Easter Eggs galore

The Simpsons to feature couch gag by Meow Wolf artists in special episode

The Simpsons couch with Meow Wolf collaborative elements.

The famous couch gag on The Simpsons is getting a Meow Wolf makeover in new episode.

Photo courtesy of Disney+

Acclaimed art space Meow Wolf is headed to Springfield. The company has collaborated on a double-episode of The Simpsons to be released this week as part of the famous couch gag that opens each show. Easter eggs from the various locations appear.

Meow Wolf is the Santa Fe-based, immersive art experience that opened its first Texas location in Grapevine in 2023. A location in Houston followed a year later.

“Getting the opportunity to be part of the show that has warped our minds since we were kids is a huge honor and an experience we will never forget,” Meow Wolf co-founder Emily Montoya said in a statement. “Working with Matt Selman and his team was fantastic. From the beginning, they supported and encouraged all our crazy ideas and helped us hone the piece into its final form. We’re especially grateful for their help encapsulating Matt King’s rainbow wizard essence into cameo form.”

The double episode, "Extreme Makeover: Homer Edition," premieres on Wednesday, June 17 on Disney+. In it, Marge dreams how life with her husband, Homer, could have turned out differently, including an homage to Joker: Folie à Deux and a world where Homer is an extreme sports enthusiast. The all new, streaming exclusive episodes following the animated show's record-breaking 37th Season.

The iconic couch gag has long been a venue for guest artists. Everyone from horror master Guillermo Del Toro to street artist Banksy to indie animation innovator Don Hertzfeldt have collaborated on the pop culture institution, putting Meow Wolf in very good company.

Even in just the preview, several famous Meow Wolf installations can be briefly seen, like references to Omega Mart in Las Vegas. Houston gets a shout out as Barney shares a drink with Meow Wolf co-founder Matt King in Cowboix Hevvven, the venue's on site bar. As the couch gag goes on, the fourth wall breaks and a team of Meow Wolf artists craft a recycled art installation of the Simpsons in their living room (see picture above).

Matt Selman, showrunner and executive producer of The Simpsons, is a huge fan of Meow Wolf, and decided to work with the organization after visiting several of their installations.

“This has been a dream collaboration, in that I had to do almost nothing, other than a few Zoom meetings,” he said. “The brilliant minds at Meow Wolf reimagined the ‘couch gag’ in a way that only they could — delivering the silliness and surreality and homemade outsider sensibility that has blown so many minds. Thank you to all the artists and artisans (not sure of the difference, but maybe there is one) at Meow Wolf for crafting this superbly joyful couch gag!”

meow wolf tv the simpsons

Amusement Park Fun

Thrilling new roller coaster Tormenta launches at Six Flags Over Texas

Photo courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas

Riders on Tormenta Rampaging Run at Six Flags Over Texas.

Six Flags Over Texas will officially open its anticipated new roller coaster, Tormenta Rampaging Run, on Thursday, July 9, and CultureMap and other media and VIPs were given early access to experience the ride's intense thrills before its public debut.

The new coaster boasts several records — as the tallest, fastest, longest, and first-ever giga (300+-foot-tall) dive coaster in the world, topping out at 309 feet just before it sends riders plunging into a beyond-vertical, 95-degree, 285-foot drop. We take you along for the ride in the following video:

Each car of the coaster features three rows of seats with eight seats per row, servicing 24 riders at a time. During the preview event, two cars were sent out in staggered sessions, but a third car sat close by to be used if needed.

The ride's rodeo theme is strong, with multiple posters advertising fictional rodeos and a metallic gate swinging open at the start to let the ~~bull~~ car pass through.

To paraphrase Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, the first part is a doozy, as riders are click-clacked up a steep stretch forcing them to look straight up into the sky.

The ever-so-brief pause at top affords a view of the surrounding city, the rest of Six Flags, and, in the distance, the downtown Dallas skyline. The angle feels like you're above those towering skyscrapers even though logic tells you that you aren't.

The initial plunge tests the mettle of even hardcore roller coaster fans, sending riders through the extreme drop before hurtling them into two large loops and a corkscrew before coming to another brief stop.

The 95-degree, 285-foot drop of Tormenta Rampaging Run. Photo courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas

That stop gives riders only a small reprieve before they're shot through two smaller loops and a sharp right curve before — mercifully — coming to a jolting halt as the coaster car is shuttled back into the loading station.

From start to finish, the ride lasts around 2 minutes and 45 seconds, but the first 75 seconds is spent just getting to the start of the main portion of the coaster.

All told, the drops, loops, and other elements lasts exactly one minute, which is not that long, but the time-to-thrill ratio is still high.

Misting fans and pergolas at Tormenta Rampaging Run at Six Flags Over Texas. Misting fans and pergolas will help keep riders cool while waiting in line for Tormenta.Photo by Alex Bentley

Even during the brutal heat of the Texas summer, visitors should expect lines to be long for the hot new ride. The corrals close to the ride have scattered pergolas and umbrellas for shade, as well as oscillating fans with misters. Once you reach the completely covered top platform, there are a number of ceiling fans, although they do little to stave off the high humidity.

Opinions will differ as to whether a long wait time for a short ride is worth it, but for those who get their kicks trying out the latest and greatest roller coasters, Tormenta Rampaging Run is a great new addition to the 65-year-old amusement park.

The grand opening for Tormenta is Thursday, July 9 at Six Flags Over Texas. The park is open daily through August 16.

kids families openings six flags over texas amusement parks