Published: February 28th, 2020
In the Frinkcoin episode (S31, E13), recurring character Professor Frink creates his own cryptocurrency, temporarily pushing aside Mr Burns as the wealthiest person in Springfield — the fictional city that serves as the show's primary setting.
Frink explains cryptocurrency to Lisa Simpson with a video starring Jim Parsons, who plays oddball scientist Sheldon Cooper in another popular programme, The Big Bang Theory.
Parsons explains that ‘for cryptocurrency to work, we have to record every transaction that happens. Transactions are recorded in what's called a distributed ledger. When one ledger book gets filled up, we add it to a chain of previous books. That's the blockchain.’
In a nod to ‘I’m just a bill’ from 80s-era educational series Schoolhouse Rock, an animated ledger book sings ‘I'm just a consensus of shared and synchronized data, spread over multiple platforms from Shanghai to Grenada.’
Over its nearly 30-year run, The Simpsons has gained a reputation for accurate predictions of future events. The show has foretold events like the US digital surveillance programmes, and FIFA corruption scandal, discovery of the Higgs boson, and Donald Trump becoming US President – among others.
The Frinkcoin incorporates semi-hidden details that crypto enthusiasts have begun pointing out on social media: a whiteboard with a crypto formula that includes symbols for Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and Ethereum. The Jim Parsons video ends with a ‘disclaimer’ slide that includes the line: ‘We know who Satoshi is.’
It’s not the first time crypto has found a place in popular entertainment.
Netflix announced last June that it was working on a new documentary about altcoins, focusing on innovations and leading figures from the crypto and blockchain space.
The streaming giant was arguably the first to take a deep dive into blockchain technology for a mass audience when it broadcast “Banking on Bitcoin“ back in 2016. Though the documentary addressed Bitcoin mainly in the context of fraud, it became a useful resource for learning how blockchain and cryptocurrency work.
With the jump to The Simpsons – one of the most popular programmes in television history – enthusiasts hope another milestone has been reached in terms of awareness and understanding, potentially encouraging more adoption.
Netflix may have been the first to bring cryptocurrency to a popular audience, but it’s not the first to bring digital coins to a consumer audience.
Since Bitcoin’s arrival, filmmakers and musicians have woven cryptocurrency into lyrics and storylines. From songs and documentaries to some of the most popular television programmes, mass culture has been steadily raising crypto’s profile. The crypto community has welcomed the attention – despite the film's proclivity for associating digital currency with crime and tax evasion.
Here are five other times crypto has featured prominently in pop culture:
Even before the Frinkcoin episode, The Simpsons featured Bitcoin back in 2013 – predating the Netflix documentary by almost three years. The “Clown in the Dumps”, character Krusty the Klown blames his poor financial situation on a downturn in the price of Bitcoin. In another episode, a billboard advertisement promotes a new service under the strapline ‘Give me your lunch money online! – Now accepting Bitcoin’.
Tech startup comedy Silicon Valley tackled the broad spectrum of issues around cryptocurrency, ICOs, and the potential benefits of digital currency in 2018. The show is known for its accurate portrayals of technology and VC-driven startup culture. Before the Simpsons Frinkcoin episode, character Gilfoyle’s cryptocurrency slide deck was arguably the most accurate explanation ever shown on TV.
When Bitcoin reached the $10,000 milestone in 2017, the popular series built an entire episode built around the event, dedicating nearly 20 prime-time minutes to the subject of digital coins. While the crypto community was initially happy about the attention, the episode’s broad comedic license meant there were many inaccuracies and outright errors in its portrayal.
Bitcoin’s 10,000 breakthrough brought it to the attention of writers for the popular US medical drama. In 2017, the season’s final episode featured a ransomware attack and brought Bitcoin to the attention of a new mass audience – though with typically negative connotations. After a cyber-attack, the hospital’s PC monitors display the hacker message ‘we own your servers, your systems, and your medical records’. The attackers demanded ransom in the form of 4,932 Bitcoins – worth about USD 20 million when the episode aired.
Simpsons-inspired animated series Family Guy made its own now infamous reference to digital currency. In a 2015 episode, title character Peter Griffin suggests Bitcoin could be the solution to his ongoing household financial problems. Though made in the context of social satire, critics jumped on the reference as yet another popular misconception that cryptocurrency equates to fast money and safe, get-rich-quick investment opportunities.
The massive audience and reach of programmes like The Simpsons and on-demand giant Netflix have the potential to add legitimacy to crypto while promoting better understanding of both its benefits and its risks.
Crypto enthusiasts might see short-term potential for an uptick in coin prices if pop-culture attention leads to higher interest and adoption. Governments and banks may also place more emphasis on cryptocurrency if it begins to look like a winner with voters and consumers.
Along with its rising profile in popular entertainment, crypto has chalked up other notable wins this year.
Global mobile giant Vodafone recently included Bitcoin in an advertisement for its German mobile payments service. ‘What will grandma give you for your birthday when everybody's paying by smartphone?," asks the ad, while displaying an image of the Bitcoin symbol wrapped as a gift.
Speaking at the Unconfiscatable Conference in Las Vegas in February, famous Bitcoin analyst Willy Woo told attendees that Bitcoin adoption is already in a phase of hyper-growth. Roughly one percent of the world’s population currently holds BTC, he said. If current rates of growth continue, doubling every year, half of the planet will be using Bitcoin in one form or another within a decade.