Top 10 Times Adult Cartoon Shows Made Fun of Each Other

As his alter-ego, Professor Chaos, Butters is churning up ideas to bring disarray to the town of South Park. To his disappointment, every idea he comes up with is shot down by his cohort Dougie who reminds him that. What makes this entry notable is that it pokes fun at the fact that story ideas are often recycled. Near the end of the episode, we see the characters of South Park drawn as they would appear on “The Simpsons,” reminding Butters that everything has already been done - so don’t worry about it.

Hailing back to season 14, this gem of a cameo is one that any “King of the Hill” fan can spot a mile away. The Simpsons home has become infested with termites, forcing them to move out for six months. While standing in front of the house, Homer pops open a beer, and the King of the Hill music comes on. From there, it’s pretty much a shot by shot rendition of Hank and his buddies hanging out front, all replaced with Simpsons characters. From the garbage pickup, to the flat tire and the dog being circled, it’s The Simpsons own nod to a great animated comedy.

In this take on the Jack & the Beanstalk tale, Leela is trapped in a tower at the top of a beanstalk. After being rescued by Fry and Bender, they flee down the castle’s stairwell where Bender encounters a familiar face. As Jake & Finn from Adventure Time hang on the wall, we hear. This little cameo is made even more impressive when you learn that John Dimaggio, the actor who does the voice of Bender, also does the voice of Jake from Adventure Time. Sounds like he got to do two characters from two shows on a single day!

Much like The Simpsons’ couch gag, “Bob’s Burgers” doubles it up with a duo of running jokes during their intro. One neighbor business seems to change every episode, along with a different van appearing in front of the restaurant every week. In a blink and you’ll miss it moment from Season 7, the show tips its cap to former animated sitcom “King of the Hill” when a van marked “Dale’s Dead-Bug” appears in front of the burger shack while the name of the Store Next Door is a nod to Hank Hill’s ‘propane’ catchphrase. It’s a quick bow to another adult-oriented program on Fox, but it’s nonetheless appreciated by diehard fans of both shows.

How about we do four for the price of one this time? In “Robot Chicken”’s version of Master Chef, we find characters from SpongeBob, Ratatouille, Bob’s Burgers and South Park putting their culinary skills to the test. Seeing Bob’s heart attack from having to cook a pigeon is one thing. And SpongeBob’s fear of water is certainly ironic. But in the end, it’s their not-so-subtle jab at South Park’s Chef that takes the win here. Playing off both Chef’s onscreen promiscuous habits and the voice actor’s supposed involvement in Scientology, Robot Chicken hilariously takes all of it and wraps it up into a delightful dish of “Thetan Risotto”.

In an era where most animation was intended for kids, The Simpsons became the first animated program for older audiences during primetime since 1974. Over time, it would inspire other adult animated programming to hit the air. However, when “Family Guy” came around, there were plenty who called Seth MacFarlane and his team plagiarists. The Simpsons themselves piled on with a “quick and you’ll miss it” gag in an episode about Homer and his family’s time in Italy. When Sideshow Bob’s real identity is discovered, the police flip through a book of criminals and find Peter Griffin depicted as “Plagiarismo”. It’s just one of several jabs the show has taken at Family Guy over the years.

Who would have thought a secret agent would end up flipping burgers? For the season four premiere, the writers of Archer decided to do their own send-up of Bob’s Burgers. The opening teaser recreates the restaurant and characters in the show’s mid-century comic style. From there, we see Sterling Archer as Bob who’s visited by some unsavory Russian agents. What follows is a perfect mix of Archer’s dark comedy combined with a fitting tribute to the Belcher family. And since the voices of both Archer and Bob are both performed by the same actor, it almost feels like you’re watching the very show it’s poking fun at.

Having already crossed over with The Simpsons, it was only a matter of time before Family Guy took a shot at another Fox animated property. Having been hired by the White House, Peter invites his family to work. Chris’s excitement over seeing “Bob’s Burgers” on the president’s TV leads to several jabs at the show's expense. What starts as a few digs at the style of animation turns sour quickly. Peter breaking the fourth wall to tell Emmy voters to reconsider their voting strategy given who endorses the show takes this satire to a whole new level.

In this episode, Morty gets a chance to try out multiple variations of his life without consequence, thanks to a nifty remote Rick whips up in the garage. When Morty falls in love and goes on a trip with his girlfriend, the plane crashes in the wild. It’s here we see a nod to the boys from South Park. With Morty dressed as Kenny, and two others like Stan & Kyle, the reference is crystal clear. But what seals the deal is when Morty considers using his dinner knife to end it all in an homage to Kenny’s repeated deaths on South Park. It’s far darker than most references on this list. but still a welcome call out to a fellow animated comedy.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“The Simpsons” Meet “South Park” at the Bus Stop
“The Simpsons” (1989-)

Bart & Milhouse Catch the “South Park” Boys on TV
“The Simpsons” (1989-)

Chris Griffin Crashes a Party at Cleveland’s House
“The Cleveland Show” (2009-13)

Which One of These Homer “Clones” Doesn’t Belong?
“The Simpsons” (1989-)

Unlike many of our previous entries, this one plays hardball. In this season 10, two-part episode, Cartman uses the depiction of the Islamic prophet Muhammad to try and get “Family Guy” cancelled. What follows is a ferocious takedown of the show’s writing staff. Portrayed as manatees in an oversized fish tank with idea balls for jokes, “South Park” takes clear aim at “Family Guy”’s use of cutaway gags in their comedy. This is no minor nod to fellow animated programs - as seen in other episodes like the “Imaginationland” ones. It’s a jab at how the two shows clearly have differing ways of giving an audience a much-needed laugh.