The Simpsons May Be Coming to Disney World, Despite Their Extensive History of Ridiculing Disney World

If you love both The Simpsons and standing for hours in line while your exposed skin bakes in the sun, Universal theme parks have Springfield-themed attractions in both Los Angeles and Orlando. At Universal Orlando, you can shop at the Kwik-E-Mart, dine at Krusty Burger and grab a Duff Beer at Moe’s Tavern, which thankfully contains no black-market panda bears in the back.

There’s also The Simpsons Ride (formerly the Back to the Future ride) that takes fans inside the world of the cartoon, and then challenges them not to throw up all over it.

Of course, in the years since Universal opened their Simpsons attractions, the long-running cartoon’s parent company, Fox, was acquired by the Walt Disney Company. And, as you may have heard, they have one or two theme parks of their own. 

The current contract that allows Universal to use the Simpsons characters in their parks is reportedly up in 2028. And while Disney hasn’t commented on this officially, it sure looks as though they’re weighing the option of moving America’s favorite cartoon family over to the supposedly Happiest Places on Earth. Apparently, the Mouse House has been sending out surveys to see whether fans would be interested in seeing Simpsons characters and/or attractions in Disney Parks. They’re also curious as to whether or not people would be interested in seeing The Simpsons in “Live Action TV.” 

Unfortunately, it’s just a box you either check or leave blank, so there’s no “Dear God, no!!!” option. 

Integrating the Simpsons characters into Disney’s theme parks would be a pretty odd development considering how many times The Simpsons has ridiculed Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Most obviously, there was the “Itchy & Scratchy Land” episode that poked fun at Disney’s crammed parking lots:

Then they lampooned the “Disney Dollar,” which has subsequently been discontinued:

And finally, they even made their Walt Disney surrogate an outspoken Nazi supporter:

Younger viewers today may not even realize that some of the jokes in “Itchy & Scratchy Land” were specific digs at Disney. Like Parents’ Island, which features a bar where it’s “constantly New Year’s Eve” (to the detriment of the serving staff’s mental health).

Well, Disney World’s adult-oriented Pleasure Island — it was less fun than that description implies — really did celebrate New Year’s Eve every single night. 

Not to mention how the show ended by slamming the failure of “Euro Disney.”

And the Disney theme park parodies weren’t limited to this one episode, lest we forget the time that Duff Gardens’ “It’s a Small World”-esque ride turns into a psychedelic nightmare for Lisa.

And when they actually name checked “Disney World” specifically, in Season 14’s “Special Edna,” it was depicted as a prison-like fortress that sells overpriced churros.

But in just three years time, Disney World may also be selling staggeringly expensive “Itchy & Scratchy Land” T-shirts.