Futurama Season 12 may not seem like it, but it actually serves as a secret sequel to an 11-year-old classic episode. Hulu’s Futurama Revival told all kinds of new and original stories without relying heavily on nostalgia, but it also managed to sneak in some references to older episodes. That balance is one of the things that made Hulu Futurama Revival works, with this trend continued in season 12, episode 8.
Futurama Season 12, Episode 8, “Cuteness Overlord” is an Amy-centric episode, with it focusing on Amy as she deals with her kids and becomes obsessed with a whole new toy fad. In this episode, Amy begins collecting Fuzzy Funbags, a series of collectible plushies meant to be a parody of real-life beanie babies. Amy goes down the Fuzzy Funbags rabbit hole throughout the episode, leading to a continuation of a previous one Futurama episode.
Amy’s Fuzzy Funbags Convention Costume comes from “Frey and Leela’s Big Fling”
This small detail is actually a callback
“Cuteness Overlord” contains a montage showing Amy’s increasing involvement in collecting fuzzy funbags, with her doing a variety of things to complete her collection. At one point, Amy even attends a Fuzzy Funbags convention, with her wearing an animal costume that presumably shares its design with a Fuzzy Funbags character. however, Seasoned Futurama Veterans know this is not the caseLike this costume actually comes from a different episode.
Related
As it turns out, the costume Amy can be seen wearing in “Cuteness Overlord” is the same costume she wore in the 2013 episode “Fry and Leela’s Big Fling.” In this episode, Amy has to make a delivery on Simian 7, a planet inhabited entirely by apes. However, humans are banned from Simian 7, meaning that Amy has to disguise herself as a marmoset. This marmoset suit is what she wears to the convention in season 12, showing that she kept the costume for over a decade.
The return of the marmoset costume highlights the love of the Hulu revival for the original Futurama series
It is constantly referencing old episodes
Bringing back the marmoset costume in “Cuteness Overlord” is a great Easter egg, as it highlights the Hulu revival’s love for the original Futurama Series. The writers’ decision to mention this incredibly small detail from an 11-year-old episode shows that The team behind Hulu’s revival still wants to pay homage to the classic Futurama EpisodesMaking the entire series feel like a single cohesive vision despite Futuramas multiple cancellations.
Related
Futurama Easter eggs and references like these also incentivize new fans to go back and watch the older seasons, as it can make the new episodes a more dynamic experience. The return of the marmoset costume is just one of many nods to classic episodes that Hulu’s Futurama Revival contains, and there are undoubtedly many more to come in the future of the show.