Croydon has been turned into a cartoon Springfield in a viral TikTok video using AI.
TikTok creator @Framebyframejoy posted a clip re-imagining the borough in the style of The Simpsons, and it has already racked up more than 157,000 views and over 24,000 likes.
The video transforms familiar landmarks into bright yellow, pastel-coloured versions of themselves, recreating the distinctive animation look of the long-running TV series.
@framebyframejoy London Borough - Croydon And we are back in south! This time for somewhere that you have to take 3 trains, 2 buses, 13 bikes and swim the remainder to get to…you guessed it! CROYDON!! If you are heading to Croydon anytime soon, be sure to bring your camera because I didn’t realise how many sites there were to see here. Never judge a book by the rumours you hear in secondary I guess🤨 Did you know Croydon airport was London’s main airport until after WW2 which is when Heathrow took over ✈️ Croydon is one of the largest london boroughs with a population of over 400,000! Let’s see how many of that 400,000 get to see their borough Simpsonfied👀 Home to London’s second business district, on the border of Surrey, known for its creativity and culture, this is Croydon. We are glad so many of you are loving this series, we appreciate all the love and support. Give us a follow, maybe it’ll be your Borough next! 🫶🏾 #croydon #london #travel #tfl #fyp ♬ The Simpsons Theme - TV Theme Kings
Locations featured include East Croydon station, Croydon College and the busy shopping street North End.
Shopping and transport hotspots also appear, such as Whitgift Centre, West Croydon station and BOXPARK Croydon.
Green spaces including Wandle Park are shown alongside everyday locations like estates, supermarkets and tram routes.
Historic landmarks also feature, with Croydon Minster appearing in cartoon form.
Further afield, the video includes Thornton Heath Pond, Purley Way retail parks and the Crystal Palace home ground Selhurst Park.
Commenters largely reacted with amusement and pride at recognising familiar places in an unexpected style.
Some simply replied with emojis, calling it “brilliant” and “fire”, while others tagged friends to spot locations they pass every day.
A few users joked about local stereotypes, referencing well-known characters and neighbourhood reputations, while others teased that the animation made the borough look calmer than reality.
The clip follows a wider social media trend where artificial intelligence tools are used to recreate real places in famous film and TV styles.
Cities worldwide have been re-imagined as Pixar films, anime towns and video game maps, with creators feeding photographs into image generators that repaint buildings while keeping their recognisable shapes.
Because Croydon has a mix of glass towers, post-war estates and traditional high streets, viewers said it translated particularly well into the cartoon format.
Many said the video made everyday places feel nostalgic, while others simply enjoyed seeing their local area presented from a completely different perspective.
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