4

Mayor McCheese Stole The Life Of H.R. Pufnstuf

McDonald's

McDonald's used to be all about their motley crew of food monsters: Ronald, the Hamburglar, Grimace -- they all lived in McDonaldland, a magical place where everything from trees to rocks was living/talking/edible, which was less horrifying than it sounds, in practice. The land was ruled with a meaty fist by Mayor McCheese, who dressed like the Joker, and had dead cow flesh for a head, yet still never managed to out-creep Ronald.

McDonald's
"Want to know how I got these buns?"

The Original Character:

The entire McDonaldland concept was phased out in the '70s, when Sid and Marty Krofft sued McDonald's, claiming that McCheese was actually a rip-off of H.R. Pufnstuf -- a character from a children's TV series of the same name.

NBC
Who was clearly designed after the Kroffts puffed a lot of stuff.

3

Ben From Ben 10 Is A Ripoff Of A Terrible 1960s Comic Book

Cartoon Network

Ben 10 tells the story of Ben Tennyson (got lucky with that name, huh, buddy?) who stumbles across an alien watch that allows him to change into 10 different superpowered aliens. It's all pretty standard little kid power fantasy stuff, and only disturbing if you think about the implications. So don't!

The Original Character:

Ben 10 lifted its entire premise from the 1966 DC Comics series Dial H For Hero. About the only thing they didn't steal was the main character's terrible catchphrase, "Sockamagee," which was stupid even by 1966 comic book standards.

The comic revolved around Robby Reed, a boy who stumbles upon an alien device that allows him to change into superpowered forms. However, in his case, they were all B-list superheroes like "King Kandy" (literally just a guy wearing striped long-johns and a goddamn birthday cake for a hat), "Giant Boy," and the testicle-headed "Future Man."

DC Comics
His future involved blue balls and dying alone.

2

The Incredible Hulk Is Solomon Grundy

Marvel Studios

The Incredible Hulk is one of Marvel's most recognizable characters, which is quite an achievement for someone whose most notable attributes are anger management issues and ruining pants. Marvel's first draft of the character, The Incontinent Road Rager, just didn't get the job done.

Marvel Comics
"USE BLINKER WHEN SWITCH LANE!"

1

Hulk Hogan Was The Younger Version Of Superstar Billy Graham

World Wrestling Entertainment

Arguably the WWE's biggest star, Hulk Hogan was one of the greatest icons of the 1980s that wasn't a Ninja Turtle or a robot. And while it may feel weird to call an actual human a "character," come on -- he's totally a character.

The Original Character:

Let's talk about "Superstar" Billy Graham. Originally a professional body builder, Billy Graham went into pro wrestling in 1970, and developed the "Superstar" character for the American Wrestling Association, before finally debuting in WWE (then WWWF) in 1975. Graham's charisma and impressive physique made him one of wrestling's first "cool bad guys." Unfortunately, the federation's then-owner Vince McMahon Sr. thought Bob Backlund, a wrestler who made Wonder Bread look controversial, made a far better villain.

World Wrestling Entertainment
"No cussing in the ring!"

It wasn't until McMahon Sr. died, and his son took over, that the WWE would get its larger-than-life champion. Unfortunately for Billy Graham, it wasn't him. He'd been replaced by a younger version of himself, this one named Hulk Hogan, who just happened to look and act exactly like Superstar did -- from the handlebar mustache down to the superfluous bandanas.

via Obsessed With Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
He even copied his bald spot!

Graham's career never recovered. He retired in 1988 due to hip injuries, and is understandably a bit bitter about how things turned out. And no wonder: At least when the Beatles replaced Pete Best, they didn't make Ringo wear his old clothes.

When not obsessing over pointless pop culture trivia, Henrik Magnusson also enjoys harassing the Internet with his comics. You can also go bug him on Twitter or Tumblr.

For more beloved pop culture born out of low down dirty thieving, check out 5 Insanely Successful Video Games That Were Total Ripoffs and 7 Classic Movies You Didn't Know Were Ripoffs.

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