Google loves to throw in little in-jokes for pop culture fans, but a seeming Easter egg involving The Simpsons' Principal Skinner is truly clever. A true TV comedy institution, The Simpsons has been on the air longer than a lot of its fanbase has been alive. Sure, the show gets a lot of criticism for not being as good now as it once was, but the ratings for the Matt Groening-created animated sitcom remain steady, and the franchise as a whole continues to be a cash cow for what's now known as 20th Television and its parent company Disney.
The Simpsons just recently concluded season 31 on the FOX network, and has already been renewed for season 32, which will likely consist of another 22 episodes. Notably though, that deal was brokered prior to Disney's purchase of Fox's movie and TV assets, so it's possible the House of Mouse will end up feeling that The Simpsons should end following next season. However, with it still performing so well, and The Simpsons collection proving to be a huge draw on Disney+, it may just well make more sense to keep the brand alive even longer.
Whatever ends up on happening to The Simpsons' future, its past will remain available to delight both old fans and new ones, including the odd one-off stories that have made viewers scratch their heads. It's to one of the weirdest, most contested Simpsons episodes that Google appears to pay homage with a search-based Easter egg.
The Simpsons: Google Has A Sneaky Principal Skinner Easter Egg
To see the Easter egg in question, simply go to Google and search for "Simpsons Characters." This brings up a long, clickable row of Springfield residents, including one Principal Seymour Skinner. Under each character is the name of the actor who provides their voice, and while the normal Principal Skinner is pictured, the actor credited is Martin Sheen. This is based on the somewhat infamous season 9 Simpsons episode entitled "The Principal and the Pauper," which aired in 1997. In that episode, it's revealed that the Skinner everyone knows is actually a man named Armin Tamzarian, who had assumed the identity of his friend Seymour Skinner after believing he had died in Vietnam.
The real Seymour Skinner (voiced by Sheen) comes to town to claim the life that would rightfully be his, with Tamzarian leaving Springfield briefly as a result. That is until everyone in town realizes they hate the real Skinner, and want the one they knew back. Tamzarian is convinced to come back and reclaim his Skinner identity, with the real Skinner being run out of town. The local judge then hilariously proclaims that everything will now go back to what it was before, and no one will be allowed to ever mention what was revealed ever again.
While the possibility exists that some kind of automatic algorithm is pulling Sheen's name for the voice of Seymour Skinner, it also seems likely the search result is a genuine attempt by Google to playfully reference one of The Simpsons' craziest episodes of all time. If it is a coincidence though, it's definitely a fun one.