What's with cartoons and psychic predictions? For this list, we’ll be looking at the craziest moments in which an animated TV series depicted events that would actually happen later on.
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00:00 already on her way to being a major superstar.
00:02 [MUSIC]
00:04 >> Looks like next harvest will be even better.
00:07 >> Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:09 And today, we're counting down our picks for
00:11 the top ten times cartoons predicted the future.
00:14 >> Pipe down, you weasels.
00:17 >> For this list, we'll be looking at the craziest moments in which an animated TV
00:21 series depicted events that would actually happen later on.
00:25 What's your favorite prediction?
00:27 Let us know in the comments.
00:28 [MUSIC]
00:30 Number 10, KFC chicken shortage, South Park.
00:33 In 2018, many KFCs across the UK experienced a chicken shortage due to
00:37 some logistical problems with stores receiving deliveries.
00:41 >> It is a humiliating sight for one of the country's biggest food brands.
00:46 In city after city, a second day of shuttered stores,
00:50 running short of their vital ingredient.
00:53 >> Stores closed, which means fans of the fast food chain were unable to get their
00:57 fix for up to a month in some locations.
01:00 Eight years earlier, a similar situation unfolded in South Park,
01:04 where new state laws forced KFC to close all their locations.
01:09 >> In the entire state of Colorado, Kentucky Fried Chicken is illegal.
01:14 [MUSIC]
01:17 >> No!
01:18 [SOUND]
01:19 >> Cartman, desperate to get the Colonel's chicken, joins an underground operation
01:23 to get his hands on the stuff and resorts to selling KFC on the underground market.
01:28 >> I'm sending Tommy to Kentucky to try and
01:30 set up a little arrangement with the Colonel himself.
01:33 Wait a minute, you mean the Colonel?
01:36 That's right.
01:37 And I'd like you to go as well and watch Tommy's back for me.
01:40 >> Number nine, Disney buys 20th Century Fox, The Simpsons.
01:45 When Homer discovers the vacation home of Alec Baldwin and
01:48 Kim Basinger in Springfield, he quickly endears himself to them.
01:52 >> What's with him?
01:53 >> That's just Homer.
01:54 He's a new friend of ours.
01:56 >> Really?
01:56 You giant stars consider me a friend?
01:59 Well, for the first time in my life, I feel like I'm somebody.
02:03 >> He also uses the opportunity to slyly present a script he wrote and
02:07 hopes to have Baldwin and Ron Howard involved in the project.
02:11 They both flat out deny Homer, however.
02:14 >> So you're saying you don't want to star in my movie?
02:17 >> I'm sorry, Homer.
02:18 >> Later, Howard is pitching projects to his production partner,
02:21 Brian Grazer, back in Hollywood.
02:23 During the establishing shot, there's a sign for 20th Century Fox.
02:26 And at the bottom, there's text indicating it's a division of Walt Disney Co.
02:31 At the time, they were separate.
02:32 But in 2019, Disney completed their acquisition of Fox.
02:36 >> Tonight, it's the blockbuster $52.4 billion deal that expands Disney's universe.
02:42 >> Number eight, Furious 7 tragedy, American Dad.
02:46 Steve and his friends discover a downed airplane while out for a bike ride.
02:50 Inside the wreck, they find the script for The Fast and the Furious 7.
02:54 >> Well, fellas, I think it's quite clear what happened.
02:56 The pilot's head exploded while he was being read this,
03:01 the script for The Fast and the Furious 7.
03:04 >> This episode aired in 2012, three years before the release of Furious 7.
03:09 Before filming was completed on the project,
03:11 Paul Walker tragically died in a car crash.
03:14 [MUSIC]
03:24 >> I'm gonna go for a drive.
03:25 >> What's eerie here is that the imagined version of the film in American Dad is
03:29 also struck by tragedy.
03:31 As Steve and co find the script in the hands of the presumed author who died in
03:35 the resulting crash.
03:36 >> Exterior, the streets, night.
03:39 There's not a soul around until the sickest Toyota you've ever seen
03:43 slowly pulls up.
03:44 >> Number seven, video calling, The Jetsons.
03:48 Set in the distant future, The Jetson has a lot of potential for predictions.
03:52 In the show, a lot of tasks are automated.
03:55 [MUSIC]
03:56 >> Hurry, George, you'll be late.
03:59 >> I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying.
04:01 >> [LAUGH] >> Also prevalent in the animated series
04:05 are Visa phones, which permit individuals to readily call people up with video.
04:10 >> I'll speak to my mother.
04:11 >> Mother, I was just going to call you.
04:16 >> You were?
04:18 Well, what did George do now?
04:19 >> The concept of video phones has been around since the early 20th century.
04:23 But what The Jetsons managed to accurately capture is their ubiquity in society.
04:28 Video screens are used constantly as a way for characters to interact.
04:32 Although a big difference in the show is that people can all of a sudden pop
04:36 in on you through the technology.
04:38 >> George?
04:39 >> Hi, Jane.
04:40 >> Honey, you know I don't like you calling me during working hours.
04:43 >> But it's an emergency, dear.
04:45 >> Number six, smartwatch, Inspector Gadget.
04:49 The titular inspector is frequently on the case to stop the devious Dr. Claw.
04:53 >> Dr. Claw will try to kidnap him.
04:56 Your mission is to protect the professor from the forces of mad.
05:00 This message will self-destruct.
05:02 >> Gadget is often clumsy or downright incompetent when on a mission,
05:07 yet manages to defeat Claw time after time.
05:10 Of course, the brains of the operation is his niece Penny,
05:13 who constantly watches out for her uncle's safety.
05:16 >> Brain, the ringmaster lied.
05:18 Zucchini brother was purposely taken out of the show.
05:21 It's a trap.
05:22 >> She also has some pretty advanced tech at her disposal.
05:25 She carries with her a computer made to look like a book, and
05:28 some have noticed a resemblance to early laptops.
05:31 She also sports what we call a smartwatch today.
05:35 >> Brain, are you ready for some action?
05:37 >> Wait a minute.
05:40 >> What's the matter?
05:42 Did you lose Uncle Gadget?
05:44 Then you better find him.
05:46 >> She can be frequently seen talking into it and using it to do some complex stuff
05:50 several decades before such watches would be commonplace.
05:54 Number five, Miley Cyrus transformation, South Park.
05:58 In the mid 2000s, critics took aim at Britney Spears' looks and
06:02 behavior in the public eye.
06:04 It led her to shave her head from the constant scrutiny and
06:06 hounding from paparazzi.
06:08 >> Did she say why?
06:09 I mean, did she offer any information?
06:12 >> They asked why she wanted to shave her head and
06:15 she said, I don't want anyone touching me.
06:17 I'm tired of everybody touching me.
06:20 >> South Park satirized the public obsession with Spears into a parody of
06:23 the short story The Lottery,
06:25 where the pop star is used as a sacrifice to ensure a good harvest.
06:29 >> Britney was chosen a long time ago to be built up and adored, and
06:34 then sacrificed for harvest.
06:36 >> Towards the end of the episode, there's a news report indicating Miley Cyrus
06:40 is on a similar path of changing her image.
06:43 Cyrus at the time was known for a clean image as Hannah Montana.
06:46 She would skirt controversy with an image shift with revealing photo spreads,
06:51 music videos, and her performance at the 2013 MTV VMAs.
06:55 [MUSIC]
07:02 >> Number four, Kevin Spacey allegations, family guy.
07:06 After Meg is teased for her looks at school,
07:08 she goes to the mall with Lois to shop for new clothes.
07:11 >> I tell you what, tomorrow you and I are gonna go out and
07:14 get you some brand new outfits.
07:15 Maybe a pair of those low rider jeans that'll show off your cute butt, huh?
07:19 >> Really?
07:20 Wow, thanks, Mom.
07:21 >> Stewie and Brian tag along, and Lois suggests they hang out while she's with
07:25 Meg.
07:26 They make a bet that sees Stewie streak through the mall,
07:29 claiming he just escaped from Kevin Spacey's basement.
07:32 >> Ten bucks.
07:32 >> Five bucks.
07:33 >> Eight bucks and I'll do it.
07:34 >> Fine.
07:35 >> Almost 15 years later, actor Anthony Rapp would publicly accuse Spacey of
07:39 making advances towards him when he was younger.
07:42 Others would also come forward with similar allegations.
07:45 However, Spacey would be found not guilty or
07:48 charges have been dismissed in various trials he's faced.
07:51 >> The jury have now come back and found him, Mr.
07:54 Spacey, not guilty of any of these charges.
07:57 Mr. Spacey had a similar case, a civil case,
08:00 in America at the end of last year, which also found that the case against him was
08:04 not proven.
08:07 >> Number three, Cats reception, Hey Arnold.
08:10 Released in 2019, the feature length film version of Cats was not well received.
08:14 >> Cats.
08:15 >> Political cats.
08:17 >> Hypocritical cats.
08:18 >> Clerical cats.
08:19 >> It performed poorly at the box office and was widely panned by critics for
08:24 its special effects and overall poor execution.
08:27 The movie is within the realm of it being so bad, it's good.
08:30 Similar to The Room.
08:31 >> I did not hit her.
08:32 It's not true.
08:33 It's bullshit.
08:34 I did not hit her.
08:35 I did not.
08:36 Hi, Mark.
08:38 >> A similar situation happened in Hey Arnold, when Helga and
08:41 her father go to watch a parody of the feline musical called Rats.
08:45 As they sit and watch the show, they are in disbelief about what they see and
08:49 proceed to comment on how stupid the show is.
08:52 >> This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen.
08:55 >> I know, it's horrible.
08:57 >> Finally, we've got something we can hate together.
09:00 >> Number two, Pamela Anderson in Slow Mo, Futurama.
09:04 After being frozen for 1,000 years, Fry finds out he's become a billionaire
09:08 due to interest accruing on the 93 cents in his bank account since 1999.
09:13 He uses his wealth to purchase the last can of anchovies at an auction.
09:17 >> I'll bid 23 million.
09:18 >> $1,000,000,000.
09:20 >> Sir, that's not a number.
09:23 >> In that case, 50 million.
09:28 >> Mom also wanted the anchovies because it could put her out of business.
09:34 She decides to drain his account and her son's hatch a plan to steal his bank card
09:38 and pin.
09:39 The ruse involves making Fry believe he's back in 2000 working at a pizzeria.
09:43 Pamela Anderson enters,
09:45 asking Fry if he remembers her from the Baywatch movie filmed in slow motion.
09:49 >> Hello, Fry.
09:50 Remember me from Baywatch the movie?
09:53 >> Uh.
09:54 >> It was the first movie to be shot entirely in slow motion.
09:57 >> It hasn't been made yet.
09:59 >> Then he doesn't know I won the Oscar?
10:01 >> Nope.
10:02 >> Crap.
10:02 >> At the time, no such movie existed.
10:05 But Anderson did make an appearance in 2017's Baywatch in slow motion.
10:09 [MUSIC]
10:15 >> Was it just me or is she- >> In super slow motion.
10:19 >> Yeah.
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10:35 Number one, President Trump, the Simpsons.
10:38 While the Simpson family attempts to go camping,
10:40 they come across a Native American casino.
10:43 Since Bart is a minor, he's not allowed to enter, but manages to sneak in anyway.
10:47 >> All right, time for some underage gambling.
10:50 So long, sucker.
10:51 [SOUND]
10:54 >> He's taken by the casino's manager,
10:56 who shows Bart a vision of what his future will be if he doesn't change his
10:59 deceitful ways.
11:00 Bart has become a slacker, while Lisa has become president.
11:04 >> Excellent question.
11:05 Yes, I am proud to be America's first straight female president.
11:09 >> During a meeting,
11:10 she mentions that her government has inherited a budget crunch from President
11:14 Trump.
11:14 >> As you know, we've inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump.
11:18 How bad is it, Secretary Van Houten?
11:20 >> We're broke.
11:23 >> The country is broke?
11:25 How can that be?
11:26 >> The episode aired in March 2000, so
11:28 it would be about 16 years before Trump actually became president.
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11:41 [MUSIC]
11:51 (upbeat music)