History Main / InspirationNod

* WebAnimation/TheMostEpicStoryEverToldInAllOfHumanHistory: Several. WebAnimation/JaidenAnimations is the most explicit, appearing just to say “You just wanted an excuse to try drawing my hair, didn’t you?” Other cartoon characters including Franchise/DonkeyKong, VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog, [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants Patrick Star]], and WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}} appear for quick gags to serve this role as well.

* In ''Film/YouveGotMail'', Meg Ryan's character's bookstore is named "The Shop Around the Corner", which is also the name of the play/film that began the "two people hate each other in person but have a romantic relationship through correspondence" trope.

* ''WesternAnimaton/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "Criss Cross Crisis" is all about the characters [[FreakyFridayFlip switching bodies.]] In an early part of the episode, there's a movie theater playing "Freakin' Friday".

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* ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'' is mostly about Dillon, Amber, and Ruby sharing an apartment, and the ways they make each others' lives difficult. Shortly after she arrives, Ruby, who has a bit of a fondness for old television, is very happy to find ''Series/ThreesCompany'' available on [=DejaView=]. Amber is more alert to the irony than Ruby is. In many ways this is a double nod, as ''Sticky Dilly Buns'' is a spinoff of ''Webcomic/MenageA3''--which is, if anything, even ''more'' like ''Three's Company'' than ''SDB''.

* Brutha, the protagonist of ''Discworld/SmallGods'' is a beefy guy who has a PhotographicMemory and becomes the prophet of a CrystalDragonJesus religion. These are traits shared with Severian, the protagonist of ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'', and to this end, one character that Brutha encounters is named Severian. Incidentally, ''Discworld/SmallGods'' is sort of an unofficial sequel or prequel to Discworld/{{Pyramids}}, and in that book, one of the sections is titled "The Book of the New Son".

* ''Dickens Of The Mounted'' presents itself as the memoirs of Charles Dickens' RemittanceMan son, but it's actually humorous historical fiction, which takes clear inspiration from the ''{{Literature/Flashman}}'' series, as is evident in similarly designed maps and a very similar LiteraryAgentHypothesis claim by the actual author. In reference to the inspiration (and as a major "clue" the work is fictional), Flashman actually briefly appears in a TakeThat cameo, wherein he's presented as an UpperClassTwit suffering from various venereal diseases that would be the likely result of all of his womanizing.

* In ''Literature/CastleHangnail'', a comic fantasy novel for children, one of the first books Molly looks at in the castle library is by "A. Nesbit", a homage to Creatour/ENesbit, one of the pioneers of this style of children's fantasy.

!! Examples:

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[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* A case of internal borrowing: One ''Series/LazyTown'' episode echoes the plot of the play it was based on when Robbie Rotten in disguise takes over illegally as mayor. Although other than the 'taking over from the mayor' aspect the episode is very different, both play and episode briefly have the real mayor in a bunny suit for no good reason. Only hardcore or Icelandic fans would get it, though, as the play is both in Icelandic and very difficult for a non-Icelander to acquire legally. Also, many of the songs used in ''Series/LazyTown'' have the same tune (and general theme) as the songs used in the original plays.

* In 1977, ''Series/DoctorWho'' was forced to abandon a vampire-themed story by Terrance Dicks because it might undermine an expensive forthcoming BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''. Dicks marked the "inspiration" for having to write a new story, the lighthouse-themed "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E1HorrorOfFangRock The Horror of Fang Rock]]", by having one of the characters be named Harker. He also had the Doctor mention the book Dicks mainly used to bone up on lighthouses. (The vampire story eventually made it to the screen two years later as "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E4StateOfDecay State of Decay]]".)
* ''Series/{{Ezel}}'', a SettingUpdate of ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'', contains a couple shout-outs to the original story:
** The name of Cengiz's company that wins the hotel bid? ''Dantes'' Holding.
** Dantes is referenced again in season two with Dantes Ateşleyiciler (Igniters), the fireworks company through which Ali and Ezel infiltrate [[spoiler: Kenan and Eyşan's wedding]].

* The climax of ''Literature/TheLayOfPaulTwister'' is based on a ProphecyTwist that [[WordOfGod the author states was inspired by]] the one in {{Theatre/Macbeth}}. Paul [[InvokedTrope actually uses]] (TheThemeParkVersion of) the story of Macbeth to attempt to persuade the BigBad not to blindly trust in the prophecy in question.

* The Franchise/StarWarsLegends novel ''Scoundrels'', being a [[TheCaper heist story]], naturally takes inspiration from ''Film/OceansEleven''. There are a few nods to the latter scattered throughout, ranging from the blatant (the {{Caper Crew}}s both have eleven members) to the subtle (the vaults in both hold about one hundred sixty-three million dollars/[[WeWillSpendCreditsInTheFuture credits]]).

* ''Film/{{Elf}} references another department store elf, named Crumpet. Crumpet was the elf name of Creator/DavidSedaris when he worked as an elf at Macy's, which is the subject of his memoir ''The Santaland Diaries'' and an inspiration for the film.

** [=R2-D2=] may have been inspired by the robot [=ZX29B=] from the 1960 ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "Lighter Than Hare". [=ZX29B=] has a strong resemblance to [=R2-D2=] and Bugs Bunny mistakes [=ZX29B=] for a trashcan. In ''Star Wars'', [=R2-D2=] makes a trashcan sound when kicked or whacked by [=C-3P0=].
** Creator/GeorgeLucas likes ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars''. A lot. Burroughs' Mars has ''Jed''s (princes) and ''padwar''s (lieutenants), martian lions are called ''banthas'' and one species of evil insects is called ''Sith''.

* ''Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou'' is ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' [[SettingUpdate in High School]], thus lots of Shakespeare references appear.

* In 1977, ''Series/DoctorWho'' was forced to abandon a vampire-themed story by Terrance Dicks because it might undermine an expensive forthcoming BBC adaptation of ''Literature/{{Dracula}}''. Dicks marked the "inspiration" for having to write a new story, the lighthouse-themed "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E1HorrorOfFangRock The Horror of Fang Rock]]", by having one of the characters be named Harker. (The vampire story eventually made it to the screen two years later as "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS18E4StateOfDecay State of Decay]]".)

* The Grant Morrison created character Fantomex is so named as a nod to Literature/{{Fantomas}}, although he's primarily inspired by ComicBook/{{Diabolik}} -- unusually, Diabolik was conceived of as an {{expy}} of Fantômas of the original novels/early adaptions, and in turn, inspired a conception of Fantômas in Mexican comic books as a masked Gentleman Thief and adventurer (traits shared with both Diabolik and Fantomex).

* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/385914/cold-wind-blowing Cold Wind Blowing]]'' takes its basic setup -- a DysfunctionJunction of colorful characters trapped in an isolated inn during a bad blizzard -- from ''Film/TheHatefulEight''. While musing about [[ContrivedCoincidence the improbability of everyone winding up there at the same time]], one character quotes the latter's tagline: "No one comes up here without a damn good reason."

* ''[[https://www.fimfiction.net/story/385914/cold-wind-blowing Cold Wind Blowing]]'' takes its basic setup -- a DysfunctionJunction of colorful characters trapped in an isolated in during a bad blizzard -- from ''Film/TheHatefulEight''. While musing about [[ContrivedCoincidence the improbability of everyone winding up there at the same time]], one character quotes the latter's tagline: "No one comes up here without a damn good reason."

* ''Comicbook/TheHulk vs Fin Fang Foom'' story "The Fin From Outer Space!" is about the titular dragon creature possessing the members of an Antarctic research team and and leaving corpses behind, creating a paranoid atmosphere. The team leader is called Dr [[Creator/JohnWCampbell Campbell]], the first victim is called Dr [[Creator/JohnCarpenter Carpenter]], and one of the other researchers has the first name [[Creator/HowardHawks Howard]]. Another scientist snaps "Literature/WhoGoesThere" at Bruce Banner. There's also a poster for ''Film/TheThingFromAnotherWorld'' on the wall of the base in one scene.

* The Creator/RoaldDahl story "Pig" is clearly written as an homage to Literature/{{Candide}}, including a [[ThePollyanna ridiculously idealistic]] protagonist and a bitingly satirical tone. As a reference to this, the hero's aunt, who raised him, is named Glosspan--a SignificantAnagram for Voltaire's Pangloss.

* Season 5 Episode 17 of ''Series/{{Numb3rs}}'' contains a a number of references to the Robot series of Isaac Asimov, from which it borrows the plot device "an A.I. that kills a human." The episode's title is "First Law" after the Asimov's First Law of Robotics. The company in which the death takes place is called "Steel Cave Industries" after one novel in the series, ''Literature/TheCavesOfSteel''. The name of the A.I. accused of murder is "Bailey" after the protagonist of that novel, Detective Lije Bailey. The scientist who is killed is named Daniel and gives his admin password as "Daniel Olivaw" after Lije Bailey's robot sidekick R. Daneel Olivaw. Presumably this scientist was the one responsible for naming the A.I. and the company created to fund its development, so his familiarity with these books gives an in-story explanation for all these references.