The car of the future sometimes slips: the most incredible predictions from famous cartoons (11 photos)

The creators of these animated series seem to have genius analysts? Some things came true with absolute certainty, others only partially. And in some places the “prophecies” are doubtful.





Why do we love and appreciate cartoons? For action and humor, brightness and recognition of characters. For a lot. And sometimes they give us surprises. The famous animated series “The Simpsons”, “Futurama”, “Inspector Gadget” and “Johnny Bravo” are often remembered in connection with the predictions that are encrypted in them or expressed almost straightforwardly.

To look beyond the horizon of time, to lift the veil of the future - how tempting it is! We are often inclined to believe the prophets of different times, especially if their sorcery is synchronized with our expectations. Probably, the “Cassandras” from the world of anime should be treated with skepticism. Let's look through the pages of the history of Western animation and take a closer look at some of the episodes of their breakthroughs into the future.

Presidency of Donald Trump



In the series “The Simpsons,” as many of its fans claim, Donald Trump’s victory in the election was predicted. In 2000, 16 years before his appearance in the White House. In the episode "Bart in the Future", Lisa Simpson became President of the States. And she mentions in the conversation that her predecessor, Donald Trump, brought the country almost to ruin. In that episode, Trump himself does not appear on screen. And in 2015, his drawn double was already in the frame. One of the screenwriters of the cartoon, Dan Greaney, later honestly admitted that they used the image of Donald solely to bring the plot to the point of absurdity. They believed that this was the most unlikely candidate to win. But reality turned out to have a “sense of humor” even more sophisticated than that of the scriptwriters.

A virtual reality





Futurama characters have fun using virtual reality. At the time the VR episodes were released, it was still little known to the general public and was used in an extremely limited and experimental manner. The gadget that the characters use is very close in design to those used today. Except that modern technologies have a wider range of actions. They are introduced not only into the gaming world, but also in medicine, education, tourism, astronautics, and automotive design.

Construction of the Shard



The creators of The Simpsons installed the London Shard in the center of London 14 years before the real implementation of this “crazy” idea. They foresaw not only the shape of the unusual high-rise building, but also its future location. The skyscraper became the tallest building in Western Europe; it was officially opened on February 1, 2013. The futuristic shine of the building is given by the cladding of glass tiles. The height of the “Oskolok” is 310 m, which is 87 floors.

Sniffoscope



In the Futurama universe, there is an invention called a sniffoscope. For what? To sniff planets and other distant space objects. Apparently, American scientists liked the very idea of the device. They borrowed it from the cartoon Professor Fansfort. And what if he didn’t have time to patent his brainchild... So, it’s quite likely that the Nasal Ranger device appeared, which is successfully used to determine air pollution

Discovery of the "God Particle"



The boson was predicted by Peter Higgs in 1964. It is also poetically called the “particle of God.” One of the heroes of The Simpsons, Homer, unveiled a formula in 1998 that was very close to the one that was developed 14 years later, in 2012. Then scientists identified the Higgs boson, that is, the most elementary of particles, the one that became the basis for the creation of the Universe. And explains the presence of a mass of objects. But it should be noted that calculations have been carried out since the 70s. Apparently, the Simpsons consultants used one of the most likely ones. In any case, well done!

First laptop



In the late 80s, the animated series “Inspector Gadget” was very popular. His hero knew how to amaze viewers with original inventions. Being a cyborg himself, he used his findings to fight criminals and resist evil forces. Among these innovations there was also a computer book, which, albeit with some stretch, can be called the prototype of the first Toshiba T1100 PC.

Coronavirus imported from the East



When the coronavirus pandemic broke out on the planet, many remembered the episode with the package that Homer ordered in Asia. And the most dangerous virus came with it as a “bonus”. The infection began to spread quickly across America. This episode of The Simpsons aired in 1993. True, Homer ordered the juicer from Japan, but, as they say, he was not far from the reality that has befallen us in recent years. Let us add that this is not the first pandemic even in modern history. Alas, but definitely not the last. So cartoon and horror screenwriters still have a chance to make new predictions.

9/11 attack



What’s really annoying is this episode from the cartoon “Johnny Bravo”. There, the prophecy was made not years and decades ago, but “only” four months before the terrorist attack with the collapse of the twin towers in New York. Which in no way detracts from the merits of the script authors. In the episode “Johnny's Chain Gang,” an attentive viewer will notice a burning building in the background. And above it there is also an ominous inscription: “Coming soon.” Well, how?..

Self-driving car



And again the tireless Inspector Gadget with his innovative technologies. The calendar says 1983, and the cyborg inspector has no less than a gadgetmobile in his arsenal of vehicles. Self-governing! Did Elon Musk really once watch enough cartoons and decide to implement the idea, create his own Tesla drone in the image and likeness of Gadget’s car? Or was it just a coincidence that the founding fathers of the animated series turned out to be great prophets?

Game of Thrones finale



In the episode “Serfs,” the Simpsons writers outlined a number of storylines that would “materialize” much later in the final part of the series. "Game of Thrones". And the village is burning here and there, and the three-eyed monster is flying, and even the King of the Night appears. I don’t want to use the term “plagiarism” in relation to the authors of imperishable books. But why not use plot devices in fantasy, the likes of which, strictly speaking, are found not only in cartoons. The fairy tales of the peoples of the world are full of such goodness...