10 Mind-Boggling Futurama Jokes That'll Leave You Laughing and Scratching Your Head

Summary

Futurama had an educated audience with smarter humor than most animated series at the time due to its writer's room being staffed with people with Ph.Ds and Master's degrees.

Writer Ken Keeler formulated a mathematical theorem specifically for the show, which exemplifies its significant integration of scientific elements. The show extensively incorporates various scientific concepts such as quantum mechanics, taxicab numbers, and interstellar masses.

Futurama contains numerous jokes that may be challenging to comprehend without a scientific background. The show specifically caters to an audience with a higher level of intelligence, incorporating humor that surpasses what is typically found in animated series from the early 21st century. Additionally, it stands out as having one of the most academically accomplished writers' rooms in history, with three Ph.Ds and seven Master's degrees among the staff.

Another notable aspect of Futurama is its distinction as the only television series to have inspired the creation of a unique mathematical theorem. Writer Ken Keeler, who holds a Ph.D in applied mathematics, developed this theorem for his episode "The Prisoner of Benda," wherein several characters exchange bodies using a process that could not be reversed. This not only exemplifies the abundance of hidden references within Futurama, but also exemplifies the show's scientific depth and involvement.

10 The Quantum Finish

9 Bender's Processor

In one of the finest Futurama episodes, "The Luck of the Fryrish" from season 3, the Planet Express crew ventures to a horse racing track. An intense race ensues, and its outcome is so thrillingly tight that it necessitates the application of an electron microscope to scrutinize the race footage and determine the victor. However, when the declared winner's horse unexpectedly loses, Professor Hubert Farnsworth expresses his outrage, exclaiming, "No fair! You changed the outcome by measuring it!" This remark cleverly alludes to the observer effect of quantum mechanics. As per this principle, the act of measuring certain systems inevitably affects their state. A striking illustration of this phenomenon is the behavior of light particles, which exhibit wave-like properties only when under observation.

In the episode "Fry and the Slurm Factory" of Futurama's first season, a glimpse into Bender the robot's head reveals a surprising reliance on outdated technology for the 31st century. Inside his head, Bender's processor is identified as the 6502, an 8-bit microprocessor created by MOS Technology in 1975. This same chip was famously utilized by Steve Wozniak to construct the inaugural Apple II computer in 1977. Additionally, the 6502 was incorporated into early home computers and video game systems, such as the Atari 2600, Commodore 64, and the original Nintendo Entertainment System.

8 Taxicab Numbers

1729 is the smallest known Ramanujan-Hardy number, also known as Taxicab Numbers. This nickname originated from a conversation between mathematicians G.H. Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan when Hardy noticed the number 1729 on a taxi, which happens to be the smallest number that can be expressed as the sum of two positive cubes. Since then, mathematicians have referred to these types of numbers as taxicab numbers.

In the TV show Futurama, the number 1729 is frequently used, although many viewers may not understand its significance. For example, in the second episode of the second season titled "Xmas Story," Bender is identified as his mother's 1729th son in an Xmas card. Additionally, Zapp Brannigan's flagship in the show has the ID number BP-1729. Furthermore, in the Futurama movie Bender's Big Score, a different taxicab number (87539319) is used as a literal taxicab number, identifying a cab used by a variant Fry who lived for 12 years in the early 21st century.

7 Colleen's T-Shirt

In the second installment of the Futurama movies, titled "The Beast with a Billion Backs," Fry has a brief relationship with a woman named Colleen O'Hallahan. However, their romance comes to an end due to Colleen's desire for a polyandrous union involving multiple boyfriends. Interestingly, Colleen can be seen wearing a t-shirt featuring a mathematical formula that encapsulates her romantic inclinations. The calculus symbol of an upside-down A, denoting "for all values," is combined with the variable x, representing a random value. When combined with the heart symbol symbolizing love, this equation conveys the message "for every possible value of everything, I love everything."

6 The Keeler Gap

In the fourth installment of the Futurama movie series, titled Into the Wild Green Yonder, there is a sign cautioning star pilots to be wary of the "Keeler Gap." This sign draws inspiration from the warnings found in the London Underground, advising passengers to mind the gap between the platform and the train. Additionally, the sign alludes to a lesser-known characteristic of Saturn's rings. The Keeler Gap is a hole that spans 26 miles wide within Saturn's A-ring. Within this gap resides a small moon that orbits Saturn. It was named after James Edward Keeler, a prominent astronomer from the 19th century who extensively studied Saturn.

5 Cygnus X-1

The title card for episode 10 of season 6 of Futurama, titled "The Prisoner of Benda," showcases the catchphrase "What Happens in Cygnus X-1 Stays in Cygnus X-1." Although this is clearly a playful reference to a well-known Las Vegas slogan, there is a deeper significance to the mention of Cygnus X-1 beyond its resemblance to a science-fiction destination. Cygnus X-1 is a celestial object discovered in 1971, believed to be an interstellar black hole. Consequently, anything that ventures into Cygnus X-1 would undeniably remain trapped due to the tremendous gravitational pull, making escape impossible.

Interestingly, Cygnus X-1 also sparked a somewhat risqué wager between renowned scientist Stephen Hawking and his colleague Kip Thorne. It is rumored that Hawking pledged to gift Thorne a one-year subscription to Penthouse magazine if it could be proven that Cygnus X-1 was indeed a black hole. Surprisingly, Hawking was happy to lose this bet, as the evidence substantiating Cygnus X-1 as a black hole confirmed much of his life's work.

4 The Infinite Movie Theater

The Loew's ℵ0-Plex in New New York is the top choice for the Planet Express crew when it comes to movie theaters. The ℵ0 symbol, pronounced "aleph-null," represents the smallest infinite number in a finite set of numbers. Essentially, the Loew's ℵ0-Plex boasts an infinite number of screens. This may seem unlikely even in the advanced technology of Futurama, and the name is likely a mathematical joke poking fun at the grandiose names that modern movie theaters adopt, such as multiplex and omniplex.

3 A BASIC Joke

Created in 1963 by John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz at Dartmouth College, BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) aimed to provide a straightforward programming language accessible to all. Demonstrating its wide reach, a sign displayed at the entrance of Bender and Fry's apartment in Futurama season 1, episode 3, "I, Roommate," featured BASIC code, conveying the message "Home Sweet Home."

2 A Binary Threat

Futurama has included numerous comic moments involving the binary programming language, which operates by representing information through a series of 1s and 0s. Among the most renowned instances is found in episode 18 of season 2, titled "The Honking," wherein Bender becomes terrified upon encountering a binary message written in blood-like letters. The specific code in question, "1010011010," translates to the number 666, often associated with dark forces and ill luck, also known as "The Number of the Beast."

1 Brainy Beers

In the opening scene of the twelfth episode of the third season of Futurama, titled "The Route Of All Evil," numerous scientific jokes are depicted, revolving around imaginary alcoholic drinks. For instance, there is a beverage known as Old Fortran Malt Liquor, paying homage to the FORTRAN programming language. Another example is Klein's beer, which is served in distinctively shaped objects called Klein bottles, existing solely in four dimensions. Lastly, we encounter St. Pauli Exclusion Principle Girl, a clever combination of St. Pauli Girl beer and the Pauli Exclusion Principle developed by Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli in 1925.