Shimmering Boots

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

Games

• Joust
  • There's a quest chain in Mount Hyjal that is a reference to and plays like the arcade game Joust.

• Plants vs. Zombies
  • There's a quest chain in Hillsbrad Foothills started by Brazie the Botanist that is a homage to the game. The name of the last quest in the chain, Quest:Lawn of the Dead, was also the original name for Plants vs. Zombies.
  • The Singing Sunflower non-combat pet received for completing the quest chain is a reference to Plants vs. Zombies music composer Laura Shigihara, who was represented as a singing sunflower in the Plants vs. Zombies theme song's music video. At Blizzard's request, Shigihara also voiced the Singing Sunflower non-combat pet.

Movies

• Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
  • There is a neutral gnome questgiver named Finkle Einhorn that can now also be found at Mount Hyjal. Finkle's name is a reference to the film Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, wherein Ace finds that Ray Finkle had assumed the identity of a female detective Lois Einhorn.

• Inglorious Basterds

In Uldum, Commander Schnottz has you run a series of quests and asks for 8 Idols. When you bring them to him, he cries out that he needed not 8 but "Nine, Nine, Nine, Nine, Nine!".

• Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • The entire Uldum  questline revolving around Harrison Jones, Belloc Brightblade, Commander Schnottz and concluding with finding the Coffer of Promise in Harrison Jones and the Temple of Uldum is based loosly on Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, (though the final quest's name is a tribute to another Indiana Jones' movie: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). Coffer of Promise is similar to Ark of the Covenant, both in appearance and powers, aswell as the secret it holds. Deathwing's allies, are playing role of Nazi here.

• Starship Troopers
  • The quest  [15-30] A Great Idea in Tanaris will have the player rope a silithid bug. Upon quest completion, the questgiver Zeke Bootscuff calls over his gnomish friend Narain Soothfancy to commune with the bug. He then yells "It's afraid!" as spoken when the troopers captured the brain bug on planet p at the end of the movie. The follow-up quest is  [15-30] Just Trying to Kill Some Bugs

Television

• 24
  • During the Twilight Investigation quest line in Stormwind, a quest The Old Barracks will have you meet with Jack Bauden (Jack Bauer) who says "I'm Jack Bauden, this is the longest day of my life."
• Jersey Shore
  • When clicked upon, male Goblin NPCs sometimes say "G.T.L, friend...Gambling, Tinkering, Laundry!" This is a reference to the cast members of Jersey Shore, who use the acronym G.T.L to stand for "Gym, Tanning, Laundry."

Music

• Duran Duran
  • In Mount Hyjal, there are two NPCs named Rio Duran and Ian Duran, who are Gilnean worgen. Two of Duran Duran's hits were "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf". Rio Duran also quotes lyrics from "Hungry Like the Wolf" while the player is on a certain quest.

• The Ink Spots
  • In the quest Quest:Disrupting the Rituals the Twilight Inferno Lords sometimes say "I just want to set the world on fire" which is a homage to The Ink Spots' 1941 song "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire"

• Insane Clown Posse
  • The questQuest:Magnets, How Do They Work? is a reference to the song "Miracles" by Insane Clown Posse. A line from the song in question, "Fuckin' magnets, how do they work?" became an internet meme.

• Samwell
  • The Vashj'ir quest Quest:What? What? In My Gut...? is a reference to the viral music video "What What (In the Butt)" by Samwell.

• Turbonegro
  • The Deepholm Quest Quest:All Our Friends Are Dead is a reference to Turbonegro's 2005 song "All My Friends Are Dead".

People

• Winston Churchill
  • Liam Greymane's speech before The Battle for Gilneas is similar to Winston Churchill's speech to the House of Commons during the Battle of Britain.

• Antoine Dodson
  • When completing the quest Quest:Crisis_Management in Uldum, Schnott's Bodyguard yells during an attack by several collosi to "Hide your vives! Hide your children! Zhey're killink everyone up in he'ah!". This is a reference to Antoine Dodson, who became an internet celebrity from a viral news video in which he was discussing an attempted rape on his sister. Said video included Dodson uttering the line "Hide your kids, hide your wives, and hide your husbands, because they're raping everybody out there."

• Mia Rose
  • There's an NPC in Twilight Highlands called Mia the Rose, which is a reference to porn actress and WoW player Mia Rose. Rose plays a night elf female.

Other

• The achievement  [Double Rainbow] is a reference to a viral video of a man commenting in awe while filming footage a double rainbow.
• When doing the quest  [Forged Documents] on the Alliance side, there is an option to turn the quest in to the horse trainer Darlene Stokx in Stormwind. Upon turning in the quest, one of the things she says is "I must have been tipsy the night I promised you a pony. Take your money and no hard feelings, okay?" This a possibly a reference to the "Ghostcrawler promised me a pony" meme that sprung up on the official forums.
• Homestar Runner
  • In Deepholm, the quest  [82] Troggzor the Earthinator is an obvious reference to Trogdor. Both the quote "Stop him before he earthinates the countryside!" and the reward Earthinating Peasant Leggings further the pun.