Since his death in 1973 and the discovery of his "magnum opus", and especially since the 1990s, there have been many references in popular culture to Darger's work by other visual artists including, but not limited to, artists of comics and graphic novels; numerous popular songs; a 1999 book-length poem, "Girls on the Run", by John Ashbery; a multi-player online game, "Sissyfight 2000", and a 2004 multimedia piece by choreographer Pat Graney incorporating Darger images. Jesse Kellerman's 2008 novel, "The Genius," took part of its inspiration from Darger's story. Mike Walker and Judith Kampfner's radio play "Darger and the Detective", performed by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company for BBC Radio, focuses on Darger's obsessions and a police detective investigating the disappearance of Elsie Paroubek. Charlie Kaufman's 2020 novel "Antkind" includes several references to Darger.