and has even gone so far as to write things on her hand. Most politicians of both parties use the prompter. What the hyper-focus on the president's use of a common tool says to me is that the people who keep bringing it up either don't have any substantive complaints about his presidency or the concept of substantive complaints is beyond them.
  19. mash up
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 7:52 PM
    Where's the mash-up?
  20. Quinn
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 7:50 PM
    I'm surprised no one has mentioned the fact that Albuquerque now has a baseball team called the Isotopes, as predicted by the Simpsons when Homer goes on a hunger strike and then sees the hidden plot of the Isotopes managers to trade the team to Albuquerque.
    1. TheOneTC
      13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 2/04/2012 2:31 PM
      The team's name is actually in honor of The Simpsons. I'm not sure if it was a fan or ball club executive who came up with the idea, but it wasn't a coincidence
  21. LWAS
    I Was Elected To Lead Not To Read at 1/03/2012 7:16 PM
    Actually it's a stab at Duhbama (Obama, for you simple folks aka left-wingers) because he is so stupid all he does is read, terribly, off a teleprompter. So you idiot left wing wacko, your president SUCKS. He even sounds stupid when he reads off the teleprompter..uuuh..uuuuuuuuh. He has no leader skills because he doesn't have any passion..if he did he wouldn't need to read word for word 24/7 of the teleprompter as he would have some words of his own. So tell me, how is your idiot Obama working out for ya??
    1. totallynotjoel
      13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/04/2012 2:09 PM
      HE HAS NO LEADER SKILLS!@#$ Epic burn, bro.
    1. KristinaSears
      13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/04/2012 6:04 AM
      "Duhbama"? Are you 12?
    1. doppelganger
      13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/04/2012 1:34 AM
      *off. Never hurts to read your posts before you submit. You might want to "read word for word". He's our president. How is he working out for us?
  22. Sammy
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 4:11 PM
    How can you leave the Sigfried and Roy tiger attack off this list???????
  23. lakawak
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 2:44 PM
    Cain's comment was obviously a pretty accurate shot at Teleprompter buy, Oaama, who won the Presidency based on his speechmaking abilities, and NOTHING ELSE that he did prior to (or since) 2008. People who had never heard of him before (which was most) were declaring him the Democrats "Golden Boy" after the 2004 Democratic Convention after hearing his speech. It was absurd, and Cain was pointing that out. (Oh, and Scotchtoberfest's were held before the Simpsons said it. And I suspect other examples are the same.)
    1. darkflame
      13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/04/2012 4:32 AM
      Maybe it was what he was saying it, not how he was saying it. You know, the actual important thing?
    1. Ryan S
      13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 6:26 PM
      Accurate eh? Never heard Obama speak without his fabled teleprompter have you? Golden boy eh? At least he could get elected, not like Ron Paul... who even with his Paulbots behind him couldn't get elected in 2000, 04 or 08... and I highly doubt he'll get the nod in 12.
      1. JohnMoser
        13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 7:19 PM
        Douchebag, eh?
  24. Evil McNasty
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 2:05 PM
    Site looks like it's had a minor redesign, and I can actually navigate the lists now without wanting to stick a fork in somebody's eye from overwhelming ads. I actually enjoyed this article! I'll let the fact that you took a picture from 9gag.com (which, undoubtedly stole that image from another site and put their watermark on it - about 90% of the content from that site is as such) go this time! I'll be back and looking forward to continued improvements. Still feels a bit cluttered imo ;)
  25. Anonymous
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 9:50 AM
    Awesome list dude, really funny stuff.
  26. sean
    13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 8:43 AM
    "We need a leader, not a reader." So yeah, that almost happened. What does that slogan even mean? You need to read and be at least somewhat of an intellectual to run a country, that's why that joke in The Simpsons is so fun and why in the real world it's just so tragic." and Clearly you aren't that intellectual. Otherwise you'd know that Cain's "We need a leader, not a reader" comment was clearly a shot at Obama's and his over use of the teleprompter.
    1. mrjackfaust
      13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 9:35 AM
      Conservatives. Your f**kwittery knows no bounds. http://blog.reidreport.com/2010/02/photo-of-the-day-marco-rubios-handy-prompter/ Teleprompters are perfectly fine if you're a hypocritical Republican. Otherwise, they're a clear sign the user is the anti-Christ.
      1. JohnMoser
        13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 7:17 PM
        Anyone who needs a teleprompter to speak to sixth graders is just as f**king stupid as you are. And you're not presidential material.
        1. halbermensch999
          13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/10/2012 8:45 PM
          http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/photos/6thgrade.asp
      1. Lakawak
        13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 2:47 PM
        And once again an ultra leefty has shown their intellience, maturity and age with the name calling. Not to mention...the point was...when you idiots on the left declared him your savior back in 2004, you knew NOTHING abouut him but his speech giving ability (reading a teleprompter) Nobody had ever HEARD of him until the Democratic Convention but after he read that speech, you all orgasmed into your pants. And he never did a THING to earn the Presidency after that. Not from 2004-2008, and not from 2008 to 2012.
        1. halbermensch999
          13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/11/2012 6:23 AM
          Complaining about name calling and then using words like idiot. How's the cognitive dissonance?
        1. doppelganger
          13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/04/2012 1:41 AM
          Do you just ignore the irony of you having a problem with the left being "ultra" (accusing them of being fanatical) when you're just as "ultra" on the right?
        1. Ryan S
          13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/03/2012 6:22 PM
          LOLPOLITICS
          1. darkflame
            13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True at 1/04/2012 4:30 AM
            Not even politics, really, just argueing over a non-issue based on sides people already choose for other reasons.

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