Before Balloon Boy, There Was Bart Simpson Chicago Tribune

Now that the truth is emerging about Falcon Heene's faux balloon escapade, Chicago Tribune columnist Phil Rosenthal points out that we've all seen this kind of hoax before -- on "The Simpsons."

In "The Simpsons" episode, Bart Simpson dropped a walkie-talkie into a well and the entire town of Springfield thought he was down there and doomed to die. And before "The Simpsons," there was "Curious George," Rosenthal points out.

-- Allison J. Waldman