History ParentalBonus / WesternAnimation

** Let's face it, most of [[ShoutOut/ChipNDaleRescueRangers the shout outs in this show]] went well over the target audience's heads.

*** A point accentuated by the episode "Anvilania," which leans heavily on the Marx Brothers' [[Film/DuckSoup Duck Soup]].

* In the first episode of late-90s Creator/{{ABC}} cartoon ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'', the titular character goes into Abe's Mall (with a big statue of UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln out front) to buy some pimple cream. The names of various shops in the mall float behind her, including "John Wilkes Photo Booth," "Getty's Burgers," "Four Score and Seven Year Pets," and "[[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar Civil Wear]]".

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' has the creepy Slade, whose behavior toward Robin, Terra, and Raven is vaguely pedophilic. There's a reason the FoeYay page for FoeYay/WesternAnimation refers to this guy as "the Amber Alert from hell."

* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': In "Mindy's Mystery", when the kids are interviewing Carrot about the mystery smell, it comes off as if they are investigating for possession of illegal substances. Complete with the funny looks they give him as they leave, and the fact that Carrot was apparently cooking up a "sweet sauce".

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' has loads of this. It's filled with numerous jokes that would go right over a kid's head (sometimes treading into {{Black Comedy}} territory) and has a bit of an 80's/90's cartoon vibe, despite being set in 2012. One specific example is "Soo and the Real Girl", a parody of ''Film/LarsAndTheRealGirl''.

* ''WesternAnimation/KappaMikey'' contained [[{{Expy}} expies]] and parodies of anime most children would not be familiar with, such as ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'', ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'', and ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''. ...Of course, this was during [[UsefulNotes/TheJapaneseInvasion the early 2000's anime bubble]] so [[OccidentalOtaku more than a few kids]] in the target audience did recognize them. ... Even though they really [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids usually]] [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids shouldn't.]]

** The Autobot science team is composed of Wheeljack, whose face greatly resembles a roboticized version of a certain walrus-faced Series/{{mythbuster|s}}, and Perceptor, whose computerized voice resembles that of physicist Stephan Hawking.
*** Wheeljack wasn't intended to look like a Mythbuster. But how about [[Film/ConAir Decepticon Air]] or [[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush Mission Accomplished]]?

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars'' is full of references to other ''Franchise/StarWars'' stories, including ones kids would likely not know about. The show makes references to characters and events from ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' and the extended universe (including the only canon appearance of Delta Squad from ''VideoGame/RepublicCommando''), along with [[CallForward call forwards]] to the Original Trilogy. Some of the episodes even reference events in the real world, with the "Umbara Arc" being written like a UsefulNotes/VietnamWar movie and an arc on Orto Plutonia commenting on colonization.

* WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars is full of references to other Franchise/StarWars stories, including ones kids would likely not know about. The show makes references to characters and events from ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' and the extended universe (including the only canon appearance of Delta Squad from ''VideoGame/RepublicCommando''), along with [[CallForward call forwards]] to the Original Trilogy. Some of the episodes even reference events in the real world, with the "Umbara Arc" being written like a UsefulNotes/VietnamWar movie and an arc on Orto Plutonia commenting on colonization.

---> '''Sam:''' The prison showers. If these walls could talk, eh Max?
---> '''Max:''' [[PrisonRape I think it's better if they keep their mouth shut, Sam.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', as mentioned earlier, is a particular user of this trope, culminating in TheMovie ending with [=SpongeBob=] defeating Plankton with ThePowerOfRock. The song? A parody of Music/TwistedSister's ''I Wanna Rock''.
** The sequence includes a closeup of shapely legs in fishnets[[spoiler:--Patrick's.]]
** "Do you think this is funny?" "In a cosmic sort of way, yes."
** The surprise appearance of Film/{{Nosferatu}}, "[[Literature/{{Dune}} wormsign]]", the titular character's trousers discarding akin to an o-ring separation before his legs erupt into rocket exhaust plumes, etc.
** Watch "Karate Island" and just try and find more than three jokes that ''[[PeripheryDemographic aren't]]'' Parental Bonus.
** "Sailor Mouth" referenced Creator/GeorgeCarlin's "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" routine.
---> '''Mr. Krabs:''' In fact, there are thirteen bad words you should never use.
---> '''Squidward:''' Don't you mean there are only seven?
---> '''Mr. Krabs:''' Not if you're a sailor.
** From the episode "The Secret Box", where the secret that turned out to be in the box was a string. Come on, a string in a box in a Bikini Bottom?
*** Of course, though, the string [[spoiler:opens a secret compartment in the secret box that contains an EmbarrassingOldPhoto of [=SpongeBob=] at a Christmas Party.]]
** And then there's Plankton and his reviewing of "foreign exercise videos" for his cousin.
** When Squidward has [[ItMakesSenseInContext convinced SpongeBob and Patrick to wait on his every whim,]] they move around his sun chair to various locations-- one is Too Hot, one is Too Wet, and the one with a background of cancan dancers is "Toulouse-Lautrec"
** The episode that begins with [=SpongeBob=] watching a dancing live-action sea anemone on his TV, with a goofy entranced look on his face, leaning toward the screen. When Gary comes in and meows at him, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything he panics and immediately changes the channel]] and comes up with a hasty excuse for what he was ''really'' watching.
** The episode with the squeaky boots is a parody of Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's short story ''The Telltale Heart''.
** Let's see, there's Ned and the Needlefish, an obvious reference to Hootie and the Blowfish, an episode titled "Krabby Road", like Music/TheBeatles' album ''Abbey Road'', the episode "Lost Mattress", where, at the end of the mattress shopping montage, [=SpongeBob=] goes to reach for a switch in the dealer's hand, who closes it sharply and makes [=SpongeBob=] laugh, a reference to ''Film/PrettyWoman'', and some episodes which feature court cases use the theme from ''Series/ThePeoplesCourt''.
** A musical bonus: In the episode where Patrick becomes smart when he switches his brain with brain coral, he mentions a clarinet piece by "Cornelius Bumpfish". Someone on the writing team must like Steely Dan, whose clarinetist was a man named Cornelius Bumpus.
** In one episode, Patrick dressed in drag and Squidward called 'her' "his [[Creator/PeterPaulRubens Rubenesque]] beauty".
** "You're a man, [=SpongeBob=], and it's about time you acted like one. First, puff up your chest. Then, say 'tax exemption'. Now, you must acquire a taste for free-form jazz."

* WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars is full of references to other Franchise/StarWars stories, including ones kids would likely not know about. The show makes references to characters and events from ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'' and the extended universe (including a reference to ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'') and [[CallForward call forwards]] to the Original Trilogy. Some of the episodes even reference events in the real world, with the "Umbara Arc" being written like a UsefulNotes/VietnamWar movie and an arc on Orto Plutonia commenting on colonization.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/CoconutFredsFruitSaladIsland'', there were a number of jokes inserted into the episode that were throwbacks to old video games. The only one the children got was [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros "MARIO!"]] and the only one the adults cared about was ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII FINAL FANTASY VII]]''. Sucks to be you, [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]] and VideoGame/{{Kirby}}.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' is famous for Parental Bonuses. ''Especially'' the episode "Let's Play House". How many kids would understand what was happening at the end of that episode?

* WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars is full of references to other Franchise/StarWars stories, including ones kids would likely not know about. Such as the entire team from ''VideoGame/StarWarsRepublicCommando'' making a cameo, references to characters and events from ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'', and [[CallForward call forwards]] to the Original Trilogy. Some of the episodes even reference events in the real world, with the "Umbara Arc" being written like a UsefulNotes/VietnamWar movie and an arc on Orto Plutonia commenting on colonization.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' has an episode titled "Escape", where Oliver is saved from scrap. The music that plays while he's being spirited away from the diesel area is clearly based on the famous tune from ''Film/TheGreatEscape''.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' has loads of this. It's filled with numerous jokes that would go right over a kid's head (sometimes treading into [[BlackComedy Black Comedy]] territory) and has a bit of an 80's/90's cartoon vibe, despite being set in 2012.

** A similar joke was made in the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSylvesterAndTweetyMysteries''. In one scene, Granny shows Tweety beads and says "You wouldn't believe what I had to do to get these!".

* The ''WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers'' episode "I Just Want to Be Your Teddy Bear" has the Planeteers attend Mardi Gras in New Orleans. At one point, Wheeler offers some beads to Linka, who is offended. After Wheeler then tries offering the beads to Gi, Gi simply takes the beads from him and states "Wheeler, you're incorrigible. But thanks for the souvenir. Children just see Wheeler offering the girls a present in the hope they might go on a date; adults will be aware that it's a Mardi Gras tradition for women to show their breasts in exchange for beads.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' did [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_once_was_a_man_from_Nantucket the stock opening line about the man from Nantucket]]. For the record, it's a rather infamous one.
** [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E15DeepSpaceHomer Once]]:
-->'''Barney:''' ''(doing backflips)'' [[MajorGeneralSong I am the very model of a modern major general! I've information vegetable animal and mineral!]]\\
'''Homer:''' That's nothing! Watch this. ''(doing cartwheels)'' There once was a man from Nantucket, who... ''(runs into wall)'' D'oh!
** And [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E23ThirtyMinutesOverTokyo again]]:
-->'''Homer:''' You know, I once knew a man from Nantucket.\\
'''Bart:''' And?\\
'''Homer:''' Let's just say the stories about him are greatly exaggerated.
** And [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS20E16EenyTeenyMayaMoe again]]:
-->'''Homer:''' There once was this guy from an island off the coast of Massachusetts... Nantucket, I think it was. Anyway, he had the most unusual personal characteristic, which was, um...
** Another instance not using the man from Nantucket limerick, maybe even being a parody of its usage, comes in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E7BartsInnerChild an episode]] where Krusty the Clown is giving Homer an old trampoline of his and talks about dirty limericks ("There once was a man named Enis...").