Reference or Ripoff: "snooPING AS usual I see"

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

Robotniks says "Snooping as usual I see," with the "PINGAS" part being used in numerous YTPs through the years.

Sonic Boom

Boom used the line in one of it's episodes.

Archie Comics

The Archie comics mentioned the quote as well.

Conclusion: Reference

"Pingas" is legendary. 

Reference or Ripoff: "The Biggest Fan" (Sonic boom)

The Biggest Fan

Sonic and friends fall victim to a creepy fan.

Conclusion: Reference

This episode, in addition to making use of the old "creepy fan" trope, references several things of importance to the fan community:

• Sonic fans hating/criticizing him.
• Sonic's resign with blue arms and the overuse of sports tape.
• Sonamy and fanfics...

Reference or Ripoff: "Battle of the Boybands" (Sonic Boom)

Battle of the Boy Bands

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles all form a band to prove Amy and Sticks are being brainwashed.

Conclusion: Reference

The episode clearly references Sonic Underground, not just by Sonic being in a band, but having him play guitar (which even looks similar). "Justin Beaver" is also a jive at Justin Bieber.

Reference or Ripoff: "Mombot" (Sonic Boom)

Mombot

Eggman makes himself a robotic mother. 

Conclusion: Reference

This may be a reference to AoStH's Mamma Robotnik, or to the fact that he tried to make a robot wife twice. It's plot isn't a copy, though. 

ROR: "Bald is Beautiful" (Quote, Archie Comics)

Sonic the Hedgehog 171 "I am"

Sonic Universe 68 Variant Cover

Conclusion: Reference

I'm not sure if this was suggested by Ian Flynn (writer), or if it's something the artist did. But it's clearly a reference.

Reference or Ripoff: "You and I Bee-come One"

"Tuvix"

A strange transporter accident merges Neelix and Tuvok.

"You and I Bee-come One"

Tails merges with a BeeBot when experimenting with transportation.

Conclusion: Mostly Rip-off

The idea of a transporter being the cause really cements this. Star Trek's Borg are also referenced through Tails ("Join the Hive").

Apparently the main rip-off, though, is of the horror film "The Fly." The episode apparently has many similarities. 

Refrence or Ripoff: "Three Men and My Baby" (Sonic Boom)

Three Hedgehogs and a Baby

Sonic, Manic, and Sonia find what they think is an orphan hedgehog and try to take care of it. Manic grows attached to it, but it's really a robot created by Robotnik. 

Three Men and My Baby

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles get stuck babysitting Chumley. After initial trouble, the three take a liking to the baby walrus.

Conclusion: Both

They both are inspired by "Three Men and a Baby." The Boom episode seems pretty similar to the Underground, but the idea of having the trio perform a song for the kid is so similar that it has to be a reference.

Also, this episode was apparently written by Evan Stanley (Archie/IDW Comics)...

Refrence or Ripoff: "Goo Goo Gas" (Spongebob Squarepants)

"Musta Been a Beautiful Baby"

To slow Sonic, Robotnik invents something to make the hedgehog age to an old man. Instead, Sonic, Tails, and Robotnik are turned to babies.

"Goo Goo Gas"

Plankton wants to turn Mr. Krabs into an old man so he can steal the Krabby Patty secret formula. Instead he turns him into a baby, and the rest of the characters follow.

Conclusion: Rip-off

Unless they are both referencing an old movie I'm not aware of or something, it's pretty similar. Weird. 

Reference or Ripoff: "Sonic Tonic" (Sonic Underground)

"Full Tilt Tails"

Dr. Robotnik created a special gum that allows super speed. Tails ended up with it but it did not turn out as he planned.

"Sonic Tonic"

Dr. Robotnik created a "Sonic Tonic," but it has side effects. Not knowing so, Sonia and Manic take  the tonic after being annoyed with Sonic being faster than them.

Conclusion: Rip-off

Though Underground applied the situation to different characters, the main idea of someone else close to Sonic getting speed is taken from AoStH.

Reference or Ripoff: Torch Path Gimmick

Sonic Heroes, Hang Castle

As the player moves forward, they can not see the path but know where to go because of torches that appear as they proceed.

The Verdict: Ripoff

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana has to take a "leap of faith" and ends up walking across a path that is not originally visible.

This is also expanded in the Lego games, but I'm pretty sure those came out after Sonic Heroes. Still, the gimmick seems pretty close to Indiana Jones, and since there's no archaeological themes I have to say ripoff--it was likely at least "inspired" by it. 

ROR's are Back?

I had a bunch of half-finished "Reference or Rip-offs" I finally decided to finish up.

RORs are a look at suspiciously similar plots or elements within the Sonic universe...

Reference or Ripoff: "Mech Suits Me" (Sonic Boom)

Yet another Sonic Boom Episode.

"Mech Suits Me"

Sonic & crew find an old "suit" that Sonic immediately loves. Unfortunately for his friends, it takes over his personality.

Conclusion: Reference

The beginning was clearly playing out Predator, even calling the game "jungle predator."

Heat Vision

At first, when Sonic was attacking Eggman, I though that the mech was fueling Sonic's negative emotions like some of his past transformations--Evil Super Sonic (Sonic the Comic), Dark Sonic (Sonic X), Darkspine Sonic (Sonic and the Secret Rings), or even Sonic the Werehog (Sonic Unleashed).

IT'S BETTER THAN ANYTHING TAILS COULD EVER INVENT, AM I RIGHT?

Afterwards it soon became clear that they were aiming for something else. That's right, Spiderman 3.
Sonic acts rude to the locals, acts "friendly" with the twins (Perci and Staci)--in front of Amy, and is a jerk to his closest friends. And all this happens with music suspiciously similar to what it plays when Peter goes around New York...
 

No one can think "Spiderman 3" without it. 

To see what I'm taking about, here is the episode (5:22) and, in case you've forgotten, that part from Spiderman 3.

Then Tails gets into how it's a "symbiotic technology" which defiantly rings a bell (with the "venom" symbiote). Of course Sonic doesn't listen and his friends have to save him.

Moving on!

Quotes:

Amy: "Studios should stop recycling the same, tried old property and make something original for once."

• A number of possibilities, here. The fact that a lot of movies and shows nowadays are reboots or remakes, that Sonic Boom is the 5th Sonic cartoon, or simply that they were reenacting predator.   

Eggman: "200 and 50 channels and finally something interesting to watch! Well aside from that guy who goes to failing restaurants and yells at everybody. Love that guy."

• Clearly Chef Ramsey and Kitchen Nightmares, or his more recent show, 24 Hours to Hell and Back. I'd have to check the air dates. 

Sonic: "I like it better with my feet on the ground."

• Sonic says something similar in Sonic X: "Space is fine, but I like my feet on the ground." 

Oh I remember the twins alright--[AMY'S PISSED LOOK]--I-I mean I remember how much I disliked them!

The references combined with the dialogue makes this a really funny episode (if you can get over how ugly the Mech is). Not bad, Sonic Boom. Not bad.

 

Reference or Ripoff: "Knuck Knuck! Who's Here?!" (Sonic Boom)

We're looking at another episode of Sonic Boom.

"Knuck Knuck! Who's Here?!"

Knuckles. WHY DOES THAT NAME HAUNT ME? It's the only thing I can remember...and that gruesome redesign. 

Knuckles gets amnesia and when he recovers he realizes he's that last of his kind. Saddened, he hunts for a new family.

Conclusion: Both. 

There are some obvious references, but the second part of the episode is stealing ideas from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

• To an outsider, the title looks like a knock-knock joke, but to meme-fans, it's clearly alluding to the infamous "Knock Knock it's Knuckles."  
• The characters poke fun at the idea of amnesia (specifically on TV sitcoms), possibly with the 90s Sonic cartoons in mind as each had an episode where a character lost their memory/identity ("Blank-Headed Eagle," "No Brainer," and "Who Do You Think You Are?").
• Or Shadow the Hedgehog, who lost his memory in Sonic Heroes. 
• However, considering how common that situation is on shows, they could simply be making fun of TV in general (and themselves). 
• The ending where Knuckles (well, Amy, technically) concluded that Sonic/Tails/Sticks/Amy was his family was reminiscent of when Manic realized that his true home was with his siblings in Sonic Underground (Mobodoon).     

Group hug!

"Tails' New Home"

Didn't see that one coming. Not at all. 

After Tails is hurt, Sonic sets off to find him a new family so he'll stay out of harm's way.

Just simply the idea of finding foster parents (and ending up with "parents" that where actually bad guys). Combine this with "The Sidekick," another similar episode, and AoStH was completely ripped off.

Reference or Ripoff: "Shadow Boxing" (Quote)

In this case, we're looking at a line of dialogue.

Sonic Boom's "Eggman the Video Game Part 1"

STONE FISTS

Eggman tricks Shadow, who, feeling insulted, takes revenge on Team Sonic by beating each of them to a pulp. When it was Knuckles' turn to fight, he said, "Good thing I took that shadow boxing class."

Conclusion: Reference

Sonic X's "The Cosmo Conspiracy"

STONE FISTS

Shadow wrecks havoc on the Blue Typhoon when he finds out some information about Cosmo and tries to take her out. While defending her and Tails, Knuckles says, "I've always wanted to shadow box."

I find it unlikely that the writers on Sonic Boom (a show that lives off it's Sonic related inside-jokes) would come up with a pun so similar on accident. This allusion was probably made because (cartoon-wise) Sonic X was the only time Knuckles and Shadow ever fought.

Also, Shadow beat him both times.

THE ULTIMATE

An Addition: 

I came across another case of this line in the Archie comics... 

Sonic Universe's Total Eclipse: "Part Three: Shadow Boxing"  

THE EMERALD STAYS, YOU GO!

Shadow, convinced that Eclipse (of the Dark Arms) will steal the Master Emerald, wants to move it to a secure location. Knuckles? NOBODY MESSES WITH THE MASTER EMERALD! In this case, "Shadow Boxing" is the name of the issue.

I'm assuming this was between Sonic X and Sonic Boom, so I guess Sonic Boom could be referencing this (or both). These three events are the only significant times the characters fight--maybe in Sonic Battle--I'd have to check. But given that, I doubt it's a coincidence. 

Pretty interesting how a mediocre pun can link three continuities...    

Ugh. ALSO it's a trophy for defeating Shadow in Sonic Generations. Guess it does link to the games (though that was Sonic vs Shadow).

Reference or Ripoff: "The Sidekick" (Sonic Boom)

I decided to point out parts in various Sonic games and media. In some cases, these are Easter Eggs/inside jokes for the fans, and in others, it's pretty much just a re-hash of something we've seen before. 

Today we're looking at Sonic Boom's "The Sidekick."

The Sidekick

After Tails gets hurt in a plane wreck, Sonic looks for a new sidekick so that Tails will stay safe.

Conclusion: (mostly) Ripoff.

• There are a few "references."
• Tail's plane crashing (happens often in the games--Sonic Adventure, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Unleashed). 
• Tail's being bandaged up (Sonic X) 
• Sonic fearing water (established in Sonic X and Sonic Underground, hinted in the games since he cannot swim). 
• However, the main plot was suspiciously similar to "Tailss New Home," an Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode. 

"Tails' New Home"

Tail's New Home

When Tails gets hurt, Sonic searches for foster parents to raise Tails to keep him safe.

Yeah.

Of course, both take different paths and there's no harm in finding inspiration from a past Sonic source, but considering it was the first episode I was pretty annoyed.