History Main / SincerestFormOfFlattery

* ''Film/LaLaLand'' was marketed as a "love letter" to UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, particularly musicals.

-->--'''Attributed to Charles Caleb Colton''' (although he probably stole it from someone else)

* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheFoundationOfSFSuccess":
** The [[{{Dedication}} apology at the start of the poem]] admits that Dr Asimov was imitating [[Creator/GilbertAndSullivan W. S. Gilbert]] when he was composing this poem.
** This work subtly admits that Dr Asimov's success comes from imitating historical society (such as UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire).
** This work subtly admits that Dr Asimov's success comes from imitating Creator/EdwardGibbon (for his ''Literature/TheHistoryOfTheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire'').
** This work subtly admits that Dr Asimov's success comes from imitating {{Creator/Thucydides}} (for his ''Literature/TheHistoryOfThePeloponnesianWar'').

Also compare WhatWouldXDo.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' is based on ''Fanfic/AshesOfThePast''. ''Fanfic/PokemonShadowOfTime'' is based on both of them, along with ''Fanfic/Symbiosis'' and ''Fanfic/TheSunSoul''.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' is based on ''Fanfic/AshesOfThePast''. ''Fanfic/PokemonShadowOfTime'' is based on both of them.

* Hideki Kamiya, the director of ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'', said ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' franchise influenced his game. Although he thought ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' could have looked better, he admitted that [[http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/06/okami-creator-disappointed-by-twilight-princess/ "it's no overstatement to say that I created Okami because of Zelda."]]
* The creators of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' have [[https://i.redd.it/zae5nhkdskky.jpg freely admitted]] to "taking notes from Nintendo-sensei for a long, long time," when fans compared some of the changes ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' made with ''Souls''' own style.
* Comics that have the format of ''Webcomic/DMOfTheRings'' usually state that is what inspired them, like ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids''.
* The makers of the ''UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'' game ''VideoGame/TheConduit'' have stated they are taking tips from ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', and trying to make the Wii's Halo.
** They also said they would be glad if other Wii game developers did this to ''them''; specifically their customizable FPS controls with the Wiimote.
* Ben Mattes, producer of ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008'', told MTV.com about [[http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/01/05/prince-of-persia-producer-addresses-colossus-copycat-critique/ the influences they used]].
-->"We've always been very open about the huge influences that ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}'', ''[[VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus SoTC]]'' and ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' had on us during our development."
* David Jaffe has gone on record saying both that ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' was heavily inspired by ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' and later on that he thinks ''Devil May Cry'''s fighting system is better. [[http://www.gamespot.com/users/JLuke360/video_player?id=JHRnxDb55bgLuj7f See for yourself]].
** Likewise, the developers of ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'' have happily stated they were just out to make a ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' version of ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', essentially.
* In an interview, the director of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' was asked "You're a fan of ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'', aren't you?" His response was simply to smile.
* Many Creator/AmbrosiaSoftware games are modernized remakes of classics. [[http://www.ambrosiasw.com/about/ For instance]], ''Maelstrom'' is ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'', ''Apeiron'' is ''VideoGame/{{Centipede}}'', and ''Swoop'' is ''VideoGame/{{Galaxian}}''.
* ''Roleplay/DorfQuest'' has stated from the beginning that it was inspired by ''Roleplay/RubyQuest'' and was an attempt at another sort of "quest".

* ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' creator Cliff Bleszinski frequently cited the game ''Kill.Switch'' as the inspiration for ''Gears of War'''s [[TakeCover cover system]]. He also cited both ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' as gameplay inspirations, particularly their focus on creating "memorable moments".
* Around the late '90s a low-budget CD-ROM called "Pac Pack" could be found in many computer stores. [[ShoddyKnockoffProduct While the cover has a decidedly more]] ''VideoGame/PacMan''-ish [[CoversAlwaysLie design than the games contained]], the blurb on the back touts plainly that "Pac Guy" is "a ''Pac-Man'' ripoff - but a ripoff with style." The various sequels were less audacious, [[WritingAroundTrademarks recoloring the main character green and giving him the more lawyer-friendly moniker of "Pea Guy"]].
* The producers of ''Tallafornia'' openly stated that they were trying to make ''Series/JerseyShore'' [[RecycledINSPACE in Tallaght]].
* The developers of ''VideoGame/CartoonNetworkPunchTimeExplosion'' have admitted to being heavily influenced by ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''. [[http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/26388 They even had testers play both games one after another to make their own game feel like SSB as much as possible]].
* Beenox, when making ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan'', stated that they took inspiration from ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' and ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'' when creating the game's combat.
* [=SuperBot=] confirmed that ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' is (in part) inspired by ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros''.
* The [[MissingEpisode Long Lost Prologue]] of ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure'' shows the Palm Tree Ghost saying the comic was inspired by ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''.
* When ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' was first announced, many people were quick to point out the similarities between the eponymous celestial super-structure and Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/{{Ringworld}}''. Creator/{{Bungie}}'s public liaison actually went on record as saying that the fortress worlds in ''Halo'' have more in common with the orbitals in ''Literature/TheCulture'' than they do with the Ringworld of Niven's ''Literature/KnownSpace''. Granted, this statement may have been done to deliberately distance Bungie's creation from Niven's for legal reasons (a Ringworld game already exists under copyright) but the depiction of The Covenant in ''Halo'' partially mirroring the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Idirans]] in ''Literature/ConsiderPhlebas'' seems to lend further credence to this particular inspiration.
* ''VideoGame/{{AirMech}}'''s developer Carbon Games have never been shy about their game being a tribute to ''VideoGame/HerzogZwei''. In addition, the UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} description of the game describes the gameplay as "[[VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients DotA]]-style", acknowledging the game's other main influence.

* The creator of Franchise/{{Batman}} admitted the main character to be based on Franchise/{{Zorro}}. This is the reason Batman watches a Zorro movie the night his parents are killed.
* Masaki Tsuzuk, the creator and main writer of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise, confirms in an interview included in the ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Gears of Destiny'' strategy guide that the ''VideoGame/WildArms'' elements in the plot of the game weren't coincidental, mentioning that they were done as a show of respect to Akifumi Kaneko and the franchise he made.
* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' [[GameMod ROM hack]] ''Super Mario Kollision'' actually says in the ending credits 'Level design inspired by VideoGame/BrutalMario and VIP series', in case you didn't already figure out that much of it was ripping them off. Considering that the final level was literally an abridged carbon copy of Brutal Mario's Bowser's Castle level, this wasn't exactly hard to work out without the official statement.

* Wrestling/RingOfHonor and Wrestling/{{Chikara}} are completely open about the ideas they lifted from Mexican and Japanese promotions like Lucha Libre Internacional, Wrestling/{{All Japan|ProWrestling}} and Wrestling/{{New Japan|ProWrestling}}.
* Wrestling/{{SHIMMER}} was setup to increase the respect for women's pro wrestling on an international level. In 2011, a promotion calling itself GLAMOUR started up in Australia using the same style of font in their logo as SHIMMER[[note]]this did not last, becoming Ladies of Australian Wrestling instead, then Glamour Championship Wrestling[[/note]]

* Radio comedian Fred Allen paraphrased the above quote as "Imitation is the sincerest form of television." WesternAnimation/MightyMouse invokes it in the Bakshi-produced episode "Don't Touch That Dial."
* ''Film/LaLaLand'' was marketed as a "love letter" to UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, particularly musicals.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "Literature/TheFoundationOfSFSuccess":
** The [[{{Dedication}} apology at the start of the poem]] admits that Dr Asimov was imitating [[Creator/GilbertAndSullivan W. S. Gilbert]] when he was composing this poem.
** This work subtly admits that Dr Asimov's success comes from imitating historical society (such as UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire).
** This work subtly admits that Dr Asimov's success comes from imitating Creator/EdwardGibbon (for his ''Literature/TheHistoryOfTheDeclineAndFallOfTheRomanEmpire'').
** This work subtly admits that Dr Asimov's success comes from imitating {{Creator/Thucydides}} (for his ''Literature/TheHistoryOfThePeloponnesianWar'').

* It is often said that [[ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld there are two kinds of guitarists in the world]]: those who say they have been influenced by Music/JimiHendrix, and those who lie. Note that many famous rock and metal guitarists of TheSeventies and TheEighties fall into the former category.

* The writers of ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' admitted that their movie ''Film/UpTheAcademy'' was heavily inspired by ''Film/AnimalHouse'', another movie based on a comedy magazine (Franchise/NationalLampoon). They ended up disowning the film.

** The [[{{Dedication}} apology at at start of the poem]] admits that Dr Asimov was imitating [[Creator/GilbertAndSullivan W. S. Gilbert]] when he was composing this poem.

* The creators of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' have [[https://i.redd.it/zae5nhkdskky.jpg freely admitted]] to "taking notes from Nintendo-sensei for a long, long time," when fans compared some of the changes ''TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' made with ''Souls''' own style.

* Masaki Tsuzuk, the creator and main writer of the ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' franchise, confirms in an interview included in the ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable: The Gears of Destiny'' strategy guide that the ''Franchise/WildArms'' elements in the plot of the game weren't coincidental, mentioning that they were done as a show of respect to Akifumi Kaneko and the franchise he made.

* The writers of ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' admitted that their movie ''Film/UpTheAcademy'' was heavily inspired by ''Film/AnimalHouse'', another movie based on a comedy magazine (NationalLampoon). They ended up disowning the film.

* ''Film/LaLaLand'' was marketed as a "love letter" to TheGoldenAgeOfHollywood, particularly musicals.

** Likewise, the developers of ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'' have happily stated they were just out to make a ''Literature/DivineComedy'' version of ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', essentially.

''Note'': We don't require citations like TheOtherWiki does, however, since this trope is about comments made by a creator about a work of media, it is highly recommended that citations be provided.

* The makers of the ''{{Wii}}'' game ''VideoGame/TheConduit'' have stated they are taking tips from ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', and trying to make the Wii's Halo.

* The writers of MadMagazine admitted that their movie ''Film/UpTheAcademy'' was heavily inspired by ''Film/AnimalHouse'', another movie based on a comedy magazine (NationalLampoon). They ended up disowning the film.

** Likewise, the developers of ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'' have happily stated they were just out to make a ''DivineComedy'' version of ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'', essentially.

* Music/TonyBanks has described playing back a recording of Music/{{Genesis}}' "Afterglow" and realising to his horror that he had just rewritten "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".

** "Music/BrianWilson Said", as might be expected from the title, is a Music/TheBeachBoys pastiche (it also alludes to Music/VanMorrison's track "Jackie Wilson Said", which appears on Saint Dominic's Preview, though if there is any other Morrison influence on the track, it's oblique at most).