The Simpsons Merge With Transformers in Franchise Crossover Fan Art

When it comes to pop-culture mashups, The Simpsons has been at the center of many crossovers with other TV shows, movies and real-life events. In a new piece of fan art, the characters of the long-running sitcom find themselves transformed – literally – into some very familiar looking robots. Bringing together the iconic animated sitcom and the 80’s toy phenomenon of Transformers, the work shared by @thumbs1 on Instagram brilliantly imagined what the residents of Springfield might look like if they were “robots in disguise.”

The art features ten unique pieces, each blending the essence of Springfield’s most recognizable faces with the mighty metallic forms of the Transformers. From Bart to Mr Burns, with some unlikely inclusions such as Duff Man and Hans Moleman, the artist notes that they would love to make a toy line of the creations. If Hasbro have their way, it will probably be sitting as a blueprint on someone’s desk right now.

The collision of The Simpsons and Transformers is not a new concept, as The Simpsons has included many references to the toy-based franchise. This has included a couch gag that saw Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa and Maggie become Transformers themselves, and a mention of Megatron in a musical number performed by the formidable Mr Burns. And that is without mentioning the many other small mentions and jokes littered throughout the 35-year history of the show.

A standout parody of the Transformers franchise occurs in The Simpsons season 20 Treehouse of Horror episode in a segment simply titled ‘Robots in Disguise’. The festive episode sees Bart inadvertently kicking off a robot war between two factions that have many similarities with the Autobots and Decepticons of the Transformers franchise. The chaos that ensues sees household items and vehicles, including Homer and Ned Flanders’s cars, transforming into robotic warriors that are bent on destroying each other.

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What’s Next for The Simpsons and Transformers Franchises?

The Simpsons is currently in the middle of its 35th season on Fox, and despite often being the subject of online debate over whether it is time to call a day on the long-running sitcom, its most recent episodes have managed to prove there is life in the old family yet. While there is still the lingering question of whether we will see the antics of Springfield’s finest hit the big screen again, it is something that remains unanswered, but the show’s producers, such as Al Jean, have not ruled anything out at this point.

Transformers

Release Date

June 27, 2007

Runtime

144

Tagline

Their war. Our world.

Franchise

Transformers

Meanwhile, the Transformers franchise made waves with last year’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, and more live action movies are almost certain to come. In the meantime, the franchise returns to its animated form with a movie titled Transformers One, which is described as an origin story for both Optimus Prime and Megatron. The film will be directed by Josh Cooley, and has an amazing voice cast led by Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime and Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron. They’ll be joined by Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm, Laurence Fishburne, and Keegan-Michael Key.