Popular culture references to Sherlock Holmes

Many writers make references to SirArthur Conan Doyle's famous literary creation, the detectiveSherlock Holmes,^[1]and these often become embedded within popular culture. While Holmes exists predominantly in the context ofVictorian-eraLondon, he has been mentioned in such outre contexts as the 22nd century^[2]or hunting aliens or supernatural enemies.^[3]These references are in addition to the innumerable passing references to Sherlock Holmes made in many literary and cinematic works, such as the labeling of a person as a "Sherlock", whether in reference to their intelligence (or in jest or sarcasm).^{[citation needed]}

Books[edit]

One of the first attempts was made in response to the "Great Hiatus" (when Arthur Conan Doyle decided not to write any more Holmes stories, to the dismay of his fans). Stepping into the breach,John Kendrick BangswrotePursuit of the House-Boat(1897) [a sequel to hisA House-Boat on the Styx(1895)], in which a deceased gentleman's clubhouse boat is stolen, whereupon Holmes arrives to help his fellow-deceased track down the boat by chartering a ship fromHadesto London. Bangs' version of Holmes then comments to himself:

"For now," he said, with a chuckle, "I can get back to earth again free of cost on my own hook, whether my eminent inventor wants me there or not. I never approved of his killing me off as he did at the very height of my popularity."^[4]

However, in 1894, Conan Doyle decided to return to writing, bringing Holmes back from the dead by claiming he had faked his death in "The Empty House".While Bangs' attempt was reverential,Maurice Leblancdecided to write the short story "Sherlock Holmes arrive trop tard"^[5]( "Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late" ). In it, Holmes meets the young thief Lupin for a brief time, unaware that he is, in fact, Lupin. After legal objections from Conan Doyle, the name was changed to "Herlock Sholmès" with the pseudonym "Holmlock Shears" in the earliest English versions.^[6]Holmes returned in two more stories collected in Volume 2,Ar sắc ne Lupin contre Herlock Sholmès,having opened the floodgates to less flattering versions of Holmes. One of the more recent parodies in print is "The Lord Mike Saga", wherein Mycroft Miles (née Mills) is the Holmes figure, with the titles reflecting the styles: "A Study in Varlets", "The Strange Case of the Moth-Eater of Clapham Common", "Happy Times and Places", and "A Cameo Broached". Miles refuses to speak of Holmes, referring to him only as "the other chap".^{[citation needed]}

Frequent speculation as to the "real" Holmes has existed since publication, andMark Frost's novelThe List of Seven(1993) and its sequelThe Six Messiahs(1995) are not the first to put a spin on this. Frost has Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as its main character and tells the (fictional) story of how Doyle's Holmes was inspired by Johnathon Sparks, a mysterious man who saves Doyle's life from a mad occultist. TheWold Newton familyseries connects multiple famous fictional characters together to a mail coach that passed a radioactive asteroid in the eighteenth century – Holmes is a descendant of one of the travelers in that coach.^[7]

Stage[edit]

Holmes is portrayed inMysterious CircumstancesbyMichael Mitnick.^[8]
Holmes is portrayed inSherlock's Last CasebyCharles Marowitz.^[9]^[10]

Cinema[edit]

Some of the earliest films use Holmes as a character, notably the early films ofWilliam Gillette,the American actor who played Holmes in various plays.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes(1929)is an early "talkie".

Later films would blur the lines between canon and non-canon, however.

In the sci-fi filmTime After Time(1979),H. G. Wellsuses atime machineto go to 1979 America; he tries to use Sherlock Holmes as a false name, thinking the literary character would be forgotten by then.
From 1984 to 1985,Japan'sTokyo Movie Shinshaand theItalianTV stationRAIreleased 26 episodes ofSherlock Hound,a show featuringanthropomorphicdogs in various roles in the Sherlock Holmes world.
Walt Disney Pictures releasedThe Great Mouse Detective(July 2, 1986), wherein the character of Holmes is borrowed by a mouse. The name "Basil" is no mere coincidence: one of Holmes's aliases in the original Conan Doyle stories is "Captain Basil". Also, the actorBasil Rathbonefamously portrayed Holmes on film. The film is based on theBasil of Baker Streetnovels.^[11]
Continuing the print tradition of goodnatured irreverence, the comedy filmWithout a Clue(1988) presents the premise that Holmes was a fictional creation ofJohn Watson's, who was the true deductive genius. Once the character becomes popular, Watson is forced to hire an out-of-work actor to play Holmes.^[12]
In the movieThe Phantom of Baker Street(2002), Conan goes into a virtual Victorian London a computer simulated Holmes and Watson don't appear due to working on another case (Hound of the Baskervilles), but Moriarty and Irene Adler do.
In the movieBoomerang(1947), aneditorial cartoonmocks the police's efforts to solve a murder by depicting them as a group of amateur Sherlock Holmeses.

Television[edit]

The 'Alvin and the Chipmunksepisode "Elementary, My Dear Simon" (1988) has Simon in the role of Holmes, Theodore as Dr. Watson, and Alvin as Moriarty.^[13]
In the 1990 seriesPeter Pan and the Pirates,the episode "Elementary, my Dear Pan" is where Peter assumes the 'Holmes' persona to find his missing pan-pipe, with John as 'Watson' and Hook as 'Moriarty'.
OnStar Trek: The Next Generationthe characterDatastudies and portrays the character of Sherlock Holmes.^[14]
In theVeggieTalesepisode "Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler", Larry the Cucumber play the roles of Sheerluck Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson. In this parody Sheerluck is portrayed as a dimwit who is credited for solving cases usually solved by the more intelligent Watson, and his early refusal to acknowledge his partner leads to a brief rift between the two.
InThe Fairly Odd Parentsepisode "Shelf Life", Sherlock makes an appearance because Timmy summoned him to write his book report even replying Let's just poof Mr.Fancy hat out here. Sherlock doesn't want to even replying "Are you dumb? I'm a detective not a babysitter". Then he leaves to Timmy's house. When Timmy got his grades at the end of the episode for stopping Tom Sawyer. Timmy forgets something which was putting him back in his book. Then the camera pans he is with Mr and Mrs. Turner.
In thePhineas and Ferbepisode "Elementary My Dear Stacy", Candace and Stacy read every story about Sherlock Holmes and Candace adopts the classic deerstalker hat and behaves like a less-qualified Sherlock Holmes.
In theGravity Fallsepisodeheadhunters:Awax figuredversion of Sherlock (voiced byJohn Olivers) is portrayed as the main antagonist of the episode. He is the Leader of a group of sentient wax figures that wants revenge onGrunkle Stanfor putting them in a dark room after hiswax museumwasn't getting the same attraction as it used to. He attempts to decapitate Stan's head with anaxebut accidentally chops off a wax figured replica of Stan, created byMabel.He later gets discovered byDipperand Mabel in Wax Stan's “funeral”.He reveals himself and his true intentions, before attempting to kill Dipper by pursuing him on top of the Shake Shack's roof. only to be melted by the morning sun.
In the sci-fi/paranormal TV showFringe,two references are made to Sherlock Holmes in two different episodes:"6955 kHz"and"The Consultant".In "6955 kHz",Walter Bishoptells his sonPeter,"That was very Sherlock Holmes of you just then," and then tells FBI agentAstrid Farnsworth,"That would make you Watson, dear." Later, when Astrid begins to figure out that a series of numbers translate to a series of geographical coordinates, Walter asks, "What are you thinking, Watson?" In "The Consultant", Walter makes a reference to "the dog that didn't bark," recounting theSherlock Holmescase of "The Adventure of Silver Blaze"and hinting at a mole due to a conspicuous lack of evidence.
TheBackyardigansepisode "Whodunit""Whodunit"(2006), in which Pablo dresses like Holmes and undergoes a mystery that reflects the style the 'Holmes' books.

Sherlock Holmes, as he appears inThe Real Ghostbusters

Sherlock Holmes appears in

TheTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlescartoon seriesepisode "Elementary, My Dear Turtle"(1987).^[15]
TheBraveStarrcartoon series two-part episode "Sherlock Holmes in the 23rd Century" (1988).^[16]
TheSlimer! and the Real Ghostbustersepisode"Elementary, My Dear Winston"(1989), in which Holmes, Watson, and Moriarty are literally brought to life by a strong belief held in them by the world's population. Though not ghosts, they do not have physical bodies.^[17]
TheBatman: The Brave and the Boldepisode"Trials of the Demon!"(2009).^[18]
Murdoch Mysteries'sSeason 6 episode "A Study in Sherlock""A Study in Sherlock"(2013) and Season 7 episode "Return of Sherlock Holmes""Return of Sherlock Holmes"(2013) both feature David Kingsley, a man deluded into believing he's Sherlock Holmes and often helps Murdoch in his investigations.
Family Guy's13th episode of the 16th season entitled "V Is for Mystery"(2018) featuredStewie Griffinas Holmes,Brian Griffinas Watson andPeter Griffinas Moriarty. The whole episode was a Sherlock Holmes parody.^[19]
TheScooby-Doo and Guess Who?episode"Elementary, My Dear Shaggy"(2019) is where the gang meets a man who claims to be Sherlock Holmes, who helps them investigate London's 'Screaming Skulls' while referring to Shaggy as Mrs. Hudson and Velma as Watson.

Video games[edit]

Robin of SherlockforAmstrad CPCandZX Spectrumis a 1985 video game (aparody:the game is not sherlockian) that mixes the universes of Sherlock Holmes andRobin Hood.
Wizard101's world Marleybone stars Sherlock Bones, and Dr. Meowiarty as a reference to Holmes and Moriarty.
Pirate101,Wizard101's sister game, also features Dr. Meowiarty as Professor Moriarty and Sherlock's brother Mycroft Bones as Mycroft Holmes in the world of Marleybone.
Mario Party Advance,a video game released in 2005, includes a character named Shroomlock, a mushroom version of Sherlock Holmes.^[20]
Detective Pikachuhas a lot of references to Sherlock Holmes stories.^{[citation needed]}
Dr. Doyle & The Mystery of the Cloche Hatis a 2017 video game by PnC Narratives set in Southern England which features mystery themes and main character's name is inspired byArthur Conan Doyle.^[21]
TheAce Attorneyseries makes frequent references to Sherlock Holmes, including the main protagonistPhoenix Wrightoccasionally calling himself "Sherlock Holmes II". Holmes also makes an appearance in the spinoffThe Great Ace Attorney: Adventures,but his name was changed in the English localization to "Herlock Sholmes"in order to avoid copyright issues.
The 2015 video gameAssassin's Creed Syndicate,set inVictorianLondon, features several references to Sherlock Holmes, including an outfit inspired by the character that can be worn by one of the protagonists,Jacob Frye,and adownloadable content(DLC) expansion titledThe Dreadful Crimes,which has the player do detective work to solve a range of murders. A fictionalized version of Arthur Conan Doyle also makes an appearance in the DLC.^[22]

Comics[edit]

In the Italian comic bookMartin Mystèreand spin-off seriesStorie da Altrove/Stories from ElsewhereHolmes is presented as a historical character.^[23]In late 1880s he worked on the case ofJack the Ripperand met professorRichard Van Helsing,avampirewho destroyedCount Dracula. Along with Professor Challenger, Holmes visited a secret valley of dinosaurs in South America in 1896, which became the basis for Doyle's novelThe Lost World.The same year he worked with the American Secret Service "Elsewhere" to stop paranormal threats from another dimension. In 1910 he discovered a life extension serum. At the beginning of World War I he had a final confrontation with Professor Moriarty. After the war, he moved to Ukraine, giving Arthur Conan Doyle the task to convince everyone that he was just an imaginary character. With the help of his serum, Holmes prolonged his life for several decades. In 1990s he indirectly helped Martin Mystère to capture a villain who found a formula of his serum.

Music[edit]

The song "Dr. Watson and Mr. Holmes" (1943) by American jazz string bandSpirits of Rhythmimagines a comic dialogue between the two title characters.^[24]
Sherlock Holmes is the subject matter in the song "Sherlock Holmes" by American rock bandSparks,on their eleventh albumAngst in My Pants.
"Searchin'" (1957), a song recorded iby the R&B groupThe Coasters,makes reference to Holmes and other fictional detectives.
The Kinkssong "Village Green Preservation Society" name checks both Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty.^{[citation needed]}
TheB. A. Robertsonsong, "Bang Bang" name checks Sherlock Holmes.^[25]
TheArctic Monkeyssong, "A Certain Romance" name checks Sherlock Holmes.^[26]

Spoken word[edit]

The Firesign Theatre's comedy record,The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra(1974), parodies Holmes, featuring a character named Hemlock Stones.^[27]

Theme parks[edit]

Holmes's profile appears in a window in Disneyland'sMr. Toad's Wild Ride.^[28]

References[edit]

^Nathan, Richard (18 December 2020)."Ultra-Influencers: The Two British Fictional Victorians that Changed Japan".Red Circle Authors.Retrieved11 January2021.
^"Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century(a children's cartoon show)".Dicentertainment.
^"comic book series".Predator:Nemesis.
^Bangs, John Kendrick (1897).The Pursuit of the Houseboat.Harper & Brothers. p.57.Retrieved28 Nov2009.
^Leblanc, Maurice (June 15, 1906). "Sherlock Holmes arrive trop tard".Je Sais Tout(17).
^Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.p. 32.ISBN 9780857687760.
^Farmer, Philip Jose(2013).Tales of the Wold Newton Universe.Titan Books.ISBN 978-1781163047.
^"Review: In 'Mysterious Circumstances' at the Geffen, the case of the Sherlock superfan".Los Angeles Times.21 June 2019.
^"Sherlock's Last Case Offers a Different Kind of Holmes Mystery | TheaterMania".
^"Sherlock's Last Case | Huntington Theatre Company".
^Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 69–71.ISBN 9780857687760.
^Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 298–300.ISBN 9780857687760.
^"Elementary, My Dear Simon".Metacritic.RetrievedDecember 11,2022.
^Herfurth, Haley (August 19, 2015)."12 Times 'Star Trek' and Sherlock Holmes Overlapped".Mental Floss.RetrievedDecember 31,2022.
^Barnes, Alan (2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.p. 286.ISBN 9780857687760.
^Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 39–40.ISBN 9780857687760.
^Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 263–264.ISBN 9780857687760.
^Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 38–39.ISBN 9780857687760.
^"Review: Family Guy" V is for Mystery "".Bubbleblabber.26 March 2018.
^"Mario Party Advance Instruction Booklet"(PDF).Retrieved13 August2018.
^"Solve a Mystery with Dr. Doyle in New Point and Click Adventure".Hardcore Gamer.8 May 2016.Retrieved13 August2018.
^Totilo, Stephen (October 29, 2015)."Assassin's Creed Syndicate's DLC Missions Range From Terrible To Great".Kotaku.RetrievedDecember 19,2015.
^Martin Mystère: The Shadows of Baker StreetArchived2011-07-22 at theWayback Machine
^https://archive.org/details/SpiritsOfRhythm-Dr.WatsonAndMr.Holmes1943^{[dead link]}
^B.A. Robertson – Bang Bang,retrieved2022-09-06
^Arctic Monkeys – A Certain Romance,retrieved2022-09-06
^Firesign Theatre – The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic,retrieved2022-09-06
^"Look Closer: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland Park".27 September 2018.

[1] Nathan, Richard (18 December 2020)."Ultra-Influencers: The Two British Fictional Victorians that Changed Japan".Red Circle Authors.Retrieved11 January2021.

[2] "Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century(a children's cartoon show)".Dicentertainment.

[3] "comic book series".Predator:Nemesis.

[4] Bangs, John Kendrick (1897).The Pursuit of the Houseboat.Harper & Brothers. p.57.Retrieved28 Nov2009.

[5] Leblanc, Maurice (June 15, 1906). "Sherlock Holmes arrive trop tard".Je Sais Tout(17).

[6] Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.p. 32.ISBN 9780857687760.

[7] Farmer, Philip Jose(2013).Tales of the Wold Newton Universe.Titan Books.ISBN 978-1781163047.

[8] "Review: In 'Mysterious Circumstances' at the Geffen, the case of the Sherlock superfan".Los Angeles Times.21 June 2019.

[9] "Sherlock's Last Case Offers a Different Kind of Holmes Mystery | TheaterMania".

[10] "Sherlock's Last Case | Huntington Theatre Company".

[11] Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 69–71.ISBN 9780857687760.

[12] Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 298–300.ISBN 9780857687760.

[13] "Elementary, My Dear Simon".Metacritic.RetrievedDecember 11,2022.

[14] Herfurth, Haley (August 19, 2015)."12 Times 'Star Trek' and Sherlock Holmes Overlapped".Mental Floss.RetrievedDecember 31,2022.

[15] Barnes, Alan (2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.p. 286.ISBN 9780857687760.

[16] Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 39–40.ISBN 9780857687760.

[17] Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 263–264.ISBN 9780857687760.

[18] Barnes, Alan(2011).Sherlock Holmes on Screen.Titan Books.pp. 38–39.ISBN 9780857687760.

[19] "Review: Family Guy" V is for Mystery "".Bubbleblabber.26 March 2018.

[20] "Mario Party Advance Instruction Booklet"(PDF).Retrieved13 August2018.

[21] "Solve a Mystery with Dr. Doyle in New Point and Click Adventure".Hardcore Gamer.8 May 2016.Retrieved13 August2018.

[22] Totilo, Stephen (October 29, 2015)."Assassin's Creed Syndicate's DLC Missions Range From Terrible To Great".Kotaku.RetrievedDecember 19,2015.

[23] Martin Mystère: The Shadows of Baker StreetArchived2011-07-22 at theWayback Machine

[24] ttps://archive.org/details/SpiritsOfRhythm-Dr.WatsonAndMr.Holmes1943^{[dead link]}

[25] B.A. Robertson – Bang Bang,retrieved2022-09-06

[26] Arctic Monkeys – A Certain Romance,retrieved2022-09-06

[27] Firesign Theatre – The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic,retrieved2022-09-06

[28] "Look Closer: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disneyland Park".27 September 2018.

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v t e Arthur Conan Doyle'sSherlock Holmes
Canon Adaptations Pastiches Popular culture
Novels	A Study in Scarlet(1887) The Sign of the Four(1890) The Hound of the Baskervilles(1902) The Valley of Fear(1915)
Story collections	The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes(1892) The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes(1894) The Return of Sherlock Holmes(1905) His Last Bow(1917) The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes(1927)
Characters	Sherlock Holmes Dr. Watson Professor Moriarty Inspector Lestrade Mycroft Holmes Mrs. Hudson Irene Adler Colonel Moran Baker Street Irregulars Minor characters
Uncollected stories	"The Field Bazaar"(1896) "The Story of the Lost Special"(1898) "How Watson Learned the Trick"(1924)
Universe	221B Baker Street Baritsu Diogenes Club The Dynamics of an Asteroid Reichenbach Falls A Treatise on the Binomial Theorem
Studies	Sherlockian game Holmesian studies The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes From Holmes to Sherlock The Great Detective Naked Is the Best Disguise
Related	Sherlock Holmes fandom Sherlockiana Sherlock Holmes Museum The Sherlock Holmes The Baker Street Irregulars The Baker Street Journal The Bootmakers of Toronto Sidney Paget The Strand Magazine Undershaw
Category

v t e Sherlock Holmesfranchise media
Authors
Stage	Sherlock Holmes(1899 play) The Burglar and the Lady(1905 play) The Speckled Band(1910 play) The Return of Sherlock Holmes(1923 play) Baker Street(1965 musical) Sherlock Holmes: The Musical(1988 musical) Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery(2015 play)
Radio	The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes(1930–1936) The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes(1939–1950) Sherlock Holmes(1952–1969) Sherlock Holmes(1989–1998) Imagination Theatre(1998–present) The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes(1999) The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes(2002–2010)
Music	"The Tiger of San Pedro" The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra(1974 parody album) Sherlock Holmes(2009 soundtrack) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows(2011 soundtrack)
Art	Statue in London
Comics	Baker Street Victorian Undead Marvel Comics Mystique (Sherlock Holmes) Destiny (Irene Adler) Deadpool Killustrated
Games	221B Baker Street(board game) Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective(gamebook)