History Main / PackagedAsOtherMedium

** ''TheTexasJerusalemCrossroads'', a religiously themed concept album by cult classic [[UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex Denton, Texas]] based PostRock/{{Shoegaze}} band Lift To Experience about God starting the apocalypse and moving the Holy Land from Jerusalem to Texas, is packaged to look like [[StylisticSuck a really cheap hand printed demo CD for a struggling Texas country band]], as seen [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Lift_to_Experience_-_The_Texas-Jerusalem_Crossroads.jpg here]]. (The cover for [[https://i0.wp.com/ayearofvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Lift-to-Experience-The-Texas-Jerusalem-Crossroads-vinyl-review.jpg?resize=676%2C676&ssl=1 the remaster]], meanwhile, changes it into a fairly spot on parody of 90s SouthernRap album art designs by the Houston-based Creator/PenAndPixel design studio)

* Not exactly another medium, but the supplement on Kolat, secret society in ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'' was released under a title Merchant's Guide to Rokugan.

* The covers of collected volumes of ''Manga/{{BTOOOM}}'' are based on UsefulNotes/XBox360 game cases.

** The disc case of ''Film/TheCelebration'' made it look like it came straight out of a home CD burner, being nothing more than a blank transparent case with a printed plain-text sticky label on it - fitting for the first film of the minimalistic UsefulNotes/Dogme95 movement.

* ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' is an homage game to the [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks golden age of superhero comics]]. This is plainly apparent from the comicbookesque cover, storytelling (complete with comic book boxes and narrative style) as well as the loading screens which portray the 'issue' of the next level, often in the misleading way of comic book cover gimmicks to boost sales.

** ''Party Pack 5'': ''Split the Room'' is an old analogue TV, ''Mad Verse City'' is a toy robot package, ''Patently Stupid'' is a recruitment poster with stubs where the phone number goes and ''Zeeple Dome'' resembles the box of an UsefulNotes/Atari2600 game from Creator/{{Activision}}. {{Averted}} with ''VideoGame/YouDontKnowJack: Full Stream'', which is the Jack Head mascot in a [[MegaCorp Binjpipe]]-branded space helmet.

* ''[[WebVideo/ClassicGameRoom The Best of Classic Game Room]]'' was originally intended to be released on UsefulNotes/LaserDisc, but series creator/host Mark Bussler could not find a way to make it happen, so as a compromise he released the series as a 4-disc "Laser Hyper Vision Blu-Ray Album Set", including a Blu-Ray of the compilation, a DVD version split into two discs, and a DVD copy of the series' "Making Of" documentary ''The Rise and Fall of Classic Game Room'', all packaged in a [=LaserDisc=]-size sleeve.

** It's only natural that ''WesternAnimation/{{Minoriteam}}'', with its comic-inspired art style, would get a comic-style DVD case (at least in Australia), complete with a parody of UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode approval stamp.

** The second season's cover art is [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkMXIZCacAAjx0g?format=jpg&name=large themed after]] the posters for the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy. Unlike the others, they didn't keep up the "realistic art style for the Blu-ray releases" gag (since this season wasn't released on DVD), though the third has Creator/YuuichiNakamura depicted in live action to match a certain gag in the last episode of the season.

* The box art for ''Manga/PopTeamEpic''{{'}}s Japanese anime releases are themed after specific movie posters, reflecting the series' ReferenceOverdosed style. The DVD releases depict the characters in their usual PuniPlush art style, while the Blu-ray releases have them [[MediumShiftGag drawn in a much more detailed and realistic style]]. This is itself a CallBack to [[https://external-preview.redd.it/pop-team-epic-the-anime-adapted-the-blu-ray-version-joke-v0-Kq8nBvAND9lQTvHtXmJAtTw3dFSmKu5xFFMSfasVzwU.jpg?auto=webp&s=adb77663ffe3b120d8011db67d78950cecbeecb0 a similar joke]] in the manga.

** The TV special's cover art is [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZjgxMjVmMWYtZGJiYy00OTFjLWIwNDUtZmQ2ZDFhZTNiYjY2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTk2MDc1MjQ@._V1_.jpg themed after]] the poster for ''Film/FirstBlood''.
** The second season's cover art is [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FkMXIZCacAAjx0g?format=jpg&name=large themed after]] the posters for the ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' trilogy. Unlike the others, they didn't keep up the "realistic art style for the Blu-ray releases" gag (since this season wasn't released on DVD), though the third has Creator/YuichiNakamura depicted in live action to match a certain gag in the last episode of the season.

A physical release or copy of something is designed to look like it's from another medium; for instance, a DVD case that looks like a comic book cover. Comic book covers and movie posters are especially popular subjects for this trope.

Sometimes it's a specific homage to something or other, but it's this trope if the image has the trappings of a typical cover for that other medium, such as credits at the bottom of a 'movie poster' cover for a game.

** Funimation's Blu-ray release of ''Manga/PopTeamEpic'' indulges in the show's Kaufmanesque style of comedy with [[https://twitter.com/schmullus1/status/1045085345392381952 the disc art:]] the first disc is perfectly fine, but the second is designed to look like a homemade BD-R, complete with faux handwritten sharpie on the label. Time will tell if this results in another ''Film/{{Borat}}'' situation among buyers.

* The packaging for ''Film/{{Borat}}'' made it look like a cheap, foreign bootleg rather than a polished official DVD release. The disc itself looks like a blank disc that was recorded over, with the movie's title written on it in marker and the logotype & slogan parodying those of Memorex (i.e. "is live? No. Demorez," in place of "is it live or is it Memorex?"). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT7WfbdK4IQ The DVD menus also look like they have been whipped up in five minutes with no budget.]] It serves to highlight the film's {{Mockumentary}} status. This infamously resulted in a swath of confusion among consumers who weren't in on the joke, leading to retailers receiving a number of complains from buyers who thought they had purchased an actual bootleg.

* ''ComicBook/{{Gen13}}'' vol. #1 shipped with 13 different covers; of these, five fit this trope. Two were based on magazine covers (one ''Magazine/RollingStone'', the other ''Heavy Metal''), one on a movie poster (that of ''Film/PulpFiction'', complete with a real live model), one on an ad for a TV show (namely ''Series/TheBradyBunch''), and the last one on a Victoria's Secret catalogue. Whew!

* After Marvel regained the ''Comicbook/StarWars'' comic license, most of their output has received an action figure variant cover, making them appear to be toy packaging reminiscent of the original Kenner line.

* The poster for ''WesternAnimation/WaveTwisters'' is based on UsefulNotes/Atari2600 game packaging, specifically ''VideoGame/{{Pitfall}}''[='=]s.

* Pere Ubu's CD reissues on Rough Trade were styled to look like a classic UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh program.

* Not exactly another medium, but the supplement on Kolat, secret society in TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings was released under a title Merchant's Guide to Rokugan.

* The alternate cover on the DVD version of ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople'' is designed in the style of an UsefulNotes/Atari2600 game cartridge box.
* ''VideoGame/SonicMania [[UpdatedRerelease Plus]]'' has a reversible cover that mimics the packaging of a latter-era UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis or Mega Drive game (depending on region). ''Sonic Origins Plus'' has a similar reversible cover that mimics earlier Genesis and Mega Drive games, again varying depending on the region.

* In the years after MediaNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983, Nintendo and Sega attempted to reassure American consumers wary of consoles by taking design cues from home video of the era when launching in the US. The original UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem inserted cartridges like a front-loading VCR, while UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem and UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis games came in plastic clamshell cases similar to those used for video tapes.

** ''Everything Else, Volume 3'' is packaged like an Creator/{{Activision}} UsefulNotes/Atari2600 game, complete with {{Retraux}} menus and screenshots depicting the included cartoons as Atari 2600 games.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'' third season DVD is presented like an UsefulNotes/Atari2600 game box. This extends to the DVD menus, which feature Atari graphics.

* In the years after UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983, Nintendo and Sega attempted to reassure American consumers wary of consoles by taking design cues from home video of the era when launching in the US. The original UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem inserted cartridges like a front-loading VCR, while UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem and UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis games came in plastic clamshell cases similar to those used for video tapes.

** The layout of Toy-Box's ''Fantastic'' album is [[https://img.discogs.com/ZZ2C41paoQ9vqds1DWFP32TRH1U=/fit-in/472x472/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2101855-1264103544.jpeg.jpg made to look]] like a UsefulNotes/PlayStation game case.
** Juice WRLD's ''Death Race for Love'' has a cover that resembles a UsefulNotes/PlayStation game.

* The front cover of ''VideoGame/FinalDoom'' is modeled after is modeled after an ammunition cartridge for the [[{{BFG}} M242 Bushmaster autocannon]], albeit upside down compared to the design of its inspiration.

** Similarly, when the Famicom Mini was given a special ''Magazine/ShonenJump'' edition with 20 games based on the magazine's properties in 2018, the box for it was packaged like it was an issue of the said magazine.

[[folder: Web Animation]]

* [[https://gfx.videobuster.de/archive/v/cvD2Q1dlVPZopVyhuEVEZ-Qcz0lMkawpiUyRqglMkZpbWGZJTJGanBlZyUyRmLP1zdj6u1jY2IyZec0ZGIxZmLMy7gwOS5qcGcmcj1opjAw/die-hamburger-krankheit-dvd-full-cover.jpg One DVD cover]] for the 1979 German disaster flick ''Film/TheHamburgSyndrome'' is designed to resemble a newspaper article on the titular disease outbreak, with the paper given the [[BlandNameProduct generic title]] ''HH'', which in real life is a license plate abbreviation for vehicles registered in the eponymous city.

** Music/PublicImageLtd[='s=] ''Metal Box'' was originally packaged in a 16mm film canister; CD re-issues since the '90s manage to translate the original packaging to the significantly smaller disc size by using an identically designed 8mm canister.

** ''Music/ThickAsABrick'' by Music/JethroTull, which in its original release had the record wrapped up in an ''actual'' newspaper.

** The now iconic album cover of ''Music/CheapThrills'' by Big Brother & The Holding Company looks like a comic book image. It was designed by Creator/RobertCrumb.

** All releases issued by digital-only electronic label Allergy Season run with the label name by using cover art in the style of over-the-counter medicine packaging. Some even go so far as to list what the "drug" should be administered for - for instance John Barera and Paul Morse's ''Pantheon'' EP is "fast acting" and "numbs away pain", while the charity "protest compilation" ''Physically Sick'' is said to "alleviate symptoms of fascism, bigotry, violence, and demagoguery".

* ''Steal This Album!'' by Music/SystemOfADown is styled after a CD-R, complete with a total lack of liner notes. Unlike the ''Film/{{Borat}}'' and ''Film/{{The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo|2011}}'', which were so accurate that buyers believed that they were actual bootlegs, the disc art for ''Steal this Album!'' made enough deviations from actual CD-R labels to ensure that consumers understood the joke.

* The Japan-only 2009 reprint of ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' is designed to resemble a set of school textbooks.

* ''VideoGame/KirbySuperStar'': The Japanese box art is designed to resemble a traditional paulownia wood box, which in Japan is typically used to package high-quality alcohol and silverware. The idea came from Creator/ShigesatoItoi, who felt that it would convey the game's "richness."

** ''Cunning Stunts'' by NoiseRock group Cows is designed to look like a jazz record, using design elements favored by jazz label Blue Note Records: Namely a blue-tinted [[FaceOnTheCover photo of the lead musician]], all-caps text, and a list of individual musicians on the front - the font choices and placement of the text specifically seem to be a nod to Eric Dolphy's ''Out To Lunch!''. The fact that Shannon Selberg is depicted playing a trumpet adds to the jazz record concept, but actually is accurate to the album's contents: Selberg is primarily a vocalist, but also plays discordant trumpet on some songs.

** The cover for Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings' ''100 Days, 100 Nights'' looks like it came out of TheSixties. This could really be said for any of the band's albums - or anything from Daptone Records, for that matter.
** Similar to mini LP CD covers, some reissues of albums on CD from the vinyl era will replicate the LP label on the CD label from the original release. Some examples include remastered albums on Creator/AtlanticRecords from Music/{{Yes}} and Music/LedZeppelin, as well as the reissues of Music/TheDoors on Creator/ElektraRecords.

** Music/PublicImageLtd[='s=] ''Metal Box'' was originally packaged in a 16mm film canister; CD re-issues manage to translate the original packaging to the significantly smaller disc size by using an identically-designed 8mm canister.

* ''Steal This Album!'' by Music/SystemOfADown is styled after a CD-R, complete with a total lack of liner notes. Unlike the ''Film/{{Borat}}'' and ''Film/TheGirlWithTheDragonTattoo'' examples, however, the disc art made enough deviations from actual CD-R labels to ensure that consumers understood the joke.

* A variation, as it's not the outer packaging but the discs themselves: some releases of ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' have had the label side of the discs resembling vinyl records.

* ''VideoGame/SonicMania [[UpdatedRerelease Plus]]'' has a reversible cover that mimics the packaging of a latter-era UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis or Mega Drive game (depending on region).

** ''20 Jazz Funk Greats'' by Music/ThrobbingGristle is made to resemble an easy-listening compilation, featuring an unassuming photo of the band in a green field (actually Beachy Head, a notorious suicide spot). According to Cosey Fanni Tutti, the idea was to make the album look like something from a bargain bin, so that unassuming buyers would grab a copy and get "decimated" by the harsh {{industrial}} material within.