The Simpsons ‘predicted’ infamous Willy Wonka experience

According to a fan of The Simpsons, the show has “done it again” and predicted Glasgow’s disastrous Willy Wonka event years before it became a viral sensation.

Gene Wilder’s top-hatted chocolatier once told his guests, “Come with me, and you’ll be, in a world of pure imagination.” Unfortunately, Willy’s Chocolate Experience failed to provide the “pasadise of sweat teats” that was promised.

Rather than a “whimsical” confectionery factory where “dreams become reality”, the House of Illuminati’s set-up has been likened to the notorious Fyre Festival. Kids were reduced to tears, parents were furious, and its organizers have since promised refunds for everyone who bought tickets.

While families were left disappointed, it’s become a source of endless, hilarious memes on social media. But what if The Simpsons knew it was coming all along?

Did The Simpsons predict the Willy Wonka experience?

On X/Twitter, @putasinghonit shared four screenshots from The Simpsons: one shows the sign for $50 tickets to “Homerland”, another shows Millhouse miserably climbing through the “Fort Adventure”, the third shows Millhouse selling lemonade for 25¢ (a reference to kids being offered a quarter-cup of cheap lemonade at the event), and the fourth features a sad, smoking Oompa Loompa.

“The Simpsons did it again,” they wrote alongside images from the real-life experience – but that’s not quite true. The images are from three different episodes: ‘Bart’s Inner Child’, ‘Lemon of Troy’, and ‘Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe.’

By the own user’s admission, “it’s all just a bit of fun” (even though Homerland is a great comparison). However, the post has racked up more than 81,000 likes and 2.4 million views, with one writing: “Simpsons really has a way of predicting the future. Who knows what they’ll predict next.”

“I feel like there’s a secret society that is dedicated to making s**t that happens in The Simpsons happen in real life,” another tweeted. “I am convinced someone from The Simpsons staff is a time traveler,” a third wrote.

One of the actors who played Willy Wonka recently spoke out about the behind-the-scenes drama of the event, calling it an “absolute mess.”