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Forty-three.
That’s the number (to date) of references to Apple in the 33 total seasons so far of “Futurama” and “The Simpsons.” And if you’re a fan of the company, the shows, or both, you’ll appreciate this: TUAW just released a list of every Apple reference ever made in the two series.
This is no mere YouTube compilation of show clips. Writer Yoni Heisler interviewed “Simpsons” writer Bill Oakley and director David Silverman, then went on to not only list each reference, but also provide some background and, where possible, the actual clip (or at least a screen grab).
For example, here’s entry number seven, from the “Futurama” episode “Future Stock:”
An all-time classic episode, “Future Stock” centers on a frozen 1980s Wall Street businessman who subsequently thaws out and becomes CEO of Planet Express. As part of his effort to give the Planet Express brand a makeover, we’re treated to this parody of Apple’s iconic 1984 ad.
Upon seeing the new commercial, Leela remarks: “That was terrible! People won’t even know what we do.”
This may be a stretch, but that line may be in reference to Apple’s board of directors famously not liking the famous “1984” ad.
From the very same episode, we’re also treated to a futuristic stock ticker with a number of subtle jokes. Here we see that OS X is up 39 cents while Win(dows) is down 50 cents. Other stocks not doing well include (Captain) Kirk and Fox. Also note the Run-DMC reference up top.
This is some really entertaining stuff, and definitely worth a look if you like parodies, lampoons, references, and hilarity in general.
In other “Simpsons” news, later this year you’ll be able to stream every single episode of the show using the FXNOW app.
