Since 1989, “The Simpsons” has entertained fans around the world and provided endless pop culture references to pop culture and current world events. The animated comedy has also been known to predict major world events.

One episode from the show's 25th season mentioned Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC).

What Happened: Bitcoin surged to all-time highs of nearly $69,000 in November 2021.

Years before that, the cryptocurrency was mentioned in a "Simpsons" episode that aired on Dec. 8, 2013 on Fox, a unit of Fox Corp (NASDAQ:FOX)(NASDAQ:FOXA).

The plot in the "Yellow Subterfuge" episode revolved around Krusty the Klown going broke. Lisa Simpson encourages him to sell the foreign rights to his show for broadcasts in other countries.

“Krusty, are you broke?” Lisa asks.

“Yeah, all it takes is some bad luck at the ponies, worse luck in the Bitcoin market, heavy investment in a high-end bookmark company,” Krusty laments.

The exchange is featured in a tweet from Jon Erlichman, who regularly tweets on business history and stocks.

The first time Bitcoin was mentioned on The Simpsons was in 2013.

One Bitcoin then was worth $890. pic.twitter.com/lri2ugTIul

— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) June 12, 2021

Bitcoin has surged in value since the episode first aired. While Bitcoin is still down from all-time highs hit in 2021, experts are optimistic considering several financial institutions filing to launch Bitcoin ETFs.

Meanwhile, "The Simpsons" continues to air on Fox, as the longest-running scripted prime-time television series in American history. Through 34 seasons, there have been 750 episodes of the animated comedy (Bitcoin was referenced in the 537th).  A 35th season is scheduled to premiere in October 2023 with a 36th season also signed. 

Related Link: How To Buy Bitcoin

Investing In Bitcoin After Simpsons Episode: If a "Simpsons” viewer was enticed to invest in Bitcoin following Krusty's comment, they would have done quite well.

On Dec. 8, 2013, Bitcoin had an average price of $795.87 according to CoinMarketCap.

A $1,000 investment in Bitcoin on that day would have bought 1.2565 Bitcoins. That same 1.2565 Bitcoins would be valued at $36,412.39 today, based on a price of $28,979.22 for Bitcoin at the time of writing.

This represents a hypothetical return of +3,541.2% over the last 9.5 years — not a horrible return for watching one of the most beloved animated comedies of all time.

To put the investment in perspective, the same $1,000 invested in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) on the same day would have returned significantly less.

A $1,000 investment in the ETF, which tracks the S&P 500 Index, would be worth $2,955.62 today. This represents a hypothetical return of +195.6% over the same time period.

Read Next: If You Invested $1,000 In Bitcoin When It Launched, Here's How Much You'd Have Now 

Image: Pixabay