Entertainment
One Massive Change Would Improve The Simpsons Forever
By TeeJay Small
| Published
In 2026, The Simpsons feels as ubiquitous as the air that we breathe, the water we drink, and the crushing, existentialist dread that engulfs our every waking moment. For anyone under the age of 37, The Simpsons has existed before us, and it will probably continue existing long after we’re gone. And while I’m as appreciative of the 800+ episode saga as anyone, I think it’s worth admitting that the show is vastly overdue for a major change. Much like the infrastructure that keeps our cities functional, The Simpsons should undergo regular maintenance to ensure that we’re not ingesting lead, or having heart attacks at the notion of aging past Grampa.
Here’s my pitch: please, for the love of god, let these characters age. Bart Simpson has been 10-years-old since 1987. He came of age during the era of Pogs, and now he’s following TikTok trends and letting CheatGPT do his homework for him. Homer’s father was supposed to be a World War 2 veteran, but since he can’t age, the series has subtly adjusted his backstory to place him in Korea, Vietnam, and now the Gulf War. Jokes about his geriatric ramblings have gone from critiques of the early 20th century, to things I can personally remember happening in my lifetime. I am 29.
We Get Older, They Stay The Same Age
The concept of aging is not completely foreign to the Simpsons family. In fact, they’ve aged up in numerous episodes over the years as one-off flash-forward adventures. Like all things in the Simpsons universe, the canon of these episodes are highly contested. Sometimes Bart grows up to be an unemployable stuck-at-home loser, while other times he evolves to become an upbeat father of two who owns a BMX workshop. Likewise, Lisa could either marry Milhouse, colonize Mars, or become the first female president of the United States, and inherit a major budget crunch from President Trump.
Recently, however, The Simpsons experimented with age in a way that felt very natural, and served as a breath of fresh air for viewers who have grown tired of the status quo. Season 37 Episode 11 “Parahormonal Activity” aired on December 14, 2025, and followed the Simpsons family as they aged roughly five years into the future. It’s not a massive leap from the characters we’ve followed since the invention of the Nintendo Game Boy, but it allowed room for tons of fresh gags, and a lot of personal growth.
Specifically, Marge enters the early stages of perimenopause, while Homer struggles with heart health, medication scheduling, and ED. Meanwhile, Bart and Lisa have become hormonal maniacs, grappling with the world of eating disorders, beauty standards, and social anxiety. Even though the episode should feel like a major upheaval of the usual format, it goes down as smooth as a nerd taking a punch from Nelson Muntz. Sure, hearing Marge Simpson use the words “incel” and “manosphere” made my spine compress, but at least I wasn’t so jarred by her noticeably aged voice.
Long Overdue For An Update
Aging the characters just makes sense from a voice acting perspective as well. The core cast of The Simpsons have been performing for nearly four decades, and their vocal cords have undergone a lot of changes in that time. Producers of the show clearly take no issue with swapping out voice actors based on racial casting, so why can’t we age up the characters so their existing voices line up with their looks?
I’m not saying Marge and Homer have to become elderly and senile, or that the family should be aging every week or even every year. But, jumping five years ahead after 40 years on the air feels like a pretty fair adjustment, and it would help to keep things fresh in the long run. Even the South Park kids graduated from third grade to fourth grade over the course of their decades-long run.
I think the best course of action would be to implement a time-skip after the release of the upcoming movie, which is slated to hit theaters in July of 2027. The movie is bound to bring a lot of new and returning eyes onto The Simpsons, and attract attention from fans who may have abandoned the series in the last decade or so. Opening the following season with a leap forward would be a major refresh, and help to clearly establish the time before the film and the time after. The Simpsons used their previous film to trojan horse HD animation and widescreen into the series, so there’s already a precedent for this sort of thing.
Entertainment
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 13, 2026
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is easy for fans of the Big East.
As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.
If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there’s only one correct answer.
If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake — players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.
Mashable Top Stories
Here’s a hint for today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
-
Yellow: Hang the banner
-
Green: Big East
-
Blue: Food analogies
-
Purple: Famous Tims
Here are today’s Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today’s connections fall into the following categories:
-
Yellow: Things Fans Hang on Their Walls
-
Green: A Big East Athlete
-
Blue: Food, But Make It Baseball
-
Purple: Tims
Looking for Wordle today? Here’s the answer to today’s Wordle.
Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today’s puzzle before we reveal the solutions.
Drumroll, please!
The solution to today’s Connections: Sports Edition #536 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
-
Things Fans Hang on Their Walls – BANNER, FLAG, PENNANT, POSTER
-
A Big East Athlete – FRIAR, HOYA, HUSKY, PIRATE
-
Food, But Make It Baseball – CAN OF CORN, MEATBALL, PICKLE, TATER
-
Tims – DUNCAN, RAINES, SALMON, TEBOW
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Connections.
Entertainment
NYT Pips hints, answers for March 13, 2026
Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.
Released in August 2025, the Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.
Currently, if you’re stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move onto the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.
How to play Pips
If you’ve ever played dominoes, you’ll have a passing familiarity for how Pips is played. As we’ve shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don’t necessarily have to match.
The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible – and common – for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.
Here are common examples you’ll run into across the difficulty levels:
-
Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.
-
Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.
-
Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.
-
Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.
-
Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.
If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.
Easy difficulty hints, answers for March 13 Pips
Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 5-5, placed horizontally.
Number (8): Everything in this space must add up to 8. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically; 2-2, placed horizontally.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally; 4-4, placed horizontally.
Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.
Medium difficulty hints, answers for March 13 Pips
Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally; 5-3, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed horizontally; 0-0, placed vertically.
Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 5-3, placed vertically; 3-4, placed vertically.
Number (5): Everything in this orange space must add up to 5. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically; 2-6, placed horizontally; 3-1, placed horizontally.
Number (5): Everything in this green space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-1, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed horizontally.
Number (9): Everything in this space must add up to 9. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 4-5, placed horizontally.
Mashable Top Stories
Hard difficulty hints, answers for March 13 Pips
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-0, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 0-2, placed vertically.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 4-3, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 4-1, placed vertically.
Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 2-4, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 0-1, placed horizontally.
Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 0-3, placed horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this light blue space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.
Number (2): Everything in this dark blue space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-2, placed horizontally.
Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.
Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 3-2, placed horizontally.
Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 2-1, placed vertically.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collections now only $32 at Walmart — save $5 vs. Amazon
Where to buy Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collections:
Keen Pokémon TCG collectors hunting for affordable Ascended Heroes packs have another solid option right now, thanks to Walmart quietly lowering the price on one of the expansion’s smaller collections.
As of March 12, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker Collection is available for just over $32 at Walmart, undercutting Amazon’s current $37.98 listing by roughly $5. The collection is shipped as a randomly selected Charmander or Gastly edition, which means you won’t know exactly which promo card you’re getting until it arrives.
Mashable Deals
Each Tech Sticker Collection comes with one foil promo card featuring either Charmander or Gastly, along with a themed tech sticker sheet spotlighting Charmander and Mega Charizard Y or Gastly and Mega Gengar. On top of that, you’ll also get three booster packs from the Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes expansion, each containing the usual 10 Pokémon trading cards.
Mashable Trend Report
This is the best way to get Pokémon TCG Ascended Heroes boosters at a half-decent price. Individually, Ascended Heroes booster packs cost $18.97 at Walmart and $24.99 at Amazon. Comparatively, this Ascended Heroes Tech Sticker collection means you’re only paying $10.75 per pack, saving you $8.24 compared to buying them on their own.
For other Pokémon TCG deals, consider the Perfect Order Booster Box price cuts at Amazon and Walmart. What’s more, the Pokémon TCG Perfect Order Booster Bundle is still available to preorder at Amazon for $59.99.
Topics
Pokemon
Trading Cards
Report: Falcons reach deal for DE Samson Ebukam
Five NFL Free Agency Predictions That Can Still Happen
