Are the owls in Futurama a backwards reference to Blade Runner and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Owls in Futurama are so numerous and plentiful that they are considered a pest. Conversely, the electric owl in Blade Runner represents something beautiful that no longer exists. And in a larger sense, all animals are so rare in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, that even owning the titular Sheep is considered a status symbol so large that faking it with an electric one is a viable option.

Was the owl chosen for Futurama as a reference to Blade Runner's owl?

Answer

I believe that the owls in Futurama are a subtle nod towards Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. As I understand it, Philip K Dick guessed that the first species to be made extinct due to the destruction of the environment would be the owl. So Futurama took the exact opposite approach and said that owls replaced pigeons/rats as the dominant pest of New New York.

Unfortunately I haven't found any quotes from anyone related to the show regarding the owls. The Futurama Wiki has a short post discussing this fwiw: http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/Talk:Owl

Comments

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