I was going to post this on a literature site but I use this site often and there are a lot of smart people on this site so I figure someone must have the answer. I write joke books and I was wondering can I use brand names and pop culture names in my jokes.
For example a joke of mine is, "My dreams are so crazy Freddy Kreuger wanted out of my dreams shortly after entering."
Can I use the name Freddy Kreguer in my writing? Same thing goes for Count Chocula the cereal, and video game characters like Donkey Kong and Mario.
Does anyone have any knowledge on this?