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Here’s an intriguing headline from Vox:

The Simpsons predicted Russia's current economic downturn back in 1999

And here’s an excerpt from the actual story:

Of course it was not actually “predicting” today’s Russian economic downturn, but rather riffing off the earlier downturn, of which there have been several.

So, basically, the show didn’t predict it at all and your headline is a blatant lie. That’s some good reportin’ there, Lou.

Wait a minute… this was all a ploy to get us to learn about the Russian economy, wasn’t it?!

Learning? Russia? Let’s get out of here!

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Matt Groening giving an interview

During an interview with London’s Financial Times back in April 2002, Simpsons creator Matt Groening mused “I think we are closer to winding it up.” It was a fairly innocuous comment – the show had been on for over 12 years at that point, and he naturally didn’t think it would go on for another 12 – but our alarmist media took it to mean the show was ending immediately, causing something of a global panic. It was all very stupid:

D’OH! THEY’RE MAKING FUNERAL PLANS FOR… THE SIMPSONS (New York Post)
Save the Greatest Show on Earth; Can Simpsons Creator Matt Groening Be Persuaded Not to Quit? (The Evening Standard)
‘The Simpsons’ may be . . . D’oh! (Philly.com)
Are Homer’s days numbered? (Daily Telegraph)
‘The Simpsons’ soon to bow out (CNN Money)

In an effort to quell the uproar, Groening later clarified, “I don’t want anyone to think I am predicting the demise of the Simpsons. They will live on with new adventures for years to come. As long as there are things to make fun of we will be around.” The next episode’s chalkboard gag also addressed the issue.

At the time of the “wrapping it up” comment, The Simpsons had been on the air for 4,517 days. It has now been 4,518 days since that comment was reported, and there is still no end in sight.

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SpringfieldLike a bunch of lemmings jumping off a cliff, just about every news outlet from CBS News to the E! network to the gadget blog Gizmodo to the New Yorker (!) to the Los Angeles Times to the FOX Network to local newscasts around the country has regurgitated the SHOCKING news that Simpsons creator Matt Groening had finally revealed the location of the fictional cartoon town of Springfield: his home state of Oregon. Except, uh, he didn’t say that at all and you’d have to be severely incompetent at basic reading comprehension to think otherwise?

Continue Reading →

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Even though the Simpsons are now Coca-Cola spokesmen, that hasn’t stopped the soda giant from spreading lies about Our Favorite Family. Over the past year, Coke has made a big push to emphasize its historical roots, including resuscitating its long-dead founder, Dr. John Pemberton. Without mentioning names, an interactive Coke history quiz attributes the “Diet Coke and Mentos” fad that swept the nation in the 2000s to Bart Simpson:

diet coke bart simpson

They should have checked their factoids. Barring some forgettable Season 15 episode, the only Simpsons moment that comes close to that is the immortal scene from “Homer Badman” when Homer macgyvers a can of the fictional Buzz Cola and a bag of Pop Rox to form an improvised grenade, and presumably kills dozens with the resulting explosion, which you can see in this animated gif I just spent 15 minutes looking for:

homer pop rocks explosion

Now, why in the world would those corporate fatcats at Coca-Cola want to distance themselves from that? Why even bring The Simpsons into this at all? You may have won the Cola Wars, Coke, but that doesn’t give you the right to rewrite history. [Coke Time Machine]

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As you know, we here at rubbercat.net/simpsons, we take our reporting seriously. Nevertheless, a few mistakes manage to slip themselves through and blemish our sterling reputation. We would like to take this opportunity to correct the record.

  • In our previous post, we said that writer Bill Odenkirk posted on a Simpsons message board. It was actually someone from Australia pretending to be Mr. Odenkirk.
  • Maggie Roswell did not at any time refer to fellow voice actress Marcia Mitzman-Gaven as a “slut-ass ho bitch.”
  • rubbercat.net/simpsons specifically retracts all statements made on the website that state or suggest in any way that Matt Groening or his associates orchestrated or played any role in the assault on Sam Simon or that they lured him into an ambush at the Quad studios.

We regret the errors. OK not really

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In a quick review of “The Simpsons Handbook,” a how-to-draw Simpsons book that came out earlier this year, The Courier-Journal identifies the authors as voice actresses “Doris Grau and Marcia Mitzman Gaven.” One problem: Grau, voice of Lunchlady Doris, died in 1995.

To be fair, Amazon lists them as the authors as well. [courier-journal.com]

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Sure, Matt Groening might have his name emblazoned on every piece of Simpsons art and merchandise, but what about the other creators, such as Gabor Csupo, former supervising animation director?

Christy Lemire sets the record straight in her review of Bridge to Terabithia:

Killer birds and giant squirrels and menacing trees come out of nowhere and dart about in this live-action feature debut from Hungarian animation artist Gabor Csupo, who helped create “The Simpsons.”

Csupo is a pretty accomplished guy in his own right – he’s one of the two founders of successful animation company Klasky-Csupo, which produced the mega-popular Rugrats. So why is his Simpsons connection still being emphasized? [The Brunswick News]