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| 4 | %% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks! |
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| 9 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1602283996095023800 |
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| 12 | [[quoteright:337:[[Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pcof1.png]]]] |
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| 14 | ->'''Soujirou:''' Oh, back then, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Bison]][[note]](the boxer called Balrog in the West)[[/note]] was dressed up as Creator/MikeTyson. Pretty cool.\ |
| 15 | '''Konata:''' Who's Mike Tyson?\ |
| 16 | ''[later that day]''\ |
| 17 | '''Soujirou:''' Today, I felt the generation gap in a deep and very personal way. |
| 18 | -->-- ''Manga/LuckyStar'' Manga vol. 6 |
| 19 | |
| 20 | [[ItWasHisSled What was whose sled?]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | This is a subversion of PopCulturalOsmosis. When used in-universe, it's usually as a means of showing the difference between people from two different groups (usually generations) in which a character from Group A makes a pop culture reference (or mentions a famous person or movie or work) and one of four things happens: |
| 23 | |
| 24 | # "Who's X?" -- The person from Group B doesn't get it at all because of a failure of PopCulturalOsmosis. This seems to be the most common. |
| 25 | # "Oh, X! He was in Y, right!" -- The person from Group B ''gets it wrong'' because of a failure of PopCulturalOsmosis (and they are guessing). |
| 26 | # "Wait, Y was based on a real X?" -- The person from Group B gets it wrong because of a ''clash'' of PopCulturalOsmosis, and he's [[ParodyDisplacement referencing something that referenced the original]], [[LostInImitation referenced a reference]] [[OlderThanTheyThink of the original, etc.]] |
| 27 | # "Impressive, you know X... oh, you don't" -- The person from Group B gets it wrong because of a clash of PopCulturalOsmosis, when person A is referencing something more recent (the reverse of 3). |
| 28 | |
| 29 | This can happen because the person from Group B: |
| 30 | |
| 31 | * is a bumpkin or is otherwise cut off from modern pop culture; |
| 32 | * is an outsider of the clique or subculture or is an immigrant or [[FunnyForeigner foreigner]]; |
| 33 | * is old-fashioned and not knowledgeable of current popular culture; |
| 34 | * [[BeforeMyTime is young]] and [[IveHeardOfThatWhatIsIt the bit of pop culture]] is (relatively) old; |
| 35 | * is [[InTheOriginalKlingon amusingly]] [[FishOutOfTemporalWater displaced]] from the time of origin; |
| 36 | * simply is not familiar with a genre or a work; |
| 37 | * the work itself is [[FanMyopia thought to be so popular]] that all who know it think it will be passed on through PopCulturalOsmosis -- with the result that it ''isn't''. |
| 38 | * just is not interested in pop culture. |
| 39 | |
| 40 | Note that any example can go both ways (for example, someone too old to know Music/BritneySpears or The Music/BackstreetBoys may have fond memories of ''Series/ILoveLucy'' or Music/HermansHermits). |
| 41 | |
| 42 | This, by the way, is the reason character-named tropes are often renamed[[note]]Mostly. Part of it is because people, apparently thinking more potholes automatically makes a better example, will all too often [[Administrivia/{{Sinkhole}} shoehorn in links to tropes that have absolutely nothing to do with the example in question]], other than that the example includes that trope's namesake.[[/note]]. For example, if you're not familiar with original Literature/SherlockHolmes tales, you won't know who InspectorLestrade is; if not well-read in 19th-century French literature (or [[AllMusicalsAreAdaptations Broadway musicals]]), InspectorJavert may be unknown to you. |
| 43 | |
| 44 | With the advent of cable television, the Internet, and more things to do in less time, this is becoming more and more TruthInTelevision. Most everyone in the US watched ''Series/ILoveLucy'' because it was one of three television choices; not everyone watched ''Series/AmericanIdol'' because it was one of a thousand television choices (and hundreds of thousands of entertainment choices). |
| 45 | |
| 46 | One of the many, many reasons for Administrivia/NotSelfExplanatory. |
| 47 | |
| 48 | Compare OnceOriginalNowCommon, AdaptationDisplacement, ForgottenTrope, ItsBeenDone, FleetingDemographicRule, RecognitionFailure, PopCultureIsolation, LampshadedTheObscureReference, BeforeMyTime, and TechnologicallyBlindElders. |
| 49 | |
| 50 | Contrast: ItWasHisSled and especially PopCulturalOsmosis. |
| 51 | |
| 52 | ---- |
| 53 | !!Examples: |
| 54 | [[index]] |
| 55 | * PopculturalOsmosisFailure/UnknownReference |
| 56 | [[/index]] |
| 57 | |
| 58 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 59 | |
| 60 | !!Mistaken Reference |
| 61 | |
| 62 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 63 | * In ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'', Index is shown watching a MagicalGirl anime, and applying her rather warped worldview to it. For one thing, she doesn't seem to understand that it's fiction. She assumes the protagonist goes through a TransformationSequence to hide from witch hunters, but gets hung up on the blatantly wrong symbology and magic. |
| 64 | [[/folder]] |
| 65 | |
| 66 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 67 | * PlayedForDrama in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/118060936?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#comment_718779061 Making Rainbows Bloom]]''. During a jogging exercise, [[Anime/LoveLiveNijigasakiHighSchoolIdolClub Kanata Konoe]] hears the line [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration "There are only four lights"]] repeating in her head. Though due to [[ExhaustionInducedIdiocy exhaustion from all the responsibilities in her life]] and trying to review her studies in her head while jogging, Kanata confused Picard's line for a reading from her English class right before [[HeroicRROD she collapses from exhaustion]]. |
| 68 | [[/folder]] |
| 69 | |
| 70 | [[folder:Films — Animation]] |
| 71 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Scoob}}'': Velma dresses up as the judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg for Halloween, but Shaggy mistakes her costume for a ''Literature/HarryPotter'' school uniform. |
| 72 | -->'''Velma:''' I'm Ruth Bader Ginsburg, obviously.\ |
| 73 | '''Shaggy:''' Which house is she in? Hufflepuff?\ |
| 74 | '''Velma:''' She's a Supreme Court Justice.\ |
| 75 | '''Shaggy:''' (''disappointed'') Oh. [[TakeThat Slytherin.]] |
| 76 | * ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut'': As the general informs the troops that the black soldiers will be participating in Operation Human Shield: |
| 77 | -->'''Chef:''' Have you ever heard of the Emancipation Proclamation?\ |
| 78 | '''General:''' I don't listen to hip-hop. |
| 79 | [[/folder]] |
| 80 | |
| 81 | [[folder:Films — Live-Action]] |
| 82 | * From the ProfessionalWrestling movie ''Film/AllTheMarbles'': Promoter Eddie Cisco tells Harry Sears, manager of [[TagTeam The California Dolls,]] that if he wanted class, he'd get the [[Creator/CharlotteBronte Brontë]] [[Creator/EmilyBronte sisters.]] Harry says, "My girls will tear their legs off." |
| 83 | * From ''Film/Armageddon1998'': |
| 84 | -->'''A.J.:''' Have you ever heard of Evel Knievel?\ |
| 85 | '''Lev:''' No, I never saw ''Franchise/StarWars''. |
| 86 | * In ''Film/BabyDriver'', one of the crooks is tasked with getting masks of the slasher Michael Myers from the movie ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}''. Instead, he gets ''Film/AustinPowers'' masks. |
| 87 | -->'''Eddie No-Nose:''' Doc said Michael Myers!\ |
| 88 | '''JD:''' This is Creator/MikeMyers!\ |
| 89 | '''Bats:''' It should be the ''{{Franchise/Halloween}}'' mask!\ |
| 90 | '''JD:''' [[SustainedMisunderstanding This is a Halloween mask!]]\ |
| 91 | '''Bats:''' No, the killer dude from ''Halloween''!\ |
| 92 | '''JD:''' Oh, you mean [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason...]]\ |
| 93 | '''Bats:''' ''No!'' |
| 94 | * In ''Film/DontLookUp'', astronomy graduate student Kate travels to the White House with Randall, her college professor, to present their findings after she discovers a previously unknown comet heading on a deadly trajectory towards earth: When they mention that it was discovered via the Subaru Telescope, Chief of Staff Jason thinks of the automobile manufacturer, and expresses surprise that they make telescopes too [[note]]Subaru and the Subaru Telescope are named after the same star cluster, specifically the Japanese name for the Pleiades - otherwise the two are unrelated[[/note]]. |
| 95 | * In ''Film/GetAJob'', Roger tries dyeing his hair and beard black in an attempt to look younger. As he and his son Will argue, Will gives the parting shot "You look like Creator/BillyMays!". Roger thinks he means ''Willie'' Mays, the baseball player. |
| 96 | * ''Film/LiveFreeOrDieHard'': When John [=McClane=] finally gets to "Warlock"'s place, his reluctant ally tries to pass him off as another of the culture, which fails fast. Notable is when [=McClane=] fails to recognize a cutout of Boba Fett and tries to cover it by saying he's only familiar with ''Franchise/StarWars''. [=McClane=]'s smirk seems to suggest he's just screwing with "The Warlock" with that one. |
| 97 | * ''[[Series/TheMunsters Munster, Go Home!]]'': Herman mistakes the portrait of [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethII Elizabeth II]] on some counterfeit British pounds for Film/MaryPoppins. |
| 98 | * In ''Film/SharknadoThe4thAwakens'', at one point, Gil jokes, "To boldly go where no one has gone before." Claudia says quoting ''Franchise/StarWars'' is dorky. He corrects her and says that came from ''Franchise/StarTrek''. |
| 99 | * ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'': Happy Hogan turns on [[Music/{{ACDC}} "Back in Black",]] and Peter responds that he loves Music/LedZeppelin. |
| 100 | * In ''Film/{{Waxwork}}'', one of the young people asks if the Phantom of the Opera figure's mask is the original from the movie, and the owner is surprised that someone made a movie about the Phantom. It's implied that the owner is not merely pop-culture clueless, but that he knows the Phantom ''actually existed'' in the movie's verse and is amazed Hollywood would resort to filming his tale. |
| 101 | [[/folder]] |
| 102 | |
| 103 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 104 | * In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/MethuselahsChildren'', Lazarus mentions how, since the people on the spaceship will be going back to Earth while 75 years have passed there while only 25 have passed on the ship, there was a great place in Baja California that made great Mexican food. He asks a young girl who was born on the ship if she knows where Baja California is, "Don't you think I studied geography? It's in Los Angeles." Lazarus reflects that by the time they get back she may be right. |
| 105 | [[/folder]] |
| 106 | |
| 107 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 108 | * ''Series/FortyFourHundred'': [=LaDonna=] creates an illusion of medical equipment she says she saw on ''Series/GreysAnatomy''. Doc assumes she's referring to an updated version of the medical book. |
| 109 | * In the ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' episode "Halloween II", the rest of the precinct makes the wrong guesses on Boyle's costume selection, such as calling his [[Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse He-Man]] costume "gay Myth/RobinHood". |
| 110 | * ''Series/EverythingNow'': Will advises Mia to act like Cady from ''Film/MeanGirls'', and she's got no idea who that is, having never watched it, to his exasperation. Carli also mentions several older classic plays to her like ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' and Mia doesn't recognize any of them. |
| 111 | * ''Series/TheFlash2014'': In "Nora", Barry and Iris meet their KidFromTheFuture, Nora. Barry points out if they screw up, Nora might "Marty [=McFly=] herself out of existence." Iris goes, ''[[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay "Right, Terminator 2."]]'' Barry is mystified and says that was from ''Film/BackToTheFuture1''. |
| 112 | * On ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'', when Will and Carlton are trying to pawn Aunt Viv's tennis bracelet, Carlton tries to get more money by telling the pawn shop owner, Agnes, it belonged to UsefulNotes/CatherineTheGreat. She thinks he's referring to somebody completely different: |
| 113 | -->'''Agnes:''' 200 dollars.\ |
| 114 | '''Carlton:''' Okay for an ordinary bracelet, but not okay for one that formerly belonged to UsefulNotes/CatherineTheGreat.\ |
| 115 | '''Agnes:''' The one-armed chick that works the corner of Hollywood and Vine? She a class act. Okay, $300. |
| 116 | * ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': When Lane's (white) boyfriend Dave asks her traditional Korean mother for permission to date her (so they can do it openly), she responds with "Let never day nor night unhallowed pass, but still remember what the Lord hath done." Lane and Dave have no idea what it means, so Dave resolves to find out. He figures it must be from the Bible, so he reads the whole thing ''in one night'' and can't find it. When he confronts Mrs. Kim the next day begging for an explanation, she tells him it's from Shakespeare, but she's sufficiently impressed by his dedication in reading the Bible, so she explicitly grants permission. |
| 117 | * Played with in an episode of ''Series/HolbyCity'', where an American patient says she understands the medical details because she's seen ''Series/{{ER}}''. Arthur Digby, who doesn't own a television, gets excited thinking she means she's been in an ''actual'' ER. |
| 118 | * ''Series/TheITCrowd'': To Moss, "Fredo" from ''Film/TheGodfather'' is just a mispronunciation of "Frodo" from ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' |
| 119 | -->'''Roy:''' Fredo, in the film, he was essentially a pimp.\ |
| 120 | '''Moss:''' No. He took the ring to Mordor! |
| 121 | * ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'': |
| 122 | ** In "The Gang Solves the Bathroom Problem," [[IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance the main characters]] express their enthusiasm for an upcoming Music/JimmyBuffett concert while repeatedly referencing songs by different artists (mainly "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes). |
| 123 | ** Creator/BryanCranston and Creator/AaronPaul do some AdamWesting in "Celebrity Booze: The Ultimate Cash Grab." The Gang seems completely unfamiliar with ''Series/BreakingBad'', addressing them as [[Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle Mr. Middle]] and [[Creator/FrankieMuniz Malcolm]]. |
| 124 | * Tony on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' is a major movie buff and is constantly quoting movies. In one episode he loses his voice from overexertion. Ducky throws his quoting habit back in his face with, [[Film/TopGun "Your ego's writing checks your body can't cash."]] |
| 125 | -->'''[[BadassIsraeli Ziva:]]''' Oh, I know that one! Um, ''Film/GoneWithTheWind''!\ |
| 126 | ''[Tony cringes and groans]'' |
| 127 | * ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': After it is discovered that the Gryzzl corporation was able to distract Ben from noticing that they added a revision to their contract allowing them to data mine Pawnee by doing it on December 18, 2015, the premiere date of ''[[Film/TheForceAwakens Star Wars Episode VII:]]'' |
| 128 | -->'''Ron:''' Is ''Franchise/StarWars'' the one with the [[Franchise/HarryPotter little wizard boy?]] |
| 129 | * In the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Parallel Universe", Holly remarks that by jumping into a parallel universe they've "entered the fifth dimension". Lister seems to think the Fifth Dimension is a band: "Didn't they get to number six with 'Baby, I Want Your Love Thing'?" |
| 130 | * A RunningGag in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' is that J.D. refuses to admit he knows nothing about sports, so when other characters make sports references he tries to join in and gets them completely wrong. |
| 131 | * ''Series/{{Soap}}'': Jodie counters his Aunt Jessica's claim that there were no homosexuals when she was growing up by noting that many people throughout history were gay, including Plato. Jessica is stunned to learn that [[WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup Mickey Mouse's dog]] was gay. |
| 132 | * ''Series/{{Spaced}}'': |
| 133 | ** Tim is giving the group ''Star Wars'' codenames. [[TheFashionista Twist]] is stuck with "Jabba", which probably would have offended her if she'd ever seen ''Star Wars'': |
| 134 | --->'''Twist:''' Was Jabba the princess?\ |
| 135 | '''Everyone:''' [[SureLetsGoWithThat Yes.]] |
| 136 | * This exchange from ''Series/TheWestWing'': |
| 137 | -->'''Mandy:''' That bill was our coming out party. We were gonna have the stage for a month! It was our Nessun Dorma!\ |
| 138 | '''Staffer #1:''' What the hell's Nessun Dorma?\ |
| 139 | '''Staffer #2:''' It's an Italian opera by [[Music/RichardWagner Wagner.]]\ |
| 140 | '''Mandy:''' It's [[Music/GiacomoPuccini Puccini,]] Wagner's German, and you're a moron. |
| 141 | [[/folder]] |
| 142 | |
| 143 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 144 | * Music/FountainsOfWayne's "I'll Do the Driving" includes an example, although the [[TheDitz ditzy]] subject of the song makes the mangled reference without any prompting: |
| 145 | -->''We're out, the jukebox plays "[[Music/TheRollingStones Jumping Jack Flash]]"\ |
| 146 | She says "I love Music/JohnnyCash, the man in red"\ |
| 147 | I turn my head and pretend not to hear what she said'' |
| 148 | [[/folder]] |
| 149 | |
| 150 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 151 | * [[http://www.venisproductions.com/angelmoxie/archives/1/5/154.html An exchange]] in ''Webcomic/AngelMoxie'': |
| 152 | -->'''Mr. Kyokasho:''' Well, you know Doogie Howser?\ |
| 153 | '''Tristan:''' What's that? A kind of meatloaf? |
| 154 | [[/folder]] |
| 155 | |
| 156 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 157 | * In ''LetsPlay/AchievementHunterMinecraftSeries'' Matt declared that ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' taught him the origin of Hanukkah. Jeremy, knowing exactly which episode he means, points out it was actually about ''Passover''. |
| 158 | * In ''WebVideo/AfterHours'', Daniel is the nerdiest of the four characters, and apparently knows ''nothing'' about sports, which is lampshaded. |
| 159 | -->'''Katie:''' Careful. Daniel doesn't follow sports terms.\ |
| 160 | '''Daniel:''' We're supposed to follow sports ''"terms"''? I've been saying "teams". |
| 161 | * In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH0oL112hzA the Brock's Dub parody of Silento's "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)",]] this trope is used to mock the likely OneHitWonder status of the artist in a segment where Brock first confuses Silento with "the gangnam style guy", followed by him confusing PSY with Sisqo. |
| 162 | * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm-6RR4sLXw YouTube Comment Reconstruction #5]] -- based on an actual comment thread -- suggests that a lot of people reacted to the death of Nelson Mandela by getting him mixed up with Creator/MorganFreeman. After the misapprehension is corrected, it transitions into a Type 1. |
| 163 | -->RIP Nelson Mandela. You were a great actor, and ''Film/BruceAlmighty'' is my favourite ever film, and I think you were what {{God}} is actually like. |
| 164 | * A running gag in ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' is that whenever the group puts on a HalloweenCosplay, Homestar misidentifies some of them. This varies from understandable (mistaking VideoGame/CarmenSandiego for [[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus the Spanish Inquisition]]) to weird (mistaking Mac Tonight for Creator/JayLeno) to bizarre (mistaking [[VideoGame/SpaceAce Commander Borf]] for "the ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' Genie dressed as Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano"). This often doubles as LampshadedTheObscureReference. This would eventually culiminate into the episode "The Show: Ween Edition", where Homestar would turn this quirk into a ''game show''. |
| 165 | * The final battle between Kayaba Akihiko and Kirito has the latter pull off the "IRejectYourReality" line in ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged''. |
| 166 | -->'''Kayaba:''' Nice, ''[[Film/TheDungeonmaster Dungeonmaster]]''!\ |
| 167 | '''Kirito:''' What? No, ''Series/MythBusters''. What the hell is Dungeonmaster?\ |
| 168 | '''Kayaba:''' Oh. I was so excited there for a second. |
| 169 | [[/folder]] |
| 170 | |
| 171 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 172 | * ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'': Wanda misses a lot of references, [[FishOutOfTemporalWater having been in a coma between the '80s and the new '10s]]. In one instance Bojack refers to Music/SnoopDogg, and she's puzzled for a moment until she decides he means Snoopy from ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}''. |
| 173 | * ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle'': The show's spoof of ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' ("The Three Mooseketeers") had this exchange: |
| 174 | -->'''Athos:''' You want my advice, pay the taxes.\ |
| 175 | '''Filet Mignon:''' But he is a tyrant!\ |
| 176 | '''Athos:''' Pay the taxes.\ |
| 177 | '''Filet Mignon:''' He thinks [[Music/ClaudeDebussy Clair de Lune]] is a girl.\ |
| 178 | '''Athos:''' [[FelonyMisdemeanor That is different. We will fight!]] |
| 179 | * In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' "Family Feud", Stu gets frustrated during a game of charades when Howard fails to guess ''Film/DancesWithWolves''. Howard responds that he doesn't watch musicals. |
| 180 | -->'''Stu''': It's not a musical, you imbecile! |
| 181 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': |
| 182 | ** In "Marge vs the Monorail", Creator/LeonardNimoy of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fame appears as the guest of honor at the monorail's ribbon-cutting ceremony, where Mayor Quimby says "[[Franchise/StarWars May the Force be with you]]" to him. |
| 183 | --->'''Nimoy:''' Do you even know who I am?\ |
| 184 | '''Quimby:''' I think so. [[DiggingYourselfDeeper Weren't you one of]] ''Film/TheLittleRascals''? |
| 185 | ** In "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star", when Bart recites a Latin prayer at the dinner table. |
| 186 | --->'''Homer:''' Bart, what the hell are you saying?\ |
| 187 | '''Lisa:''' That's Latin, Dad, the language of Plutarch.\ |
| 188 | '''Homer:''' [[WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup Mickey Mouse's dog?]]\ |
| 189 | '''Lisa:''' No, Plu-''tarch''. He chronicled the lives of the Roman emperors.\ |
| 190 | '''Homer:''' Oh, I didn't need that new fact! Now I forgot who won Bud Bowl VIII! |
| 191 | * In the episode "What Color Is Your Cleansuit" of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', The Monarch decides to get kinky in the bedroom and tells Dr. Girlfriend he'll cosplay as Khal Drogo, expecting her to cosplay as Daenerys. Dr. Girlfriend, however, does not watch ''Series/GameOfThrones''. She appears in stars-and-stripes boxing trunks because she thought he said "Drago". As in [[Film/RockyIV Ivan Drago.]] |
| 192 | -->'''The Monarch:''' What the hell is sexy about that?! |
| 193 | [[/folder]] |
| 194 | |
| 195 | !!Reference Mistaken for Original |
| 196 | |
| 197 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 198 | * 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|2015}}''". |
| 199 | [[/folder]] |
| 200 | |
| 201 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 202 | * Happens in-universe in ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony''. |
| 203 | ** 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. |
| 204 | ** 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''?" |
| 205 | [[/folder]] |
| 206 | |
| 207 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 208 | * ''Literature/FateStrangeFake'': When Servant Watcher brings up Myth/ArthurianLegend, Sigma reveals he only knows of him from ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''. |
| 209 | * ''Literature/Tempest2011'': In ''Tempest Rising'', Tempest references "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you" from ''Film/TopGun'', but Kona has never heard of the movie and thinks Tempest is being dramatic. Later, she sees his movie collection, which is nothing but horror films. |
| 210 | [[/folder]] |
| 211 | |
| 212 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 213 | * 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"]]. |
| 214 | * ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': This frequently happens between Robin (who is from Canada) and the rest of the gang. Robin calls [[Music/BruceSpringsteen Springsteen]]! "like the American Music/BryanAdams". Springsteen had his break ten years earlier and is ''much'' more famous around the world, and particularly in the US. |
| 215 | * ''Series/ItsAwfullyBadForYourEyesDarling'': Despite quoting him, Pudding is unfamiliar with Ernest Dowson in "A New Lease": |
| 216 | -->'''Pudding''': ''Ah'', the days of wine and roses. They are not long. |
| 217 | -->'''Samantha''': Who said that? |
| 218 | -->'''Pudding''': [[ComicallyMissingThePoint I did?]] |
| 219 | [[/folder]] |
| 220 | |
| 221 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 222 | * ''Music/AlsoSprachZarathustra'' is: |
| 223 | ** a book by Nietzsche; |
| 224 | ** a 30-minute orchestral tone poem composed by Strauss, the first 2 minutes of which is used by: |
| 225 | *** the movie ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' and |
| 226 | *** [[ProfessionalWrestling Professional Wrestler]] Wrestling/RicFlair as his {{Leitmotif}}, and |
| 227 | *** Brazilian musician Eumir Deodato, whose jazz-funk arrangement was a hit single in 1973, |
| 228 | ** and a JRPG (''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}} 3: [[GratuitousGerman Also Sprach Zarathustra]]''),\ |
| 229 | pretty much in that order. |
| 230 | * 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''. |
| 231 | * Basically the reason CoveredUp and SampledUp exist (just see the opening quote for the former entry). |
| 232 | [[/folder]] |
| 233 | |
| 234 | [[folder:Print Media]] |
| 235 | * In its episode guide to ''Series/LoisAndClark'', ''SFX'' magazine explains that Perry's anonymous source Sore Throat (who actually refers to the line "[[Film/AllThePresidentsMen Follow the money]]" at one point), is a parody of Deep Throat... from ''Series/TheXFiles''. |
| 236 | [[/folder]] |
| 237 | |
| 238 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 239 | * When ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIII'' was released in 2023 by Larian many newer players, who never played the [[Franchise/BaldursGate originals]] by Bioware nor knew who Minsc and Boo were, didn't get the references to the miniature giant space hamsters and mistook them for some random silly notes made just for fun. But in some egregious cases they mistook them for a tribute to the hamster you can get in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' (which was made again by Bioware, and was already a tribute to Minsc and Boo). One of many examples is [[https://reddit.com/r/masseffect/comments/18syw59/a_nice_easter_egg_found_in_baldurs_gate_3/ here]]. |
| 240 | * ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' servers often added the ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'' "Headshot!" "Multi kill!" "Killing spree!" etc. sound effects. This became such a wide-spread practice, however, that many modders, unaware of the now-less-popular game, refer to them as "CS" sounds when they add them to other games. This expanded to the point that Valve, the company that made ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'', used the ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'' announcements in the beta of their newer game, ''VideoGame/{{Dota 2}}''. |
| 241 | * In ''Homescapes'' William mentions that he and Austin are building a flying machine based on Leonardo's drawings and Scotty asks which Ninja Turtle that is. When Chloe replies that the Leonardo in question was an inventor and artist, Scotty states that it's cool that an inventor was named after the Ninja Turtle. |
| 242 | [[/folder]] |
| 243 | |
| 244 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 245 | * 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}}''. |
| 246 | [[/folder]] |
| 247 | |
| 248 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 249 | * ''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. |
| 250 | [[/folder]] |
| 251 | |
| 252 | !!Referencing Reference Rather Than Original |
| 253 | |
| 254 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 255 | * ''ComicBook/Robin1993'': In an annual, ComicBook/{{Huntress}} tells Robin it was a clever idea of his to wear mirrors under their ponchos (to blind their enemies in a gunfight). He says he got the idea from an old movie. She says "''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'', huh?" and he replies "No. ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII''." This falls into FridgeLogic when considering that Marty got the idea from seeing ''that very scene'' from ''A Fistful of Dollars'' in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'', and that Marty had identified himself as Creator/ClintEastwood upon arriving in 1885. But it’s quite possible that Robin was just messing with her given the way he laughs at her reaction. |
| 256 | * ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': In one issue, Matthew the Raven [[Literature/TheRaven perches on a bust and says "Nevermore!",]] then says he got it from the Creator/RogerCorman movie. |
| 257 | * ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': In-universe OlderThanTheyThink example has ComicBook/{{Superboy}} saying to Superman, "Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning." When Superman says, "''Literature/PeterPan''. How appropriate." Superboy replies, "What are you talking about? [[Franchise/StarTrek Captain Kirk]] said that," in reference to Kirk's closing line at the end of [[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry the 6th movie]] where he was clearly quoting ''Peter Pan''. |
| 258 | [[/folder]] |
| 259 | |
| 260 | [[folder:Comic Strips]] |
| 261 | * In [[https://www.gocomics.com/phoebe-and-her-unicorn/2014/03/24/ one]] ''ComicStrip/PhoebeAndHerUnicorn'' strip, Marigold says she assumes bird song is about unicorns. Phoebe suggests she just thinks the song is about her because she's so vain. |
| 262 | -->'''Marigold:''' [[Music/CarlySimon That song is]] ''[[Music/CarlySimon also]]'' [[Music/CarlySimon about me.]]\ |
| 263 | '''Phoebe:''' What song? |
| 264 | [[/folder]] |
| 265 | |
| 266 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 267 | * Meta-example in Music/JunoSongs' cover of the Scissors boss fight from ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing'': After [[TheBadGuyWins cutting Mario in two at the end of the song]], Scissors quotes [[Anime/LupinIII Goemon]]'s iconic line: "Once again, I have cut a worthless object." Most reviewers seem to think that it's a reference to Kartana from the ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime]], who once said the line in SdrawkcabSpeech in a ShoutOut to Goemon. |
| 268 | * During the first season finale of ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'', [[KnightInSourArmor Kirito]] and [[BigBad Kayaba]] have some fun exchanging pop culture references before their big duel, bonding over how no one else gets their references. However, at the end of the fight Kayaba gets disappointed when Kirito misattributes a certain quote during his ShutUpHannibal speech: |
| 269 | -->'''Kirito:''' IRejectYourReality, and substitute my own!\ |
| 270 | '''Kayaba:''' NICE! ''[[Film/TheDungeonmaster Dungeonmaster!]]''\ |
| 271 | '''Kirito:''' Huh?... What?! No! ''Series/MythBusters''! What the hell is "Dungeonmaster"?\ |
| 272 | '''Kayaba:''' Oh... I was so happy there for a second... |
| 273 | |
| 274 | [[/folder]] |
| 275 | |
| 276 | [[folder:Film- Live-Action]] |
| 277 | * Played with in ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}.'' Arthur and Mera hide in a whale's mouth to evade Atlantis's army, with Arthur stating he got the idea from ''WesternAnimation/{{Pinocchio}}''. Later, a little girl repays Mera's kindness by giving her a copy of a ''Literature/{{Pinocchio}}'' storybook. Mera is aghast that Arthur risked their lives on an idea he got from a book, to which he replies "It was a book?" |
| 278 | [[/folder]] |
| 279 | |
| 280 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 281 | * ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' has the normally PopCulturedBadass Jake suffer from this once: |
| 282 | -->'''Jake Peralta:''' Hello Santiago. Emphasis on "Iago", backstabber!\ |
| 283 | '''Amy Santiago:''' I'm surprised you've read ''Theatre/{{Othello}}''.\ |
| 284 | '''Jake Peralta:''' What's Othello? I was calling you the parrot from ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}''. |
| 285 | * ''Series/TheCoroner'': From "Life": |
| 286 | -->'''Davey:''' Greed makes strange bedfellows.\ |
| 287 | '''Jane:''' Shakespeare.\ |
| 288 | '''Davey:''' ''Series/GameOfThrones''. |
| 289 | * Jeremy Clarkson once dodged a forfeit on ''Series/{{QI}}'' through this trope: He answered the question "What has twenty legs, five heads, and can't reach its own nuts?" with a BoyBand that was too old for the QI elves to have listed it (namely, Westlife). Upon being informed that the trope was in play, co-panelist Jimmy Carr then forfeited on purpose with [[Music/OneDirection a more recent addition.]] (Which falls flat anyway -- a five-member boy-band would have 10 legs, not 20...) |
| 290 | [[/folder]] |
| 291 | |
| 292 | |
| 293 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 294 | * An ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'' strip starts with Arthur's [[ShowWithinAShow journal/Life embellished webcomic,]] with several of the characters playing cards. Gawaine says, "He who steals these cards steals trash," Pellinore replies, [[AuthorCatchphrase "You can't beat the classics",]] and Gawaine asks if he's a ''Series/{{MASH}}'' fan too. Cut to the real-world Gawaine saying, "I don't get it," because Arthur's portrayal of him as not knowing the line is a paraphrase of ''Theatre/{{Othello}}'' is completely accurate. |
| 295 | [[/folder]] |
| 296 | |
| 297 | !!Other Examples: |
| 298 | |
| 299 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 300 | * ''Manga/TheDangersInMyHeart'': Kana Ichikawa serves her brother Kyōtarō and Yamada takoyaki at a restaurant and channels ''Manga/{{Baki}}'', giving Yamada a blessing to become a "woman who can't be consumed" just as Yujiro did with Baki's girlfriend Kozue. Yamada, who only reads one manga, pauses and just goes "Okay!" (Although Kyōtarō ''does'' get it and tells Kana to shoo.) |
| 301 | [[/folder]] |
| 302 | |
| 303 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 304 | * Invoked in the ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo''-series: Two time-travelling spies identify each others by the code names [[Franchise/StarTrek "Romulus" and "Vulcan"]]. The idea is that, since American pop culture hasn't penetrated the public consciousness of the 17th century, anyone in a position to recognize the names will assume that Romulus's counterpart is Remus. |
| 305 | * During a flashback in ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'', Robert Langdon is explaining to his editor about the real nature of the Holy Grail. The editor asks why he's never heard of it and Langdon answers that the cover-up "is backed up by [[Literature/TheBible the world's biggest best-seller]]". The editor immediately expresses surprise that ''Literature/HarryPotter'' talks about the Holy Grail. |
| 306 | * ''Literature/TheManyLivesOfStephenLeeds'': When one of Stephen's [[HelpfulHallucination aspects]] "dies", Stephen loses access to all knowledge associated with that aspect. Losing Tobias, his "general knowledge" aspect, makes him a ramped-up version of this. Among many other things, he can no longer remember what the Eiffel Tower is. |
| 307 | [[/folder]] |
| 308 | |
| 309 | [[folder:Films -- Live Action]] |
| 310 | * ''Film/TheFunhouseMassacre'': While two park workers are discussing the tastefulness (or lack there-of) of basing a haunted house attraction on the real-life crimes of InUniverse [[SerialKiller Serial Killers]], the other states that [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity that's only making people talk about it more]], and says a hashtag about the attraction is blowing up on [[Website/TwitterX Tweezer]]. |
| 311 | * ''Film/GhostNote'': When [[TheProtagonist Mallory]]'s grandma asks her what she likes to do, Mallory comments she likes watching movies on Creator/{{Netflix}}. Her grandma states she likes the idea, and they go to do that. As they walk, Mallory's grandma asks... |
| 312 | -->'''Grandma:''' What's Netflix? |
| 313 | * In ''Film/TheTwoPopes'', Pope Benedict doesn't get the Beatles reference when Pope Francis says Eleanor Rigby |
| 314 | * ''Film/WerewolvesWithin'': Emerson Flint, the guy who lives out on the edge of Beaverfield, doesn't know who [[Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]] is. |
| 315 | [[/folder]] |
| 316 | |
| 317 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 318 | * ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob:'' Galatea is very proud of her vast knowledge, but she has zero interest in pop culture and can be instantly stumped by even the simplest reference to it. "I don't know what that means" is nearly a catchphrase for her. |
| 319 | [[/folder]] |
| 320 | |
| 321 | [[folder:Web Originals]] |
| 322 | * ''WebVideo/EndTimes'' plays with this a lot. |
| 323 | ** Kimber is constantly missing the other survivors' pop culture references. Twelve years later the Archivist doesn't get them either, probably because 1) she was maybe eight back when TV or internet was a thing and 2) [[spoiler:she was at least partially brainwashed by a military dictatorship and spent most of her teen years as an assassin]]. |
| 324 | ** [[WebVideo/VlogBrothers "Those brothers that Charlie likes? with the... cancer book?"]] |
| 325 | * The [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/musically-oblivious-8th-grader Musically Oblivious 8th Grader]] {{meme|ticMutation}} uses various types. |
| 326 | [[/folder]] |
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