The Mind-Blowing Futurama Easter Egg That Will Change Everything You Thought You Knew About Matt Groening's Vision

Summary

Futurama and The Simpsons have a complicated relationship, with Easter eggs and references to each other throughout the shows.

The recent inclusion of Bart Simpson in a Easter egg scene in Futurama highlights the perplexity and intricacy of the connection between the two shows. The choice to incorporate The Simpsons into the Futurama canon in the episode titled "Simpsorama" has resulted in the emergence of plot inconsistencies and timeline complexities within the shared universe.

Futurama and The Simpsons have always had a peculiar relationship. Both animated series, created by Matt Groening, often reference and include Easter eggs from each other. However, the dynamic between the two shows has changed significantly since their respective premieres. Nevertheless, a recent Easter egg in Futurama's 11th season nods to Groening's original vision for The Simpsons, leading to a renewed interest in their complicated relationship. In the latest episode of Futurama, viewers were left perplexed by a prominent reference to Bart Simpson, as Leela gives Nibbler a Bart plushie as a chew toy. This Easter egg, though funny, adds to the already intricate universe shared by The Simpsons and Futurama. Over the past decade, the relationship between the two shows has been a constant struggle, rarely reflecting Groening's initial intentions.

The Simpsons In Futurama's World

Futurama, which was released after The Simpsons, has had a complex relationship with its predecessor. Initially, The Simpsons was portrayed as a fictional show within the Futurama universe, with references and merchandise throughout. Even Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, made appearances in Futurama. This remained the case for most of Futurama's run, making The Simpsons an in-universe show. However, this changed with the crossover episode "Simpsorama" in Season 26 of The Simpsons. In this episode, Bender and the Planet Express gang traveled back in time to prevent a future disaster by trying to kill Homer. This retconned the status of The Simpsons, making it part of the Futurama canon and placing it within the same timeline, but about 1000 years earlier.

In a 2013 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Matt Groening discussed the conclusion of Futurama. He stated that, within the Futurama universe, the show was considered real while The Simpsons was fictional. However, Groening's perspective seemed to have changed when "Simpsorama" was released in November 2014. The crossover comic series, The Simpsons/Futurama Crossover Crisis, also acknowledged that the characters from Planet Express ventured into The Simpsons comic series, suggesting that they were still considered fictional within their respective universes. Despite both shows being lighthearted animated sitcoms that don't place much emphasis on canon, this relationship between the two remains a constant source of confusion. To alleviate this confusion, here is a chronological compilation of every appearance of The Simpsons characters in Futurama.

Blinky the fish appears in the Futurama pilot "Space Pilot 3000."

Apu and Matt Groening's heads appear in "Space Pilot 3000."

A Homer Simpson badge appears in Futurama season 1, episode 7, "My Three Suns."

A talking Bart Simpson doll appears in Futurama season 1, episode 8, "A Big Piece of Garbage."

A heart containing Homer and Marge Simpsons' initials can be seen in Old New York in Futurama season 1, episode 9, "Hell Is Other Robots."

Homer and Bart Simpson dolls appear in Futurama season 1, episode 11, "Mars University."

Krusty the Clown can be seen in Futurama season 1, episode 12, "When Aliens Attack."

A Bart Simpson balloon appears in Futurama season 4, episode 5, "Leela's Homeworld."

Apu and Matt Groening's heads appear again in the Bender's Big Score movie.

Matt Groening appears as the creator of The Simpsons at Comic-Con, leading to Bender asking Groening when a sequel to The Simpsons Movie will be made in Futurama season 7, episode 11, "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences."

Bart Simpson can be seen in Futurama season 9, episode 3, "Decision 3012."

Blinky appears again in Futurama season 10, episode 3, "T.: The Terrestrial."

A Bart Simpson chew toy appears in Futurama season 11, episode 4, "Parasites Regained."

Why Futurama Needed The Simpsons To Be In Its World

While there are occasional contradictions between Futurama and The Simpsons, the presence of The Simpsons in Futurama's world was necessary. At the time of its release in 1999, The Simpsons was at its peak, making comparisons between the two shows inevitable. Ignoring this connection would have been a mistake. By having The Simpsons exist as a series within the Futurama universe, the show was able to cleverly satirize its sister show for an audience already familiar with The Simpsons.

When constructing the world of Futurama, there were only two possible approaches to address its connection to The Simpsons. The initial option would have been to completely disregard The Simpsons, but this would not have been feasible considering the immense popularity and relevance of the show. The second alternative was to establish both shows within the same universe. However, this would have resulted in numerous inconsistencies in the storyline and would have caused significant confusion among the general audience. Despite these challenges, The Simpsons made the deliberate decision to officially incorporate itself into Futurama's canon in "Simpsorama," an choice that had far-reaching consequences.

Plot Holes Caused By The Simpsons/Futurama's Relationship

The inclusion of "Simpsorama" in the same timeline creates numerous inconsistencies that pose significant plot holes. One glaring issue is the difference in skin color between the humans in The Simpsons and Futurama. While The Simpsons characters have yellow skin, the individuals in Futurama exhibit more realistic skin tones. This discrepancy makes the coexistence of The Simpsons and Futurama in the same universe illogical. In fact, in Futurama's 1999 scenes, the characters even have lifelike skin colors, further highlighting the incongruity. As a playful jab at The Simpsons' iconic yellow aesthetic, Fry transiently turns yellow in the Futurama season 8 episode 10 titled "The Tip of the Zoidberg," as a result of jaundice. This humorous reference illustrates the quirkiness of the crossover.

The biggest plot hole concerns the numerous Easter eggs referencing The Simpsons in the early seasons of Futurama. The issue arises when considering that if The Simpsons are depicted as an average family in the Futurama universe, it doesn't make sense for there to be toys based on them still existing over 1000 years later.

Co-existing The Simpsons and Futurama within a single timeline proves to be the worst choice, as it creates numerous problems due to the interactions between the two shows. In contrast, Matt Groening's other show, Disenchantment, does acknowledge Futurama's time-traveling elements but maintains a clear separation between the two series. This approach proves to be more effective than Futurama's connection to The Simpsons.

Ultimately, embracing Matt Groening's original vision for The Simpsons' existence in the Futurama universe is the best option. Although some damage cannot be completely undone, it is reassuring to see season 11 returning to this concept.

New episodes of Futurama release Mondays on Hulu.