# Cases where the parody are more well known than the Original **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465 "2016-02-18T17:52:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/1 "2016-02-18T17:52:55Z")
I was just thinking the other day about Pogo and the phrase “We have met the enemy and he is us”. This is of course a parody of Oliver Hazard Perry’s message, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” But these days, Pogo’s version is widely quoted, while original is known mostly to history buffs. Another set the come to mind are all of Lewis Carrol’s poem parodies, “You are old father William” is fairly well known while “The Old Man’s Comforts and How He Gained Them” is for the most part lost in obscurity. Finally, the movie Airplane has a massive cult following, while the various Airport movies it parodies are not nearly so well known. Are there any other examples that people can think of? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/2 "2016-02-18T18:07:16Z")
What about that international bestseller “_National Lampoon’s Bored Of The Rings_”, which I just found out was a parody of an obscure fantasy trilogy(which I can’t recall the name of) by some English professor. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/3 "2016-02-18T18:12:47Z")
Chamillionaire has said he has been complimented on his version of Weird Al’s _White and Nerdy._ ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/4 "2016-02-18T18:18:11Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Chamillionaire has said he has been complimented on his version of Weird Al’s _White and Nerdy._ TBH, Yankovic’s entire oeuvre is full of parodies better done and better known (or better remembered) than the originals. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/5 "2016-02-18T18:18:56Z")
Tina Fey’s Palin impersonation (“I can see Russia from my house”) caught on so well that most people think Paln actually said it. Not exactly a parody, but Metallica have covered Diamond Head’s _Am I Evil?_ throughout their career and only relatively recently started telling people it was a cover. Speaking of Weird Al, _Dare to Be Stupid_ (a “style parody” of Devo songs) actually outsold almost every Devo single because it appeared on the _Transformers: The Movie_ soundtrack. ETA: I’m always going on about _Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister_ here, but Sir Humphrey Appleby is certainly better known than any real permanent secretary or cabinet secretary who ever served in the British Government. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/6 "2016-02-18T18:21:40Z")
How many people have seen _Zero Hour_? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/7 "2016-02-18T18:24:08Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > TBH, Yankovic’s entire oeuvre is full of parodies better done and better known (or better remembered) than the originals. I know that(Al fan). But in this case the artist himself has encountered it and publicized the fact. He even gave Al some credit for his Grammy win. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/8 "2016-02-18T19:09:15Z")
Thread relocated to Cafe Society from IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/9 "2016-02-18T19:25:54Z")
I don’t know how common this is, but I knew “On Top of Spaghetti” for years before I learned of the existence of “On Top of Old Smokey”. And even when I did learn of the other song, it was through yet another parody of it (“On top of old Smokey, all covered with grass and stuff, I lost my poor sweetheart, because I didn’t run fast enough”) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/10 "2016-02-18T19:32:11Z")
Would “Play it Again, Sam” count - something used when folks are parodying Casablanca, even though it wasn’t said in the film? Or imitating Cary Grant by saying “Ju-dee, Ju-dee, Ju-dee” - which was a bit done by the old comedian Larry Storch. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/11 "2016-02-18T19:40:33Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > How many people have seen _Zero Hour_? I’ve seen it once on TCM, and I was really amused at how close some of the dialog in “Airplane!” was to the original. Even the hero’s name, Ted Stryker, is the same except for the spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/12 "2016-02-18T19:49:18Z")
The “crunchy frog” Monty Python sketch was in reaction to the 1968 British Trade Descriptions Act, which isn’t exactly on the forefront of people’s minds these days. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/13 "2016-02-18T19:58:13Z")
the Lewis Carroll parodies are the ones I thought of when I read the title. In most other cases I know of the the originals even if I’m not familiar with them. I haven’t seen _Zero Hour_, but I’ve known that _Airplane!_ was a parody of it. I seriously doubt if people are more familiar with _Bored of the Rings_ or _Doon_ or Mad magazine parodies than the originals. George MacDonald Fraser’s _Flashman_ series is based on a character from Thomas Hughes’ book _Tom Brown’s School Days_. I know of Tom Brown, although I’ve never read the book. But I’ve never read the Flashman books, either. Saw the movie _Royal Flash_, though. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/14 "2016-02-18T20:03:52Z")
The #1 movie in the country right now is DEADPOOL, aka Wade Wilson. How well-known is Deathstroke, aka Slade Wilson? ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/15 "2016-02-18T20:07:58Z")
_Young Frankenstein_ is based on four movies – _Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein,_ and _The Ghost of Frankenstein._ The first and to some extent the second of those movies are fairly familiar, although I would guess that a lot more people know of them than have actually seen them. _Son of Frankenstein,_ however, which _Young Frankenstein_ is based most closely on, is pretty obscure. (You need to see it to really appreciate what a great job Gene Wilder does of imitating Basil Rathbone’s character.) I would also guess that more people know “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” than _The Dance of the Hours._ ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/16 "2016-02-18T20:09:17Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > The #1 movie in the country right now is DEADPOOL, aka Wade Wilson. > > How well-known is Deathstroke, aka Slade Wilson? Is Deadpool a parody of Deathstroke? I know Deathstroke, but I missed that Pool was a parody. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/17 "2016-02-18T20:14:13Z")
At this point Homer and Jethro’s “The Battle of Kookamonga” is probably as well know as the original, “The Battle of New Orleans” thanks to Dr. Demento. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/18 "2016-02-18T20:48:09Z")
Who would have watched even 10 minutes of “Manos: The Hands Of Fate” without Joel and the Bots? Who could watch it now _without_ hearing Joel and the Bots in your head? ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/19 "2016-02-18T20:54:02Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is Deadpool a parody of Deathstroke? I know Deathstroke, but I missed that Pool was a parody. Parody being the original intention is debatable. But, yeah, Deadpool started life as a Deathstroke pastiche. Rob Liefeld comes up with a lot of pastiches. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465/20 "2016-02-18T21:02:37Z")
Carol Burnett descending the steps, wearing the drapes. Probably more people have seen that, than _Gone with the Wind._ And \*What’s Opera, Doc? \*Easily a wider audience than Wagnerian opera. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cases-where-the-parody-are-more-well-known-than-the-original/746465.md?page=2)