Danny Phantom
Running from 2004-2007, this Nickelodeon animated series was the network's first superhero show, putting a twist on the genre by making the "superpowers" related to abilities commonly associated with ghosts - invisibility, intangibility, wails, etc. Because of this, this show was filled with allusions. Some fun ones are the situationally apropo use of literary texts as curse words from the high school teacher, Mr. Lancer. Some are basic references to ghost stories, such as through the locations of Casper High (for Casper the friendly ghost) and the city of Amity Park (as in The Amityville Horror).
Arguably the most nuanced, though, is the top secret anti-ghost government agency, the Guys in White, an allusion to the hit film series about an alien hunting government agency, Men in Black.
Though a fun allusion to the Men in Black series, the Guys in White act a deconstruction and parody of the alien hunting agency, as they erroneously attempt to capture and study the protagonist, teenage ghost boy Danny Fenton. The Guys in White work as an exploration of a Men in Black type universe from the perspective of the hunted creatures, except instead of being a semi-functional agency which saves they day they blindly attack any "enemy," regardless of whether the ghost is of the friendly variety or not. They're quick to judge and almost destroy both the Ghost Zone and the Earth in their attempts to rid the world of "ecto-terrors." More of a nuisance than an actual threat, the use of this allusion allows the Danny Phantom universe to incorporate a secret government agency in an oddball but believable way, while staying within the generally comedic tone of the show, thanks to the generally comedic and oddball tone of the referent, Men in Black.
Though this show is a bit outdated, more current forms of media also utilize allusions in this manner, turning a fun easter egg into an exploration of the basic nature of what is being alluded to by putting it in a new context and through a new perspective. Can you think of something you watch, read, or play which does this? How does the allusion function? Is it a one-off gag or repeated for a purpose? What is the point of the connection? In your opinion, does the allusion work in the way it seems intended to? If you could write an allusion like this for your favorite show, book, film, or videogame, what would it be and how would you make it function? Feel free to answer any of these in the comments below!