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This page contains a list of pop culture references in Warcraft.

Please double-check before adding a reference; while attempts are made to keep them in alphabetical order, they may not be. Most importantly, please note that this page is split into the classic games and to the MMORPG with its expansions. Additionally, references to movies that are based on books might be listed under 'Literature' instead of 'Movies' and vice-versa, and the movie you are thinking of could just be referencing another work, too. Those might be mentioned in the case of very popular ones, but it will be listed under the original reference.

To be absolutely sure the entry you want to add isn't already there, please perform a full search on the page (Ctrl+F) for both the name of the book/movie/game etc., and the name/quote of the NPC/location.

Recurring[]

The following are recurring references that come back for a special occasion:

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight[]

Literature[]

Video Games[]

Movie and television[]

People[]

  • wowcrendorCrend the Pointless is a reference to wowcrendor and his two video series "Fishing with Crendor" and "Pointless Top 10". Wowcrendor always begins the videos in the latter series with the statement "Inside pointless things are treasure", and he ends most of his videos by saying "Okay? Okay. See ya!", both of which are referenced in Crend's dialogue.

Other[]

World of Warcraft: Shadowlands[]

Comic and manga[]

Gaming[]

Literature[]

Movie and television[]

Music[]

Other[]

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth[]

Comics and manga[]

Gaming[]

Movies and television[]

Literature[]

Other[]

World of Warcraft: Legion[]

Comic and manga[]

Gaming[]

Literature[]

Movies and television[]

Music[]

People[]

Other[]

World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor[]

Gaming[]

Literature[]

Movies and television[]

Music[]

People[]

  • Robin Williams — Following the death of comedian and actor Robin Williams, known to have himself been a player of World of Warcraft and Warcraft III, many players asked for an NPC to be created in his honor, with one player even creating a petition on Change.org and gathering nearly 11,000 signatures in just 16 hours.[1] On August 12th, following assurances from CM Celestalon and Williams fan Brian Holinka,[2] the official World of Warcraft twitter account tweets ".@robinwilliams Thank you. You gave us so much joy in our lives, and we hope you enjoyed your time in our world. We’ll see you in-game."[3] The message is widely taken as confirmation of the creation of an in-game tribute.
  • Wowhead staff

Other[]

  • A [15-40] Do the Dew — The quest name is a reference to "Do the Dew," the slogan for the Mountain Dew brand of soda, which is popularly associated with video gaming and previously had even partnered with Blizzard for a promotional campaign featuring exclusive flavors of the soft drink based on World of Warcraft.

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria[]

Gaming[]

  • Battletoads
    • The toads at the Pools of Purity (Rash, Zitz, and Pimple) are named after the toads in the arcade game.
    • The quest N [15-35] Bottletoads also references the game, as well as the internet meme and prank based around it. The lines "Coincidentally, I make a jam out of gelatinous toadspawn. I call it "Bottletoads" and "it's a big hit with the kids around here. Can't keep any in stock." are references to the Battletoads trolling meme.
  • BioShock InfiniteElizabeth Birdsong is a reference to one of the main characters Elizabeth who looks very similar with dark hair, blue eyes, and blue and white clothes. She is guarded by Songbird, which her NPC's last name is taken from. Many of her lines reference her personality and the fantastical universe of Columbia, like "I never imagined such a world", "the possibilities are infinite," and "this world is so different."
  • Dead Space — The quest N [30-35] Dread Space is an obvious reference to the Dead Space video game series.
  • Diablo — The achievements granted for killing rares, Expansionicon mistsofpandaria [A Worthy Opponent], Expansionicon mistsofpandaria [Could We Find More Like That?] and Expansionicon mistsofpandaria [Glorious!] are all famous quotes from the Templar companion in Diablo III.
  • Duke NukemDook Ookem and his quotes are based on Duke Nukem.
  • Harvest MoonThe Tillers faction is a shout out to the Harvest Moon series; examples include the giving of gifts to people to gain their friendship and the presence of the Inv feather 13 [Blue Feather].
  • Hearthstone
  • Master of OrionThe Klaxxi may be a reference to an insect race called the Klackons in the game.
  • Mortal Kombat — The White Tiger Xuen seems to be a has of this. Along with his achievement Ability monk summontigerstatue [Finish Them!], he also says "Test. Your. Might!" when you accept his quests.
  • Pikmin — Many quests at Rikkitun Village, such as N [30-35] Great Vessel of Salvation, plays on the likeness of the Pikmin and Sprites.
  • Pokémon — The Pet Battle System is an obvious shout out to the Pokémon series.
  • StarCraft
    • In the cockpit of the Ability mount shreddermount [Sky Golem] is a picture of the Queen of Blades.
    • Peticon-magical Spell shadow summonfelhunter [Zergling Rush] pet ability references a tactic where a player will devote resources very early in the game to producing as many Zerglings as quickly as possible and attack the opponent with them, who ideally will have spent fewer resources at this point on building units and more on his or her economy. Some Zergling rushes can be timed to hit before an opponent has created a single defensive unit.
  • StarFox 64N [20-35] Do a Barrel Roll! is a reference to a popular internet meme spawned by a line said by Peppy Hare.
  • Street Fighter
    • In Kun-Lai Summit there is a female pandaren called Lun-Chi <The Streetfighter>, whose attire resembles Chun-Li's.
    • One of the female pandaren's jokes also references Chun Li: "Let's see, uh, forward, down, forward, PUNCH! No... Down, up, kick..?"
    • Some aspects of female pandarens' appearance and animations also distinctly resemble Chun Li, most specifically their /cheer emote.
  • The Elder Scrolls — A quest N [15-35] Unsafe Passage in Krasarang Wilds has you escorting a group of Pandaren that gets ambushed by a rain of arrow. At one point, quest giver and escortee Koro Mistwalker will say Help me up, <player>. I... I took an arrow in the knee...

Literature[]

Movies and television[]

Music[]

People[]

Other[]

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm[]

Comic and manga[]

  • Oglaf — The description of the Archaeology item Trade archaeology skullmug [Skull Drinking Cup], especially the line "So thirsty...." is a reference to Skulls!, one rare SFW strips of the mostly NSFW webcomic Oglaf.

Gaming[]

  • Alone in the DarkSpell shadow shadesofdarkness [Alone in the Darkness - Guild Edition] is a reference to the Alone in the Dark computer game series, which is mostly based on Lovecraft's works, just like Yogg-Saron.
  • Assassin's Creed — The quest name N Rogue [35] Assassinate Creed is a reference to the series.
  • BioShock
    • The quests H [10-30] Mr. D's Wild Ride and A [10-30] Mr. P's Wild Ride reference Big Papa and Big Daddy--you must control the shredders to kill a variety of enemies. As you complete the quests, Clarissa and Alice follow and cheer you on. The shredders don't look like normal shredders as well--they are wearing helmets and have a drill for one arm and a huge claw for the other, just like the Big Daddies.
    • Clarissa and Alice are references to the Little Sisters, who are accompanied by shredders representing the Big Daddies. Their dialogue echoes the Little Sisters dialogue where they would cheer on the Big Daddies to kill their enemies:
      • Clarissa whispers: Get 'em, Mr D!
      • Clarissa whispers: Hooray, Mr. D! You're back! Do you remember how to shoot all your guns? Why don't you take a minute to learn how to fight again! Just in case.
      • Clarissa whispers: Hurt 'em some more! MORE!
      • Clarissa whispers: Make 'em sorry for hurting you, Mr. D!
      • Clarissa whispers: YAY!
    • Inv misc food 31 [Mr. Bubble's Shockingly Delicious Ice Cream]: Nickname for the Big Daddies that protect the Little Sisters.
    • Anderov Ryon shouts out modified quotes from Andrew Ryan, Rapture's founder.
      • Fools! Simpletons! Look at you milling about, oblivious to the coming of the end!
      • Allow me to ask a simple question: Is a man allowed - entitled even - the sweat of his brow?
      • "No," says the orc in Orgrimmar, "it belongs to the Horde!"
      • "No," says the human in Stormwind, "it belongs to the Alliance!"
      • I knew a man once that rejected those answers! A man that chose the impossible!
      • That man was Genn Greymane and that impossible choice was Gilneas!
      • Oh Gilneas, I miss you so!
  • Joust — The quests in the Firelands Hatchery play like a 3D version of the arcade game Joust, including similar enemies and controls.
  • Parasite Eve — The achievement Ability hunter pet worm [Parasite Evening] is a reference to the Parasite Eve series.
  • 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, N [7-30] 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.
  • Star Fox 64 — The achievement Spell magic polymorphrabbit [Do a Barrel Roll!] is a reference to Star Fox 64. The line, which was delivered by Peppy Hare as advice to the player, became an internet meme.
  • Street FighterAlliance Commander Jarrodenus in Azshara fights with the abilities Flaming Dragon Kick and Hadouken.
  • Team Fortress 2 — The quest H [5-30] Segmentation Fault: Core Dumped located in a Secret Lab in Azshara is a reference to the Payload game mode from Team Fortress 2. In addition, upon initiating the quest, Hulking Labgoblin will say "We must push little cart!", a reference to the Heavy, one of the playable characters in the game.
  • The Legend of Zelda — While on the quest N [35 Daily] The Protectors of Hyjal, Linken will sometimes say either "Oh, boy! I'm so hungry, I could eat a fire elemental!", which is a play off of a line said by Link in the infamous Legend of Zelda CD-i games, or "Excuuuuse me, princess!", which is Link's catchphrase in the Legend of Zelda cartoon.
  • Touhou Project — The quest A [5-30] A Tiny, Clever Commander to kill "Commander" Nazrim references both the name of a character from the Touhou game Unidentified Fantastic Object as well as her stage song (Nazrin and The Tiny, Tiny, Clever Commander respectively)
  • XenogearsNeutral Fleet Master Seahorn in N [35 Daily] The Protectors of Hyjal says "I am... a tauren... of the SEA!", which is a reference to a line said several times by the Captain of the Thames.

Literature[]

Movies and television[]

  • 24 — During the Twilight Investigation quest line in Stormwind, a quest A [84] 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."
  • Clash of the Titans — Near the end of the Vashj'ir questline when the Naga assault Neptulon, Lady Naz'jar cries out "Release the Kraken!" to call upon the aid of the Leviathan Ozumat in defeating Neptulon.
  • CSI: Miami — The main quest chain in Westfall has players interacting with wisecracking Lieutenant Horatio Laine, assisting him while investigating several crimes in the area. Horatio Laine is based off of Horatio Caine, a character from CSI:Miami. In episode teasers, Caine would begin to speak a particularly ominous (or humorous) line, pause for a moment to put on his sunglasses, and then finish the sentence.
  • Doctor Who
    • When entering Nespirah during N [30-35] Nespirah, Earthmender Duarn says "Her body appears even larger from the inside." (you can hardly grasp Nespirah's size from the outside while being rather close to it) which is a reference to the TARDIS actually being larger on the inside, which is often stated by characters in the show. Also, the shape and color scheme of Nespirah's inside seem similar to that of the TARDIS in series 1-4 of the 2005 relaunch.
    • Inv axe 1h deathwingraiddw d 01 [No'Kaled, the Elements of Death], a weapon dropped by Madness of Deathwing, seems to refer to the Daleks, the original name of which was "Kaled"
  • Dr. Quinn, Medicine WomanWitch Doctor Qu'in <Medicine Woman> in the level 85 heroic version of Zul'Gurub is a reference to the title character of the series.
  • First Blood — The John J. Keeshan questline in Redridge Mountains is a reference to the Rambo series. John J. Keeshan is modeled after John Rambo, and Colonel Troteman is based off of Colonel Samuel Trautman.
  • Futurama
    • The Jewelcrafting Cataclysm dailies in Orgrimmar/Stormwind reference characters and events from the series heavily:
      • B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] A Present for Lila - Lila has purple hair, is a ship captain and apparently only has one eye (left) but is still attractive, which are attributes of Turanga Leela as well. Bonder (Curver in the Alliance version) is apparently a thief, which his friends are oblivious about, and likes drinking, which describes Bender. "Bonder" was also how a fraud psychic called him in a séance.
      • B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] Elemental Goo and B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] The Latest Fashion! mention (A) Professor Barnsworth and (H) Dr. Vernstrom, which stand for Professor Farnsworth and Dr. Wernstrom, rival scientists and mortal enemies. While The Latest Fashion! mentions disregard for the dangers of science/magic, as well as finding "other" uses for inventions that have proven to be dangerous, a trait of Farnsworth, the "hand stuck in jar" joke in Elemental Goo's completion text might refer to the series' "heads in jars".
      • B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] Nibbler! No! - Nibbler is a direct reference to Leela's pet of the same name, which can (and will) devour and digest anything, while its droppings are too heavy to lift.
      • Both the quest name and description text of B Jewelcrafting [30-35 Daily] Ogrezonians in the Mood reference the title and plot of the episode Amazon Women in the Mood, and also mentions "Azeroth Express", a play on Planet Express, the delivery company of the series' protagonists.
  • Hell's Kitchen — In Southern Feralas, near the Steam Pools, you can find a Goblin resort. This is where you can find Gordon Tramsay, <Head Chef>, which is a clear reference to Gordon Ramsay, the host of the American cooking competition show.
  • House — In the Horde camp of Dragonmaw Port in the Twilight Highlands there is an NPC named Gregor that is a Dragonmaw Medicine man, named after Dr. Gregory House.
  • Indiana Jones — The entire Uldum questline revolving around Harrison Jones, Belloc Brightblade, Commander Schnottz and concluding with finding the Coffer of Promise in N [30-35] Harrison Jones and the Temple of Uldum is based loosely 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). The Coffer of Promise is similar to the Ark of the Covenant, both in appearance and powers in the movie, as well as the secret it holds.
  • Inglourious 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!" (sounding like "nein", German for "no")
    • In Azshara, Blood Guard Aldo Rockrain delivers a speech to eight Horde soldiers that very closely resembles the recruitment speech given by Lt. Aldo Raine in the movie, including the line "We're gonna march in there and do one thing, and one thing only: KILLING ALLIANCE!" (a reference to the line in the film "We're gonna be doing one thing and one thing only: Killing Nazis!"). Two of his recruits, Sergeant Dontrag and Scout Utvoch, are references to the movie's characters Sergeant Donny Donowitz and PFC Utivich.
  • Jaws — A questline presented by Budd at Budd's Dig in Kelp'thar Forest revolves around a huge shark called Gnaws, a play on the movie title. The names of two quests, N [30-35] Dah, Nunt... Dah, Nunt... and N [30-35] DUN-dun-DUN-dun-DUN-dun reference the movie's musical theme, imitated with a human voice. An albeit unsuccessful attempt to kill Gnaws is to lure it into eating grubs loaded with gunpowder, which explodes when he bites it, a reference to the end of the movie, where the shark is killed by an oxygen tank exploding in its maw. Another obscure reference might be the fact that Gnaws' Boneyard is filled with orca remains. The boat in the movie was named after the orca, considered the only natural enemy of the great white shark.
  • Jem — At the Darkmoon Faire, there are four children that run around the premises: Jerrica (a draenei), Aja (a goblin), Kimber (a blood elf), and Shana (a human). These are the names of the original members of The Holograms.
  • 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."
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
    • N [30-35] A Bone to Pick mentions a cursed treasure that "makes everyone who touches it a skeleton" - a reference to the cursed Aztec gold in The Curse of the Black Pearl.
    • At the beginning of the Vashj'ir questline the ship the player is riding on is attacked by the giant kraken-like Leviathan Ozumat. The manner in which the scene begins, as well as the player falling the water and seeing the creature are all reminiscent of a similar scene in Dead Man's Chest.
    • In Merchant Coast, there is a dog named Charlie holding keys to a jail cell. In the jail cell are 2 southsea pirates. This is a reference to the jail sceen in the first movie.
  • Point Break — The Blackhorn encounter in Dragon Soul references this movie, with the skydiving motif. Also, there are two NPCs called Sky Captain Swayze and Ka'anu Reevs, which are references to two members of the cast: Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves.
  • Starship Troopers — The quest N [15-30] A Great Idea in Tanaris will have the player catch a silithid bug. Upon quest completion, the questgiver Zeke Bootscuff calls over Narain Soothfancy to commune with the bug. Narain states "It's afraid." then yells "It's afraid!", a direct quote from the end of the movie, following the capture of the 'brain bug'. The follow-up quest N [15-30] Just Trying to Kill Some Bugs, another direct quote, features a large explosion in a hive like the corresponding scene in the movie.
  • Star Trek: The Original Series — When you talk to the Horde Negotiator which you accompany for H [30-35] Madness, he says "Hey, does this red shirt make me look expendable?", a reference to the Redshirt cliche, a term coined for stock characters in the series that die early on in the episode.
  • Star Wars
    • The faction-respective versions of B [30-35] The Hammer of Twilight state: "More important than that, the cultists have made a critical error: Cho'gall is personally overseeing its final construction. Many SI:7/Kor'kron died to bring us this information", an allusion to a similar line in Return of the Jedi.
    • Ability rogue stayofexecution [Don't Get Cocky Kid] is a (paraphrased) reference to a remark Han Solo made to Luke Skywalker in Episode IV: A New Hope.
    • During H IconSmall Goblin MaleIconSmall Goblin Female [1-20] Surrender or Else! quest in Lost Isles Faceless of the Deep yells: "And now, young goblin, you will die!", which is similar to what Emperor Palpatine says to Luke Skywalker in "The Return of the Jedi".
    • N [15-30] The Perfect Horns: In a reference to Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Adventurer will awake suspended upside-down in the same cave that the Adventurer were just hunting yetis in, referencing the scene at the beginning of the movie where Luke is captured by the wampa on Hoth and suspended in a cave.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — During quests in the Crucible of Flame the buff indicating you are accompanied by a Child of Tortolla is called "Turtle-Power!"
  • The Lord of the Rings
  • The Simpsons — The quest N [30-35] A Bone to Pick (most likely) references the episode Treehouse of Horror III where Homer attempts to purchase cursed frozen yogurt. The episode features a dialogue repeating an alternating "that's good" followed by a "that's bad" set of statements. Both the episode and the quest refer to a cursed item.
  • Twin Peaks — The achievement Achievement bg grab cap flagunderxseconds [Fire, Walk With Me] is a reference to David Lynch's movie (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me).

Music[]

People[]

  • Antoine Dodson — When completing the quest N [30-35] Crisis Management in Uldum, Schnottz'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."
    • In Patch 4.2, a second reference was added to the daily quest N [30-35 Daily] Vigilance on Wings. After mounting up, it will say "Hyjal kids, Hyjal wives! They're lancing everyone in here!"
  • Ghostcrawler
    • Ghostcrawler is a rare spectral crab and spirit beast located in the Abyssal Depths of Vashj'ir. He uses the ability Nerfbat.
    • When doing the quest Inv scroll 11 [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.
    • Spell holy sealofblood [To the Ground!] is another Ghostcrawler reference, this time in reference to a joke on how hard he would be nerfing Paladins.
  • Russell — A dwarf NPC at Kirthaven in the Twilight Highlands that shares the quest A [30-35] Words and Music By... who is a reference to his real life counter part of the same name: Russell Brower, who is the Director of Audio at Blizzard.

Other[]

  • Double Rainbow — The achievement Achievement doublerainbow [Double Rainbow] is a reference to a viral video of a man commenting in awe while filming footage of a double rainbow. Also, the freaked out imps in the quest N [15-30] Open Their Eyes quote the same video.
  • Homestar Runner
    • In Deepholm, the quest N [30-35] Troggzor the Earthinator is an obvious reference to Trogdor. Both the quote "Stop him before he earthinates the countryside!" and the reward Inv pants cloth cataclysm b 01 [Earthinating Peasant Leggings] further the pun.
    • The Unstable Magma fire elementals found in the Firelands raid sometimes yell out "BURNINATE!" before attacking.
  • Ragnar-O's — The achievement Achievement firelands raid ragnaros [Ragnar-O's] is a reference to a World of Warcraft meme that parodies both Ragnaros and the cereal brand Cheerios.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King[]

Comic and manga[]

Gaming[]

  • Alone in the DarkSpell shadow shadesofdarkness [Alone in the Darkness] (10 / 25) is a reference to the this computer game series, which is mostly based on Lovecraft's works, just like Yogg-Saron.
  • Baldur's Gate — The Council of Six is likely named after the Council of Six from Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, a mysterious high council presiding over a magical order of magi known as the Cowled Wizards. Ironically, the wizards' job to (sometimes violently) enforce the regulation of magic is more reminiscent of the Blue Dragonflight than the Kirin Tor.
  • CastlevaniaAbility hunter pet bat [Vampire Hunter] is a reference to the popular pastime in Castlevania. This was tied to the Wrath of the Lich King launch event and the special encounter also had loot which referenced the game: Ability hunter pet bat [Vampiric Batling] and Inv misc bag 08 [Monster Slayer's Kit]. The last one has all the weapons you need to defeat the vampires and zombies: Inv staff 05 Monster Slayer's Symbol, Inv potion 03 Monster Slayer's Holy Water, Inv axe 01 Monster Slayer's Axe, Inv throwingknife 02 Monster Slayer's Dagger. This item appeared during a special event in Karazhan, which also has references to the series.
  • City of HeroesPortal Jockey (10 / 25) is a reference to Portal Jockey Badge, one of the most coveted items in the game, providing +5 Endurance and +5% hit points.
  • Diablo — The monster Kaganishu, found inside a cave system in northern Borean Tundra, has a name reminiscent of Rakanishu, a Fallen guarding the Cairn Stones in Diablo II. His followers say his name as they attack, much like all Fallen in Diablo II.
  • Final Fantasy — There is a flower merchant in Dalaran named Aerith Primrose. Aerith is a reference to Aerith Gainsborough, a major character of Final Fantasy VII, who wears a pink and red outfit similar in appearance to that of this NPC, and is also a flower seller.
  • Pokémon
    • I Choose You, Runemaster Molgeim (10/25), I Choose You, Steelbreaker (10/25) and I Choose You, Stormcaller Brundir (10/25), all for the same boss encounter, may be a reference to a phrase used in the Pokémon franchise, however in the Pokemon franchise the name usually comes before the "I choose you!" statement.
    • Mootoo the Younger is a reference to the Pokemon Mewtwo. This is further enforced by various psychic related quotes during the quest H [10-30] Escaping the Mist, as well as the NPC's similarity in eye shape to the Pokemon's.
  • Portal
    • Inv misc celebrationcake 01 [The Cake Is Not A Lie] is a direct reference to the game Portal. The phrase translates to a reward which is fictitious and was popularized by the game Portal found on Half-Life's Orange Box release. In the game, you are part of a study group controlled by a computer that attempts to motivate you to complete a series of tests involving a new device created by Aperture Science.
    • Thinking with Portals - A Memorandum on Proper Portal Usage can sometimes be found in Dalaran and is a reference to the motto of the game, "Now you're thinking with portals!", used by GLaDOS after completing certain objectives.
    • During Love is in the Air, some locations have wooden crates with ribbons and hearts on them. These resemble the Weighted Companion Cube from level 17.
  • Sewer Shark — A sewer shark named Segacedi is located under the poison vendor in the sewers of Dalaran. This is a reference to the game Sewer Shark, released on the Sega CD add on for the Sega Genesis, also known as the Mega CD in European and Asian markets.
  • StarCraft — During the boss fight in Pit of Saron, Scourgelord Tyrannus shouts "Power... overwhelming!". This is a quote from the Protoss Archon unit in StarCraft, as well as the game's cheat command for invincibility.
  • The Legend of ZeldaMoney achievement Friend or Fowl? requires you to kill 15 Turkeys in under 3 minutes. Once you kill 15 of them, masses of Angry Turkeys will spawn and chase you down attacking you. This is a reference to The Legend of Zelda series as this same event occurs in many of the games; as you attack Cuccos over and over, masses of Cuccos will swarm in and attempt to kill Link.
  • Zero WingSet Up Us the Bomb (10/25) is a quote from the badly translated (Engrish) intro of the Mega Drive version of the game, including such lines as "Somebody set up us the bomb".

Literature[]

Movies and television[]

  • 300
    • N Death Knight [8-30] Tonight We Dine in Havenshire is a reference to a scene where Leonidas says "Tonight, we dine in Hell."
    • The Scourge archers seen early on in the Death Knight questchain are called Sky Darkeners, referring to this exchange from 300: "Our arrows will blot out the sun! Then we will fight in the shade."
    • N Death Knight [8-30] The Light of Dawn is considered to be a reference to the Battle of Thermopylae, since there being 300 defenders of the Light and 10,000 attackers from the Scourge.
  • A Christmas StoryInv weapon rifle 01 [Red Rider Air Rifle] is a reference to the Red Rider BB gun that the main character, Ralphie, wants for Christmas. The rifle will sometimes "backfire" causing the player to become stunned for a short period of time. The debuff is called Ability cheapshot [Right in the eye!] which is an obvious reference to the movie.
  • A Mighty WindThe Mighty Wind is a reference to the Christopher Guest's movie.
  • Airplane! — On occasion, Scarlet Peasants will say "I picked the wrong week to quit drinking", which is a memorable quote from Steve McCroskey.
  • Aladdin — Flying carpets, like Ability mount magnificentflyingcarpet [Magnificent Flying Carpet] and Ability mount frostyflyingcarpet [Frosty Flying Carpet], give you the buffs "Don't you dare close your eyes!" or "A new fantastic point of view!" which are quotes from the song "A Whole New World".
  • Aliens
    • They're Coming Out of the Walls (10/25) is a line used by Private Hudson in the movie.
    • Just after starting the encounter in the Violet Hold, Lieutenant Sinclari says, "Prison guards, we are leaving!". This references the line by Corporal Hicks, "Marines, we are leaving!"
  • American PieB [120 Daily] This One Time, When I Was Drunk... is a reference to the constant anecdotes starting with "This one time, at band camp..." told by Alyson Hannigan's character Michelle.
  • Apocalypse NowI Love the Smell of Saronite in the Morning (10/25) is a play on the famous quote "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smell like...victory."
  • Army of Darkness
  • Back to the Future
  • Bambi — In Grizzly Hills, there are four NPCs located near each other with interesting names. These NPCs in question are one adult female deer named Mother of Bambina, a younger female deer named Bambina, a skunk named Flora and a small rabbit named Thudder. These four are clearly a reference to the characters of the movie. Moreover, a hunter will come out and shoot Mother of Bambina.
  • Battlestar GalacticaKara Thricestar, is named for Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, a character from the TV series.
  • BewitchedEndora Moorehead is a reference to Endora, the mother of Samantha Stevens and played by Agnes Moorehead. Another sister, Hagatha Moorehead, probably refers to Samantha's (seldom-seen)aunt Hagatha.
  • Deadliest CatchInv misc head murloc 01 [Deadliest Catch] is probably a reference to this popular Discovery Channel television program.
  • Dirty Jobs — An NPC named "Dirty" Michael Crowe appears to be a reference to its host Mike Rowe.
  • Doctor Who
    • Inv misc screwdriver 02 [The Ultrasonic Screwdriver] is a reference to the Sonic Screwdriver.
    • The Mechagnomes are a reference to the Cybermen. The way they're made by "Decursing" gnomes (similar to the way the Cybermen "Upgrade" people), the way Gearmaster Mechazod considers what he's doing to be a gift of immortality, to a few of the Mechagnomes quotes are all indications to this.
    • Chromie talks to you in the same manner as the Doctor. When you skip the intro in Culling of Stratholme once you've beaten it before, she'll make a statement similar to the Doctor's due to her constant time traveling of claiming she's never met you before.
    • In N [15-30] Mystery of the Infinite, Future You tells you Listen. I'm not supposed to tell you this, but there's going to be this party that you're invited to. Whatever you do, DO NOT DRINK THE PUNCH!, in the same fashion as the Doctor, who likes to give out a quirky bit of advice to someone who'll be important in the future that makes no sense to anyone but the Doctor.
  • Firefly
    • Initiate Mehrtens sells an item which you can use to torture a previously captured mage. One of the lines he says is "Are you trying to meet the real me?", a reference to a line Mal says while being tortured in the episode War Stories.
    • Saffron Reynolds is a reference to Saffron, a con artist who was briefly married to Mal Reynolds. She is a poison vendor, a hint to how she drugged up Mal with a poison on her lips. Next to her is Yolanda Haymer, another name later used by this woman.
  • Full Metal Jacket — During the Death Knight starting quests in Acherus, a book can be read near the runeforges with the text "This is my runeblade, there are many like it but this one is mine." This is an obvious reference to the mantra the Marine recruits are ordered to recite in in the movie "This is my rifle, there are many like it but this one is mine".
  • FuturamaProfessor Putricide's quotes come straight from Professor Farnsworth.
  • Galaxy QuestGrubthor, a rare spawn in Silithus, may be a reference to Alan Rickman's repeated line, "By Grabthor's Hammer, you shall be avenged!"
  • Glengarry Glen RossChief Engineer Leveny is named after Shelly Levene, one of the salesman in the real estate office. The Goblin Siege Engineer's complaints about tools is similar to the complaints of the real estate salesman in the movies complaining about their leads. They also ask about a meeting they are being made to attend, which turns out to be with [[Blakelow],] who abuses the engineers and challenges them to a crafting contest, ending in an exortation to "Always be crafting!" similar to a speech in the movie.
  • Indiana Jones
  • Jurassic Park — During H [74] The Battle For The Undercity, when you clear to the outer ring of the Undercity, Varimathras yells "Clever girl..." at Sylvanas. This is a direct quote from the movie version of Jurassic Park. Just before Robert Muldoon is killed by velociraptors, those are his last words.
  • Lost — In Bittertide Lake there is a small island with a hatch with the Lost numbers incremented by one: 5 9 16 17 24 43.
  • MacGyverMcGoyver, who is building an airplane, is a clearly reference to MacGyver.
  • Pinocchio — In Dalaran, there is a placed called Wonderworks. The shopkeeper is named Jepetto Joybuzz, which sounds like the name of the man who made Pinocchio.
  • Pulp FictionA [10-30] Zedd's Probably Dead is a reference to the movie. It is the name of one of the pieces of music from the movie, and also a character named Zed who gets killed, after which Bruce Willis's character exclaims "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead."
  • Saturday Night Live — A book in Acherus: The Ebon Hold lists various Death Knight trainees and their fates. The player's character is named on the last significant page with a note saying "Need more cowbell", a reference to a Christopher Walken sketch that the development team must have really, really liked.
  • Scarface
    • When you fight Gal'darah he will sometimes summon rhinos. While doing that he says "Say hello to my BIG friend!" which is a reference to Scarface's "Say Hello To my LITTLE friend!".
    • H [10-30] Bury Those Cockroaches! is a reference to Tony Montana's line "I bury those cockroaches!".
    • While fighting Salranax the Flesh Render in N [25-30] The Air Stands Still, Munch also uses the line "Say hello to my little friend!" before summoning his ghoul.
  • Sesame Street — Some of the hungering dead near Wintergarde Keep in Dragonblight say "NOM! NOM! NOM!", a term used to describe eating, coined by the Cookie Monster.
  • South Park
    • In Howling Fjord, the Valgarde defenders are armed with rifles. Before killing approaching NPCs they yell "It's coming right for us." A reference to an early South Park episode dealing with the Second Amendment. It was explained that with the new changes in government you could only fire your weapons in self defense, therefore, hunters could legally shoot anything by claiming self defense, but only after yelling "It's coming right for us."
    • While not quite making it into The Burning Crusade (as it was renamed Inv sword 71 [Gladiator's Slicer]), the Inv sword 62 [Sword of a Thousand Truths] was introduced as a drop in the new Naxxramas, and renamed Inv sword 62 [Slayer of the Lifeless], complete with the flavor text, "Foretold by Salzman," both obvious nods to the "Make Love, Not Warcraft" episode.
    • Spell brokenheart [Make Love, Not Warcraft] is a reference to the South Park episode of the same name, where the South Park gang play World of Warcraft. The achievement requires you to the same thing that Stan did to his dad before he died.
    • Xevozz sometimes says "Profit!" when killing a player. This 'slay' line is the third of three in the game files. This is a reference to the Unterpants Gnomes and their business plan.
  • Star Trek: The Original Series
  • Star WarsScourgelord Tyrannus shares the Sith name of Count Dooku from the Star Wars franchise. Also, both serve a dark master (Lich King and Emperor Palpatine, respectively).
  • Superman IIInv weapon bow 55 [Zod's Repeating Longbow] has "Kneel before him" in the flavor text. This is a reference to the movie's main villain, General Zod, who makes the President of the United States (and later tries to make Superman) bow before him with the phrase, "Kneel before Zod."
  • Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetJelinek Sharpshear was named "Sween Neetod" in the Wrath of the Lich King beta. The skeletons of his victims are still hidden beneath a floorboard on the second story of the shop, next to his trusty razor.
  • The Big Lebowski
    • Donny and the quest A [10-30] Out of My Element? are a direct reference to the character named Donny (played by Steve Buscemi). Several times in one of the major scenes, Walter Sobchak tells Donny "You're out of your element!"
    • The objetive of A [10-30] Iron Rune Constructs and You: The Bluff, given by Walt, is a clear reference to when Lebowskiis visited by 3 thugs. One of them relieves himself on "The Dude's" rug, and several references are made about the rug through-out the movie. Also, after you've completed all the quests Walt has to give, when you open his chat window he says "The Dude over yonder is pretty upset about his rug."
  • The Facts of LifeNatalie Tootiblare is a reference to three of the main characters in the series: Natalie Green, Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey, and Blair Warner.
  • The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirI Could Say That This Cache Was Rare (10/25) is a reference to the series' theme song.
  • The GooniesChester Copperpot is a reference to Chester Copperpot, a character in the 1985 movie.
  • The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams"Grizzly" D. Adams and his bear cub are a obvious reference to the original movie, which later became a TV series.
  • The Lord of the Rings
    • Arthas, as the Lich King, bears a near perfect resemblance to the Witch-king of Angmar as depicted in The Return of the King.
    • In H [25-30] It's All Fun and Games, you're asked to destroy the The Ocular, which floats above Shadow Vault's spires. The Ocular bears a strong resemblance to the eye of Sauron atop the tower of Barad-dûr from The Return of the King.
    • The Lich King's helmet has spikes on the top like those on Sauron's. The Lich King and his undead minions want to kill all living things not under his power, just as Sauron wants his army to take down all living things not under his power.
    • Angrathar the Wrathgate appears to be based on the Black Gate of Mordor the only major way of getting into Mordor, and in World of Warcraft Angrathar is the only real entrance into Icecrown. They are also both of the same design, made of a black metal with spikes coming out, and feature a large battle outside them.
  • The Matrix
    • The flavor text of Inv misc fork&knife [Crude Eating Utensils] says "There is no spoon."
    • During A [15-30] Projections and Plans, if you stand in the center of the floating platform on the Glittering Strand area of Dragonblight, you'll see the falling symbols in the same effect as the opening title sequence in The Matrix Reloaded. Before or after this quest, your character stands on a shield that prevents you from standing on the platform.
  • The Nightmare Before ChristmasAlchemist Finklestein is a tribute to Doctor Finklestein. He gives out the quest N [20-30] Lab Work which also references the fact that Doctor Finklestein was the Halloween Town's mad scientist.
  • The Princess Bride — When you are fishing up coins in the Dalaran fountain, you will sometimes receive Inv misc coin 19 [Inigo's Copper Coin], which has inscribed on it, "I wish I had my father back...", referencing the main character's dead father.
  • The Shadow — In H [74] The Battle For The Undercity, King Wrynn says "I know what evil lurks in the heart of orcs", a take off from this. His catch line, which still has its place in the American Lexicon, is "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men".
  • The Silence of the Lambs — The Ebon Blade Prisoners in Jotunheim occasionally make a remark along the lines of "It takes the key and opens the cage," similar to Buffalo Bill's "It places the lotion in the basket."
  • The Simpsons
    • In N Death Knight [8-30] Nowhere To Run and Nowhere To Hide sends you to kill Mayor Quimby, an obvious reference to Joe Quimby, the mayor of Springfield.
    • Stampy is a reference to Bart Simpson's pet elephant of the same name.
    • Crazy Cat Lady (10/25) is most likely a nod to the series' infamous Crazy Cat Lady.
    • Inv misc gem lionseye 01 [Unblinking Eye] might be a reference to one of the Stonecutters' initiation rituals in Homer the Great (which all, except the last one, consist of the blindfolded initiate being paddled on the ass by a line of people).
    • On the Azeroth's Fortune mini-game page of the Cataclysm homepage, one of the fortune titles is "Don't sleep. Gnomes will eat you." This refers to the episode Lisa's First Word, when Bart's poorly crafted clown headboard badly frightens Bart into insomnia and constantly repeating "can't sleep, clown will eat me."
  • The Six Million Dollar Man
    • The quests A [10-30] We Can Rebuild It and A [10-30] We Have the Technology are a referece to the memorable quote of Dr. Walter Ellis "We can rebuild you, we have the technology."
    • Fizzcrank Mechagnomes can be seen saying: "The flesh is weak. We will make you better, stronger...faster". This is another quote from the show's introduction.
  • The Terminator
    • During A [15-30] Flight of the Wintergarde Defender, your character says "Come with me if you want to live". This is a running line from The Terminator series.
    • The description for the warrior talent Ability warrior bladestorm [Bladestorm] is inspired by a quote from Kyle Reese when he tries to explain the threat posed by the Terminator.
  • They Live — When Macalroy offers A [10-30] Hell Has Frozen Over..., he says "Report to Vice Admiral Keller just northwest of here and let him know that you're all out of bubble gum" which is a reference to the 1988 movie[6] in which the character Nada announces "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum."[7]
  • This Is Spın̈al Tap
  • A [10-30] It Goes to 11... is a reference to when the guitarist is asked why he doesn't just make 10 louder on his amp, he replies "But it goes to 11...".
    • Going along with this reference, Achievement boss forgemaster [Doesn't Go to Eleven] refers to the same quote about the amp, this time joking that it doesn't go to eleven.
  • Top Chef
  • Unhappily Ever After — In A [15-30] Mr. Floppy's Perilous Adventure, Mr. Floppy, Emily's pet rabbit, is in reference to the sitcom.
  • Vampires — In A [10-30] Absholutely... Thish Will Work!, you're asked to give a Vrykul prisoner a plague cure. Eventually, he explodes and one of the guards says "I didn't know they could do that." In the movie after one of the vampires explodes one of the characters says "You didn't tell me they could do that. I didn't know they could do that."
  • Voltron — One of the phases of Mimiron is named "V-07-TR-0N", a reference to the anime robot Voltron. Additionally, Inv misc enggizmos 03 [And I'll Form the Head!] is a quote from the show.
  • Wing and a PrayerN [20-30D] A Wing and a Prayer is likely a reference to the 1944 war movie of nearly the same name.
  • X-Files
  • Xena: Warrior PrincesZena <Wodin's Warrior Kitten>, the pet of Wodin the Troll-Servant at the Amphitheater of Anguish in Zul'Drak is a reference to the series and its main character. Additionally, Woden (Odin) is a norse god, while Xena once was a favorite of Greek war god Ares.

Music[]

People[]

Other[]

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade[]

Comic and manga[]

Gaming[]

  • Command & Conquer, Tiberium universe — The red crystals on Bloodmyst Isle bear a heavy resemblance to Tiberium in appearance and behavior, as it infests and mutates the flora and fauna on the island.
  • Doom — The sounds made by the variations of Stags are almost directly taken from the sound palette of the imps found in the game Doom.
  • Duke Nukem 3D — The sound the Felboars and Helboars shriek when they aggro is strongly reminiscent of the LARD pig-cops you encounter in several areas of this game.
  • Final FantasyInv weapon rifle 07 [The Gunblade] is probably a reference to Final Fantasy VIII, where main character Squall Leonhart uses a "Gunblade" as his signature weapon. The WoW weapon, however, does not look anything like the Gunblade used in FFVIII.
  • Kingdom HeartsChief Engineer Lorthander, who wields a Keyblade, a reference to the weapons in the Kingdom Hearts series.
  • Killer InstinctGlacius and Fulgorge reference the characters Glacius, an alien made of ice, and Fulgore, a cyborg, from the rare fighting series.
  • Magic: The GatheringGruul, a massive cyclopean giant, is a reference to the Gruul guild in Magic: The Gathering, which was led by the cyclops Borborygmos.
  • Metal GearB [25-30] To Legion Hold, where you have to spy on enemies while you are disguised as a wooden crate, is a reference to the Metal Gear series, where the main character Solid Snake often uses a cardboard box to move around undetected.
  • ParanoiaArcane Guardians sometimes say "Happiness is mandatory, Citizen!". This is a direct quote from the role-playing game.
  • Oddworld — The Ravager bears an extremely striking resemblance to the Scrabs in the various Oddworld games.
  • Sinistar — The Essence of Anger part of the Reliquary of Souls will shout "Beware - I live.", a quote Sinistar shouts when he is fully formed and start actively seeking the player out.
  • Skyrealms of JoruneLake Jorune in Terokkar is a reference to this pen-and-paper roleplaying game from the '80s and early '90s.
  • StarCraftSky Commander Adaris and Vindicator Aldar are possible references to Judicator Aldaris.
  • Street FighterAbility rogue eviscerate [Eviscerate]'s animation is identical to Ken and Ryu's Shoryuken animation.
  • Yogurting — The female Blood Elf's dance moves are taken from the animated "Always" promotional video for this Korean video game. The video became a minor internet phenomenon, spawning another popular video of a dancer using the moves with Britney Spears' "Toxic" playing in the background.
  • Zero WingB [25-30] Setting Up the Bomb is a reference to the mistranslated quote "Somebody set up us the bomb!"

Literature[]

Movies and television[]

  • Apocalypse Now — After respawning, Captain Arathyn says "I love the smell of nether in the morning. It smells like...victory", one of the more famous quotes from above movie, originally "napalm" instead of "nether", said by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore.
  • Aliens
    • Outside of the Skyguard Outpost, the Skyguard gear up for their flight on the Bash'ir Landing about every two hours. During their pep talk, the Skyguard Lieutenant asks "Anyone have any questions?" to which a Ranger replies "Look, man, I only need to know one thing, where they are." This is a direct quotation from the 1986 movie Aliens where the Marines are getting a briefing from their Lieutenant and Private First Class Jenette Vasquez chimes in cockily with the above quote.
    • When engaged, Voidhunter Yar says "In the void, no one can hear you scream!"
  • Austin Powers
  • Babylon 5Velen is almost certainly a reference to the Minbari prophet Valen.
  • Battlestar Galactica — In the Blizzard website promoting the new Arena Tournament, the promotional pictures show a female blood elf named "Boomer" fighting against a draenei warrior named "Apollo" as well as a rogue canamedlled "Gaius", in reference to the Battlestar Galactica characters Sharon "Boomer" Valerii, Lee "Apollo" Adama, and Gaius Baltar.
  • Bio-Dome — Located inside of the Eco-Dome Midrealm stands Shauly Pore, which is a reference to actor and comedian Pauly Shore, who starred in this 1996 movie.
  • Buffy the Vampire SlayerInv jewelry ring 39 [The Seal of Danzalar] is a reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The phrase "From beneath you, it devours" comes from a reference in the last season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer; it translates to the gateway to the Sunnydale Hellmouth. The item's name is a play on "The Seal of Danzalthar" which is the name of the seal that covers the Sunnydale Hellmouth.
  • Captain Planet and the Planeteers — The female blood elf laugh is meant to reference the catchphrase of Doctor Blight from the TV series. Also, the image that displays next to the health bars of Blood Elf females in your party that are outside your visual range bears a distinct resemblance to the Doctor.
  • Close Encounters of the Third KindInnkeeper Remi Dodoso's name spells out the notes "Re" "Mi" "Do" "Do" "So" in the solfege scale. This is a reference to the musical theme used in the movie to communicate with the aliens which have landed on Earth.
  • Cruel IntentionsH [10-30] Cruel's Intentions is named for this film.
  • Dirty Harry"Dirty" Larry <Ruffian> is a reference to this movie and its main character, "Dirty" Harry Callahan.
  • Dirty Jobs"Dirty" Michael Crowe is a reference to Mike Rowe who is the star of the show.
  • Fight ClubBarimoke Wildbeard and Bron Goldhammer have a routine that starts of with "Bron! 'Ey, Bron! Hit me!". This is a reference to the first fight between the narrator and Tyler Durden.
  • Finding NemoInv misc fish 09 [Shark Bait]'s name is taken directly from the nickname given to Nemo by his fellow tankmates. The picture used for the item is also a Clownfish, just like Nemo. The quote "Just keep swimming..." was part of a catchy phrase said throughout the movie by Dory, voiced by Ellen Degeneres.
  • Firefly
    • K. Lee Smallfry <Engineering Trainer> is a reference to the character Kaylee Frye, the engineer on the show. Her dialog includes the word "shiny", a common adjective for "good" used on the show.
    • Inv box birdcage 01 [Captured Firefly] has the flavor text "Still flying..." which is a line from the show.
    • During Brewfest, one of the beers you can purchase is Inv drink 08 [Mudder's Milk], which is from the episode "Jaynestown."
    • Mingo and Fanty are named after the twins who engage Mal to perform the robbery from Serenity's opening sequence.
    • Inv gizmo 01 [Strange Engine Part] and Inv gizmo 01 [Broken Engine Part] bear the description: "It reads 'Capissen 38' on the bottom." This is a reference to Kaylee Frye's line in the movie: "Don't ride in anything with a Capissen 38 engine, they fall right out of the sky."
    • Caregiver Inaara <Innkeeper> is a reference to the Companion character Inara Serra. Her face and outfit looks also very similar to the series' character.
  • Full Metal Jacket — The Inv boots chain 01 [Booterang] has printed on it the first two lines of the Rifleman's Creed. The Creed pre-dates Full Metal Jacket by about 45 years, but was popularized by this movie.
  • Futurama
    • In the Apothecarium area is a large, stitched together thing that periodically blorps a load of the green funk that fills the Canals, vaguely reminiscent of the Slurm Queen's behind in the episode "Fry & The Slurm Factory."
    • Nibblet is probably a reference to the monkey/cat-like pet alien "Nibbler" from the show.
  • Heavy Metal — The blood elf NPC speech "Death to all who oppose us!" may be a reference to a character in the final story who says the beforementioned after the main antagonist of the movie turns him and his people into ruthless killing machines.
  • GladiatorInv sword 70 [Gladiator's Greatsword] is indicated to be built to "Proximo's specification" in the item description. Proximo was the slave trader/former gladiator who bought Maximus and trained him as a gladiator.
  • Indiana JonesHarrison Jones is an obvious reference to starring actor Harrison Ford and his role as the title character. In his dialogue, he accuses the player of only wanting to acquire Zul'Aman's treasures for themselves, instead of taking them to a museum where they belong, in his opinion (which is one of Jones' main motives for his expeditions).
  • M*A*S*H — The Skyguard folk at Skyguard Outpost occasionally say "Player is an officer and a gentlewoman/man." This is the same thing Maj. Margaret "Hot Lips" O'Houlihan says in the M*A*S*H play.
  • MacGyverMack Diver is a reference to Richard Dean Anderson's character MacGyver in the series of the same name.
  • Masters of the Universe
    • Adam Eternum is a reference to the popular Masters of the Universe character "He-Man", whose real name is Adam. He also has a Zulian Battle-tiger as a pet, in reference to his tiger, Cringer. He also appears with a gnome behind him called Oric Coe, in reference to Orko.
    • Keldor the Lost continues the reference to Masters of the Universe. "Keldor" was the identity of He-Man's arch-nemesis, prior to his transformation into the evil Skeletor. Being undead, Keldor the Lost's hood, glowing eyes, dark blue attire, and skull-tipped staff all bear a striking resemblance to Skeletor. I
  • Men in Black
    • The Netherstorm Agents in Area 52 are all dressed in tuxedos resembling the business suits from the Men in Black comics and movies. They also carry the huge guns that Tommy Lee Jones equipped in the first movie.
    • When you leave Area 52 you will be hit by a flash of light and you receive a buff called A-52 Neuralyzer whose tooltip says: "The flash of light you did not see did not erase your memories". This is a reference to the "Neuralizer" device that the Men in Black used to erase and alter the memories of the people who saw an alien.
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus — The Dark Iron Guzzlers shout, "No one expects the Dark Iron Dwarves!", a reference to the recurring Spanish Inquisition sketch.
  • Monty Python and the Holy Grail
    • Bot-Specialist Alley <B.O.O.M.> stands with her bots Maxx A. Million Mk. I, II, and V. The names of her bots are a reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where King Arthur goes to 'cook' the Holy Hand Grenade and exclaims "One, two, FIVE!".
    • In N [10-30D] Bring Me A Shrubbery! is reference when the Knights of Ni in the movie demanded that King Arthur bring them a shrubbery before they'd let him pass. The repeatable part of this quest is called N [10-30D] Bring Me Another Shrubbery!, which is a reference to their followup demand.
  • Napoleon Dynamite — The male blood elf's dance moves are taken directly from Napoleon's choreographed dance sequence at the end of the movie.
  • Once Were WarriorsH [15-30] Once Were Warriors could very well be directly related to the popular New Zealand movie by the same name. The emotions described within the quest text seem to confirm this more.
  • Pee-wee's PlayhouseT'chali the Witch Doctor is possibly a reference to another similarly colored disembodied head, Jambi the Genie.
  • RoboCop — The lines recited by the Arcane Patrollers are RoboCop's prime directives: "Protect the innocent", "Serve the Public Trust", and "Uphold the Law."
  • Saturday Night LiveN [25-30] Needs More Cowbell is a reference to the famous Christopher Walkin sketch.
  • Snakes on a Plane — In Nesingwary Safari, there is a gnome style plane crashed into the ground. Unmoving snake critters spawn atop it.
  • Stargate SG-1
  • South Park
    • Ethereal NPCs near Manaforge Ultris quotes this episode saying "How do you defeat that which has no life?", referring to the Ethereum Gladiator, who's always looking for a bigger and better challenge, in episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft."
    • One of the draenei male's jokes mimics the Underpants Gnomes' plan for profit.
    • Hemet Nesingwary in Nagrand will occasionally fire his gun at nearby talbuks and yell "It's coming right for us!" This is a clear reference to an early episode of South Park where Jimbo and Ned took the boys hunting.
    • See also: Inv sword 62 [Sword of a Thousand Truths]
  • Star Trek
    • N [25-30] You're Hired!, where you search for Etherlithium Matrix Crystals, is a play on the Dilithium Matrix Crystals used to redirect energy generated in warp engines.
    • In Exodar, there is a group of draenei that walk around checking out the holograms, named Audrid, Curzon, Emony, Tobin and Torias. They were all hosts of the Dax symbiont in Deep Space Nine.
    • After completing N [25-30] That Little Extra Kick, the giver and receiver of this quest (Boots) dies. A goblin paramedic rushes in to stimulate his heart. After a couple of shocks, the paramedic screams "Dammit Boots, I'm a doctor, not a priest!" which is a reference to Lenoard 'Bones' McCoy's line "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a <insert profession>" from the original Star Trek series.
    • Smiles O'Byron is a reference to Miles O'Brien, who is also referred to as Smiley in the alternate universe episodes of Deep Space Nine.
    • Warden Treelos sometimes says "There are FOUR lights!", which refers to the double The Next Generation episode "Chain of Command". Captain Jean-Luc Picard is captured by Cardassians, then tortured to break his will, in order to get him to admit he sees five lights where there are actually only four.
    • Jhordy Lapforge and Scooty nod to Geordi LaForge for Star Trek: The Next Generation and to Montgomery "Scotty" Scott for the original series.
    • Trelleum Mine is named after the mineral known as trellium in Star Trek: Enterprise.
    • Netherstorm has similar colors and chaotic theme as the Delphic Expanse. Prior to patch 2.4 warlocks could not summon in the Netherstorm like certain starship functions do not work in the Expanse.
    • Ohura is a tribute to Uhura, communications officer on the USS Enterprise.
    • Chief Engineer Trep is a reference to Chief Engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker III from Star Trek: Enterprise.
  • Star Wars
    • In the Badlands, Lotwil Veriatus's robot Servo says "I am well versed in over 4 languages". This is a reference to C-3PO who states "I am well-versed in over 6 million forms of communication" several times.
    • The racetrack in the Shimmering Flats features a vehicle that is strikingly similar to the podracers found in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
    • The race announcer is a two headed ogre is named Fobeed referencing the two headed podracer announcer in The Phantom Menace whose names were Fode and Beed.
    • In the hangar in the Military Ward of Ironforge sits a dwarf pilot by the name of Xiggs Fuselighter, wearing a white and orange flightsuit, black gloves, and boots strikingly similar to that of an X-Wing pilot. This is a reference to Luke Skywalker's friend Biggs Darklighter, whom you see in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
    • The tooltip of the buff icon for the Priest ability Spirit Of Redemption reads "You have become more powerful than anyone can possibly imagine." which is an almost verbatim reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi's line in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
    • Female dwarves and gnomes have a hairstyle similar to that of "Princess Leia".
    • In Un'Goro crater, near the exit to Silithus, there is a level 1 raptor named Obi, a reference to Obi-Wan (Obi 1).
    • The Inv sword 05 [Argent Avenger], a one-handed sword resulting from a quest in Stratholme, vaguely resembles a blue lightsaber. Also, Inv sword 22 [Teebu's Blazing Longsword] is it's red counterpart.
    • In a quest to rescue the captured Princess Moira Bronzebeard, you find her wearing an outfit that bears a striking resemblance to Leia's slave outfit in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, as well as the same hairstyle.
    • In Blade's Edge Mountains there is a place called Toshley's Station. In Star Wars there was a place called Toshe Station in which Luke Skywalker went to in the beginning of one of the Movies to pick up some Power Converters. The quest "Picking Up Some Power Converters" will reward you with a Power Converter. The two descriptions on the item are both references to Episode IV: "Use: Destroys technological terror constructs." is from Darth Vader's quote "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed," and "The next best thing to going to the Academy" is because Luke's always talking about going to the Academy. The Power Converter shoots off a red rocket that many think looks like the missile Luke fires to destroy the Death Star.
    • Roll a Draenei and you'll eventually get a quest called "The Kessel Run" given to you by an NPC named Kessel. You don't have to do this quest in "less than twelve parsecs" like Han Solo was able to do with the Millennium Falcon, but you will have to complete this quest in less than 15 minutes.
    • Nearby Toshley's Station stands R3D0, a remote sentry that can speak in three different languages (Human, Gnomish, and Dwarven). This is an obvious reference to C3PO, who was able to speak six million languages. The name is also a mesh between R2D2 and C3P0, the two robots in the movie.
    • In the Scarlet Raven Tavern in Darkshire there is a barkeeper named "Barkeeper Han" which is a reference to Han solo in Star Wars.
    • In Nagrand a Clefthoof Elite Named Mob is Called Banthar. If you drop the r off the end you get Bantha, a creature very similar to a Wooly Mammoth in the Star Wars Series, Banthar also look similar to a Wooly Mammoth.
    • The Azuremyst Isles are filled with NPCs, quests, and items that reference several science fiction stories, most notably Star Wars. For instance, the flight master of Blood Watch is named Laando (after Lando Calrissian). In addition to this, a quest on Bloodmyst Isle is named A [1-30] The Kessel Run.
    • Baron Sablemane will give you a quest named B [20-30] It's a Trap! — likely a reference to Admiral Ackbar's famous catchphrase.
    • Toshley's Station also has a quest named, Cutting Your Teeth. The rewards from this quest include Vibro Shanker, Vibro Dagger, and Vibro Sword. These weapons are a reference to the Star Wars, Vibrosword, Vibroaxe, Vibrodagger, which in turn are inspired by other sci-fi universes of that age.
    • The Halaa Blade Merchants in Halaa in Nagrand are Coreiel when Halaa is Horde controlled and Aldraan when Alliance controlled. These are references to Princess Leia's homeworld of Alderaan and Han Solo's homeworld of Corellia.
    • The NPC, Commander Duron may be named after Kyp Duron from the Star Wars novels.
  • Starship Troopers
    • At Toshley's Station in Blade's Edge Mountains, you can find a gnome named Razak Ironsides patrolling the station's ramparts, which is a likely reference to Lieutenant Jean Rasczak played by Michael Ironside. This reference is highlighted by the fact that he is defending the outposts against Ravagers, a kind of creature resembling the insect-aliens of the movie. There is also a guard named Dizzy Dina, in reference to Dizzy Flores, played by Dina Meyer.
    • Sometimes an event will start at Toshley's Station, where Ravagers attack the station. As the gnome guards rush to defend, you will hear Razak Ironsides yelling various quotes from Micheal Ironside in the Starship Troopers movie: "Come on you apes, you want to live forever?", "I have one rule: everybody fights, no one quits." and "You don't do your job, I will shoot you myself.". Also, at one point he calls in for reinforcements, a group of Gnomes on Mechanostriders who are led by a robot, the group is called "Roughriders", possibly after the self-proclaimed "Roughnecks", the name that the main characters from the movie gave themselves. More likely, it is a homage to former U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt's calvary unit The Rough Riders, which fought in the Spanish-American War.
  • The A-Team — When returning the makings of a trap to Admiral Odesyus, he says "I love it when a plan comes together", a line spoken in almost every episode of TV series by Hannibal Smith.
  • The Big Lebowski — In Hellfire Peninsula, the Horde engineering trainer is named Zebig and the Alliance one is named Lebowski.
  • The Black Hole — The bots Maxx A. Million Mk. I, II, and V are a reference to the ominous Maximillian from Disney's movie.
  • The Dark Crystal — The race and culture of the Arakkoa along with the Darkstone of Terokk is a reference to the Skeksis in the 1982 movie.
  • The Day the Earth Stood Still and Army of DarknessAssistant Klatu and Anchorite Barata reference to these two movies, where the phrase "klaatu, barada, nikto" held importance.
  • The Exorcist — During A [10-30] The Exorcism of Colonel Jules, Colonel Jules floats through the room and Anchorite Barada asks you to make sure nothing interrupts the process. Flying demon mobs spawn in the room which you have to destroy. During this whole sequence, the demon possessing the human also insults you and tries to scare you off with odd noises. Occasionally the body will vomit green stuff.
  • The Simpsons
  • The Sixth SenseN [15-30] I See Dead Draenei is a reference to Haley Joel Osment's character saying "I see dead people".
  • Short CircuitN [25-30G2] Mark V is Alive! which is a nod to the robot Number 5's exclamation, "Number Five is alive!" in the movie.
  • The Towering InfernoTowering Infernals are named after the movie.
  • Three's Company
  • TransformersNegatron is a nod to the Decepticon leader Megatron.
  • TremorsA [10-30] A Job for an Intelligent Man is a reference to the movie "Tremors", starring Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, in which sand worms out in the Nevada desert come up out of the ground and eat people. In this movie, Fred Ward asks Kevin Bacon "Is this a job for an intelligent man?", to which Kevin Bacon replies "Well, show me one and I'll ask him."
  • Total Recall — When walking by the refugees in Shattrath City's lower gate, one of them can be heard saying "Hey, Man? Got some money? I got five kids to feed!" just like Bennie the cab driver from Total Recall.
  • UHFA [1-30] Red Snapper - Very Tasty!" is a direct quote from the "Wheel of Fish" scene in "UHF" starring "Weird Al" Yankovic.
  • Wayne's WorldNothin' Says Lovin' Like a Big Stinger and ist very first paragraph "She will be mine. Oh yes- She will be mine" are a famous catchphrase Wayne uses when talking about Cassandra, the guitar, and other things. Removed in patch 9.1.5.

Music[]

People[]

Other[]

World of Warcraft[]

Comic and manga[]

  • Alien LegionH [33] The Corrupter questchain eventually leaded to kill Jugkar Grim'rod. This character references Jugger Grimrod of the Alien Legion, an early Epic Comics title. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • DC Comics
  • Fist of the North StarC'Thun will whisper the words "You... are... already... dead..." and "Your... heart... will... explode...". Kenshiro, the lead character of Fist of the North Star, is extremely famous for the initial line, and often through his fighting style would cause massive internal damage to his opponents, including making their heart explode in an extremely violent fashion.
  • FoxTrotInv hammer 10 [Doomulus Prime] is references a FoxTrot strip from January 29, 2006 in which Jason obtained the most powerful item in all of "World of Warquest". Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Judge DreddInv shoulder 11 [Lieutenant Commander's Plate Shoulders] bears a fair resemblence the armor worn by the comic character Judge Dredd, being gold, with flat armor on the left shoulder and a large eagle's head and wings on the right.
  • Marvel Comics
    • While fighting Bloodlord Mandokir, random players would get a message from him saying "Don't make me angry. You won't like it when I'm angry," which is a quote from Bruce Banner before he transforms into the Hulk. If the player decides to attack the Bloodlord after he has given this message, the Bloodlord will charge forward and beat the player to death. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
    • One of the voice emotes for orc males is "Orc smash!", a reference to the Hulk's catchphrase, "Hulk smash!"
    • The Avenger's Battlegear, with its red and gold metallic look and helmet, bears some resemblance to Iron Man's armor during his time with the superhero team, the Avengers.
  • Trigun — On many wanted posters in the game there is a man in a long trench coat that looks like the character Vash, from the popular anime/manga series.

Gaming[]

  • Diablo
    • Wirt's Third Leg was a reference to the character of Wirt the peg-legged boy from Diablo. Removed in patch 9.1.5.
    • Inv chest leather 06 [Cow King's Hide] refers to the 'Cow King' from Diablo II, located on the Cow Level.
    • Razorclaw the Butcher and Inv axe 23 [Butcher's Cleaver] are references to "The Butcher" in Diablo and the item he dropped.
    • Inv sword 13 [Shadowfang] is a reference to the sword of the same name in Diablo II. There is also the Inv staff 13 [Staff of Jordan] which is a reference to a popular item in Diablo II called "Stone of Jordan".
    • Dal'Rend's Arms (Inv sword 43 [Dal'Rend's Sacred Charge] and Inv sword 40 [Dal'Rend's Tribal Guardian]) is a reference to the Diablo II set Bul-Kathos' Children (consisting of Bul-Kathos' Sacred Charge and Bul'Kathos' Tribal Guardian). Removed in patch 6.0.2.
    • Inv jewelry ring 05 [Naglering] is a possible reference to the "Nagelring" from Diablo II.
    • One of the tips displayed as the player logs in to the game is, "'There is no cow level," a reference to a popular rumor about there being a secret cow level in Diablo.
    • Inv misc herb 03 [Maiden's Anguish] is probably a reference to Andariel, the poison-spewing boss of the first act of Diablo II; her "nickname" is the Maiden of Anguish.
    • When you talk to a Dwarf NPC, they might say "What can I do for ya?" This is the same line used by Griswold the Blacksmith in Diablo, who even had an accent similar to a dwarven one.
    • Stone Cairn Lake is an obvious reference to the five Cairn Stones in Diablo II, with which you open the portal to old Tristram.
  • Donkey KongGorillas sometimes drop Inv cask 03 [Empty Barrel], a reference to Donkey Kong throwing barrels at Mario in the Nintendo arcade game.
  • Dungeons & DragonsKrusk is a reference to one of D&D 3rd edition's iconic characters, Krusk the half-orc barbarian.
  • FableTheresa is blindfolded and is a mind slave to Gerard Abernathy, an undead. This could be a vague reference to a blind seer of the same name in Fable.
  • FalloutFarmer Dalson, a ghoul, was part of the Locked Away quest chain. From Mrs. Dalson's Diary we learnt that his first name was Harold. Harold the Ghoul is a recurring character in the Fallout series. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Mortal KombatAngus and Shorty shout "Mortar Combat!" in precisely the same manner "Mortal Kombat!" is shouted in the soundtrack to the movie based on the videogame.
  • Neverwinter NightsFenthwick is possibly a reference to the elf Fenthick in Neverwinter Nights.
  • StarCraft
    • Across the gameworld are disabled shredders with a picture of Infested Kerrigan on the screen.
    • The Silithid hives and the surrounded infested areas are strongly reminiscent of the Zerg hives and Creep.
    • During the Dark Portal Opens event, there was a NPC named Lord Marshal Raynor, a reference to the Terran character Jim Raynor who is a marshal.
  • Street Fighter
  • Super Mario
    • Muigin and Larion are reference to "Mario" and "Luigi". Also, they gave the quest where the player must hunt Bloodpetals, which look suspiciously like the Piranha Plants from the various Super Mario Bros. games.
    • Inv mushroom 11 [Red-Speckled Mushroom]'s image is supiciously similar to the Super Mushroom from the Super Mario games.
  • The Legend of Zelda — In Un'Goro Crater there was a character named Linken, who has a bit of amnesia. You will encounter Linken by finding a wrecked raft which begins N [52] It's a Secret to Everybody, named for a quote received in a dungeon in the original Legend of Zelda. This quest chain is chock full of Zelda references. All of them were removed in patch 4.0.3a, although Linken returned for N [35 Daily] The Protectors of Hyjal.
      • Throughout the quest line you will receive several items, including a Inv scroll 08 [Faded Photograph] showing Linken with a female gnome who resembles Princess Zelda standing in Stormwind (or Hyrule Castle), a compass and map which are common items in all Zelda games, a Inv misc key 04 [Lion-Headed Key] (a skeleton key found in the original Legend of Zelda game), and Inv sword 47 [Linken's Training Sword].
      • The last of Linken's quests is called N [56G] It's Dangerous to Go Alone, named after the line spoken by the old man in the beginning of the first Zelda game when he gives Link a sword. Completing the quest will reward you with Inv weapon shortblade 10 [Linken's Boomerang] and Inv sword 39 [Linken's Sword of Mastery], references to Link's trusty boomerang and the Master Sword.
      • There is an NPC named Miblon Snarltooth, a reference to the Moblin enemies from the original Zelda game. You must buy a piece of ham for Miblon, which opens a gate to an Inv misc herb 12 [Evoroot]. In The Legend of Zelda, you must give a piece of ham to a Moblin to access another part of a dungeon.
      • You have to bring Linken's Training Sword to Donova Snowden in Everlook, where she'll then tell you about how the spring near her has special properties that make items better when you throw them into the spring. This is a reference to A Link to the Past where if you threw your sword, boomerang, or arrows into the fairy spring, they would be upgraded.
      • Near Linken there is also a kodo named Dadanga, similar to the monster Dodongo from the Zelda series, and if you talk to its owner she will tell you that it "hates smoke", a reference to a hint given in the original Legend of Zelda that "DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE."
  • The Lost Vikings — In Uldaman there are three dwarves, Olaf, Eric "The Swift", and Baelog, who are the three Lost Vikings from Blizzard's sidescrolling game. Their combat abilities from the original game have been translated faithfully to the Warcraft universe. When killed, Baelog drops the sword Inv sword 24 [Nordic Longshank], and Inv weapon bow 11 [Baelog's Shortbow]; Olaf drops a shield, Inv shield 02 [Olaf's All Purpose Shield], which allows the user to float for 10 seconds; and Eric "The Swift" drops Inv boots 02 [Worn Running Boots], and a Inv helmet 25 [Horned Viking Helmet] with the ability to charge the enemy, stunning it for 30 seconds and stunning you for a shorter period of time—these abilities are references to the characters' unique abilities in The Lost Vikings. There are also two items that Alliance players must retrieve in conjunction with the quest A [40D] The Hidden Chamber: Inv staff goldfeathered 01 [The Shaft of Tsol] and the Inv jewelry amulet 01 [Gni'kiv Medallion]. These two items contain the words "Lost Viking" backwards.
  • Ultima — At the Darkmoon Faire, Sayge who will ask you morality questions that are almost directly pulled from the morality questions asked at the beginnings of Ultimas 4, 5, and 6.
  • Ultima OnlineInv misc book 05 [Studies in Spirit Speaking], for N [52] Duke Nicholas Zverenhoff, contains a series of Os (OOOoOoo), just as the dialogue of player ghosts appeared in Ultima Online. The Os in the book also represent ASCII text in binary that reads "Ultima Online Napa Valley Knights of Chaos", referring to a player guild on an Ultima Online server. The title of the book is a reference to the game's necromancer-related skill required to understand ghosts. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.

Literature[]

  • A cloak called [The Emperor's New Cape] drops from Emperor Thaurissan in Black Rock Depths. The cloak is unique in that it is completely invisible. This is a reference to the classic fairy tale The Emperor's New Clothes.
  • The Anarchist Cookbook
    • A late level mage quest begins with a tome known as "Inv misc book 01 [The Arcanist's Cookbook]". This is a reference to The Anarchist's Cookbook, a collection of articles on explosives, hacking, and other shady business.
  • The Bible
    • The Journeyman leather trainer in Stormwind is called Simon the Tanner, a reference to someone Paul the Apostle stayed with in the "Book of Acts".
    • Outside the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj is an NPC named John the Revelator, a reference to the last book of the Bible (Revelations).
  • The Camels are Coming
    • An NPC named Bingles can be found east of the lake in Loch Modan. This is a reference to Major James Bigglesworth, known to all as "'Biggles'", is a fictional pilot and adventurer created by 'W. E. Johns'. The first collection of Biggles stories, 'The Camels are Coming', was published in 1932. Characters named "Biggles"--also a reference to the Johns character—were a running joke in a couple of 'Monty Python' sketches. The "Spanish Inquisition" sketch featured 'Terry Jones' as a "Cardinal Biggles" (complete with goggles), while the "Biggles" sketch featured 'Graham Chapman' in the titular role.
  • Chronicles of Narnia
    • There is a pair of boots called "Dawn Treaders," an obvious reference to "C. S. Lewis"' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
  • Crime and Punishment
    • There is an NPC in Stormwind City named Nikova Raskol, a play on the name Raskolnikov, the protagonist of 'Fyodor Dostoevskys Crime and Punishment.
    • There is also a quest of the same name where a character must kill an NPC named Dextren Ward.
  • Damon Knight
    • Inv misc book 03 [An Exotic Cookbook] found in some areas of the game through killing NPCs or pickpocketing them has the flavor text "How To Serve Man", a reference to Damon Knight's short story "To Serve Man", which was later made into a Twilight Zone episode and parodied in one "Treehouse of Horror" special on The Simpsons.
  • The Divine Comedy
    • A signpost on the western edge of Deadwind Pass bears the words "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here". In some translations of Dante's Inferno, these same words are written on the gates of Hell.
  • Discworld
    • In Dustwallow Marsh there is a Watchman called Captain Vimes, a direct reference to Captain Vimes of the Night Watch, one of Terry Pratchett's popular Discworld characters. Another reference to this character might be Commander Samaul.
    • There is also a series of quests in Duskwood for a group of NPCs belonging to The Night Watch.
    • Mayor of the Darkshire, Ebonlocke, might be a minor reference to Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, Lord Havelock Vetinari.
  • Dragonlance
    • Hall of Thanes can easily be a reference to the Hall of the Thanes that was the throne room in Pax Tharkas. It also can be a reference to the Valley of the Thanes where the kings of Thorbardin are laid to rest.
    • Iron Forge is similar to the family name of a Hero of the Lance, Flint Fireforge.
    • A forsaken warrior trainer in Brill called Ratslin Maime is a play on words on the famous character Raistlin Majere.
    • The Pig and Whistle tavern mentioned elsewhere as an easter egg is the name of an inn in Flotsam in Dragonlance.
  • Dune
    • Obviously, the mobs called "Sandworms" are a reference to the huge worms in Dune.
    • The worm boss Ouro in AQ 40 has a 6% drop chance on an item called [Jom Gabbar]. The icon resembles a mysterious box. In the Dune book Muad'dib was tested with a box and a poisoned needle. The box was simply called 'the box,' but the needle was called Gom jabbar. In the test you place your hand in the box and it will cause unimaginable pain until the test ends. However, if you take your hand out too early the one testing you will stab you with the needle and you will die instantly.
    • As of patch 1.12, the desert of Silithus features a collectible item called "Silithyst" which appears in "blooms" throughout the desert just as Spice does in the novel. The catch phrase for this is "He who controls the Silithyst, controls the desert" which is a play on the novel's catch phrase "He who controls the Spice, controls the universe."
    • A sleeping Druid named "Kerlonian Evershade" will occasionally say "The sleeper has awakened" when you blow a horn to wake him up. The quote was also used by the Druids in "Warcraft III."
    • In Trisfal Glades along the Whispering Shore and the North Coast two rare Murlocs will spawn named Maud and Deeb. Together the names are a reference to Muad'dib from the novel.
  • Ernest Hemingway
    • The quest giver Hemet Nesingwary- an anagram of Ernest Hemingway- is the typical "great white hunter" found in many Hemingway stories. The quest N [10-30] The Green Hills of Stranglethorn is a reference to Hemingway's The Green Hills of Africa. Also, two NPCs in this camp also have names that are anagrams of authors' names, Sir S.J. Erlgadin (J.D. Salinger) and Ajeck Rouack (Jack Kerouac).
  • Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser
    • The dagger [Heartseeker] may be a reference to Fafhrd, who always named his offhand dagger "Heartseeker".
  • Farseer Trilogy
    • The NPC Shado 'Fitz' Farstrider at Nesingwary's Expedition in Nagrand is a reference to the assassin Fitz Farseer from the Farseer Trilogy written by Robin Hobb.
  • Five Deadly Venoms
    • Within the city of Stormwind lies a poison shop called "The Five Deadly Venoms", which is a reference to the Kung-fu cult hit of the same name.
  • Flowers for Algernon
    • An undead man in the Apothecarium of the Undercity named Algernon stands holding a peacebloom, a reference to the aforementioned novel.
  • Hades' Daughter
    • There is an NPC in Teldrassil named Asterion who is trapped and must be set free. This is a reference to Sarah Douglass' character in the Troy Game series.
  • Heart of Darkness
    • In Stranglethorn Vale, near the northern edge of the map, there is a camp named Kurzen's Compound, with adds such as medicine men. This is a reference to the character Kurtz who befriended an African tribe deep in the jungle and eventually went mad.
  • Harry Potter
    • A quest from the Mor'Ladim series of quests in Darkshire is named "The Daughter Who Lived," a reference to "The Boy Who Lived," which Harry Potter is referred to in the series.
    • A quest for the second Scourge Invasion is called N [70R] Chamber of Secrets which quotes the title of a Harry Potter Book. To complete this quest, you have to kill Tenris Mirkblood, whose surname sounds similar to 'mudblood', which is an insult aimed at wizards/witches with no magical parents.
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
    • In Deeprun Tram, there is a Leper Gnome by the name of Haggle who walks around and says, "Forty-two... forty-two what? It could be anything..." This is a reference to the Douglas Adams classic where the answer to "The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything" is "'Forty-two'". Two popular Questions to the Answer of Forty-Two are "At what number on a certain street in New York City is the club known as Stavro Mueller Beta located at?" and "What do you get if you multiply six by seven?", as well as "How many roads must a man walk down?".
    • Non-combat pets, or companion pets, have "42" health-points (hp). A possible reference to the answer to "The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything".
  • Xaviera Hollander
    • In Booty Bay, the fishing trainers shop is named The Happy Bobber, although the sign outside shows a fishhook. This is an allusion to 'The Happy Hooker', an autobiography published in 1971 and written by former Dutch madame and prostitute 'Xaviera Hollander'.
  • The Island of Doctor Moreau
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
    • During the holidays in December, a series of quests are opened up and one involves a giant green yeti named "The Greench." He has stolen a delivery of gifts. The name of the quest is "You're a Mean One..." All from the book by Dr. Seuss.
  • The Jungle Book
    • In the last phase of the quest "Panther Mastery" for Sir S. J. Erlgadin of Nesingwary's Expedition, you are required to hunt and kill a black panther named Bag'thera whose name closely resembles the black panther 'Bagheera' from 'Rudyard Kipling'’s 'The Jungle Book'.
  • Lolita
    • Inv misc bandage 18 [A Torn Journal] and Inv misc bandage 18 [The Legend of Stalvan] are partially about a man infatuated with an adolescent girl named Tilloa, an anagram of Lolita, the titular character of Vladimir Nabokov's most famous novel.
  • The Lorax
    • Located in Winterspring patrolling a broken temple to the south east, The Lorax is a reference to a Dr. Seuss book of the same title.
  • H.P. Lovecraft
    • During the quest "The Star, the Hand and the Heart" in Dustwallow Marsh the god of murlocs is summoned. The god of these fish-men is called Dagun, which is an obvious reference to 'Dagon', one of the Great Old Ones. Dagon is featured in Lovecraft's Shadow Over Innsmouth. Similarly, the murlocs are, perhaps not only in the given context, a reference to the novel's frogfish-like worshippers of Dagon, the denizens of Y'ha-nthlei. A movie with the same name has also been made.
    • In the quest Crime and Punishment, Councilman Millstipe of Darkshire wants you to bring him the hand of Dextren Ward. This is a reference to The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
    • C'Thun, the final boss in the Temple of Ahn'Qiraj raid instance, bears a striking resemblance to Lovecraft's creation, 'Cthulhu', a horrible being, with a notable feature of tentacles.
    • The progress text for the quest for the tier 2.5 set (requiring you to kill C'thun reads "At his dwelling at Ahn'Qiraj, dread C'thun awaits in slumber, similar to the "In his house at Rl'yeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming", the mantra of the Cthulhu cultists.
    • Doctor Herbert Halsey, Artisan Alchemist (Undercity). This NPC is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft's, Reanimator. Herbert Halsey is actually a mix of two characters from Lovecraft's story, Herbert West and Dr. Allen Halsey. Blizzard keeps to the Lovecraft theme by giving Dr. Herbert Halsey an Artisan Alchemist role residing in the Forsaken capital of the Undercity surrounded by dissection tables and body parts.
    • A quest "Solution to Doom" requires you to retrieve Tablet of Ryun'eh from Uldaman. In Lovecraft's works, R'lyeh is the sunken city where Cthulhu is said to dwell in hibernation.
    • The surname of a Warlock trainer Richard Kerwin in Undercity bears resemblance to Curwen, another reference to The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, along with the surnames of Undercity rogue trainers being Charles, Dexter and Ward.
  • The Metamorphosis
    • In Tarren Mill, there is an NPC named Deathguard Samsa, who asks you to collect human skulls - the protagonist of 'Kafka's novel was named Gregor Samsa.
  • A Modest Proposal
    • A Netherstorm quest that begins near the Etherium area, the title is a reference to Johnathan Swift's essay "A Modest Proposal".
  • The Old Man and the Sea
    • In Booty Bay, there is a fishing trainer named Old Man Heming, an allusion to 'Ernest Hemingway' and his novella. Also, there is a hunter in Stranglethorn Vale called Hemet Nesingwary — an anagram for the writer's name.
  • The Right Stuff
    • There is a warlock quest in Felwood called "The Wrong Stuff" which is likely a reference to "Tom Wolfes 1979 novel" which itself was later adapted into a film in 1983.
  • Shakespeare
    • In Undercity, the four bankers have the last name Montague. This is a reference to one of the feuding families in Romeo and Juliet. This is more certainly derived from Mercutio's line, when mortally wounded "A plague o' both your houses!", that plague, of course, being the one of undeath, in this case.
      While three of the Montagues are "alive"/corporeal, Ophelia is a ghost, surely a reference to the Ophelia in Hamlet who drowns herself.
    • A butcher called Dirge Quikcleave in Tanaris says "Get thee to a cheesery!" when sending you on a quest to gather cheese and other cooking ingredients. This is a reference to "Get thee to a nunnery", a line from Hamlet to Ophelia.
    • Some undead creatures drop a 'pound of flesh', a reference to 'The Merchant of Venice'.
    • In Silverpine Forest there are two undead characters named Rane and Quinn Yorick. This is a reference to a famous scene in Hamlet, wherein Hamlet holds the skull of a dead childhood friend and mourns, "Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio."
  • A Song of Ice and Fire
    • There is a gnome in the gardens of Castle Stormwind by the name of Tyrion, probably a reference to Tyrion Lannister, the Imp.
    • It is possible that Duskwood's "The Night Watch" refers to the faction of the same name in the George R.R. Martin books, particularly since both battle the undead.
    • There is also a wolf pup named "Lady", a reference to Sansa Stark's pet wolf, running around the Blacksmith in Arathi Basin.
    • There is Jon Jon the Crow in Stranglethorn Vale, which may refer to Jon Snow, a member of the Night Watch, who are commonly referred to as "crows".
  • A Tale of Two Cities
    • In Booty Bay, there is a tailoring shop with a sign outside proclaiming the shop name to be "A Tailor to Cities", an obvious reference to the Charles Dickens novel.
  • The Time Machine
    • Morlocks are a fictional species created by H. G. Wells for his 1895 novel "The Time Machine". It's possible that Murlocs are named for these creatures.
  • J.R.R. Tolkien
    • [The 1 Ring] — An item in reference to 'The One Ring' of Lord of the Rings (LotR) fame. It gives +1 to Strength, Agility, Stamina, Spirit and Intellect. It's reportedly not as good as The 2 Ring. It can be obtained through fishing, a reference to how 'Gollum' finds the ring in a river.
    • A quest obtained in Gnomeregan to return a ring to a gnome in Ironforge has the name 'Return of the Ring', a pun of the name of the last book in the LotR trilogy.
    • One of the /silly emotes for a human male talks about an 'idea for a movie' (that movie being the story of LotR, replacing "ring" with "bracelet", and other thoughtful changes.)
    • The /silly emote mentioned above seems to highlight many visual similarities to the art direction of the LotR films, such as Blackrock Mountain and the surrounding Burning Steppes bearing a striking resemblance to Mount Doom and the surrounding country of Mordor.
    • A dwarven reimagining of the Argonath exists in southern Loch Modan.
    • Beren's Peril, an area of Silverpine Forest, is possibly named for Beren, a man from the past of LotR. His story is more fully told in The Silmarillion.
    • A dying Blood Elf in the Ghostlands gives a quest called Anok'suten. One of the rewards for killing this elite (a giant spider) is a one-handed sword called Stung. This is an obvious reference to Sting, which is Bilbo's sword in The Hobbit, used effectively against spiders in the book. He later gives it to Frodo in LotR.
    • Mount Blackrock appears to be based on Mount Doom they both overshadow the areas surrounding them, Mordor, and Searing Gorge and Burning Steppes. They both contain giant magma chambers where certain items can only be forged e.g. In Mount Doom it would be ring whilst in BRD it would be Dark Iron.
    • The mines of Moria is not just a mine, but also a small underground town where dwarves live. Blackrock Depths is similar, except being bigger. A stunningly close example between the two is the room with pillars in LotR when they enter, and in WoW the Lyceum room before the final boss. The Mines also guarded by the Balrog, and BRD is guarded by many fire elementals and giants similar to Balrog.
    • The Burning Steppes and the Searing Gorge are very similar to Mordor, for starters Mordor, just like the two zones, is a burning hellhole overshadowed by a gigantic volcano. There is also evil orcs in both Mordor and Burning Steppes, who simply want to take things for themselves. Mordor is ruled by Sauron, whilst Burning Steppes and Searing Gorge are ruled in practice by Ragnaros, an elemental lord hellbent on destruction.
  • Treasure Island
    • Every time the chest in Stranglethorn Vale is placed in the arena someone named Short John Mithril announces it. Short John Mithril is a reference to the pirate Long John Silver from Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel.
  • Walt Whitman
    • In Duskwood, in a house near the alliance Gryphon there is an NPC named Whit Wantmal which is an anagram of 'Walt Whitman'

Movies and television[]

  • Ace Ventura: Pet DetectiveFinkle Einhorn could be found in Upper Blackrock Spire after skinning The Beast. This is a reference to the dual lives of Ace Ventura's antagonist, Ray Finkle/Lois Einhorn. Removed in patch 6.0.2. Also, there is mention about a "Captain Winky" and the term "shikaka".
  • Alias
    • One of the female human's /silly emotes says, "I can't wait till this quest is done and I can look for another Garibaldi artifact," a reference to the Rambaldi artifacts pursued by Sydney Bristow.
    • In Stormwind, the thieves guild hall is named SI:7, assumed to be a play on both SD-6, which is the organization Sidney Bristow works for in the show, as well as the real life MI6, which is best known in popular culture as the British intelligence agency that James Bond works for.
  • Aliens — In the human barracks west of the town of Goldshire there are two NPCs named Quartermaster Hicks and Quartermaster Hudson, who are named after Corporal Hicks and Private Hudson from Aliens.
  • American Idol — One of the male orc's /silly emotes is "Man, dawg, you know, it's like I'm feeling you, but I'm not feeling you, you know?", a reference to the phrases used by judge Randy Jackson.
  • An American Werewolf in London — The Slaughtered Lamb is a reference to the pub that two lost American hitchhikers stumbled upon before their unfortunate encounter with the local werewolf in this movie.
  • Apocalypse NowColonel Kurzen, who went insane and raised an army from a small hidden compound, is a reference to Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando. The two Colonels' backstories are very similar. It is, by extension, a reference to Kurtz from Heart of Darkness, the novel on whose story Apocalypse Now was based.
  • Aqua Teen Hunger ForceOglethorpe Obnoticus is a reference to Oglethorpe, one of the unbelievably stupid Plutonian aliens, and their source of knowledge, the Orbnaticus, a giant mirrored disco ball that Oglethorpe insists is actually a supercomputer.
  • Army of Darkness
    • Around Coldridge Valley there are some dwarves doing target practice. If one waits there long enough eventually a dwarf will say, "This...is my BOOMSTICK!", a reference to Army of Darkness.
    • The gunshop outside the Auction House in Orgrimmar is named Boomstick Imports.
    • There are also several gun items in the game with the word "Boomstick" in them.
  • Austin Powers
    • Part of the quest chain to open Ahn'Qiraj involves a gnome named Doctor Weavil, a reference to Dr. Evil, who sends a gorilla named Number Two to attack the player working on the quest when his ransom demand fails.
    • Inside Naxxramas, there is a cat near the entrance named Mr. Bigglesworth which was the name of Dr. Evil's cat. Killing this cat will enrage Kel'Thuzad.
    • One of the female human's /silly emotes says, "Sometimes, I have trouble controlling the volume OF MY VOICE!", which is a direct quote after Austin's reanimation from cryostasis.
    • Both male and female gnomes' dancing resembles Mini-Me's dance in the second movie, The Spy Who Shagged Me.
  • BewitchedBom'bay <Witch Doctor in Training> is a reference to Doctor Bombay, who a witch or warlock would call by chanting, "Calling Dr. Bombay, calling Dr. Bombay. Please come right away" when they need help.
  • Big Trouble in Little China
    • Inv misc bag 01 [Six Demon Bag]'s tooltip text says "Blasts enemies with the power of wind, fire, that kind of thing!", quoting Egg Shen's description of the contents of his Six-Demon Bag in the movie.
    • There is a hidden area under one of the lakes in Deadwind Pass where you can view floating corpses chained to the lake floor, a reference to the "hell of the upside-down sinners".
  • CaddyshackJenal <Ditch Digger> is a clear reference to Danny from this movie. If you talk to him you will see that he says, "Well, the world needs ditch diggers too." This is stated in Caddyshack when Danny asks the Judge about becoming a lawyer.
  • Carlito's WayBenny Blaanco has a similar name as the John Leguizamo character Benny Blanco in the movie. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Caveman
    • When targeted, one of the random messages an NPC orc will say is "zug zug," a word used in this movie intended to mean "sex."
    • One of the female orc /flirt lines is "You had me at zug zug," which is also a reference to one of the final lines of Jerry Maguire.
  • Chasing Amy/CongoN [53] Chasing A-Me 01 (a reference to the movie's name), and tasks the player with finding and rescuing a mechanized female gorilla from a pack of wild apes, reminiscent of Congo.
  • Cheers — One of Erich Lohan's phrases is "Head on over to the Blue Recluse. Where everybody knows your name!" "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" is the Cheers theme song.
  • Commando — During the second boss encounter in the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, Lt. General Andorov makes the same threat to Rajaxx that Arnold Schwarzenegger's character Matrix made to Sully: "Remember when I said I'd kill you last? I lied."
  • Conan the Barbarian
    • In the Badlands there is a crypt with the corpse of the warrior king sitting on a throne and propping up a sword, referencing a story in which Conan steals an undead king's sword.
    • Saru Steelfury says (if you are qualified for Expert Blacksmithing and not Artisan) "No one, no one in the world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts ... this you can trust, Steel," which is a quote from the movie.
  • DariaQuinn's name and clothing are a reference to Quinn Morgendorffer, Daria's younger sister.
  • Dr. Strangelove — In the description of H [7-30] Between a Rock and a Thistlefur, the quest-giver says, "<name>, we must not allow... an expansion path gap!" a reference to a line in the movie talking about a mine shaft gap.
  • Doctor Who
    • "Auntie" Bernice Stonefield may be a reference to Bernice Summerfield, a companion of the Doctor.
    • One of Suzanne's phrases is "If we reverse the Essence flows perhaps we can alter the polarity." This is similar to "Reverse the polarity", which was a phrase often used by the Third Doctor.
  • FarscapeOfficer Areyn resembles Claudia Black's character, Aeryn Sun, from the television series.
  • Fight Club
    • In Undercity there are two NPCs named after the main characters, Tyler and Edward, that fight other NPCs. The undead around them also have names from the novel and movie, such as Marla and Chloe.
    • There is also a mace in the game appropriately named the Inv mace 11 [Fight Club].
  • Finding Forrester — If Guard Fengus is approached in conversation (if Fengus is left alive after the player becomes the new king), he will say "You da man now, dog", referencing a line in Finding Forrester spoken by Sean Connery.
  • Forrest Gump
    • Gubber Blump wass a parody of Bubba. During A [17] Fruit of the Sea, Gubber repetitively prattled about the many ways to cook crab meat, similar to Bubba's discussion of shrimp. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
    • Bernard Gump may be a reference to the character Forrest Gump. Bernard is a florist, and Florist Gump sounds almost like Forrest Gump.
  • Fraggle RockSpraggle Frock is similarly named after the TV show .
  • Friday the 13th
    • Crystal Lake is named for a location in the movies.
    • The guards of Brill will give you directions to the lake to the east in Lordaeron, but warns you to be careful because some guy in a mask killed a bunch of people near there, referencing Jason Voorhees, the killer in the movies.
    • Jason Mathers stands on a small pier on the shores of Crystal Lake, and sometimes when a player asks a Stormwind Guard about the fishing trainer, they will tell that the fisherman once fished up a strange mask from Crystal Lake.
  • Full Metal Jacket — While doing Un'Goro Soil , Ghede in Thunder Bluff nearly quotes Sgt. Hartman, saying: "Be advised, Jackson - I am in no mood for any comment that you think is cute or funny. I am here to make sure that the Arch Druid's research proceeds as planned, and I will weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve my beloved Cenarion Circle." When turning in the quest, he encourages you not to make any effort to help him unload the soil, and that "if the Great Spirits had wanted it done they would have miracled it up there." Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Gamera, the Giant MonsterGhamoo-Ra and Gammerita are clear references to Gamera.
  • Ghostbusters
  • Gilligan's IslandGillijim's Isle (located far west of Stranglethorn Vale) is a reference to the 1960s TV series. The in-game zone hosted an island in the alpha stages of WoW. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Godzilla — In Zul'Farrak, players can summon and fight a giant hydra named Gahz'rilla, an obvious reference to the giant behemoth of Japanese movie fame.
  • GoodFellas
    • Remy "Two Times" states "I'll give you the best price in town...best price in town!". This is a reference to Jimmy "Two Times", who has a similar tendency to repeat himself in dialogue like, "I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers."
    • Brikk Keencraft says "You think I'm a clown here to amuse you. Is that what you think? That I'm a clown? Huh, is it? You think I'm a clown don't you!" which is one of Joe Pesci's more memorable lines from the movie.
  • HighlanderKlannoc Macleod <The Islander> was a reference to either Connor MacLeod or more likely the Clan MacLeod (which figured heavily in the television series) from Highlander. He is described as the "chief warrior" and carries a katana, the Highlander's weapon of choice in the film. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • History of the World, Part I — After killing King Gordok, you receive a buff that says, "You're the king - it's good to be the king!" which is a reference to the famous line by King Louis XVI.
  • Indiana Jones
    • In Uldaman, you have to use an amulet which must be fitted onto a staff and placed so that light will pass through it to open a door; in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy performs a similar maneuver to find the hidden cave in which the Ark was stored.
    • In Searing Gorge, there was a quest found on a wounded dwarf archaeologist named Dorius which concerns the A [46] Suntara Stones, a reference to the fictional Sankara Stones sought by Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Jaws
    • Matthew Hooper is likely named after "Matt Hooper", a marine biologist played by Richard Dreyfuss in Steven Spielberg's 1975 movie.
    • Maws is named after the huge shark, Jaws. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Joe Dirt — One of the ghostly citizens of Caer Darrow is called Joseph Dirte. He also makes a comment referencing to Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury.
  • Kill BillLefty, in Blackrock Depths, uses the ability Spell shadow corpseexplode [Five Fat Finger Exploding Heart Technique] which is a parody on the martial arts-move "Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique" seen in Kill Bill.
  • Krull
    • Inside Onyxia's Lair, there is a skeleton laying near the edge of the lava pool with its arm reaching into the lava towards a shuriken. This plays homage to the scene where Prince Colwyn had to retrieve the Glaive from a lava pool.
    • The Beast also refered to the name given to the creature who controls the slayers from the Black Fortress. Removed in patch 6.0.2.
  • LabyrinthHaggle bears a distinct resemblance to Hoggle from the Henson movie.
  • Land of the LostUn'Goro Crater is a steep-walled valley filled with dinosaurs. Two NPCs here are Williden Marshal and Hol'anyee Marshal, direct references from its characters: Marshal, Will, and Holly. Also, there are crystal pylons which use red, green, blue, and yellow power crystals, visual references to the crystals used in the pylons from the movie.
  • Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond CyberspaceInv sword 40 [Phantom Blade] has an identical item mesh to the sword Jobe uses in the cyberspace sword fight at the end of the movie.
  • Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
    • Gadgetzan, is obviously inspired by Bartertown from the third 'Mad Max' movie. The town has a large caged dome in the center where fighting between Horde and Alliance is permitted, which is the exact same concept as Bartertown's Thunderdome. This feature has been removed as of 1.11.
    • Katrina Turner is a reference to Tina Turner and her role in the movie.
  • Masters of the UniverseWinna's Kitten is a reference to Battle Cat.
  • Mission: Impossible
  • Monty Python's Flying Circus
    • Terry Palin, who sometimes says, "I'm a lumberjack, and I'm OK. I sleep all night and I work all day." These are the lyrics to the chorus of Monty Python's Lumberjack Song, originally performed by Michael Palin. The song was composed by Michael Palin, Terry Jones (another member of Monty Python), and Fred Tomlinson. The NPC's name is a combination of Terry Jones and Michael Palin's names.
    • Inv misc fish 33 [Crunchy Frog] is a reference to the unpalatable chocolates described in the sketch of the same name.
  • Monty Python and the Holy GrailJustin often makes a reference to the Killer Bunny in the movie by saying, "And then the rabbit just bit his head off... I swear."
  • Mystery MenInv misc shovel 02 [The Shoveler] is a two-handed mace weapon named after the character played by William H. Macy.
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000Servo was a reference to the robot Tom Servo of this TV show. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Old School — In A Tailoring [15-30] Triage, the injured soldiers occasionally say the line "...I...I think I see Blue.." This is a reference to a scene from Old School where Will Ferrell's character has been badly beaten and is slightly delirious. Once Ferrell's friend comes to help him, Ferrell says the lines "I'm so cold Mitch... I think I see Blue. He looks glorious," Blue being another character in the movie that had previously died.
  • Oz — In the Detention Block, several prisoners bear names and semblances to characters on the TV show Oz, e.g. Tobias Seecher is a reference to Tobias Beecher, a prisoner and protagonist in Oz.
  • Petticoat JunctionShady Rest Inn is named after the setting of the TV show Petticoat Junction.
  • Popeye the SailorTopper McNabb occasionally says, "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today," a frequent quote from the character Wimpy.
  • Psycho — The undead innkeepers Norman and [[Innkeeper Bates|Bates] ]are named after the main character, hotel manager Norman Bates.
  • Pulp FictionWinstone Wolfe <The Wolf> is a reference to Harvey Keitel's character Winston 'The Wolf' Wolfe.
  • Red DwarfApprentice Kryten may be a reference to the the robot in this series.
  • Sanford and Son
  • Saturday Night Fever — The male human dance resembles one of John Travolta's dances in the movie.
  • Saturday Night Live
  • Scarface — In the Eastern Plaguelands, Tirion Fordring lived in a small house in the wilderness. When a monster approaches him, he got out his hammer and said, "Say hello to my little friend." This is a quote from the movie. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Scooby-Doo — The icon Inv jewelry necklace 21, used e.g. for Inv jewelry necklace 21 [Alterac Valley Mark of Honor] and Inv jewelry necklace 21 [Talisman of Protection], is identical to Scooby Doo's collar. The initials "SD" are clearly visible.
  • Sling Blade"Swamp Eye" Jarl gives a quest called N [15-30] Jarl Needs a Blade, in which you must get him a Inv sword 25 [Moonsteel Broadsword]. He states while giving the quest, "Some people call it a moonsteel broadsword. I call it a swing blade." This is an obvious reference to Billy Bob Thornton's character in Sling Blade, Carl, who says almost the same thing about a kaiser blade.
  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
    • One of the male dwarf's /silly emotes produces a phrase similar to the song "Heigh-Ho" from the Disney movie, although the character forgets the words.
    • In Blackrock Depths, the player will fight against some ghost dwarves named The Seven. While most of them just have mean sounding names, one, Dope'rel (Dopey), confirms the reference.
  • South Park — In Stratholme there is a boss called Timmy the Cruel. He yells his name again and again, similarly to the South Park character of the same name.
  • SpongeBob SquarePants — Lurking off the northern shores of Desolace about a bit out into the sea, one can find a rare crab scuttling along the bottom of the reef by the name of Crusty. This little guy is a reference to this popular TV show as SpongeBob works in a restaurant called the "Krusty Krab".
  • Stargate SG-1
  • Star Trek
    • Scooty is clearly an homage to Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, the chief engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise. He operates the Transpolyporter 6000. Using the transporter takes you to Gnomeregan, where Sprok (Spock) waits on the other side, with his faction labeled as <Away Team>.
    • In Gadgetzan, Jhordy Lapforge (Geordi LaForge) stands next to a similar Transporter which serves as the destination for the Ultrasafe Transporter available to engineers of the Gnomish persuasion.
    • In Orgrimmar, Nogg is a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reference to young engineer Nog, the first Ferengi in Starfleet. Also in Nogg's is Sovik, who might be a reference to the Vulcan 'Saavik' first introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
    • In Stormwind in the Old Town district, Lenny "Fingers" McCoy is a reference to Leonard "Bones" McCoy from the original series.
  • Star Wars
    • InN Priest [52D] Blood of Morphaz, Ogtinc told the player, "many druids died to bring us this information." This is a clear tip of the hat to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, where the Rebel leader tells the gathered Rebel Alliance of the second Death Star's fatal weakness, claiming that "many Bothans died to bring us this information." Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
    • In Inv enchant essenceeternallarge [Spirit of Redemption] buff, one can read "You have become more powerful than anyone can possibly imagine.", An obvious reference to the original Star Wars trilogy.
  • The 7th Voyage of Sinbad — Above the Steam Pools in Feralas there is a Giant Roc's nest with a single egg that is reminiscent of the Roc's Nest that the sailor Sinbad and his crew encountered in the film.
  • The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension — In Shimmering Flats there are tire tracks that go up to a wall of rock. The tracks appear on the other side of the cliff, in Tanaris, along with the ill-fated vehicle that made the journey. This is a reference to Buckaroo Banzai's jet car, which could pass through solid matter.
  • The Bone CollectorN [10-30] Bone Collector, where you have to collect Kodo Bones from the Kodo Graveyard, may be a reference to its title.
  • The Cannonball RunInv misc bomb 04 [Cannonball Runner] may be a reference to this movie.
  • The Dukes of HazzardDaisy, who is wearing a tank top and "Daisy Dukes" (her shorts), is based on Daisy Duke from the TV show.
  • The ExorcistFather Lankester is named after the priest Lankester Merrin.
  • The Godfather — In N [60G] In Dreams, upon seeing his son dead, Tirion Fordring said, "Look what they did to my boy," which is what Don Corleone says after Sonny is assassinated in the movie. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • The GooniesDefias juggernaught's location inside the Deadmines bears a resemblance to that of One Eyed Willie's ship.
  • The Great Race — The face on the front cone of the goblin racer in the Shimmering Flats bears a striking resemblance to the artwork on a couple of the vehicles operated by Professor Fate. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • The Karate Kid — One of the bosses in Naxxramas, Instructor Razuvious, instructs his students to "Sweep the leg," a line from the movie.
  • The Last StarfighterZando'zan was a reference to the Assassins that go after Alex's Beta Unit back on Earth in the movie. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • The Little Mermaid — When pick pocketed, Naga can yield an item called a Inv misc shovel 02 [Shiny Dinglehopper], a reference to one of the items misclassified by Scuttle.
  • The Matrix
    • The guards in Ironforge sometimes say they wished they had taken the blue potion instead of the red potion when a player asks for the location of the Alchemist, referencing the red and blue pill that Morpheus offers Neo.
    • Caretaker Alen occasionally says that he wished he had taken the translucent pill.
    • Justin often says, "There is no spoon," a phrase from the movie.
    • Inv misc shovel 01 [Bent Spoon] is another reference to the spoon scene.
  • The Music ManMeggi Peppinrocker in Everlook gives out the quest N [56] Trouble in Winterspring! which borrows heavily from the lyrics of Meredith Willson's song "Ya Got Trouble" from The Music Man. In the musical, Professor Harold Hill sings of how playing pool requires "judgement, brains and maturity," and how he's developed "a cool head and a keen eye." Meggi uses these same phrases and other direct quotes from the song's lyrics when talking about her experiences in the wilderness of Winterspring. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • The Neverending Story
    • Rockbiter was named after a character in the movie. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
    • The region Swamp of Sorrows is likely a reference to the Swamp of Sadness, where Atreyu loses his horse, Artax.
  • The Princess Bride
    • Wesley was likely a nod from the movie. The movie's main character, Wesley, has fair blond hair and wields a rapier just like the one the stable master was holding. The Wesley from The Princess Bride is also a stable boy, while World of Warcraft's Wesley was a stable master.
    • Father Inigo Montoy was named after Inigo Montoya. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
    • The completion text for N [60D] Blackhand's Command says, "Have fun storming the castle." This is a quote from Max the Miracle Worker in the movie The Princess Bride. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
    • Lord Victor Nefarian sometimes yelled "Inconceivable!" when members of the chromatic dragonflight were defeated in the arena event of Upper Blackrock Spire. Removed in patch 6.0.2.
  • The PrisonerNumber Two was named after the antagonist of this influential British sci-fi programme, and a gorilla mask factored very heavily into the show's final episode. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • The Shawshank RedemptionN [48] The Scrimshank Redemption was named as an obvious reference to the movie, although the content has little to do with the movie. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • The Silence of the Lambs
    • In Dire Maul North, there are a series of quests that involve the creation of a Inv chest chain 14 [Gordok Ogre Suit]; one of the components of the suit is an Inv potion 08 [Ogre Tannin], which is found in a basket. When you obtain the Tannin, an ogre (Gordok Bushwacker) comes charging down the stairs screaming, "It puts the tannin in the basket or it gets the mallet again!!" This is a reference to the killer Buffalo Bill in the film (and novel), who instructed his victim, "It [the victim] rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again." Also, Buffalo Bill was making a suit out of human skin.
    • Clarice Foster is a reference to the FBI agent in the film (Clarice Starling) and the actress who played her (Jodie Foster).
    • Clarise Gnarltree is a reference to Clarice Starling. One of her dialogue possibilities pertains to the screaming of the lambs at night.
  • The Simpsons
    • Jubjub shares a name with the pet iguana owned by Selma Bouvier, a minor character.
    • In Dire Maul, after killing King Gordok and causing the ogres to become friendly, some ogres quote The Simpsons, such as, "I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T!"
    • Occasionally, one of the children fishing off the docks in Stormwind will yell out that he has caught a big, three-eyed fish just like Blinky from the series.
    • Houndmaster Loksey yelled out, "Release the hounds!" when attacked in a voice very similar to that of Mr. Burns, the greedy owner of the Springfield nuclear power plant. The two characters also had similar hair styles. Removed in patch 5.0.4.
  • The Six Million Dollar ManServo often said, "We can make it better, stronger, faster. We have the technology. We have the magic." This is a reference to the opening sequence of the 1970s TV show. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • The Terminator
    • In Marvon Rivetseeker's workshop in Ratchet, there is a mechanical arm upright in an elongated jar on an end table. This is a reference to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, where a microchip and mechanical arm were recovered by Cyberdyne Systems Corporation from the remains of the first terminator.
    • There is a metal arm outside the lava in a small room behind bunch of crates in Lower Blackrock Spire which might have come from a terminator.
    • Ossirian the Unscarred yells "You are terminated" when he kills a player, which is a quote from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
    • The Felguard minion sometimes says "I'll be back" when being dismissed, a line which Arnold Schwarzeneggar popularized as the Terminator.
    • The paladin Tier 2 raid set, often abbreviated as T2, is called Judgment Armor, a reference to the second movie, Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
    • The former Ability druid ferociousbite [Bestial Wrath] description was, "the beast does not feel pity or remorse or fear", which is a line taken out of Terminator: "Listen. And understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead!". Removed in patch 5.0.4.
  • The Toxic AvengerInv weapon shortblade 02 [Toxic Revenger] inflicts special damage to its target that makes it glow radioactive green, much like the hero of the Toxic Avenger movies.
  • ThunderCats
    • The small inventory icon Inv jewelry amulet 03 for several necklaces utilizes the ThunderCats logo.
    • Inv sword 19 [Sword of Omen] shares a name with the weapon wielded by the main character. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
    • The Ratchet'sSamophlange questchain was likely a reference to a moderately famous series of outtakes from the show, in which one of the voice actors asks, "What the f— is a samophlange?". Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Top Gun — The Wing Commanders Ichman, Slidore, Vipore, Guse, Jeztor and Mulverick have similar name sto the pilots Iceman, Slider, Viper, Goose, Jester and Maverick, respectively, from Top Gun.
  • Trading PlacesTopper McNabb quotes, "Spare some change for a poor blind man? …What do you mean I'm not blind? …I'M NOT BLIND! I CAN SEE!! It's a miracle!" This is a quote from the movie where Eddie Murphy's character is confronted by two policemen when trying to scam pedestrians in the park.
  • TransformersGrimlok, named after the leader of the Dinobots, may be found in Uldaman. Grimlok says, "Me Grimlok, king!", one of the original character's lines from the Transformers TV show.
  • Troy — At the opening event for the Dark Portal, one of the NPCs fighting the invading demons shouts out, "Brothers and sisters of the sword! I would rather fight alongside you than any army of thousands! We are lions! Do you know what's waiting through these demons and beyond that Dark Portal? Immortality! Take it!" Brad Pitt says almost the same thing in the 2003 movie Troy.
  • Under SiegeStephen Ryback is a reference to the 1992 movie Under Siege starring Steven Seagal as Casey Ryback. The Stormwind guards also allude to this by saying, "From the way he handles a knife, I don't think he was always a chef." Furthermore, next to him, there is a cooking supplier named Erika Tate, also an actor/character combination from the same movie (Erika Eleniak as Jordan Tate).
  • Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory — In the Inv misc gem sapphire 03 [Blue Scepter Shard] section of the quest line that opened the doors to Ahn'Qiraj, the player must find and speak to the ghost of Azuregos. After a long dialog, the blue dragon spirit gives you a Inv letter 16 [Magical Ledger]. If you persist in talking to the spirit, he says, "I SAID GOOD DAY!", as Willy Wonka does near the end of the movie. Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Wonder Woman — When Arko'narin is freed and led back to her armor and weapons, she will spin in place a few times and will suddenly appear to be wearing her armor. She then says "All I need now is a golden lasso." Removed in patch 4.0.3a.
  • Xanadu
    • At the Stormwind bank, the three banker NPCs are named Olivia Burnside, Newton Burnside, and John Burnside. Putting their first names together yields the name of singer/actress Olivia Newton-John. The aforementioned Olivia Burnside touts the security of the bank by stating, "No one's ever stolen anything out of here. Not in the whole history of... the whole history!" Olivia Newton-John's character Kira makes an almost identical comment to Sonny when he tells her he's going to take her out of Mount Olympus.

Music[]

  • ABC (band)
    • A dwarf in Eastern Plaguelands gives a quest called "When Smokey Sings, I Get Violent", a reference to ABC's song When Smokey Sings which contains the line, "When Smokey sings, I hear violins."
  • AC/DC
    • While taking target practice up in Dun Morogh, Shorty of the Dwarven Mortar Team will say/sing '"I'm T.N.T. - I'm dyn-o-mite!"'
    • There is a Rogue talent called "Dirty Deeds".
  • Alizée
    • The female night elf dance styles are taken from the French pop singer.
  • Bad News
    • "Burning, looting, burning and a shooting." – Dwarven Mortar Team. Reference to the song "Warriors of Genghis Khan" by the parody band "Bad News" The original lyrics are "Burning, looting, raping and a shooting".
  • Bob Dylan
    • A quest in the Eastern Plaguelands that begins at Chillwind Post is called All Along the Watchtowers is named for the Bob Dylan song All Along the Watchtower, made famous by "Jimi Hendrix".
  • Bon Jovi
    • There is a quest in Stranglethorn Vale called "Bad Medicine" a number one song off the band's New Jersey album.
  • Bauhaus
    • [Royal Overseer Bauhaus] of the Undercity Census Bureau may be named for the seminal goth band. This could also be a reference to the German Staatliches 'Bauhaus' school of architecture and art which deeply influenced the modernist period.
  • Barber of Seville and 'Marriage of Figaro'
    • A human in Southshore is named Bartolo after a character in these operas (he gives the quest Bartolo's Yeti Fur Cloak).
  • The Beatles
    • Michelle Belle at the inn in Goldshire is very similar to the lyrics of the song 'Michelle' – "Michelle my belle, these are words that go together well." See also Ringo Starr, below.
    • The Winter's Veil quest With A Little Helper From My Friends is a reference to the Beatles song "With A Little Help From My Friends."
  • Beck
    • The rare staff "Odo's Ley Staff" is a reference to the artist's Grammy winning 1996 album titled "Odelay."
  • Blind Willie Johnson
    • In Silithus, outside the gates of Ahn'Qiraj is a priest named Jonathan the Revelator, referencing the popular Johnson song "John the Revelator".
  • Chaka Khan
    • A quest in Desolace from the chief of the centaur is called simply "Khan Shaka".
  • Depeche Mode
    • In the Blasted Lands, there is a quest giver that wants to collect crystals which drop in the zone, and the name of the quest is "'Everything Counts' in Large Amounts".
    • The Night Elf rogue pickpocket quest extensively references "The Bottom Line" from the album "Ultra". When you meet the rogue trainer in Dolanaar to start the quest chain, he is saying/singing a paraphrased version of the opening words from the song. His quest, which sends you to the Rogue Trainer in Darnassus, is "The Apple Falls", and her quest (to pickpocket a satyr) is called "Destiny Calls", which are lyrics from the song.
  • Neil Diamond
    • Players can obtain a buff called Songflower Serenade, an allusion to the song Longfellow Serenade by "Neil Diamond".
  • The Doors
    • Lord Serpentis, one of the bosses in the Wailing Caverns says "I am the Serpent King..I can do anything." This is a reference to 'Jim Morrison' of 'The Doors' whose alter ego was known as 'The Lizard King'. The line is taken verbatim (minus the substitution) from the song "Not To Touch The Earth", one of seven songs that make up a medley known as 'The Celebration of the Lizard'.
  • The Electric Slide
    • The current female tauren dance cycle is the electric slide.
  • Emerson, Lake and Palmer
    • The ogre Torkus in Ogri'la is a possible reference to the hit Emerson, Lake and Palmer album "Tarkus".
  • Genesis
    • The Western Plaguelands quest "Counting Out Time" is from the title of a song on their 1974 album 'The Lamb Lies down on Broadway'
  • Grateful Dead
    • There is a quest in Redridge which yields a "Bouquet of Scarlet Begonias", a Grateful Dead song.
    • The bartender in the Lakeshire Inn quotes the lyrics from their song 'Brown-Eyed Woman' , "The bottle was dusty but the liquor was clean."
    • The bartender in Goldshire quotes, "If your cup is full, may it be again," from 'Ripple.'
    • An achievement is titled, "What a Long Strange Trip It's Been," a famous lyric from 'Truckin
  • Gregory Charles
    • There is a Rogue Trainer in Undercity named after the popular artist and imitator from Quebec, Canada
  • Guns N' Roses
    • There is a quest in Stranglethorn Vale called "Welcome to the Jungle" a very obvious reference to the opening song of the Appetite for Destruction album.
  • Hammerfall
    • The Horde town in Arathi Highlands is named after the 'Power Metal' band of the same name. This can be attributed to the fact that Samwise, one of the lead Blizzard artists is not only a fan of the band, but creates their CD covers.
    • A quest given by Danath Trollbane is called The Legion Reborn, which might be a reference to the HammerFall song, The Legend Reborn.
    • A song from the HammerFall album "Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken" is named Hammer of Justice, possibly as a nod to Blizzard and the Paladin ability Spell holy sealofmight [Hammer of Justice].
  • Harry Belafonte
    • There is an item in the game called Tel'Abim Banana, which might be a reference to the Harry Belafonte song Banana Boat, with the lyric "Come mister tally man, tally me bananas".
  • Jay-Z
    • During the Halloween special event, a quest from a needy orphan requires you to perform emotes to NPCs to collect candy. The Tauren innkeeper in Thunder Bluff asks you to dance, and once you do she also dances and states "I may have ninety-nine problems, but dancin' ain't one of them!" This is a reference to 'Jay-Zs popular song, "99 Problems" in which he says "I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one". (This line is also directly lifted from an 'Ice-T' song of the same name, though it is unclear which song Blizzard is referring to).
  • Jethro Tull
    • The quest "Bungle in the Jungle" received in Gadgetzan is a reference to the song of the same name from the band's 1974 album War Child.
  • Led Zeppelin
    • A quest for the Instance Dungeon Stratholme called Houses of the Holy is an obvious reference to the band's 1973 album of the same name.
    • A quest in Shadowmoon Valley is named "Crazed and Confused", similar to the band's song "Dazed and Confused", of their famous debut album.
  • Macarena
    • The human female dance style is the Macarena.
  • MC Hammer
    • The male orc dance style is the same as seen in the rapper's videos, most notably "'U Can't Touch This'".
  • Metallica
    • An NPC in Stratholme is named "The Unforgiven" a reference to one of their songs.
    • There's a quest named Ride the Lightning in Blade's Edge Mountains, at Toshley's Station. This is after their second album, and Ride the Lightning is also the second song on that album.
    • The Paladin spell Hammer of Justice could be a reference to the lyrics "Hammer of justice crushes you, overpower", from the Metallica song "...And Justice For All" featured on the album of the same name.
  • Men at Work
    • Caretaker Alen in Eastern Plaguelands says "I come from the land down under... where women plague and men sunder" every now and then as a reference to the "Men At Work" – Song "'Down Under'"
  • Michael Jackson
    • The male night elf dance moves are very similar to those of pop-singer Michael Jackson's.
  • The Muppets
    • If the "/silly" command is used as an Orc player, the character will sometimes state "It's not easy being green", a reference to a song of the same title performed by Jim Henson's most famous Muppet, "Kermit the Frog".
  • Olivia Newton-John
    • In 'Stormwind' the three bankers are named Olivia, Newton and John. This is a reference to the singer/actor from the 1980s.
  • Peter Gabriel
    • The quest The Family and the Fishing Pole in Darkshore references a song from the singer's song The Family And The Fishing Net.
  • Peter Murphy
    • The quest Deep Ocean, Vast Sea in Darkshore references a song from the "Bauhaus" singer's solo album, "Deep".
  • Pink Floyd
    • In 'Hammerfall', there's a First Aid-quest. While patching up dying soldiers, one of the will sing the song 'Goodbye Cruel World' by "Pink Floyd".
  • Pomeroy
    • In Stormwind City there is a guard named "Patroller Pomeroy" possibly a reference to the band Pomeroy.
  • Queen
    • In Hillsbrad Foothills there is a level 32 Horde quest to prove your ability to protect the Hammerfall outpost in Arathi by killing ogres. The quest shares the title with Queen's song "Hammer to Fall".
    • A male Night Elf /silly emote states "Who wants to live forever?" which is also the title of a Queen song from the film "Highlander", which in turn is about immortals.
  • Rammstein
    • In the Stratholme instance, one of the final encounters before fighting 'Baron Rivendare' on the 'Baron run' or 'Undead side' of the instance is a powerful abomination called Ramstein. This may also, conceivably, be a reference to the German town called 'Ramstein-Miesenbach' or even the air-show disaster that took place at the nearby 'Ramstein Air Base', which inspired the name of the band, Rammstein.
  • R.E.M.
    • The two councilmen in the Town Hall of Darkshire are named "Berrybuck" and "Millstipe", a reference to the classic "R.E.M." lineup of "Bill Berry", '"Peter Buck", "Mike Mills", and "Michael Stipe".
  • Ringo Starr
    • A quest in Un'Goro Crater called "With a Little Help from My Friends" has the player rescue a Goblin named Ringo. The quest is named for the song sung by Ringo on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band".
  • Run-D.M.C.
    • At the Brewfest near Orgrimmar stands an NPC named Ram Master Ray, a reference to Run-D.M.C.-bandmember Jam Master Jay.
  • Rush
    • A quest in Un'Goro Crater called "Roll the Bones", the name of a song by the hit Canadian rock band, Rush.
  • Siouxsie and the Banshees
    • In the Dire Maul West instance there is a rare spawn called Tsu'zee and there are two Wailing Banshees right behind her.
  • The Smashing Pumpkins
    • During Hallow's End, you will find a pair of Human Commoners in Stormwind City, who offer the quest "Costumed Orphan Matron". Their gossip states, "When Hallow's End is over we'll smash all these pumpkins. That'll be the greatest day I've ever known!" This is a reference to both the band and a lyric from their 1994 hit "Today".
  • The Toyes
    • If the "/silly" command is used as a male Troll player, the character will sometimes recite, in a heavy Jamaican accent, "I kill two dwarves in the morning, I kill two dwarves at night. I kill two dwarves in the afternoon, and then I feel alright. I kill two dwarves in time of peace and two in time of war. I kill two dwarves before I kill two dwarves, and then I kill two more," a direct reference to 'the Toyes' song "Smoke Two Joints". The band 'Sublime' did a cover of the song; it's unknown which version Blizzard was making reference to. This was apparently removed as of Patch 1.11, for copyright reasons. [1]
  • Sid Vicious
    • An NPC on the shores of Lake Lorderon is named Nancy Vishas, possibly an allusion to 'Nancy Spungen', deceased girlfriend of former "Sex Pistols" bassist 'Sid Vicious".
    • When Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain played outside Shattrath during BlizzCon 2007, the band lineup featured a Blood Elf guitarist named Sig Nicious.
  • Warrant
    • There is a merchant in Ironforge named Sraaz who quotes random lines from Warrant's song Cherry Pie, like "Cherry Pie, tastes so good it makes a grown gnome cry". He wanders around near the Gryphon master. Sraaz only has one item for sale, Homemade Cherry Pie.

People[]

Sports[]

  • Capoeira
    • The male troll /dance emote actually consists of moves from 'Capoeira', an Afro-Brazilian martial art.
  • Hockey
    • Countless names given to NPCs are direct lifts of prominent NHL players.
  • San Francisco Giants
  • World Wrestling Entertainment
    • In Shattrath City, one of the NPCs is named The Rokk (Master of Cooking), a reference to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson . The Rock's most popular catch phrase was "Do you smell what the Rock is cookin'?".

Real life holidays[]

Some real life holidays and observances are reflected in the game. Events are sorted by date. Info is taken from Event.

  • New year
    • Celebrated on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with fireworks and free alcohol.
  • Chinese New Year
    • Known as Lunar Festival in the game, it is celebrated in early February. (Between January 27 to February 14 in 2006). Some events of interest:
  • On January 29th (the date of the actual lunar new year in 2006). Celebrations occur in Stormwind, Thunder Bluff, Booty Bay and Moonglade.
  • On February 13th, one last firework show will be held in Moonglade. This parallels the Chinese 'Lantern Festival'; extra lanterns are spawned around Lake Elune'ara (the firework show occurs over the lake).
  • Red Lockboxes (Red packets) are given out from various NPCs (especially elderly).
  • A special boss named Omen only appears in this festival, inspired by the Chinese creature of myth, Nian. It is actually named 'Nian' in the Chinese version.
  • Valentine's Day
    • Known as Love is in the Air in the game, it is celebrated between February 11 and 15. Candies and 'love tokens' are given out by guards.
  • Easter
    • Known as Noblegarden in the game, it is celebrated around Easter and symbolized by finding easter eggs.
  • Independence Day
    • Known as Engineer's Explosives Extravaganza in the game and marked by fireworks, it is celebrated on July 4 on all servers.
  • Halloween
    • Known as Hallow's End in the game, it is celebrated between October 18 and November 1. Players can go 'trick or treat' at the innkeepers around this time.
  • Christmas
    • Known as Feast of Winter Veil in the game, it is celebrated between December 15 and January 2. Denoted by 'Christmas Trees' and decorations in some cities, and the appearance of Greatfather Winter, an obvious reference to 'Santa Claus'.

Other[]

  • Budweiser Commercial
  • Alexander Calder
    • Alexander Calder, a warlock trainer in 'Ironforge', is likely a reference to the artist of the same name known for his large, sheet metal mobiles.
  • Abercrombie & Fitch
    • Near 'Darkshire' an old man is named Abercrombie, as in the popular clothing company. He presents a series of quests, during the culmination of which he produces a hideous monster of his own creation named "Stitches" (resembling the Abomination creature in Warcraft 3). It's widely accepted that "Abercrombie and Stitches" is not an accidental near-homonym for the "'Abercrombie and Fitch'" brand.
    • A Stormwind auctioneer is named "Fitch".
  • Aberdeen
    • Seems likely that 'Auberdine' is named after Aberdeen, a city in Scotland. Both the Dee and Don rivers in Scotland Aberdeen strike a high resemblance to the Cliff-spring River and Wildbend River in Darkshore, and the long sandy beach of both Aberdeen and Auberdine confirm that the warcraft area was modeled after a similar area in Scotland.
  • Blackwater Raiders
    • This band of turtle-riding goblin body guards hang around Booty Bay as an extra peace keeping force, which seem to be a reference to the real-life private military organization Xe, formerly named Blackwater Worldwide when the game was released.
  • Blizzard Employee*
    • South of Dun Garok in Hillsbrad Foothills, east of Southshore, on the cliff overlooking the coastline, there is an epitaph to "Anthony Ray Stark (1961-2005)." It should be noted that Iron Man's real name is Anthony Edward Stark and his character was created in 1963. On July 7, 2006 it was confirmed to be an in game memorial to a friend of a developer and not a reference to Iron Man.
  • Blood Elf Architecture
    • The strange armillary sphere-like structures atop some Blood Elf structures closely resemble Disneyland's Astro Orbitor ride.
  • C-4
    • Engineers in the game can learn to craft "Seaforium", an explosive device that can open locked doors.
  • Circus
    • In Ironforge, the three bankers are named Barnum, Bailey, and Soleil. This is a reference to "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus" and "Cirque du Soleil".
  • Golden Dawn
    • The 'Argent Dawn' group may be a reference to the late 19th century metaphysical order of the Golden Dawn.
  • Edwin Van Cleef
    • Possible reference to the Dutch organized crime leader, George Van Kleef, strikingly similar in terms of name and profession. Even more extraordinary is it that George Van Kleef was assassinated in November 2005, grimly ironic as his namesake is constantly killed by players ingame as part of a quest series in The Deadmines.
    • He could also be named after the well-known spaghetti-western star, Lee Van Cleef, who became famous for playing notoriously ice-cold villains.[10]
  • Hatfield-McCoy feud
    • In Elwynn Forest are farms owned by two feuding families, the Stonefields and Maclures. This is a reference to the Hatfield-McCoy feud from American history.
  • Haunted Mansion
    • Players battle Thule Ravenclaw in Fenris Keep in Silverpine Forest, he is believed to be named after the famous voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft who is the lead vocalist in the Disney attraction's theme song Grim Grinning Ghosts.
    • Outside the instance Scholomance, a hearse is visible in a similar fashion as the one outside the Disneyland version of the ride.
  • Hickory Farms
    • There are goblin vendors in various places working for "Smokywood Pastures" that offer cheeses and sausages. They also set up sales wagons in the major cities during the Winter Holiday events.
  • Hindenburg
    • One of the zeppelin goblins near the 'Undercity' is named Hin Denburg, after the famous crashed German blimp.
  • Homestar Runner
    • At Thorium Point in Searing Gorge, there is an NPC named "Master Smith Burninate", a reference to Strong Bad's dragon, "Trogdor the Burninator" — the NPC appears in an area near a large dragon, and will commonly drop dragon skin if killed.
  • Honeywell
    • In Southshore there is an NPC named "Apprentice Honeywell". She also shows up in the Caverns of Time instance Old Hillsbrad. Interestingly, though visibly a female, Apprentice Honeywell has the gender male (as reported by the UnitSex API call).
  • Immovable Object/Unstoppable Force
    • Two of the items which can be obtained as PvP rewards in Alterac Valley are [The Immovable Object] (a shield) and [The Unstoppable Force] (a mace). These are references to a logical conundrum which goes, "What happens when an unstoppable force strikes an immovable object?". Since the release of the Burning Crusade, two grey (poor) quality items were included; a mace called "[The Stoppable Force]" and a shield called "[The Movable Object]".
  • JATO Rocket Car
    • In the Shimmering Flats one of the racer cars has crashed and embedded halfway up the cliff face, a reference to the Darwin Award urban legend of the 'JATO Rocket Car'.
  • Jerky Boys
    • There is an NPC in Ironforge named Talvash del Kissel. This is a reference to the infamous phone prank group The Jerky Boys. Two of the personas the Jerky Boys used while doing pranks were named "Kissel" and "Tarbash the Egyptian Magician". The latter name probably explains why the NPC hangs out in The Mystic Ward, the mage area of Ironforge.
  • Jose Cuervo
    • A Tanaris quest called Cuergo's Gold references this popular alcoholic beverage.
  • Kym Wilde
    • There is an NPC at Thunder Bluff named Kym Wildmane, which is possibly a reference to the actor Kym Wilde or the singer "Kim Wilde".
  • Leroy Jenkins
    • The Classic Dungeons and Raids Achievement "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeroy" is based from the player video of Leroy Jenkins charging into a room full of rookery whelps during a raid, while screaming his name through the microphone. The title received from this quest, killing 50 rookery whelps in 15 seconds, is his last name, Jenkins (Appears as <Name> Jenkins).
  • Morning Glory Dew
    • A high level and expensive mana restore drink that players can find is called "[Morning Glory Dew]". Blizzard employees have been quoted as saying they drink a lot of Mountain Dew so this item may reference the soda.
    • It has also been suggested that the initials "MGD" stand for Miller Genuine Draft, an American brewed beer. Given that most employers frown upon drinking alcoholic beverages in the workplace, the connection is tenuous at best.
  • Ngorongoro Crater
    • It seems likely that 'Un'goro Crater' was named after 'Ngorongoro Crater', 'Tanzania', the largest perfect caldera in the world. The geography of Un'Goro also bears a striking resemblance to Ngoro Ngoro.
  • O RLY?
    • After the saying became popular among players, one of newly added Goblin Auctioneers in Booty Bay was named "O'Reely".
    • There is also a white owl that flies around a hut near Steamwheedle Port in Tanaris named "O'Reilly".
    • An Undead auctioneer by the name of "Yarly" has been added in the Undercity Auction House.
  • Pirates vs. Ninjas
    • Eating a [Savory Deviate Delight] will cause your character to turn into either a Pirate or a Ninja. The effect is purely cosmetic. The effect will read as "Arrrrr" for pirates or "Flip Out" for ninjas, the latter a reference to the phrase "The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people"
  • Peanut Butter Jelly Time
    • One of the Tauren Male's dance cycles is based on the famous 'Dancing Banana' that appears in the popular Internet Flash.
  • Cristo Redentor
    • In Booty Bay there is a statue of a goblin with its arms outstretched, very similar to the Cristo Redentor statue above Rio de Janeiro. The statue is on "Jainero's Point".
  • Smith & Wesson
    • In Ratchet a High Elf sailor will give you a mission to travel down the coast and kill the cannoneers Smythe and Whesson, an obvious reference to firearm company Smith & Wesson.
    • The German names of these NPC, cannoneers Hecksler and Knoch refer to the German firearm company Heckler & Koch.
  • Sweeney Todd
    • There is a traveling salesman who wander around Elwynn Forest and Darkshire named Antonio Perelli, a reference to the traveling hair elixir salesman in the musical version of Sweeney Todd. Also, upstairs from the Stormwind barber shop are two gnome skeletons, referring to Todd being a barber and using his shop to murder people.
  • Thomas Cook
    • The cooking trainer in Goldshire, Thomas <Cook> could well be a reference to the Thomas Cook of Melbourne, Derbyshire, founder of the international travel agency of the same name.
  • Tonka
    • The Darkmoon Faire has several remote-controlled cars known as Tonks.
  • Tortuga
    • In the Tanaris desert, there is a quest to help a tortoise named "Tooga" to get back to his wife "Torta." "Tortuga" means "turtle" in Spanish.
    • Tortuga is also the name of a famous pirate's haven in the Caribbean. The eastern shores of Tanaris are thick with pirates.
  • Wickerman
    • During the 2005 Halloween season, Blizzard introduced the festivities of Hallow's End, which includes the burning of an effigy of a man (named Wickerman) in front of 'Undercity'. This references the ancient pagan practice of sacrifing men inside giant burning wicker constructs, called Wicker Men, as well as the movie of the same name.[11] It is possibly also a reference to the annual 'Burning Man' festival held in Nevada.
  • The Pig & Whistle
    • In Stormwind there's a tavern called "The Pig & Whistle" in the Old Town district. This is a reference to a bar in Hollywood called "The Pig & Whistle Tavern". It is probably a more direct reference to the book series Dragonlance, where Raistlin performs magic acts.
  • The Holocaust
    • In the orc Internment camps, in the Caverns of Time dungeon Escape from Durnholde, The occasional guard will yell "I was just taking orders!", a reference to the common excuse used by Nazi labor camp guards, during the Nuremberg Trials.
  • Where are the Cheetos?
    • There's a quest in Bloodmyst Isle called "I Shoot Magic into the Darkness." Those who don't spend their entire lives on the internet might not catch this one, but it's referencing a comedy skit done by the Dead Alewives about Dungeons and Dragons roleplayers. "Why are you casting magic missile, there's nothing to attack here!" "I'm... attacking the darkness!"


Warcraft III[]

In the credits sequence, there are many pop culture references to various movies and games.

Comic and manga[]

Gaming[]

  • Banjo-Kazooie — The Troll Witch Doctor's quote "Eekum Bokum" is a quote said by Mumbo Jumbo when he casts spells.
  • Command & Conquer — The Beastmaster quotes "On the prowl" and "I'm acting on instinct" are references to song titles in the first Command & Conquer game.
  • Diablo
    • The quote "Wings, horns, hooves? What are we saying, is this Diablo?" said by Illidan is an obvious reference to the game.
    • Wirt's Other Leg is an item on one of the missions, and can be found on the Campaign Editor, making a reference of Wirt. A "Butcher", based on the famous monster, is guarding it.
  • Games Workshop
  • Mortal Kombat
    • The Dreadlord's quote "Your soul is mine" is said by Shang Tsung.
    • The Mortar Team's quote "MORTAR COMBAT!" is a reference to its title.
  • StarCraft
    • The Mortar Team's quote "Clearly, Tassadar has failed us! You must not!" is a reference to Judicator Aldaris in the first Protoss scenario.
    • The Acolyte's quote "My life for Aiur... er-r-r I-I mean Ner'Zhul." is a reference to the line said by the Protoss Zealot whenever a new one is created.
    • In the chapter Daughters of the Moon, there is a Hydralisk hidden behind the trees, which you can control after you appoach it.
  • The Lost Vikings — In the Blizzard-produced bonus mission Monolith, the three possible names for the Dark Troll hero are Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout, the names of the three Lost Vikings.
  • Zero Wing — <allyourbasearebelongtous> and <somebodysetupusthebomb> are both cheat codes for the game, referencing the game and well-known internet phenomenon.[12]

Literature[]

Movies and television[]

  • Alien — The Naga Royal Guard's quote "In the depths, no one can hear you scream. Well.. they can, but it's really muffled" is a reference to "In space no one can hear you scream."
  • Army of Darkness — The Rifleman's quote "This... is... my... BOOMSTICK!" is a reference to Ash Williams when he explains to the medieval people what a shotgun is.
  • Braveheart — The Necromancer's quote "Every man lives. Not every man truly dies." is a reference to William Wallace's line "Every man dies. Not every man truly lives."
  • Clerks — The Death Knight's quote "I hate people, but I love gatherings." is paraphrased from an exchange between the two main characters: "You hate people!" and "But I love gatherings! Isn't it ironic?"
  • Cool Hand Luke — The Bandit's and the Warden's quote "What we have here is a failure to communicate." is also said by the Captain.
  • Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — The Priestess of the Moon's quote "Crouch, tiger, I sense a hidden dragon." is a reference to its title.
  • Full Metal Jacket
    • The Grunt's quote "Me so horned, me hurt you long time!" is a reference to the prostitute's declaration of "me so horny, me love you long time!"
    • The Tauren's quote ""Only two things come from Texas... and I got horns." is a reference where Gunnery Sergeant Hartman shouts at Private "Cowboy" in response to finding out where he comes from: "...Texas?! Only steers and queers come from Texas!"
  • Ghostbusters — The Banshee's quote "There is no Banshee, only 'Zuul'!" is a reference to a Sigourney Weaver line.
  • Gladiator — The Shade's quote "What I do in death echoes in eternity." is similar to a line spoken by Maximus.
  • Homestar Runner — In one of the levels, a soldier guarding Prince Kael's cell is named "Trogdar", referencing the dragon Trogdor. In a twist of irony, he is killed (i.e. burninated) by Lady Vashj.
  • I Love Lucy — The Troll Headhunter's quote "Lucyyy" is said in the same manner as Ricky Ricardo.
  • Iron Chef — The Troll Witch Doctor's quote "Fukui-san! Yes, go ahead. What the Iron Troll is doing right now is putting heads in a pot. They have to boil for 20 minutes so the eyes can be used in a second dish, an eye and raspberry sorbet. Mmmm, Sounds good!" is a reference to the Japanese television cooking show.
  • Monty Python and the Holy Grail
    • The Knight's quotes "I never say NI!" and "My favourite colour is Blue! No! Yeelloow-" are references to 'The Knights who say Ni' and 'The Bridge of Death', respectively.
    • The Peasant's quotes "You're the king? Well I didn't vote for you.", "We have a witch! May we burn her?", and "Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" are references to 'The Filth Harvesting Peasants', the witch burning scene, and the constitutional peasant Dennis, respectively.
    • The Footman's quote "It's only a flesh wound!" is a reference to Black Knight.
  • O Brother, Where Art Thou? — The Bandit's quote "I don't want FOP, damn it! I'm a dapper dan man!" is said by Ulysses in the movie.
  • Peter Pan — The Tinker's quote "Uh-oh, my Tinker bell." is a reference to the character Tinkerbell.
  • Predator — The Archer's quote "Let's move. Five meter spread, no sound" is a reference to the movie.
  • Scarface — The Troll Headhunter's quote "Say hello to my little friend!" is said by Al Pacino's character.
  • Star Trek — The cheat <warpten> is a possible reference to the movie.
  • Star Wars
  • Terminator — The Tinker's quote "You are terminated" is a reference what Terminator said to T-X in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
  • The Big Lebowski — Cheat code to remove spell cooldown was <TheDudeAbides>, a line from the main character.
  • The Jungle Book — The Pandaren Brewmaster's quote "Ale is my bear necessity." is a reference to a song in the movie, called "The Bear Necessities".
  • The Matrix — The cheat for unlimited mana <There is no spoon> is taken from the movie The Matrix.
  • The Simpsons
    • The Footman's quote "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!", uttered during the "filming of Warcraft III" blooper reel of the end credits, a reference to the Radioactive Man episode, when actor Rainier Wolfcastle tries to protect himself from a giant wave of acid by putting on a pair of tiny protective goggles.
    • The Peasant's and Dryad's quote "D'oh!" is a reference to Homer Simpson's most famous catchphrase. In the case of the Dryad, "D'oh!" is spelled "Doe" which is a female deer which technically, is what a Dryad is.
  • The Sixth Sense
    • The Necromancer's quote "I see undead people", the Ghoul's quote "Me eat dead people", and the Far Seer's quote "I see dead people" are reference to the infamous line said Cole Sear.
    • <Iseedeadpeople> is also the cheat for fully explored map/remove fog of war.
  • The Usual Suspects — Cheat code <keysersoze> for obtaining extra gold refers to the mythical crime figure Keyser Soze, whose very existence is a source of mystery and debate.
  • Thumb Wars — The Far Seer's quote "Touch your tongue to mine" is a reference to the quote made by both Oobidub Benubi and A Puppet in the movie.
  • Weakest Link — The Lich's quote "You are the weakest Lich, Goodbye!" is a reference to this TV game show.
  • Where Eagles Dare — One of the missions in the Orc Campaign of Reign of Chaos is called "Where Wyverns Dare" named after the movie.
  • Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — The Paladin's quote "No? Is that your final answer?" is a reference to this Tv game show.

Music[]

Other[]

Warcraft II[]

Gaming[]

Movies and television[]

  • Monty Python and the Holy Grail — The sword fighting sound effect is lifted directly from the Black Knight scene in the Holy Grail.
  • The Princess Bride - The Peon's quote "I would not do such things if I were you" closely resembles Prince Humperdinck's line "I would not say such things if I were you" from the movie.
  • Star Trek: The Original Series
    • The map cheat code of <onscreen> and the fast build cheat of <makeitso> are references to Star Trek: The Next Generation. They are both commands often given by Captain Picard.
    • The invulnerability cheat of <It is a good day to die> is also from the show; it is a 'Klingon' proverb. Its root origin was from the battle of Thermopylae. It was one of the responses Leonidas gave to the Persian emissary when he was asked to surrender as he had no chance of winning. Star Trek gets it from this historical reference.

Music[]

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans[]

Literature[]

  • Sprawl — To reveal the entire map (much like black sheep wall in StarCraft), you type <Sally Shears>, a recurring character from the "Sprawl" series of books by William Gibson.
  • The Chronicles of Amber — To enable cheat mode, you type <Corwin of Amber>. Corwin is a character from the "The Chronicles of Amber", a series of books by Roger Zelazny.

Gallery[]

References[]

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