History PopculturalOsmosisFailure / ReferenceMistakenForOriginal

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': This frequently happens between Robin (who is from [[CanadaEh Canada, eh]]) and the rest of the gang. For example:

* ''Series/CobraKai'': In the spin-off comic series, Johnny makes a reference to [[Franchise/{{Rocky}} Rocky Balboa]], whom his teenage students only know as "the old guy from ''Film/{{Creed}}''".

* In the ''Series/CobraKai'' spin-off comic series, Johnny makes a reference to [[Franchise/{{Rocky}} Rocky Balboa]], whom his teenage students only know as "the old guy from ''Film/{{Creed}}''".

* Happens in-universe in ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony''.
** In "The David Bowie Drinking Game" (which, true to its name, is loaded with Music/DavidBowie shout outs), Spike says that Rarity was kidnapped by "scary monsters and super creeps!" Twilight corrects him: "It's [[Music/{{Skrillex}} scary monsters]] ''[[Music/{{Skrillex}} and nice sprites]]!''" Everyone else is aghast at Twilight's ignorance, and at the episode's end Twilight admits that she has no idea who Bowie is.
** In "The Longest Episode", Pinkie shares her ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' SelfInsertFic, and her audience tells her that she's ruining a classic book. Pinkie is shocked to realize that "There's a book of ''Lord of the Rings''?"

* In ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale'''s episode 5.05 "Fairytale" June, her husband Luke and the Guardian with whom they exchanged info are at an abandoned bowling alley, waiting until it is dark. While they wait, Luke goes to the alley's organ and plays Music/AlGreen's "Let's Stay Together", serenading June. The young Guardian, who barely remembers life before Gilead, likes the song and asks Luke if he wrote it. [[SureLetsGoWithThat Luke is all, "Yup"]].
* This frequently happens on ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', between Robin (who is from [[CanadaEh Canada, eh]]) and the rest of the gang. For example:

* Likewise, "Music/RideOfTheValkyries" is either 1) the beginning of Act III of Wagner's ''Die Walküre'', 2) [[WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc "Kill the Wabbit! Kill the Wabbit!"]], or 3) the piece played during the air cavalry attack in ''Film/ApocalypseNow''. Or more recently, 4) [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan's]] Wrestling/{{WWE}} theme music. Of course, like many examples from Type 2, Wrestling/TheMiz thought it was from ''Franchise/StarWars''.

* In the ''Webcomic/GeneralProtectionFault'' storyline "Scylla and Charybdis", when Colonel Barker gives the TitleDrop, Patty recognises the reference to ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', but [[http://www.gpf-comics.com/archive/2014/12/01 Dexter says]] he thought it was from an episode of ''Anime/{{Ulysses 31}}''.

* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'''s fourth season has Hollyhock mention "Chandler's List", an SNL parody of ''Film/SchindlersList'', which was the only reason she got something that [=BoJack=] had referenced.

* In ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale'''s episode 5.05 "Fairytale" June, her husband Luke and the Guardian with whom they exchanged info are at an abandoned bowling alley, waiting until it is dark. While they wait, Luke goes to the alley's organ and plays Music/AlGreen's "Let's Stay Together", serenading June. The young Guardian, who barely remembers life before Gilead, likes the song is happened and asks Luke if he wrote it. [[SureLetsGoWithThat Luke is all, "Yup"]].

* ''Literature/FateStrangeFake'': When Servant Watcher brings up the story of Myth/KingArthur, Sigma reveals he only knows of him from ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* In [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] and [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony's]] crossover review of ''ComicBook/{{Warrior}} #1'', Spoony mocks the Wrestling/UltimateWarrior's disjointed speech patterns by quoting [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68mbFvenlaQ Col. Campbell's infamous line]] from ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Solid 2|SonsOfLiberty}}'' near verbatim (only adding a "Hoak Hogan" to keep with the theme). Months afterward, TGWTG fans who apparently never played [=MGS2=] would often spout "I need scissors! 61!" when talking about the Ultimate Warrior, as if believing the line only came from that review.
[[/folder]]

* Every time someone mentions that something reminds them of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Vetter Bubble Boy]] from... ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''.
* When ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'' was re-released (to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the real disaster), a lot of young people took to Twitter to express their surprise upon [[AluminumChristmasTrees learning that]] [[http://twistedsifter.com/2012/04/people-who-didnt-know-the-titanic-was-real/ it was based on a real ship]]. Cue {{Facepalm}}ing.
** At least one newscast referred to the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costa_Concordia Costa Concordia]]'' as "the real life ''Titanic''."
* We're now at the point where younger shoppers [[https://consumerist.com/2016/11/14/young-grocery-shoppers-have-no-idea-who-this-paul-newman-guy-is/ have no idea]] that "[[Creator/PaulNewman The Newman's Own guy]]" was once a movie star.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In the mid-70’s and on into the ’80’s, a common story had a young person in a music store saying “Hey, look, Music/PaulMcCartney was in a band before Wings!” Columnist Herb Caen, among others, claimed to have personally witnessed it.
* Many young fans refer to Creator/ChristopherEccleston as the first ''Series/{{Doctor Who}}''
** And many more young fans refer to Creator/DavidTennant as the first Doctor, too.

*** [[ProfessionalWrestling Professional Wrestler]] Wrestling/RicFlair as his {{Leitmotif}},