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Author Topic: Jokes stolen from Futurama by other shows.  (Read 12415 times)
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TheAnvil

Bending Unit
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« on: 10-08-2013 22:53 »

The new Treehouse of Horror had several elements and jokes stolen from various episodes of Futurama.

-Firstly, one segment featured Bart's head being attached to Lisa's body like Fry's was attached to Amy's.

-After recieving a kiss from Marge, Moe says "of all the kisses I've ever gotten in my life, that was the first". The line is nearly identical to Bender's line "of all the friends I've had, you're the first" in "I, Roomate".

-The worst culprit was a gag which saw a character called "Rabbit Ears" hear a conversation between Moe, Lenny and Carl and whispers what he said to a character called "Big Mouth". Literally a complete rip off of the same gag between two mutants in "Less Than Hero"

Anyone else have any examples of other shows stealing Futurama jokes or other elements?
Lost My Phone

Professor
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« Reply #1 on: 10-08-2013 22:58 »

I noticed the first point you made almost immediately. The other two, though, I didn't notice. Nice finds!
Monster_Robot_Maniac

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #2 on: 10-08-2013 22:59 »

Family Guy stole "Pepperidge Farms Remembers' from the Futurama episode ' A Fishful of Dollars', I'm pretty sure.
cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
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« Reply #3 on: 10-08-2013 23:19 »
« Last Edit on: 10-16-2013 16:54 »

I wouldn't say any of these were "stolen", exactly. But Futurama did them first.

Anyway, South Park's "Pre-School" episode has the same joke about the Captain Pike wheelchair device from Star Trek as in "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".

In Futurama's, they get the person to beep once for guilty, or twice for innocent. They beep twice, to which Zapp responds "Double guilty!".

In South Park, they get the person to beep once for "yes" and twice for "no". They beep twice, to which the policeman responds "Yes, yes".

Trey Parker actually talks about becoming aware that Futurama did the same joke, afterwards, on the commentary for that one.
Quantum Neutrino Field

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #4 on: 10-08-2013 23:36 »

Hey, Futurama Did That!, maybe?
ShinyMetal***

Professor
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« Reply #5 on: 10-08-2013 23:41 »

Isn't there a Good Luck Charlie or whatever called "Future Drama"?
I shamed my sister for watching it. Disney has gone down hill, it lost so many veiwers, including myself a few years ago, because of all the crap it plays now.
Lost My Phone

Professor
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« Reply #6 on: 10-09-2013 01:25 »

Family Guy stole "Pepperidge Farms Remembers' from the Futurama episode ' A Fishful of Dollars', I'm pretty sure.

Being the Family Guy hater that I am, I was not aware of that until now. I just looked it up on YouTube, and you're right. They definitely stole that from Futurama.
Beamer

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #7 on: 10-09-2013 03:09 »

Again, it's a little presumptuous to accuse these other shows of stealing. Comedy in this medium often follows some pretty basic beats/formulas. Sometimes more than one comedy writer will come up with the same (or a very similar) joke - it happens in stand-up all the time. As terrible as I think Family Guy is, I DON'T think the writers spend all day watching other adult-oriented cartoons and picking out jokes to steal. In this most recent case, they were both doing a parody of the same commercial.

As for the most recent Treehouse of Horror: The Simpsons had already done the "head attached to someone else's shoulders" bit way back in season 3. "Of all the *blank*s I've ever had, this one's the first" is a VERY rudimentary gag; make the audience think the line's going one way, turn it around at the end to something depreciating to the character. A lot of lines in BOTH The Simpsons and Futurama are constructed this way, it's inevitable that occasionally we'll get some near-identical ones due to the fact that these shows try to turn almost every line into a joke. The one about the mutants/freaks with the big mouth and big ears is the only one of these that looks as though it could've been air-lifted from Futurama directly, but again, if you told a bunch of comedy writers to come up with a list of funny material for mutants/freaks with exaggerated features, I'm sure more than one would come up with something along these lines.

And, as QNF said, we've already got a thread for this. One that doesn't immediately jump to the conclusion that the writers for these other shows are thieves.
UnrealLegend

Space Pope
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« Reply #8 on: 10-09-2013 03:29 »

I once saw a TV show that had a robot in it. They couldn't make it more obvious that they were stealing from Futurama!
Lost My Phone

Professor
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« Reply #9 on: 10-09-2013 03:32 »

Isn't there a Good Luck Charlie or whatever called "Future Drama"?

So title references count as stealing jokes? :p

Also, I've never even heard of that show, nor have I heard of any other kid shows of today.
Monster_Robot_Maniac

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #10 on: 10-09-2013 03:36 »

I saw this movie called Star Wars that had a Sci-Fi theme, And I immediately knew it was a Futurama rip-off.
UnrealLegend

Space Pope
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« Reply #11 on: 10-09-2013 04:39 »

Yeah, and I hear that the TV show "Star Trek" copied Futurama's "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" episode. :rolleyes: How can they get away with that? It's blatant plagiarism.  :nono:
Monster_Robot_Maniac

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #12 on: 10-09-2013 05:02 »

You know what other movie ripped off of Futurama? That one from a few years ago, The Matrix. It stole almost everything from "Near-Death Wish", to the point that I began to think Matrix was just a drawn-out parody of the episode. There's simply no creativity left in this world.
TheAnvil

Bending Unit
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« Reply #13 on: 10-09-2013 16:06 »

I clearly didn't mean stolen in the literal sense, I thought this might make an interesting discussion, and it did for 2-3 posts.
Beamer

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #14 on: 10-09-2013 17:19 »

No, it's a good thread (despite the poor phrasing in the title). Unfortunately, it's a thread that already exists.
Lost My Phone

Professor
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« Reply #15 on: 10-09-2013 23:05 »

The Simpsons ripped off Futurama. There are people in it.
KurtPikachu2001

Urban Legend
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« Reply #16 on: 10-10-2013 15:55 »

What about South Park in that Go God Go two parter where Cartman goes to "New New Hampshire" to get the Nintendo Wii?   

cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
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« Reply #17 on: 10-10-2013 17:30 »

That was a nod to Futurama; not stealing from it.
Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #18 on: 10-10-2013 17:44 »
« Last Edit on: 10-10-2013 17:46 »

"Over the Hedge" featured a coffee drugged squirrel going to extreme speed (the environment seemingly frozen from his POV), similar to Fry in THBB. It was also part of a "saving the day" showdown.
Sayna

Crustacean
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« Reply #19 on: 10-12-2013 07:28 »

"Over the Hedge" featured a coffee drugged squirrel going to extreme speed (the environment seemingly frozen from his POV), similar to Fry in THBB. It was also part of a "saving the day" showdown.
I haven't seen that but this one actually sounds like it counts. (Probably as a reference, not as "stealing".)

And it took me the longest time to get the Star Trek wheelchair thing! I knew it had to be a reference because both South Park and Futurama did the same weird joke but I didn't watch Star Trek or know anyone who did. It bugged me for years.
Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #20 on: 10-12-2013 13:01 »
« Last Edit on: 10-13-2013 01:54 »

Found a clip from that scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-eMdMsMgCU

Both scenes featured the character suddenly sporting a calm/relaxed look, when going to hyperspeed. Could be a coincidence, but my guess is rather on the scriptwriters having seen the Futurama episode.
TheBPB11

Starship Captain
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« Reply #21 on: 10-13-2013 06:25 »

What about jokes Futurama stole from other shows?
Lost My Phone

Professor
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« Reply #22 on: 10-13-2013 06:37 »

Examples?
ShinyMetal***

Professor
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« Reply #23 on: 10-16-2013 00:42 »

Isn't there a Good Luck Charlie or whatever called "Future Drama"?

So title references count as stealing jokes? :p

Also, I've never even heard of that show, nor have I heard of any other kid shows of today.
You obviously dont have any young siblings then, do you? Or atleast any that live with you. My sister likes all that crap.

Anyway, I really think (hope) that Futurama jokes are original, so far they are.
Beamer

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #24 on: 10-16-2013 02:37 »

Again, I'm sure that no writers for ANY show sit around watching other shows making lists of jokes to steal. But accidentally coming up with a joke someone else has already done? That shit happens all the time.
AdrenalinDragon

Starship Captain
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« Reply #25 on: 10-16-2013 02:53 »

Again, I'm sure that no writers for ANY show sit around watching other shows making lists of jokes to steal. But accidentally coming up with a joke someone else has already done? That shit happens all the time.

Yeah, I think South Park's Pre-School was more coincidental than ripping off Futurama's joke.
Beamer

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #26 on: 10-16-2013 03:11 »

Matt and Trey even made a note of it in the DVD commentary - they talked about how proud they were of that joke, and how it wasn't until after it aired that they found out Futurama had done it.
stum

Starship Captain
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« Reply #27 on: 10-16-2013 14:29 »

Homer Simpson: "Aww, four in the morning? Now i'll never get back to - [falls asleep instantly]" (When You Dish Upon a Star, November 8 1998)

Philip J. Fry: "What a weird dream! I'll never get back to sleep! [Falls asleep instantly]" (A Fishful of Dollars, April 27 1999)
Beamer

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #28 on: 10-16-2013 14:48 »
« Last Edit on: 10-16-2013 14:50 »

THE FUTURAMA WRITER'S ROOM, NOVEMBER 9, 1998:

(David X. Cohen runs in)

DAVID X COHEN: Guys! I just saw the BEST joke EVER on that show we used to work on, The Simpsons!!!

KEN KEELER: What is it, Darpid?

DAVID X COHEN: I SAID NOT TO CALL ME THAT.

(David X Cohen stares at Ken Keeler until he shrinks an inch.)

J STEWART BURNS: Now I have a tumour. :(

DAVID X COHEN: Anyway, Homer was talking about how he'd never get back to sleep, and then he fell asleep instantly!

...

THE OTHER WRITERS: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA AAA!!!!

(Laughter ensues for 47 minutes)

PAT VERRONE: Oh boy, we've gotta steal that, like we do with all of our material!

J STEWART BURNS: Wait, I know! You know that episode we were working on, A Fishful of Dollars? Let's put it in there!

PAT VERRONE: But Burnsie, that episode's scheduled to air in a few months, and that would really throw our schedule out, what with the re-recording, additional lip synching and editing an episode we've already finished...

DAVID X COHEN: LISTEN TO THE MAN. WE HAVE TO STEAL THIS BRILLIANT JOKE.

PAT VERRONE: But... But what if somebody notices?

DAVID X COHEN: NOBODY WILL NOTICE. GET IT DONE, MOTHERFUCKER.

(David X Cohen picks up a harpoon, throwing it at Pat Verrone. It narrowly misses, and through causality or something, Stum is born, to expose the Futurama writers once and for all as the frauds they are. Also, J Stewart Burns' tumour became Caroline Premish. The end.)
Jezzem

Urban Legend
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« Reply #29 on: 10-16-2013 15:01 »

That's a fucking awesome historical account, Beamer!
cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
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« Reply #30 on: 10-16-2013 16:54 »

Yeah, I think South Park's Pre-School was more coincidental than ripping off Futurama's joke.

I wouldn't say any of these were "stolen", exactly. But Futurama did them first.

Anyway, South Park's "Pre-School" episode has the same joke about the Captain Pike wheelchair device from Star Trek as in "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".

Trey Parker actually talks about becoming aware that Futurama did the same joke, afterwards, on the commentary for that one.



Matt and Trey even made a note of it in the DVD commentary - they talked about how proud they were of that joke, and how it wasn't until after it aired that they found out Futurama had done it.

Trey Parker actually talks about becoming aware that Futurama did the same joke, afterwards, on the commentary for that one.
Beamer

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #31 on: 10-16-2013 17:01 »

I can't keep track of who's already noted trivia that I know! I'm far too busy going through transcripts of proceedings in the Futurama writers' room. :rolleyes:
KurtPikachu2001

Urban Legend
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« Reply #32 on: 10-22-2013 19:39 »

I know this isn't a joke, but it's a character reference.  When I was babysitting my roommate's 3 year old daughter she wanted to watch Sesame Street.   I turned it on for her, and one of the characters in it was named Leela!  

I couldn't believe it!   Did Sesame Street steal the name from Futurama maybe?  The Leela on Sesame Street wasn't a puppet, she was a human.



ShinyMetal***

Professor
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« Reply #33 on: 10-22-2013 21:23 »

 Sorry KP, but I don't think that's considered "stealing an idea from another show." Of course it's possible, but not likely.  :p
cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
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« Reply #34 on: 10-22-2013 22:17 »

Futurama didn't create the name Leela.
MeatablePie

Professor
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« Reply #35 on: 10-22-2013 22:45 »
« Last Edit on: 10-22-2013 22:50 »

I know this isn't a joke, but it's a character reference.  When I was babysitting my roommate's 3 year old daughter she wanted to watch Sesame Street.   I turned it on for her, and one of the characters in it was named Leela!  

I couldn't believe it!   Did Sesame Street steal the name from Futurama maybe?  The Leela on Sesame Street wasn't a puppet, she was a human.





Leela can be a name for a person/character outside of Futurama.
As turnip says, Futurama never created the name Leela, or Philip, or Bender (okay, that's possible).
Shame on you, Kurt. Shame.  :nono:
Inquisitor Hein
Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #36 on: 10-22-2013 22:57 »
« Last Edit on: 10-22-2013 23:02 »

The theme "Sci Fi Actors suddenly find themselves in Real Space" was covered as well by "Where no fan has gone before" and "Galaxy Quest".
I must admit I had to check which one was first. Turned out it was "Galaxy Quest".
Regarding the relatively small number of big screen sci fi parodies, it's nearly impossible the Futurama writers did not know that movie when writing the WNFHGB script.

As a parody, Futurama obviously has to pick on already existing plots/themes and give them a humorous twist. Yet, the "actors in space" premise was too similar. In that case, the word "stealing" is imhO applicable for Futurama.
cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
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« Reply #37 on: 10-23-2013 00:02 »

As turnip says, Futurama never created the name Leela, or Philip, or Bender (okay, that's possible).

Bender was, ironically, named after another fictional character: John Bender from The Breakfast Club.
Beamer

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #38 on: 10-23-2013 03:09 »
« Last Edit on: 10-23-2013 03:11 »

I met a woman called Amy the other day. SHE'S RIPPING OFF FUTURAMA!!! :mad:

As a parody, Futurama obviously has to pick on already existing plots/themes and give them a humorous twist. Yet, the "actors in space" premise was too similar. In that case, the word "stealing" is imhO applicable for Futurama.

Seems like a pretty organic idea given that the premise originated out of the desire to get the cast of Star Trek in to do an episode that was essentially an homage to Star Trek. They couldn't have them run into the actual characters, since the shows are set at different times and Futurama has already acknowledged Star Trek as being a tv show, so getting them all to play themselves was the only option. Hence the whole "sci-fi actors in an actual sci-fi storyline" thing. The rest of that episode's storyline existed entirely as a canvas for Star Trek references.
My Manwich

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #39 on: 10-25-2013 03:36 »

This isn't a joke but it could turn out as one.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/norwegian-town-uses-giant-mirrors-to-combat-the-winter-darkness-193546562.html
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