Holidays of Future Passed/References

General

References/Trivia

Appearances

Gags

Credits

Quotes

	Season 23 Episode References
← 494 "The Ten-Per-Cent Solution"	495 "Holidays of Future Passed"	"Politically Inept, with Homer Simpson" 496 →

Cultural references

• The episode title is a reference to The Moody Blues album Days of Future Passed.
• Homer wonders what life would be like if he never watched It's a Wonderful Life.
• The music playing during the photo montage is "Sleigh Ride".
• The rough-looking people flying airplanes are a nod to Mad Max.
• The hotel where rock star Maggie and her band are staying is called The Benny Hilton, a reference to English comedian Benny Hill and the Hilton Hotel.
• During the montage of Homer and his grandsons walking around Springfield, the music playing is "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" by Paul Simon.
• The robotic policemen seen in one shot closely resemble the Daleks from Doctor Who.
• The Christmas-themed music during the credits is the same that is played at the end of "Treehouse of Horror XXII", the opening sequence from the episode "The Fight Before Christmas" and "Donnie Fatso" couch gag.
• A poster in the Kwik-E-Mart advertises Soylent Green, proclaiming it to now have "30% more people!"
  • Another poster advertises "Soylent Brown".
• The St. Beatles Cathedral is a reference to The Beatles.
• District 9 and District 10 are a reference to the film District 9.
• NewTube is a parody of YouTube.
• When Lisa goes onto the Ultranet, she notices that the Google logo is different and realizes that it's Dr. Seuss's birthday. In real life, Google changes its logo to commemorate birthdays of famous people and anniversaries of other significant events.
• The Ultranet is very similar to and may draw inspiration from Futurama's Internet.
• In her room on the Ultranet, Zia Simpson has a poster of Empress Zimzam, who bears a strong resemblance to Padmé Amidala from the Star Wars prequel trilogy. In particular, Zimzam's headdress is almost exactly like one that Padmé wears in The Phantom Menace.
• In the Heathrow Teleport, a man travels to New New York. This is most likely a reference to Futurama but there are other locations called New New York in sci-Fi shows/movies.
• The announcer yelling "Goooooaaall!" (guest voiced by creator Matt Groening) is likely a reference to Andrés Cantor, a sportscaster who is famously known for yelling this when a team scores a goal.
• The receptionist at the Springfield General Hospital makes references to the Nativity of Jesus.

Trivia

Future events

Simpson family

• Maggie has become a rockstar.
• Maggie had one child.
• Bart got married to Jenda, had two kids and got divorced.
• Bart moved into The Lofts at Springfield Elementary.
• Lisa got married to Milhouse Van Houten and had one child, Zia Simpson.
  • Lisa's great-great-great-great half aunt, Eliza Simpson, married Milford Van Houten at some point in her life. This means Lisa is unknowingly married to her distant relative.
• Abraham Simpson was cryogenically frozen because he had an incurable disease. Eventually a cure was found, but Abe was kept frozen because it was cheaper than putting him into a home. In the family photo album, Grampa only appears in the first photo, implying he may have gone to the cryogenics factory after the first photo and before the second.
• Patty and Selma got Lovebots who then go off together instead.
• Santa's Little Helper and Snowball V evolved into intelligent beings.

Springfield citizens

The crime scene in Moe's Tavern

• Kearney Zzyzwicz has become a taxi driver. He is also an ex-convict; he tells Maggie that he was once in prison with Bart.
• Snake Jailbird has now become a cyborg.
• Apu and the Nahasapeemapetilon Octuplets work in the Kwik-E-Mart, where they have powerful guns.
• The Octuplets have had octuplets of their own.
• Apu's brother Sanjay has died, and Apu believes him to have been reincarnated as a cow.
• The hounds owned by Mr. Burns are now just bones.
• Ralph Wiggum becomes police chief and makes a number of clones of himself. Several of these clones are seen being killed in mishaps caused by other clones.
• Martin Prince, Jr. received a sex change and became "Marcia Princess".
• Crazy Cat Lady, Jasper Beardly, Gary Chalmers and Agnes Skinner are all cryogenically frozen.
• Lenny and Carl have swapped brains.
• Homer accidentally killed Edna Krabappel, leaving Ned to get back together with Maude's ghost.
• From the chalk outlines on the floor of Moe's Tavern, it is evident that a number of people have died in the bar over the years. Among them are the Capital City Goofball and Sideshow Bob, the latter apparently after stepping on a rake.

Around Springfield

• Springfield Elementary School has been converted into The Lofts at Springfield Elementary. Former principal Seymour Skinner is now the landlord.
• Lard Lad Donuts has became the First Church of Lard Lad.
• The Itchy & Scratchy Show still exists, but now has different theme music and is aired as a 3-D hologram.

Others

• Earth put a man on the sun.
• Aliens are seen living on Earth peacefully.
• Shrink rays have been invented.
• Martians have been discovered.
• Cloning is accessible to people.
• Hover cars are in common use.
• Cryogenic freezing is accessible to freeze ill people.
• It is now illegal to strangle one's own children, thanks to "Homer's Law".
• Prince Harry has risen to power, become a ruthless tyrant and reinstated capital punishment in the form of beheading.
• Trees are revealed to be alive.
• While the Internet still exists, many people (including Zia Simpson) go online via the Ultranet, a virtual reality environment that people connect to by plugging cables into ports on their necks.
• Teleporting is now the most common method of travel, but some medical conditions, such as pregnancy, preclude it. Also, if you talk while being teleported, people on the receiving end can hear you.
  • Bart's sons go to his apartment by teleporter. Before they arrive, Bart hears them complaining about having to spend Christmas with him.
  • In London, Maggie is denied access to the teleporter due to her pregnancy, and is forced to take an airplane flight to Springfield.
• People can get messages sent direct to their brains, called B-Mail. Viruses sent via B-Mail can cause seizures.
• Some people can hear thoughts. It is unknown if they hear them all the time or if it's at will.
• Shape-changing tattoos now exist, evidently based on holograms or similar technology. Zia has one on her left upper arm.
• Some body parts can be replaced by ordering new ones. Homer promises Marge some "future sex", meaning that it'll happen a week from tomorrow, as "That's when the new penis gets here."

Goofs

• Lisa mentions that it's Dr. Seuss' birthday. However, he was born on March 2, 1904 and the episode takes place just before Christmas. (It is possible, with all that has changed in the future, that Christmas is now observed in March.)
• Even though Edna was killed, she is still able to send a friend request to Lisa on the Ultranet. (Edna could have made the friend request BEFORE she was killed, and Lisa is only now seeing the request. We're given the impression that Lisa isn't a very frequent user of the Ultranet.)

Continuity

• Homer talks about it being the future, like he did in "Bart to the Future".
• Mr. Burns last released the hounds at Christmas in "Dude, Where's My Ranch?".
• Bart's ex-wife Jenda was previously seen as his girlfriend in "Future-Drama", another future-set episode.

← Season 22 Season 23 References Season 24 →

The Falcon and the D'ohman • Bart Stops to Smell the Roosevelts • Treehouse of Horror XXII • Replaceable You • The Food Wife • The Book Job • The Man in the Blue Flannel Pants • The Ten-Per-Cent Solution • Holidays of Future Passed • Politically Inept, with Homer Simpson • The D'oh-cial Network • Moe Goes from Rags to Riches • The Daughter Also Rises • At Long Last Leave • Exit Through the Kwik-E-Mart‎ • How I Wet Your Mother • Them, Robot • Beware My Cheating Bart‎ • A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again • The Spy Who Learned Me • Ned 'n Edna's Blend Agenda • Lisa Goes Gaga