10 Futurama Secrets You Never Knew

2. Where The Celebrity 'Heads In Jars' Came From

It's easy to think that Futurama's 'heads in jars' motif was developed specifically for the show, or even that it was a generic sci-fi trope before it arrived at the turn of the millennium. However, the actual inspiration behind Futurama's celebrity jar heads came in its sister series, The Simpsons, in two episodes from the show's fifth season.

In both "Rosebud" and "Bart Gets Famous", viewers are treated to two different versions of the future - one dystopian, the other almost Futurama-esque.

At the end of Rosebud, where Mister Burns pursues his pet teddy Bobo until the end of time, the cantankerous old owner of the Springfield Nuclear Plant can be seen operating a robotic body, with his head being kept alive in a liquid-filled jar. Meanwhile, in Bart Gets Famous (the "I didn't do it" episode), we're treated to a nightmare Bart has where he's in the future appearing on a future episode of Match Game, joined by the floating head of one Kitty Carlisle.

It's not full Futurama, but you can see Groening had the aesthetic for the series in mind even in 1994.