These Wild Home Improvement Fan Theories Are Not As Far-Fetched As You Think
- 1202 VOTES
Toy Story And Home Improvement Exist In The Same Universe
Photo: Walt Disney PicturesAlthough Tool Time is never mentioned in Toy Story, Binford Tools, the hardware and power tool company from Home Improvement, exists in the Toy Story universe, as evidenced by a scene in which Buzz and Woody interact with a Binford tool box.
As you surely know, Tim Allen played Tim Taylor in Home Improvement, and voiced Buzz Light Year in all the Toy Story films. As one theory suggests, toy developers came across Tool Time, Tim Taylor's show, while looking for an 'every man' voice actor to record lines for Buzz Light Year. Tim was approached to voice the cartoon/action figure and agreed. Hell, Tim even says "I am Buzz Light Year" on an episode of Home Improvement.
- 2269 VOTES
Wilson Is God
Photo: Disney/ABCIs it possible the friendly, wisdom-dispensing neighbor from Home Improvement is God? A Home Improvement analysis podcast, Grunt Work, presents solid evidence to back up this theory.
Besides Wilson's obvious wisdom and seemingly endless knowledge, both of which are commonly associated with gods, there's Biblical evidence. Exodus 33:20 states, "But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live." This would explain why no one ever sees Wilson's entire face.
In one episode, Wilson seems to give life to some wooden ducks he has carved. In another, he appears in two places at once. What's more, Tim heading out to confess his problems to an semi-anonymous entity behind a fence is eerily similar to the Catholic tradition of confession.
- 3199 VOTES
Randy Is A Sociopath (And Maybe Even A Psychopath)
Photo: Disney/ABCTim's sons Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) and Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan) get in a lot of trouble tormenting their younger brother Mark (Taran Noah Smith); could there be more to this than youthful mischief? Randy does some pretty messed up stuff, including digging holes in a cemetery to convince Mark bodies are coming up and stealing money from orphans at Christmas.
So, either Randy is a sociopath or the Grinch. Seriously, though, it's possible the entire subplot of Randy following Lauren to Costa Rica in Season Eight was a cover story. Maybe Randy killed Lauren, then created the story to explain her absence and give himself an out to leave the country. Which, actually, would make him more of a psychopath than a sociopath.
- 4116 VOTES
Wilson Is The Reincarnation Of Norse God Odin
Photo: Disney/ABCFrom Redditor jimmy_talent:
"Wilson is a man on the older side of middle aged who dispenses wisdom to the Taylors with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy, foreign culture and a whole bunch other random stuff, he also has a lot of skills that would take years to master and once had dinner with Albert Einstein (who died in 1955). There is no way he isn't some kind of immortal or semi-immortal being.
Odin is a Norse god who put a lot of importance on things like knowledge, wisdom and poetry (which could maybe be expanded as art in general), he also would visit the realm of humans disguised as an old wanderer.
So my theory is that Odin was reincarnated and went back to wandering the earth in disguise, then after a while he falls in love with a mortal woman (in the episode where Wilson is planning to move to South America you find out he was married but his wife died) and when she dies he gets depressed and loses interest in pretty much everything so settles down in Detroit. After a while he meets Tim, a man completely devoid of wisdom but constantly in need of it, and in helping Tim with his problems Odin/Wilson finds a renewed purpose."
- 5164 VOTES
Tim Taylor Isn't Accident Prone, He's Cursed
Photo: Disney/ABCIf you've watched even one episode of Home Improvement, chances are, you've seen Tim 'the Tool Man' Taylor seriously botch a home improvement project. In fact, it would seem that no matter how good Tim's plan or intentions, his projects always blow up in his face (sometimes, literally).
One explanation for this is formulaic comedic relief. However, it could be possible the Tool Man is cursed. It would help explain why bad things always happen to him, and why he needs the guidance of a god-like figure (Wilson) to navigate the savage world in which he lives.
And it might not be any old random curse, but one inflicted by a powerful witch or some kind of feminist gypsy intent on undermining Taylor's attempts at traditional masculinity as revenge for the domestic subjugation he inflicts on his wife and the poisonous masculine values he imparts on his sons.
- 6184 VOTES
The Tool Man Is The Son Of God
Photo: Disney/ABCIf Wilson is God, is it possible Tim is his Earthly son, a tooled up Christ? One Reddit user found some interesting similarities.
"He was a carpenter and learned/taught moral lessons every show.
He also talked to his mysterious neighbor, a god figure whose face you never saw, when he had ethical dilemmas. This neighbor would never give him a straight answer, but instead provided anecdotes and parables that allowed Tim to reach his own conclusions."
- 786 VOTES
Wilson Is A Reincarnation Of Fictional English Adventurer Allan Quatermain
Photo: Disney/ABCReincarnation makes sense for Wilson. It explains his seemingly endless knowledge of world history, and his bottomless store of parables and philosophy. It explains a lot that Wilson lived more than one life, and may have been was an adventurer in one of them; he's nature-oriented, and frequently speaks about his trips and adventures.
In the episode in which Wilson reveals he was once married, he plans a trip to Africa, certainly a destination he would've visited had he been a white explorer in a previous life. In fact, a handful of details about Wilson's life resemble that of Allan Quatermain, a fictional English explorer from the 1885 novel King Solomon's Mines and it sequels. Both made Africa and primary destination, and both were widowers.
- 8121 VOTES
The Show, And Countless Others, Takes Place In An Autistic Boy's Head
Photo: Alissa Scheller / Huffington PostAn American television show that ended in 1988 is responsible for this theory, as per which Home Improvement (and hundreds of other shows) is the product of an autistic boys' dreams.
The set up is this - the finale of St. Elsewhere revealed that the entire show had been nothing more than the dream of the autistic boy. This led theorists to draw connections to all of the shows with St. Elsewhere ties, and determine that those shows were also a part of this fictional dream universe. The theory is extremely detailed and extensive, so much so Huffington Post commissioned its creator to expand upon it.
Home Improvement is one of the dozens of shows that exist in this matrix, as this master list of shows connected to St. Elsewhere makes clear.
- 9149 VOTES
Wilson Fathered A Serial Killer
Photo: Grunt Work PodcastThe guys on Home Improvement-themed Grunt Work podcast point out that, in Season One's "Baby It's Cold Outside," as the Taylors look for a romantic Valentine's Day getaway, Wilson suggests Crystal Lake. For those not in the know, Crystal Lake is the campground where Jason Voorhees, of the Friday the 13th series, drown (and later went on various a killing rampages).
When the Taylors inevitably check out Crystal Lake on Valentine's Day (which happened to fall on a Friday that year - Friday the 14th), Tim runs into Wilson, who says he visits the camp every Valentine's Day.
Jason's father is barely addressed in the Friday the 13th series; he appears in deleted material from Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, which is included in the novelization of the film, and is mentioned briefly in Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. His name is Elias Voorhees, and virtually nothing is known about him.
It's not out of the realm of possibility that Wilson had a sweetheart at Crystal Lake, knocked her up, and goes back there every Valentine's Day to reminisce on his past love. Jason and Wilson both keep their faces covered, are extremely isolated, are both very tall, and love using tools in their work. Maybe Pamela Vorhees, Jason's mom, lied to him, and his real dad is Wilson Wilson Jr.
- 10139 VOTES
Al Borland Is A Russian Spy
Photo: Disney/ABCWhy on Earth would Al Borland (Richard Karn) and Tim Taylor do a show together? With personalities, ideals, and values that clash, there's no plausible reason these two would wind up friends. Indeed, how would someone with the charismatic appeal of a wet dish rag that's been wadded up for two days (Borland) wind up on network television at all?
One theory suggests Borland is a Russian spy sent to keep tabs on American culture, from building and manufacturing to television and media. And for all that, Tool Time has him covered. Maybe not exactly high level intel, but maybe the Russians would find plans for an over powered lawn mower useful. Why the Russian government would be concerned with all this after the collapse of the Soviet Union remains unexplained.
