13 Bart Simpson Fan Theories That Actually Make A Lot Of Sense

In the very early days of Sprinfieldian mythology, Bart managed to ruin another character's life for the course of the next thirty-something seasons. In "Bart The Genius" (S1E2), Bart changes out his aptitude test with Martin's, which ends up getting him sent to a gifted school. As Redditor /u/KuhlDota points out, Martin never recovered from this. While Bart was ultimately removed from the gifted school because he obviously didn't belong there, Martin never got the chance to attend. Instead of moving onto a program where he could have been challenged and potentially thrived, Bart's cheating has kept Martin stuck at the underperforming, falling-apart-at-the-seams Springfield Elementary for an endlessly poor fourth grade education.

In "Homer the Great" (S6E12), Homer becomes a Stonecutter after learning that Abe is already part of the order. But was Homer the second member of the Simpson clan to join? If you ask Redditor /u/TyPiper93, it was actually Bart.

The theory points to a few key clues. For example, at the dinner table, Bart has a cagey response to Homer's comment that Lenny and Karl are getting special treatment at work. Does he know something that he's not telling? Also, it's worth taking a look at the code of becoming a Stonecutter. Beyond having a blood relative already initiated, the only way to become one is a to save the life of a member. Bart has done just that. In "Blood Feud" (S2E22), Bart donates his blood to save Mr. Burns' life. Lastly, the Redditor points out that Bart never faces any serious consequences at school (nothing worse than chalkboard-scrawling detention, anyway). Maybe he's getting off easy because his sacred brother Principal Skinner is also a Stonecutter.

Redditor /u/SenorSchnarf comes at us with a theory that suggests Moe Syzslak might not be as easy a target for prank calls as he appears. Over the course of the show, Bart constantly prank calls Moe's self-named bar, fooling the beer slinger with some of the cheapest setups and punchlines available to a fourth grader. But Moe doesn't fall for them because he's too stupid to pick up on the bit; he does it on purpose to entertain the son of one of his best customers. Moe actually really loves Bart, so he's happy to make a fool of himself by playing along with pranks like:

Bart: I'd like to speak to a Mr. Jazz. First name Hugh.

Moe: Hugh Jazz. Somebody check the restroom for a Hugh Jazz.

Look, the Simpsons are stupid. Well, Lisa isn't. And it's too soon to tell for Maggie. Marge, of course, doesn't carry the infmaous 'Simpson Gene' that's explored in "Lisa the Simpson" (S9E17). So really it's just Bart and Homer. But are they actually dumb? If you ask Redditor /u/kerbyklok, it's all a show.

We learn in "HOMЯ" (S12E9) that Homer would actually be an intelligent man if he didn't have a crayon lodged up his nose and near his brain. With the crayon removed, Homer's IQ goes up 50 points. However, the whole crayon situation doesn't make as much sense when you think about the 'Simpson Gene', which explains that the Simpson men (but not the women) get gradually dumber as they age. So which is it? The Redditor suggests neither are true, and that in reality Bart and his dad act stupid on purpose because it makes life easier. Bart certainly does some pretty dumb things, but he also pulls off a lot of clever hijinks that a truly dumb person could never mastermind. This is possible because, at his core, he's actually a genius pretending to be a dolt.

In "So It's Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show" (S4E18), Bart creates a catastrophically explosive beer can as an April Fool's Day prank on Homer. The carbonated goof goes a little bit further than intended, landing Homer in a coma. For the episode, it provides the perfect setup for a clip show, and by the end, Homer wakes up immediately and starts strangling Bart. But according to Redditor /u/Hardtopickaname, the strangle never happened... because Homer never woke up.

According to this theory, Homer Simpson remains in a coma forever, and every episode from April 1993 onward is taking place completely in Homer's mind. To support this theory, the Redditor points out that once Bart knocks Homer into perma-slumber the plot lines really start to go off the rails. Also, the celebrity guests really ramp up at this juncture, which suggests that maybe Homer is absorbing information from his hospital room. Maybe Bart watches celebrity gossip TV shows, or even just talks to his unresponsive dad about things that are going on in the world. In any case, whatever we see on screen began with Bart's fateful prank.

This theory is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation, but it makes some sense when you take into account Bart's creative side. Redditor /u/JustEmbarrassing thinks that The Simpsons is based on Bart's childhood, and is written by the Bartman himself as an adult. The theorist asks us to consider that beyond Bart's obvious love for comedy (i.e. Krusty the Klown), he has actually had a lot of creative success over the course of the show. He's won an Oscar at the Academy Awards for his short "Angry Dad," and he and Lisa also won an Emmy for their episode of "Itchy and Scratchy." Even though Bart is often depicted as a loser in flashforwards, this is likely because those moment precede his massive successs after creating The Simpsons.