There's a great list on Ranker of 13 Simpsons jokes that actually came true in real life. This is a great comprehensive list, but what really fascinated me was the way that they broke down into three basic categories: random chance, "I heard about it on the Simpsons so I want to try it," and the best category: the Simpsons accurately extrapolating from today's trends to predict the future.

 

The Simpsons has been on the air for over two decades. With somewhere around 450 episodes under their belt, you would expect a few things to hit just based on statistical anomalies.

The sugar truck theft probably falls into this category. So does the theft of some used cooking grease. My bet is that those thieves just took advantage of something they encountered, not that they heard about it on the Simpsons and went out to commit the crimes.

 

The joke about Lunch Lady Doris grinding up yoga mats for school lunch has to fall into this category, too. It's bizarrely accurate, but most likely just coincidence that the McRib is made with a chemical that is also used to keep yoga mats sproingy.

 

 

Now to be fair, some of these jokes are a situation where someone heard about it from the Simpsons and decided to try it in real life. For example, the real-life Flaming Moe was created on a whim by a bartender who heard about it and happened to have a bottle of Robitussin behind the bar. 

 

I have heard of people trying to actually make Skittlebrau, too. (Protip: it is not very good.)

 

The Simpsons created the disgusting "Good Morning Burger" in 1992, back when we were just learning to "Supersize it." This is a great example of the show's creative team spotting trends (like the fattening and increasing appetite of Americans) and extrapolating it forward to its natural conclusion.

 

I think the Leftorium probably belongs in this category, too. Looking back, it's easy to see the American market's increasing demand for niche products tailored towards enhancing self-esteem. 

 

What does this list miss? Well, the real-life Blinky the Three-Eyed Fish, for one thing. This poor mutated carp was recently found in an Argentina lake near a nuclear power plant.

 

And what might the future hold? Personally, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for dogs with bees in their mouths, and when they bark they shoot bees at you.