The Simpsons has been the subject of countless theories, analyses, and even urban legends, the most famous one being that of the death of Bart, which was later referenced in the show. Created by Matt Groening, The Simpsons began as a series of animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show, and after just three seasons, it was developed into a half-hour prime time show, making its official debut on Fox in 1989. The show has since become the longest-running animated series and shows no signs of stopping soon, with over 30 seasons and more to come.

The Simpsons follows the daily adventures of the title family in the fictional town of Springfield, along with those of other colorful citizens, both allies and friends of the Simpsons (like Milhouse and Barney), and a couple of enemies (such as Mr. Burns and Sideshow Bob). The Simpsons have gone through all types of situations in over three decades and have become part of pop culture, so it’s somewhat natural that a lot of theories, predictions, and urban legends have been built around the show. However, there’s one that stands out for its theme, how the scene is described, and how it originated: the “lost” (and “forbidden”) episode of the death of Bart.

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The “Bart Is Dead” legend is a creepypasta that was posted online in 2010 and quickly became viral. According to the story, a Simpsons fan asked Groening about the supposed episode that never aired, which immediately made the show’s creator nervous, but he still gave access to it. The episode saw the Simpsons family traveling on a plane and Bart, being the prankster he has always been, ends up being sucked out of the plane, leading to his death. The rest of the episode sees the surviving Simpson family members trying to cope with Bart’s death, with some truly nightmarish images. Of course, this is nothing more than a made-up story that has been confirmed as false on various occasions, but the writers of The Simpsons decided to use it to their advantage in season 30.

The Simpsons season 30 premiere episode is titled “Bart’s Not Dead”, and as confirmed by showrunner Al Jean, it’s a reference to the popular creepypasta. The episode sees Bart refusing to take a dare so he wouldn’t ruin Lisa’s saxophone presentation at school, for which Marge praises him but Homer tells him he should take a dare “like a man”. At Echo Canyon, he’s dared to jump off the dam and he does, but he lands face first on the ground and ends up in the hospital. In order to not disappoint Marge, he lies about going to heaven and meeting Jesus, and the lie gets so big, he stars in a Christian movie also titled Bart’s Not Dead. The episode doesn’t exactly cover the story of the “Bart Is Dead” creepypasta but there are some references to it such as Bart falling from a high place and his supposed death.

Surely, there’s no way The Simpsons will ever adapt the “Bart Is Dead” urban legend (perhaps just the basic concept of him dying and the family grieving in a “Treehouse of Horror” special, which are non-canon episodes and always keep the series’ trademark humor), and the episode “Bart’s Not Dead” is the closest they will get. The writers of The Simpsons are always aware of what’s happening around the show, so it’s not that surprising that they referenced the show’s most famous urban legend.

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Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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