50 Times The Simpsons Saw It Coming Before the World Did

When Bart’s antics finally push Homer to draw the line, he bans him from seeing the ultra-violent Itchy & Scratchy movie. Outside the theater, an outrageous billboard sprays blood—because, of course, it does. It felt absurd, an over-the-top jab at sensationalist marketing.

But in 2003, a billboard for Kill Bill in New Zealand did exactly that—installed with tubing to drip fake blood, shocking passersby. What was once a cartoon satire of violence in advertising became, well, actual advertising. Please leave it to Springfield to parody a trend before the rest of the world realized it was real.