Residents of Santa Monica, California, got a king-sized surprise on Tuesday when a “bus load” of people in Homer Simpson costumes arrived. This appeared to be a promotional stunt for the “Fortnite x Simpsons” season of the popular online video game that launched early this month.
For whatever reason, social media jokes about the Homer “invasion” turned oddly political.
Homer Simpson clones rush a donut shop
Following a massive Fortnite update over the first weekend of November that added a Springfield island to the game, dozens of Homers showed up at a donut shop in Santa Monica as a reference to the character’s favorite food.
The faces of the world’s longest-running sitcom milled outside the shop, greeting confused locals and granting selfies to fans. Others wandered around the area, waving and dancing for the many cameras.
Digital artist and X user @TheCartelDel captured the phenomenon himself, saying nobody warned the locals that this would happen.
“I’m guessing the Fortnite x Simpsons event is the reason a literal bus load of Homer’s just got dropped off in Santa Monica—without any prior warning,” he wrote.
“I don’t think I can accurately convey how MANY there were.”
On YouTube, Santa Monica Closeup posted a much longer video of the event. This footage includes sightings of other characters including Otto the bus driver and banana versions of Professor Frink.
Even show creator Matt Groening himself showed up. The real one, not a costume.
“Absolutely terrifying what America has become”
The stunt successfully grabbed attention in Santa Monica and beyond as the footage spread. As it did so on X, the jokes turned political, with many referencing right-wing anti-immigrant rhetoric and certain controversial policies. Others dabbled in claims often made by those on the left.
“This is Bidens weak border policies coming to life,” wrote @crust29015.
“Absolutely terrifying what America has become,” said @somewheresy. “This is fascism.”
“They just kinda bus the Homers around because Reagan shut down all the Homer shelters,” joked @Srirachachau.
“This is actually a government pilot program they are trying out as a replacement to obamacare,” @KivvyCat explained. “In this Tuesday’s press conference Trump had this to say, ‘I liked the idea with the Homers, what a guy that homer. That could work I said we could bus them around to different states.’”
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