History Main / RecursiveCanon

* In Creator/NeilGaiman's ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', it was discovered that the Creator/JackKirby-created Sandman had been living a delusion in a dream dimension created by two denizens of Morpheus' realm.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' animated series is apparently an actual TV show in the DC Universe, as evidenced by a poster for the cartoon being present in Irey West's room in an issue of ''Franchise/TheFlash''. An issue of ''Teen Titans'' had the kids briefly watching an episode of ''ComiBook/TinyTitans''.

* ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4663711 Letters of Ness]]'' ([[HeAlsoDid created by the author of the]] ''Fanfic/PaperMarioX'' [[HeAlsoDid series]]) ends with [[VideoGame/EarthBound Ness]] and [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}} Lucas]] receiving a copy of ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU SuperSmashBros 4]]'' (which, according to Lucas, isn't even out in Japan yet) from Paula and Kumatora, which they then proceed to play. (Take note that the story takes place in the SSBB universe.)

* ''Series/MadTV''

** In another episode, House (played by Michael [=McDonald=]) is actually watching an episode of ''Series/{{MADtv}}''. It features Stuart (played by Michael [=McDonald=]) causing him to remark that he [[CelebrityParadox looks just like him]].

* In ''Series/SupermanAndLois'', Jordan is sometimes seen playing ''Videogame/{{Injustice 2}}'', a fighting game that features his father as a playable character and the death of his mother as a significant plot point.

* One NPC in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' wonders if ''[=EarthBound=]'' has been released yet. In addition, the newspaper headline in Onett after beating the FinalBoss is "Chief Strong finishes [=EarthBound=], asks 'Where is the sequel?'"

* In ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', it was possible to obtain the UsefulNotes/Playstation2 version of ''The Sims''. The penultimate expansion pack has [[CreatorCameo Rod Humble]] gift every household a computer with ''Videogame/TheSims3'' preinstalled.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Tekken 3]]'': Mokujin plays as Mokujin on the ''Tekken 3'' arcade cabinet.

** The plot of the ''VideoGame/WarioWare'' series is about Wario opening a videogame company and selling compilations of microgames, short games that last only 5 seconds, and as a [[NostalgiaLevel nostalgic bonus]], many of those microgames are based on classic Nintendo videogames but converted into very short versions, however, some of these microgames are based on Mario games, Yoshi games, Donkey Kong games and even Wario Land games, a more justifiable example, is when even microgames from previous [=WarioWare games=] for the Game Boy Advance are included, and they are shown running in a GBA in your screen.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' video game series is based -- or so {{canon}} claims -- on the actual journals of the characters, but the games are heavily abridged versions of the "real" events, and starring [[FeaturelessProtagonist a faceless, sexless Stranger]] instead of the as of yet unnamed real character. This was taken further with the release of ''URU'', which tells the story of modern-day archeologists exploring the caverns of D'ni, and even further still in ''Myst V'', which tries to specificise some events hinted at in ''URU''. It was finally taken to the {{Kayfabe}} level, where Cyan Worlds employees often present the idea that ''all'' of the Myst series, including ''Myst V'' and ''URU'', exist as fictionalized accounts of real events.

* The first-gen ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' games allow you to [[DevelopersRoom visit Game Freak studios]], and talk to a sprite artist who drew the player character for the Pokémon games. This was kept in [[OncePerEpisode all future games in the franchise as well]], where there would be somewhere you could talk to Game Freak staff members and the Director would usually give you a certificate for completing the National Pokedex.
** In ''Heart Gold/Soul Silver'', the Director will comment on how hard it is to make a remake of a classic game.

** Speaking on ''Assassin's Creed'', ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIVBlackFlag'' and ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedIIILiberation'' also exist as in-universe games, titled "''Pirates of Nightmares''" and "''Liberation''", respectively, and are developed by Abstergo Entertainment. Supposedly developed by taking data from the Animus and then turning that information into a video game, these projects exist to skew public favor for the Templar's interpretation of history. The actual games themselves paint the Assasins as the good guys so it's hard to tell what the Templars were going for if their own games are more or less on the same trajectory.

* In ''[[VideoGame/FatalFury Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture]]'', Terry plays ''Fatal Fury Special''.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' featured automobile versions of past Pixar films, including ''[[WesternAnimation/ToyStory1 Toy Car Story]]'', ''[[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Monster Trucks Inc.]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' ([[JustForPun with all the characters as Volkswagens]]). But what would their equivalent of ''Cars'' be?

* Similar to the above, Elaris can be seen playing the multiplayer mode for ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal'' in both [[WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank the]] ''[[WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank Ratchet & Clank]]'' [[WesternAnimation/RatchetAndClank movie]] and its [[VideoGame/RatchetAndClank2016 video game tie-in]].

* Writer Tom [=DeFalco=] famously wrote a scene featuring ComicBook/AntMan watching an episode of the maligned '90s ''WesternAnimation/FantasticFour'' cartoon and then complaining about how awful it was.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' featured automobile versions of past Pixar films, including ''[[WesternAnimation/ToyStory Toy Car Story]]'', ''[[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Monster Trucks Inc.]]'', and ''WesternAnimation/ABugsLife'' ([[JustForPun with all the characters as Volkswagens]]). But what would their equivalent of ''Cars'' be?

* ''Film/DoubleDragon'' features an actual cabinet of the [[VideoGame/DoubleDragon original arcade game]] in the scene before the final battle. The monitor of said cabinet gets smashed in an ensuing fight scene.

* ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'' constantly breaks the fourth wall in this fashion. The bad guys watch a tape of ''the movie they're currently in'' to learn where the good guys are headed. They end up stopping the tape at the exact same scene they're in, and briefly watch it in real time.
-->'''Dark Helmet:''' How can there be a cassette of ''Spaceballs: the Movie''? We're still in the middle of making it!\\
'''Col. Sandurz:''' Well, that's true, sir, but there's been a new breakthrough in home video marketing.\\
'''Dark Helmet:''' There has?\\
'''Col. Sandurz:''' Yes! Instant cassettes. They're out in stores before the movie is finished!

* The sequel of ''Literature/TheCityOfDreamingBooks'' mentions ''The City of Dreaming Books'' as a book in universe. Which makes sense, since it is an autobiographical piece the main character wrote. And doesn't make sense since Moers explicitly says it's a compilation of the first two volumes of a longer series and was never published as one book in universe.
* ''Literature/ThursdayNext'' has this in spades. Two different fictional versions of Thursday -- i.e., the character we observed in earlier books -- play a role in the fifth book of the series. On top of that, the Thursday Next series is mutually recursive with the same author's Nursery Crime series, in that each book is fictional within the context of the other. The sixth TN book takes this UpToEleven by revealing that all five of the previous books were ''the in-universe fictionalized versions'', and in some cases bear no resemblance to what actually happened.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'' has a {{Retcon}} to imply that the episode/scene/five minutes with Mace Windu was an in-universe cartoon later drawn by the kid watching the whole scene, in an attempt to account for Mace Windu's abilities being turned all the way UpToEleven.

* In ''Fanfic/MikesNewGhostlyFamily'', the first three games of ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' franchise (''[[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys1 FNaF 1]]'', ''[[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 FNaF 2]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3 FNaF 3]]'') exist in-universe as indie horror games released by Scott Cawthon. As it turns out, about a year prior to the beginning of fanfic's events, Mike Schmidt and the Marionette told Scott about the events of Fazbear's tragedy and the ghost children's plight, and the man agreed to retell their tale via fictional medium. [[spoiler:Though when [[IncompetenceInc Fazbear Entertainment]] rose back to prominence, they {{blackmail}}ed Scott into surrendering the rights to the franchise to repaint its story as lies and jokes with their "[[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddysVRHelpWanted Freddy Fazbear Virtual Experience]]" VR game (only to fail when the police state of Utah exposed their lies).]]

* In one of the ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' issues that was part of the ''ComicBook/{{Legends|DC}}'' crossover, it was mentioned that Creator/{{Kenner}}'s ''Super Powers Collection'' (a series of toys based on DC's heroes and villains) exists in the DC Universe.

* In ''[[VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries Completing the Mission]]'', selecting the "Walkthrough" option results in Henry watching a LetsPlay of his own game. Unfortunately for him, the let's-player selects the "Walkthrough" option, [[OverlyLongGag causing the entire scene to loop continuously until the plauer clicks out of it]].

** Prior to this in the "Stan" saga, Stan is shown with a vinyl copy of ''The Marshall Mathers LP'' on his table while writing his letters. ''The Marshall Mathers LP'' is the album "Stan" is on.

* The early 1990s strip ''Thatch'', which was primarily an AuthorTract against PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad, engaged in this. One strip had Politically Correct Person, the title character's {{Superhero}} alter ego, telling some [[WackyFratboyHijinx frat boys]] that their plan for a Mexican-themed party is not P.C. P.C. Person asks why not drink beers from other countries and wonders if the frat boys are against those other countries as well. One of them asks if having a "water party" would be P.C. The final panel showed the school newspaper with the headline "Water Party a Fiasco." The next strip is someone showing P.C. Person the previous strip in the school newspaper, meaning the strip exists within the world of the comic strip.

* In ''Manga/ICantUnderstandWhatMyHusbandIsSaying'', season 2 DVD's were shown to be on sale in the convenience store Nozomu works at.

* In TheStinger of ''[[Anime/NonNonBiyori Non Non Biyori - Okinawa e Ikukoto ni Natta]]'' the flight attendant offers to read some free mangas. They are shown on the screen aside the clearly readable text "Non Non Biyori".

* When the detectives in Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/MrMercedes'' find the clown mask that the killer used to hide his identity, one comments that it reminds him of "[[Film/It1990 that TV movie about the clown in the sewer]]." The other later watches the film and admits the resemblance.

* When the detectives in Creator/StephenKing's ''Mr. Mercedes'' find the clown mask that the killer used to hide his identity, one comments that it reminds him of "[[Film/It1990 that TV movie about the clown in the sewer]]." The other later watches the film and admits the resemblance.

* In Music/{{Eminem}}'s song "Bad Guy" from ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'', Matthew - the LoonyFan mudering Eminem [[RevengeBallad for what he did to his brother Stan]], admonishes Eminem for releasing a [[{{Sequelitis}} sequel]] to ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'' "to get people to buy!"... as the AlbumIntroTrack for ''The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' itself. "Bad Guy" is also a sequel to "Stan", a song from ''The Marshall Mathers LP''... [[CelebrityParadox which Matthew plays to Eminem in the car]].

* In Music/{{Eminem}}'s song "Bad Guy", Matthew - the LoonyFan mudering Eminem [[RevengeBallad for what he did to his brother Stan]], admonishes Eminem for releasing a [[{{Sequelitis}} sequel]] to ''Music/TheMarshallMathersLP'' "to get people to buy!". "Bad Guy" is also a sequel to "Stan", a song from ''The Marshall Mathers LP''... [[CelebrityParadox which Matthew plays to Eminem in the car]].