References to (other) Toons in Toons

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dollarman

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In the 90's and 2000's, animation studios (or cable networks who own cartoon characters) often make "gag" references to competing studios'/networks' creations, more so than in the 30's and 40's when there were hardly any at all.

I am compiling a list of as many inter-studio/network "gag" references from the 90's and 2000's as possible, though I may need help in identifying specific episodes of a series! Feel free to add to the list at will, screengrabs of these moments are encouraged (but not requires)!

-In one Powerpuff Girls episode, the one in which the girls are battling an invisible foe at school, Blossom is knocked into a coat pile and re-emerges from the pile dressed as Cartman of South Park fame!

-Among the model houses displayed in the restaraunt scene of the "Le Termite" episode of Disney Channel's The Buzz on Maggie, one of the houses is (strangely) an exact replica of Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends!

-While Big Dog and Little Dog are suiting up in the "Cartoon Canines" episode of Two Stupid Dogs, they briefly assume the likenesses of Ren and Stimpy.

-Over the course of several episodes of Animaniacs, there are direct verbal references to the rival Bonkers series at Disney, which by coincidence debuted around the same time. I forget the specific episodes.

-One of the strangest unlicensed crossovers IMHO occurs in an episode of CN's The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, where there is an appearance by an ancillary character with an eerie resemblance to (and the same first name as) Dora the Explorer. Later in the same short, Grim anounces he is going to miss his favourite show. As Billy attempts to guess Grim's favourite show, he rapidly summarizes the premise of Dora's show.

-In the Foster's Home episode "One False Movie," Eduardo is watching a show that lampoons Dora the Explorer.

That's all I can think of for now.
 
Futurama repetitively featured a manhole cover featuring the PJ's logo, and the cartoon PJ's did similar things.

The episode of Family Guy "Lois Kills Stewie" featured appearances by Stan and his Chief from American Dad.

The entire episode in which the Drawn Together cast is turned into babies (Drawn Together Babies?) is reminiscent of Tiny Toons and Muppet Babies.

In Cartoon Wars from South Park, there are appearances by Peter from Family Guy and Bart from The Simpsons.
 
Batgirl references Pinky & the Brain in an episode of The New Batman Adventures. In response to a question from Batman, she says, "The same thing we do every night, Pinky" to which Batman replies with a confused, "What?" :)
 
- Peter Griffin showed up on The Simpsons in one of the Treehouse of Horror episodes as one of Homer's clones. Later, his picture (along with Stan Smith's) showed up in a book of criminals. I forget the specific crime, but it had to with ripping off the Simpson's (American Dad was accused of ripping off Family Guy ripping off the Simpsons)


- Mojo Jojo made an appearance as as imaginary friend on the first episode of Fosters.

- The Koosala-however you say his name from Dexter's lab was referenced on the above mentioned PPG ep with the Cartman joke.
 
-In Foster's, Frankie wears a Powerpuff Girls T-shirt.

-Arthur has made references to Beavis & Butthead and Richard Scary's Busy World.

-Freakazoid featured cameos from both Animaniacs and Pinky & The Brain.
 
Duck Dodgers had a episode parodying Samurai Jack.

An episode of the Simpsons had the King of The Hill family watching a football game.

An episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward had a family of Simpson like aliens appear.
 
What about:
* Tiny Toon characters making cameos in Animaniacs episodes?
* Animaniacs characters making a cameo in 2 Tiny Toon specials - Spring Break and Night Ghoulery?
* Animaniacs characters making cameos in Freakazoid episodes?
* Freakazoid making cameos in Animaniacs episodes?
 
What about them? ;)

There have been numerous cameo appearances by other toon characters on Comedy Central's Drawn Together. I can't name them all, but few stand out in my memory:

If video game characters count, Pac Man makes an appearance in the episode where Xandir is officially outed, as do Elmer Fudd and Snagglepuss (although both of their faces are blurred). A later episode has an appearance by Scorpion from Mortal Kombat.

In one episode, we see one of the Wild Things from Maurice Sendak's book Where the Wild Things Are.

Peter and Lois Griffin make an appearance in one episode, although their heads aren't shown on screen.

Franken Berry makes an appearance in the "Breakfast Cereal Killer" episode.
 
I think I mentioned this in another thread, but there was an episode of Foster's in which Terence is staging fights between imaginary friends for paying teenagers, and among the teens present are Ed, Edd and Eddy.

Also, in the Foster's pilot, Mojo Jojo makes an appearance: Mr. Harriman says that some kids who lack imagination just imagine their favorite characters from TV shows", and we cut to Mojo standing there looking around confused.

Some Disney ones:

Mickey Mouse makes a quasi guest appearance in an episode of Bonkers; he's only referred to as "The Mouse" or "The Famous Mouse" and we never see him on camera; he spends the entire episode trapped in a box and we only hear his voice.

Humphrey the Bear guest stars in an episode of Chip 'N' Dale's Rescue Rangers, "Bearing Up Baby".

In one episode of Disney's Aladdin series, Genie conjures up a plane that resembles the Sea Duck from Tale Spin, and inside the cockpit, the characters are decked out like the Tale Spin characters: Genie is dressed like Baloo, Aladdin is dressed like Kit Cloudkicker and Jasmine is dressed like Rebecca Cunningham. Genie even calls Aladdin "Little Britches".
 
WARNING: We are starting to get a little too off-topic.













I would like to make it clear that this is a list for strictly INTER-STUDIO/INTER-NETWORK references (For Example: Nickelodeon characters spoofed on CN, CN toons poked fun at by Disney, etc.). The above quotes I made DO NOT COUNT (necessarily), as the property being spoofed is also "owned" by the studio/network that owns the show that's spoofing it.

This compilation is in response to a similar list compiled by Jerry Beck of the (relatively few) INTER-STUDIO references of the 30's and 40's toons. (http://www.cartoonresearch.com/questions.html, about ten questions from the top of the page.)

Thank you.
 
Well sorry, but there simply aren't a whole lot of those, what with legal/ownership rights, embargoes, lawyers and all. Referencing characters and shows which all exist under the same umbrella is just easier to do.
 
In the FoP episode "Channel Chasers" Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda enter cartoon spoofs of Speed Racer, Batman, Looney Tunes, DBZ, Space Ghost, Fat Albert, Peanuts, and Blue's Clues to name a few.

In another ep called "The Good Old Days," there's a spoof of Captain Planet, and the classic B&W cartoons of the golden age.

The South Park kids spoofed Akira, Bugs Bunny, Family Guy, Simpsons, and various Rankin Bass cartoons.

SP also had Imagination Land with all those cartoon characters fighting each other.
 
Homer Simpson makes a cameo in the final scene of of the Duckman episode "Duckman & Cornfed in 'Haunted Society Plumbers'". Homer even says Duckman's catchphrase "What the hell are you starin' at?"
 
Imagination Land was more like the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen's Fiction Universe, where everything ever made up existed in the same universe. IL's mayor was based off a Disney theme park character.

But it's an uphill battle. The likes of Drawn Together and Imagination Land require lawyer-advised tinkering to get the ok. But based on the IL commentary, it sounds like there is quite a bit of leeway since Strawberry Shortcake can appear and be referred to as such as long as she's wearing cherries on her hat. It can be done, but I think you have to be in a pretty secure place to get the ok to do it on that large a scale. Much easier to reference things from your own studio.
 
Didn't Homer have a hard time saying the exact phrasing of Duckman's catchphrase and the directors were telling him the right way to say it over the credits? Or am I remembering wrong?
 
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