Changes: Floating Timeline

Revision as of 20:32, 11 February 2018

The Floating Timeline is a fictional device used to prevent characters from aging and maintain part of the series's status quo. This is used for the Simpsons series and other animated shows.

Meaning

The Floating Timeline is a way to keep the show going despite past events. Characters's ages never change even with the world moving forward, while the dates of certain events, such as birthdays, do.

Timeline Discrepancies

Lisa Simpson's future: Lisa's Wedding - Set in 1995, its future takes place in 2010, where Lisa is said to be 23 years old. However, the latter portion of Season 21 and the former portion of Season 22 and the end of The Burns and the Bees from Season 20 are said to take place in 2010, and yet, Lisa is still eight years old. Boy Meets Curl also has the Simpsons going to the 2010 Winter Vancouver Olympics in Canada.
Homer and Marge's past - That '90s Show - Set in 2008, its flashbacks take place during the 1990s, before Bart is born. However, episode 10 of Season 2 to the former portion of Season 12 take place in the 1990s (January 1, 1991 to December 31, 2000). Also, Three Gays of the Condo from Season 14 is presumably set in 2003 when Bart is ten and his parents are in their mid- to late-thirties, yet a flashback of Marge and Homer's early years strongly indicates that Bart was conceived in the late 1970s. Episodes from earlier seasons, such as The Way We Was (which reveals how Homer and Marge met in high school) and I Married Marge (which tells the story of Bart's birth) are set in 1974 and 1980, respectively.
Lisa's First Word - Set in 1992, its flashbacks take place in the spring of 1983 and the summer of 1984, where Bart is two years old. However, Bart was said to be born in 1977, so he should be six - seven during that time.
Lisa's Sax - Set in 1995, it is said that in 1990, Bart was five years old, and Lisa was three. However, the latter portion of Season 1 and the former portion of Season 2 take place in 1990, with Bart being nine until 1992 and Lisa is seven until 1991.
Bart and Lisa's future: Future-Drama - Set in 2005 it depicts eight years into the future (2013). It says Lisa is sixteen (but a senior in high school) and Bart is eighteen and also a senior in high school. However, the latter portion of Season 24 and the former portion of Season 25 still take place in 2013 and Lisa is still eight and Bart is still ten.
Bart Simpson's future: Bart to the Future - set in 2000 it has a future set in 2030, but the latter portion of Season 41 and the former portion of Season 42 will take place in 2030, not that those seasons will ever come.
The Simpsons's future: Holidays of Future Passed - set in 2011 it has a future set in 2041, but the latter portion of Season 52 and the former portion of Season 53 will take place in 2041, not that those seasons will ever come.
Fland Canyon - Set two years in the past (2014) and shows a younger version of the family (except for Maggie as she wasn't born yet), However, some episodes of Seasons 25 and 26 are also set in 2014, with the family at their normal ages.

Birth Year Discrepancies

Seymour Skinner's past - Seymour Skinner served in the Vietnam War as early as 1966. In 2012, he would be born, at the latest, on 1962. In 2013, the latest year he would be born in would be 1963
Abraham Simpson's past - Abraham Simpson fought in WWII and, at the age of eight, lied about his age and enlisted in the Army to fight in WWI. In 2012, he would be born in 1929, making him only ten - sixteen during WWII and not even born before WWI. In 2013, he would be born in 1930, making him nine - fifteen years old during WWII. In 1990, he would be born in 1907, making him 32 – 38 years old during WWII and 7 - 11 during WWI.
Kearney Zzyzwicz's past - According to Seymour Skinner in Lisa the Iconoclast, Kearney is old enough to remember America's bicentennial (which is 1976). The episode aired in 1996, so Kearney would be nine years old in 1976. Without the Floating Timeline in 1990, he would've been fifteen. However, in 2013, he would be born in 1984, eight years after the bicentennial.

Characters's Birthdays

Without Floating Timeline (1990)

Homer Simpson- May 12, 1956
Marge Simpson- October 1, 1956
Bart Simpson- April 1, 1980
Lisa Simpson- May 9, 1982
Maggie Simpson- January 12, 1989
Abraham Simpson- May 25, 1907
All of Edna Krabappel's Students- 1979/1980
All of Audrey McConnell's Students- 1980/1
All of Elizabeth Hoover's Students- 1981/2
Ned Flanders- 1939
Lenny Leonard- 1952
Carl Carlson- 1952
Barney Gumble- April 20, 1956
Otto Mann- 1961
Comic Book Guy- 1945
Clancy Wiggum- January 31, 1947
Charles Montgomery Burns- September 15, 1896
Moe Szyslak- November 24, 1947
Jimbo Jones- October 26, 1974
Kearney Zzyzwicz- October 9, 1961
Dolph Starbeam- October 1, 1976
Timothy Lovejoy- 1953
Helen Lovejoy- 1955
Jasper Beardly- October 25, 1900
Hans Moleman- February 2, 1959
Patty and Selma Bouvier- June 11, 1951
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon- 1952
Seymour Skinner- November 1, 1944
Mayor Joe Quimby- 1946
Nelson Muntz- October 30, 1979

With Floating Timeline in 2018

Homer Simpson- May 12, 1979
Marge Simpson- October 1, 1981
Bart Simpson- April 1, 2008
Lisa Simpson- May 9, 2010
Maggie Simpson- January 12, 2017
Abraham Simpson- May 25, 1935
All of Edna Krabappel's Students- 2007/8
All of Audrey McConnell's Students- 2008/9
All of Elizabeth Hoover's Students- 2009/2010
Ned Flanders- 1958
Lenny Leonard- 1979
Carl Carlson- 1979
Barney Gumble- April 20, 1978
Comic Book Guy- 1973
Clancy Wiggum- January 31, 1975
Mr. Burns- September 15, 1914
Moe Szyslak- November 24, 1975
Kearney Zzyzwicz- October 9, 1989
Jimbo Jones- October 26, 2002
Dolph Starbeam- October 1, 2004
Timothy Lovejoy- 1981
Helen Lovejoy- 1983
Jasper Beardly- October 25, 1928
Hans Moleman- February 8, 1987
Patty and Selma Bouvier- June 11, 1976
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon- 1980
Seymour Skinner- November 1, 1972
Mayor Joe Quimby- 1975
Nelson Muntz- October 30, 2007

Notes

In some episodes, the Floating Timeline is exempt, and when people mention events from previous episodes they give the year it happened, or how many years ago when it happened. For example, in Sideshow Bob Roberts (from 1994), Lisa mentions that Sideshow Bob framed Krusty in 1990 for armed robbery and Bart got Sideshow Bob put in jail. This refers back to Krusty Gets Busted, which actually aired in 1990. However, characters still remain the same age.

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 ==Timeline Discrepancies==
 *[[Lisa Simpson]]'s future: [[Lisa's Wedding]] - Set in 1995, its future takes place in 2010, where [[Lisa]] is said to be 23 years old. However, the latter portion of [[Season 21]] and the former portion of [[Season 22]] and the end of [[The Burns and the Bees]] from [[Season 20]] are said to take place in 2010, and yet, Lisa is still eight years old. [[Boy Meets Curl]] also has the Simpsons going to the 2010 Winter Vancouver Olympics in Canada.
-*[[Homer]] and [[Marge]]'s past - [[That '90s Show]] - Set in 2008, its flashbacks take place during the 1990s, before [[Bart]] is born. However, episode 10 of [[Season 2]] to the former portion of [[Season 12]] take place in the 1990s (January 1, 1991 to December 31, 2000).
+*[[Homer]] and [[Marge]]'s past - [[That '90s Show]] - Set in 2008, its flashbacks take place during the 1990s, before [[Bart]] is born. However, episode 10 of [[Season 2]] to the former portion of [[Season 12]] take place in the 1990s (January 1, 1991 to December 31, 2000). Also, [[Three Gays of the Condo]] from [[Season 14]] is presumably set in 2003 when Bart is ten and his parents are in their mid- to late-thirties, yet a flashback of Marge and Homer's early years strongly indicates that Bart was conceived in the late 1970s. Episodes from earlier seasons, such as [[The Way We Was]] (which reveals how Homer and Marge met in high school) and [[I Married Marge]] (which tells the story of Bart's birth) are set in 1974 and 1980, respectively.
 *[[Lisa's First Word]] - Set in 1992, its flashbacks take place in the spring of 1983 and the summer of 1984, where Bart is two years old. However, Bart was said to be born in 1977, so he should be six - seven during that time.
 *[[Lisa's Sax]] - Set in 1995, it is said that in 1990, [[Bart]] was five years old, and [[Lisa]] was three. However, the latter portion of [[Season 1]] and the former portion of [[Season 2]] take place in 1990, with Bart being nine until 1992 and Lisa is seven until 1991.