# Obvious things about a creative work you realize after the millionth time (OPEN SPOILERS POSSIBLE) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117 "2009-07-24T13:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 91
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1801 "2014-01-29T14:09:00Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Excuse me, but did you read my post carefully? Yes, I know that he’s from Corleone. I’ve read the book and seen the movie. I know that the people at Ellis Island misunderstood when they looked at the information he was carrying with him (a badge around his neck, if I recall correctly). They saw the word “Corleone” on the badge and thought that that was his last name, although actually it was the town he came from. Apropos of nothing, I knew a man who’s family emigrated from France in the late 19th century and Ellis Island people changed the spelling of the family name from “La Croix” to “LeCraw.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1802 "2014-01-29T15:53:12Z")
Nitpick: It’s [H.R. Pufnstuf](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HR_Pufnstuf). ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1803 "2014-01-30T08:31:59Z")
It wasn’t until I read a OP posted here a few years back that I realized that the original McDonaldland concept was a ripoff of H. R. Pufnstuf. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1804 "2014-01-30T09:21:12Z")
Remember that episode of C.H.I.P.S. where Jon and Ponch pulled over H.R. Pufnstuf? I can believe drugs were involved in that. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1805 "2014-01-30T14:56:00Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > Is that the only point of the name “Diagon Alley”? I always thought the name a bit weak and “so-what?”, on the author’s part. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Diagon Alley exists at a diagonal to the muggle world. See post #1735. ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1806 "2014-01-30T15:15:27Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Remember that episode of C.H.I.P.S. where Jon and Ponch pulled over H.R. Pufnstuf? I can believe drugs were involved in that. A bit of an H.R. Pufnstuf side-track: I’m not American, and have never seen the cartoon; but have long had the impression from things heard / read, that the character concerned was ostensibly a friendly dragon, but that in fact – going with the name’s possible connotations – there were hidden subversive pro-drugs messages. Another (US-based) board on which I participate, had for while as one of its chief administrators, a gentleman who posted under the name of H.R. Pufnstuf. It amused me, that this guy was extremely conservative and severely “moral” in his views. I always wondered whether he was a pure-minded innocent whom the possible drugs-related associations had completely passed by; or whether his posting name was a rueful nod toward his “wicked youth”, when he had perhaps done various stuff which he later renounced. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1807 "2014-01-30T15:38:25Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > It wasn’t until I read a OP posted here a few years back that I realized that the original McDonaldland concept was a ripoff of H. R. Pufnstuf. The Kroffts actually sued McDonalds for that and won. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1808 "2014-01-30T16:37:52Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > A bit of an H.R. Pufnstuf side-track: I’m not American, and have never seen the cartoon … Nitpick: It wasn’t a cartoon. It was live action with puppets. > [@jayjay](#): > > The Kroffts actually sued McDonalds for that and won. [The Master speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1343/was-mcdonaldland-plagiarized-from-the-old-h-r-pufnstuf-kids-tv-show). ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1809 "2014-01-30T18:01:03Z")
I love this topic! ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1810 "2014-01-30T18:12:32Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > The Online Encyclopedia with No Eyes says both with and without are correct, due to the line being spoken more than once in the film: > > [Cool Hand Luke - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Hand_Luke#Famous_line) Yep. Strother Martin says it first. And it’s Cool Hand Luke’s last line… ---
**Author:** ![FXMastermind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fxmastermind/32/7289_2.png) [@FXMastermind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FXMastermind)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1811 "2014-01-30T19:52:08Z")
I just realized that when Butters fakes his death and pretends to be a girl, “her” name is Marge-a-reen. Margarine. Butters. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1812 "2014-01-30T20:43:18Z")
I just saw the Simpsons “Whacking Day” for about the tenth time. It just occured to me that “whacking snakes” is an extremely obvious reference to male masturbation. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1813 "2014-01-30T21:58:40Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I just saw the Simpsons “Whacking Day” for about the tenth time. It just occured to me that “whacking snakes” is an extremely obvious reference to male masturbation. It took me a while to realize the same about Eddie Valiant’s line in “Roger Rabbit,” “I had to shake the weasels.” ---
**Author:** ![vontsira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/51bf81/32.png) [@vontsira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vontsira)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1814 "2014-01-30T22:02:03Z")
> [@vontsira](#): > > A bit of an H.R. Pufnstuf side-track: I’m not American, and have never seen the cartoon… > [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Nitpick: It wasn’t a cartoon. It was live action with puppets. Thanks. I’ve no doubt that – given sufficient interest – I could find HRP excerpts at least, on YouTube… ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1815 "2014-01-31T01:34:02Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > Well, yes. And the shows themselves are nonstop psychedelic mayhem. I’m just saying that Sid and Marty Krofft still publicly insist they didn’t do drugs and didn’t make drug references in their shows. Eh. They would have grown up hearing “Puff, the Magic Dragon” - puff being the kid version of breathing flames. Only their dragon was a guy in a padded costume - which is stuffed. You can get to H. R. Pufnstuf with silly as easily as with drugs. And Witchipoo is all the evidence you need that they were knee deep in the silly. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1816 "2014-01-31T09:44:10Z")
Are you a pothead, Focker? ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1817 "2014-01-31T15:28:27Z")
Two more… I came across an interesting one in this vein… I’ve always enjoyed the 80s film _Young Sherlock Holmes_. I’ve probably watched it at least in part maybe 30x. Introducing it to TheMrs., I went into IMDB to look up one of the actors. (spoiler alert ahoy, I suppose… I never really feel guilty about spoiling things 30 years old) The main baddie is listed in the credits as being Professor Moriarty. They never mention this once during the movie… _until_ a post-credits scene. I didn’t even know there WAS a scene after the credits. That didn’t used to be a thing. I looked it up, and it turns out it was one of the first major movies to include a scene after the credits (or so says Wikipedia). Second one, and I _just_ got this because I pulled up a clip for a completely unrelated reason. In Back to School, Ned Beatty’s character at the University is Dean Martin. That joke was completely lost on me all this time. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1818 "2014-02-03T10:56:17Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > It took me a while to realize the same about Eddie Valiant’s line in “Roger Rabbit,” “I had to shake the weasels.” Actually, Dolores said that, and it made sense in context: Before she could come to the theater where Eddie and Roger were hiding out, she had to make sure the Weasel Gang couldn’t follow her. This brings a smile to my face now that I think about it. Dolores surely didn’t have a crazy talking taxi doing the driving, and the weasels were maniacal drivers. Somehow, she out-crazied the weasels with her driving-- or perhaps used stealth. ---
**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 3, 2014, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1819 "2014-02-03T12:17:19Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > Two more… > > I came across an interesting one in this vein… > > I’ve always enjoyed the 80s film _Young Sherlock Holmes_. I’ve probably watched it at least in part maybe 30x. Introducing it to TheMrs., I went into IMDB to look up one of the actors. > > (spoiler alert ahoy, I suppose… I never really feel guilty about spoiling things 30 years old) > > The main baddie is listed in the credits as being Professor Moriarty. They never mention this once during the movie… _until_ a post-credits scene. I didn’t even know there WAS a scene after the credits. That didn’t used to be a thing. > > I looked it up, and it turns out it was one of the first major movies to include a scene after the credits (or so says Wikipedia). **The Howling** beat it by four years, although its after-credits scene was taken from another movie. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117/1820 "2014-02-03T15:15:18Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > **The Howling** beat it by four years, although its after-credits scene was taken from another movie. Yep… The Howling is on the Wikipedia list. Only a couple of others… and you could argue that with the other predecessors being things like Airplane! and Buckaroo Bonzai, Young Sherlock Holmes was the first “played straight” mainstream film to have a post-credits scene. > **[Post-credits scene](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_credits_scene)** > > A post-credits scene (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video game has run. It is usually included to reward the audience for having the patience to watch through the credits sequence; it may be a scene written for humor or to set up a sequel. > Sometimes, one or more mid-credits scenes are also inserted partly through the closing credits, typic... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=90) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obvious-things-about-a-creative-work-you-realize-after-the-millionth-time-open-spoilers-possible/504117.md?page=92)