The Simpsons has a list of predictions to rival Nostradamus, but this Winter Olympics incident is one they’ll struggle to seriously claim they foresaw decades in advance.
The long-running US cartoon’s most famous “prediction” was probably Donald Trump’s rise to the US presidency, as well as smaller ones such as robotic librarians and the building of the Shard in London.
So what have they been predicting this time? Well, nothing really, although former writer and producer on the show Josh Weinstein had a little fun when he noticed the following at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Watch out! 😳
This squirrel was causing havoc on the slopes 🏂#PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/Ffr1KbsNfV
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) February 24, 2018
The incident involved a lucky squirrel, which narrowly avoided a clattering during the snowboarding giant slalom event.
Presumably with his tongue firmly in his cheek, Weinstein claimed the moment as another chapter in the Simpsons’ long history of predicting.
Simpsons predicted it pic.twitter.com/pSMb4FVP3p
— Josh Weinstein (@Joshstrangehill) February 24, 2018
The episode referred to in Weinstein’s tweet – Mountain of Madness – was aired in 1997 and sees Homer and Mr Burns trapped inside a cabin on a mountain, until an accident propels the cabin to safety, knocking a squirrel out of the way in the process.
Weinstein’s joke prompted a couple of sharp references to the show.
Simpson’s predictions, is there anything they can’t do?????
— Kirt (@BarbieQuinn5) February 25, 2018
As well as this classic Lenny quote, who, upon seeing the cabin rocketing towards him, yells:
Oh no something's wrong with its breaks!
— Nicolino DiBenedetto (@thenicolino) February 24, 2018
It’s fair to say “rocket house” is a way off becoming a Winter Olympics event.
When will the IOC finally bring rockethouse back to the Olympics?
— Joshua Versalle (@joshversalle) February 24, 2018
But if it ever does make an appearance, you’ll know who predicted it first.