Oh, boy - he's on my wall, too

 

In Quentin Django Unchained, the main character Django, a freed slave, chooses to wear an outfit similar to that worn by Gainsborough's subject in The Blue Boy.

In a 2001 episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire the exact contents of the painting was the subject of a $500,000 question.

It inspired the 1980s Garbage Pail Kids "Blue Boy George" (fifth series).

In 1985, the picture was referenced in the song Art is for Your Heart on the Muppet Babies episode "The Muppet Museum of Art", with Gonzo wondering about the painting and Kermit stating the subject's possible preference for green clothing.

The painting is seen in the movie Die Another Day (2002), where it hangs in a London fencing club, and is slashed by Gustav Graves while dueling with James Bond.

The painting is also seen in the movie Batman (1989) as hanging in Gotham museum, and again in the Joker (2019) movie hanging in smaller form in the Joker's apartment.

The third season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation Hollow Pursuits features Reginald Barclay's holodeck replica of Wesley Crusher dressed in an outfit similar to The Blue Boy.

In the introduction of the television series Pee-wee's Playhouse (1986-1990), the painting can be seen hanging in the background while Pee-wee is singing the theme song. 

In the Disney Series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012) the Blue Boy is also shown in Episode 21 of Season 1.

In the 2018 animated musical Charming (film) the Blue Boy can be seen hanging in the dining room of Prince Charming's castle. 

The painting is seen hanging in Vincent Ludwig's office in the film The Naked Gun.

In the movie Ghostbusters_II (1989), the character Janosz Poha contrasts a large portrait of the fictional 16th-century sorcerer Vigo the Carpathian with Gainsborough's Blue Boy.

A split-second image in Teacher's Pet shows a parody of the painting featuring Leonard.

Over the credits of Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, a parody of the painting featuring Gus dressed in this outfit is shown.

It appears as an in-game item in the Animal Crossing series.

The Blue Boy inspired pop artist Robert Rauschenberg to pursue a painting career. It is often paired with a painting by Thomas Lawrence called Pinkie that sits opposite to it at the Huntington Library.

On "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" in Disneyland California, before exiting your car, you can spot a painting of Toad posing while dressed all in blue and holding a feathered hat. This is a Toad-themed reproduction of Gainsborough's oil painting The Blue Boy.

The Blue Boy painting is a heavily-used prop in the 1929 Laurel and Hardy comedy Wrong Again.

The painting is also referenced in the movie Coraline as a portrait in the Pink Palace's hearth room.

The painting is seen leaning against the wall in the storage room of the Salem police station in the Season 7 episode of Bewitched 'Samantha's Hot Bedwarmer' which is the second part of the 8 part story arc 'The Salem Saga' ( S7 E4). Production of Bewitched moved to Salem in June 1970 due to a fire at the Hollywood studio. 

In the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances episode The Country House Sale (series 5, episode 6), Hyacinth is looking to buy a painting that is similar to The Blue Boy.

The Blue Boy is parodied in the Pelswick episode "Wheeldini."

In the 1973 episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show “Rhoda’s Sister Gets Married”, Rhoda’s mother points out the painting in her and Rhoda’s father’s apartment, saying, “Oh well, that’s just a copy”.

The painting has also inspired the name of popular coffee roaster Methodical Coffee's signature blend "Blue Boy".

In the 12/14/1970 daily Peanuts strip drawn by Charles M. Schulz, the character Schroeder comments that Gainsborough painted “The Blue Boy” the year his favorite composer, Beethoven, was born.

In the Phineas and Ferb episode “Operation Crumb Cake”, Baljeet recreates “The Blue Boy” out of red pepper flakes. The process causes him intense eye pain and he regrets not making an eyewash station.

In the In Death Series mystery novel "Framed in Death"^[22] - Sep 2025, by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts); Lt. Eve Dallas & Det. Delia Peabody hunt a serial killer whose gruesome depictions include "The Blue Boy" and other masterpieces.

Barney Fife refers to Blue Boy painting in his Raleigh boarding house pad in The Andy Griffith Showseason 7 episode 18 “A Visit to Barney Fife.”