World of Warcraft Easter Egg - List of Pop Culture References

World of Warcraft

Games

Diablo I & II — The weapon "Wirt's Third Leg" is a reference to the character of Wirt the peg-legged boy from Diablo, and his wooden leg which you could actually pick up and wield as a weapon after Wirt's death in Diablo II. "The Cow King's Hide" is a piece of chest armor which can be looted from Onyxia and other random world Mobs, and it refers to The Cow King from Diablo II, located on the real Cow Level. The enemy Razorclaw the Butcher and the item Butcher's Cleaver are references to the overlord unique monster in Diablo 1 and the item he dropped. The item Shadowfang is a reference to the sword of the same name in Diablo II. One of the tips displayed as the player logs in to the game is 'There is no cow level', a reference to the fact that there was no cow level in Diablo I. The phrase 'There is no cow level' is also the instant victory cheat code in the Blizzard RTS Starcraft. WoW players who purchase the collectors edition receive a gift coupon in-game which can be redeemed for a mini-Diablo pet.

Donkey Kong — In Un' Goro Crater, the gorillas sometimes drop an item named "Empty Barrel", a reference to Donkey Kong throwing barrels at Mario in the Nintendo arcade game and the continued importance of barrels in the Donkey Kong Country and Donkey Kong 64 series.

The Legend of Zelda — In Un'Goro Crater there is a character named Linken (Link) who has a bit of amnesia. Doing quests for Linken will help him regain his memory. He will remember a raft, a throwback to the original The Legend of Zelda where one of Link's collectible items is a raft. One of the other items you must bring Linken is a faded photograph, which shows Linken with a female princess that is similar to Princess Zelda. Other items you find in his old rafts are a map and a compass, objects that are found in every Zelda game dungeon. If you complete Linken's quests he will reward you with Linken's Boomerang and Linken's Sword of Mastery, references to Link's trusty boomerang and the Master Sword. Near Linken there is also a Kodo named Dadanga, similar to Dodongo, a monster 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 Legend of Zelda that "DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE". Also during these chain of events there is an NPC named Miblon, a reference to the enemy (Moblin) from the original Zelda game. You must buy a piece of ham for Miblon, which opens a gate to an Evoroot. In The Legend of Zelda, you must give a piece of ham to a Moblin to access another part of a dungeon.

The Lost Vikings — In Uldaman there are three dwarves who are the three lost vikings from Blizzard's sidescrolling game. As a horde player you are reqired to kill them to fully complete the instance, and their combat abilities from the original game have been translated faithfully to the Warcraft universe. There are also two items, a staff and an amulet, that you must retrieve in conjuction with a quest called the "Staff of Tsol" and the "Amulet of Gni'Kiv". These two items spell "Lost Viking" backwards.

Mortal Kombat The same dwarves who quote Evil Dead and AC/DC while doing target practice outside of Kharanos also shout "Mortar Combat!" in precisely the same manner "Mortal Kombat!" is shouted in the soundtrack to the movie of the videogame. - note: these dwarves' lines consist entirely of sound files taken from the Dwarven Mortar Team unit from Warcraft III, so the references are not originally from World of Warcraft.

Neverwinter Nights — In Ironforge there is a gnome named Fentwick, referring to the character Fenthick in Neverwinter Nights.

StarCraft — Across the gameword are disabled shredders with a picture of Infested Kerrigan on the screen. Also, the Silithid hives and the surrounded infested areas are strongly reminiscent of the Zerg hives. WoW players who purchase the collectors edition receive a gift coupon in-game which can be redeemed for a Zergling pet.

Super Mario Bros. — In Un'Goro Crater two characters named Muigin and Larion can be found. Larion, who is clad in red and blue, is based on Mario while Muigin, in green and blue, is based on his brother Luigi.

Ultima — At the Darkmoon Faire, a periodic world event occurring on one of the continents, there is a fortune teller 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 Online — A certain quest has the player delivering a book called Studies in Spirit Speaking. When read, the book contains series of Os (OOOoOoo), just as the dialogue of player ghosts appeared in Ultima Online. The Os in the book also represent text in binary that reads "Ultima Online Napa Valley Knights of Chaos" (referring to a player guild on an Ultima Online shard). The title of the book is a reference to the necromancer-related skill required to understand ghosts.

Fable: The Lost Chapters In the Undercity, there is a NPC named Theresa that wanders around aimlessly. She is blindfolded and is a mind slave to one of the Undead characters in the game. This is most likely a reference to a blindfolded character of the same name in "Fable: The Lost Chapters".
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Film and Television

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective — An NPC named Finkle Einhorn can be found in Blackrock Spire as part of the quest "Finkle Einhorn, At Your Service!" This is a reference to the dual lives of Ace Ventura's antagonist, Finkle/Einhorn. There is also a mace called 'Finkle's Lava Dredger' and a dagger called 'Finkle's Skinner'.

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.

Apocalypse Now — In Stranglethorn Vale, there is a boss named Colonel Kurzen, who went insane and raised an army from a small, hidden compound. This is a reference to Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando. The two Colonels' backstories are very similar.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force — An NPC named Oglethorpe Obnoticus can be found in Booty Bay. He's a reference to Oglethorpe, one of the unbelivably stupid Plutonian aliens, and their source of knowledge, Orbnaticus, a giant mirrored disco ball that Oglethorpe insists is actually a supercomputer. The NPC is an engineering trainer who gives the quests The Pledge of Secrecy and Show Your Work.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery — Part of the quest to open Ahn'Qiraj involves a gnome named Doctor Weavil, who sends a yeti named Number Two to attack the player working on the quest when his ransom demand fails.

Big Trouble in Little China — The Six Demon Bag is a trinket; its tooltip text says it "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 film.

Carlito's Way — In Westfall, there is a Defias NPC called Benny Blanco, the same name as the John Leguizamo character in the film.

Chasing Amy/Congo — A quest in Un'Goro crater is named "Chasing A-Me 01", and tasks the player with finding and rescuing a mechanized female gorilla from a pack of wild apes.

Chris Farley, Saturday Night Live - The dance moves of the Ogres in Dire Maul, as well as the Moonkin form, are the same as those made famous by Chris Farley during the Chippendales sketch on Saturday Night Live.

Commando - During the second boss encounter in the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, Lt. General Andorov makes the same threat to Rajaxx that Arnold Schwartzenegger's character Matrix makes to Sully: "Remember when I said I'd kill you last? I lied."

Conan the Barbarian — In Badlands there is a cave with the corpse of the warrior king sitting on a throne and propping up a sword that Conan retrieves. Also, Saru Steelfury, the Artisian Blacksmith in Orgrimmar, says (if you are qualified for Expert Blacksmithing and not Artisian) "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.

Dr. Strangelove — In the description of the Ashenvale Horde quest "[24]Between a Rock and a Thistlefur", the questgiver says to you "(character name), we must not allow... an expansion path gap!" intended to be a reference to a line in the movie talking about a mine shaft gap.

Dracula — The Guild Master of the Undercity is named Christopher Drakul, clearly a reference to Christopher Lee, who played the vampire lord more than any other man in film.

Army of Darkness — Around the dwarven capital there are some dwarves doing target practice. If you wait there long enough eventualy one will say "THIS IS MY BOOMSTICK!", a reference to Army of Darkness. (This is the same dialogue used for the Dwarven Rifleman in WarCraft III.) Similarly a gunshop outside the Auction House in Orgrimmar is named "Boomstick Imports".

The Exorcist — In the War Quarter of the Undercity, there waits a Level 40 Priest trainer named Father Lankester, obviously named after the priest Lankester Merrin.

Farscape — The Accessories Quartermaster NPC in the Old Town section of Stormwind is named Officer Areyn. She is the spitting image of Claudia Black's character Officer Aeryn Sun from the Farscape television series.

Fight Club — There is an area in the Undercity where two NPCs named Tyler and Edward are fighting. The undead around them also have names from the movie, such as Marla and Chloe. There is also a weapon in the game named Fight Club.

Forrest Gump — A dwarven fisherman named Gubber Blump can be found on the beach near Auberdine; he is a reference to both Forrest and his friend Bubba. His dialogue is similar to both characters; he introduces himself "My name's Gubber, Gubber Blump" and later recites a list of all the different ways to cook crab.

Fraggle Rock — There is a NPC in Un'Goro Crater who is similarly named Spraggle Frock.

Full House — In Stormwind, there is an NPC named Stephanie Tanner. She is found near a corner at the Trading District. The NPC has dialogue in a Paladin quest.

Full Metal Jacket — Ghede in Thunder Bluff upon talking to him while doing the Un'goro Soil quest says: "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."

Gamera — The Blackfathom Deeps instance features a giant turtle named Ghamoo-ra, a clear reference to Gamera. The turtle also bears more then a passing resemblance to the movie monster. In the Hinterlands, there is a turtle boss called Gammerita.

Ghostbusters — There is a NPC in the Eastern Plaguelands named Egan that gives you his blaster. The blaster will release the souls trapped inside the ghostly and spectral citizens of Stratholme, and then can be used again on the souls to free them. A direct reference to Ghostbuster's character Egon Spengler. There is also a NPC in Death Knell named Harold Raims which spoofs Harold Ramis, the actor who played Egon. In The Hinterlands, one can find The Temple of Zul. Zuul the Destroyer was the 'villain' in the first Ghostbusters movie. There is also a mage quest in the Undercity (and a similar one in Stormwind) which involves the investigation of disturbances and the capturing of ghosts in Containment Coffers. Also, in Stormwind, there are three NPC mages that walk around and talk about "crossing the streams", and that it would be bad.

Ghost in the Shell — Outside Kharanos, next to Steelgrille's Depot, there is a house built into a hill, with turning gears on top of it. Inside, there are two gnomes who send you on missions regarding Gnomeregan. Right outside their house is an amalgamation of technology, which looks suspiciously like a Tachikoma from the Ghost In the Shell series. These cute, happy blue robots have existed in every series of Ghost In the Shell, and have four spiderlike legs, two arms to manipulate with, a roundish body, and a large tank in the back.

Godzilla — In the Zul'Farrak instance, players can summon and fight a giant hydra named Gahz'rilla, an obvious reference to the giant behemoth of Japanese movie fame.

Goodfellas — In Goldshire there is a NPC named Remy "Two Times", who states "I'll give you the best price in town...best price in town!" This is a reference to Jimmy Two Times in the movie "Goodfellas", who has a similar tendency to repeat himself in dialogue like "I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers."

Highlander — a master swordsman named Klannoc Macleod, the Islander can be found on Fray Island near Ratchet, a reference to Connor MacLeod.

The Hulk — In the Troll stronghold of Zul'Gurub is a boss by the name Bloodlord Mandokir. While fighting him, random players will 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. Additionally, one of the voice emotes for Orc characters is 'Orc smash!', a reference to The Hulk's catchphrase, "Hulk smash!"

Jaws — The fishing trainer in Lakeshire is named Matthew Hooper. Matt Hooper is the name of the character Richard Dreyfuss played in Jaws. He was an expert on fish and sharks. Also, to open the Gates of Ahn'Qiraj, the player kill a large shark named Maws.

Kill Bill — There is a weapon called the Hanzo Sword. This may also be a reference to the character from Kill Bill was based upon, Hattori Hanzo, an actual ninja, trained from childhood and first fought in combat at 16. He lived from 1541–1596.

King of the Hill -- Just outside ratchet in the Barrens is a female Goblin named 'Mupsie Shacklefred', referencing the alias Hank's paranoid friend Dale uses a lot.

Labyrinth — In the Ironforge side of the Deeprun Tram that connects the two main Alliance Cities, there's a little gnome called "Haggle" who bears a distinct resemblance to Hoggle from the movie.

Land of the Lost — Un'goro Crater is a steep walled valley filled with dinosaurs. Two NPCs are Williden Marshal and Hol'anyee Marshal, direct refences from LotL's characters: Marshal, Will, and Holly. There are crystal pylons which use red, green, blue, and yellow power crystals, visual references to the crystals used in Land of the Lost's pylons.

The Last Starfighter — In the Orgrimmar's Cleft of Shadow, the level 35 Troll near the Rogue Trainer is named Zando'zan, a reference to the Assassins that go after Alex's Beta Unit back on Earth.

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome — Gadgetzan, in Tanaris, 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. Also, Tanaris is a desert area that is very similar in appearance to the one in the movie. (arguably, some players also contend that Gadgetzan is very similar in style to Mos Eisley in Star Wars)

Masters of the Universe — When Winna Hazzard's kitten, Saber, is exposed to the Tainted Moonwell of the Ruins of Constellar in Felwood, he becomes a huge green tiger with yellow stripes, similar to Cringer/Battle Cat.

Mission Impossible — A rogue quest in the Barrens is titled "Mission: Possible But Not Probable."

Monty Python's Flying Circus — In the Eastvale Logging Camp in Elwynn Forest is a lumberjack named 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 character's first name probably comes from either Terry Jones or Terry Gilliam, two other members of Monty Python. Additionally, an NPC named Bingles can be found east of the lake in Loch Modan while "Biggles" is the name of Terry Jones's character in the "Spanish Inquisition" sketch. In this, Jones wore pilot goggles identical to the ones Bingles wears. The pilot goggles in turn are a reference to the fictional pilot Biggles. There is also a consumable item purchasable at the Darkmoon Faire called "Crunchy Frog", a reference to the unpalatable chocolates described in the sketch of the same name.

The Music Man — Meggi Peppinrocker in Everlook gives out the quest "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.

Oz — In the Black Rock Depths instance of Blackrock Mountain there is a jail. Several prisoners in this jail cell (evident in the jailbreak quest) bear names and semblances to characters on the TV Show Oz. I.e. Tobias Screecher is a reference to Tobias Beecher, a prisoner and protagonist in Oz.

Pinocchio — In the Badlands is a gnome with a small mechanical servant called Servo, itself a reference to Mystery Science Theater 3000. Servo will occasionally say things like "someday I'll be a real boy!"

Popeye — A beggar in Stormwind occasionally says "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today", a frequent quote from the character Wimpy.

Predator - Before the second boss encounter in the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, Lt. General Andorov replies, when asked: "If it bleeds, we can kill it". This is the quote used in movie Predator, when Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger) discovers, that the hostile and invisible alien actually drops yellow-green blood when hurt.

The Princess Bride — The object that brands a player to 'attune' them to Blackwing Lair says "Have fun storming the castle" when you touch it. This is a quote from Max the Miricle Worker in the movie The Princess Bride.

Psycho — The undead innkeepers in the Undercity and in Silverpine forest are named Innkeeper Norman and Innkeeper Bates.

Pulp Fiction — In Ravenholdt, there is a mysterious human with the name Winston Wolfe with the tag "The Wolf." This is a reference to Harvey Keitel's character in Pulp Fiction. Also, Lord Ravenholdt can give rogue players a quest to recover a sealed azure bag "the contents of which are a private matter", a possible reference to the mysterious briefcase of Marcellus Wallace whose glowing content is never revealed to the viewers.

Raiders of the Lost Ark — In the Badlands you must gather two quest items called the Staff of Tsol and the Amulet of Gni'Kiv. When found you must put the staff and amulet together and place them into a miniature city, mimicking a scene in the Indiana Jones movie Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Ren & Stimpy — Out of the many pets in WoW there is a breed of cat, cornish rex, this refers to the episode "Dog Show" where George Liquor entered Stimpy into a dog show as a "Cornish Rex hound".

Sanford & Son — In the city of Orgrimmar one may visit Droffers and Son Salvage where orcs Dran Droffers and his son Malton are proprietors. Their names are anagrams for Fred Sanford and Lamont. The quest "Ripple Recovery" is an obvious reference to Fred Sanford's wine of choice on the show.

Scarface — In the Eastern Plaguelands, an NPC by the name of Tirion Fordring lives in a small house in the wilderness. When a monster approaches him, he gets out his hammer and says, "Say hello to my little friend." This is a quote from the movie "Scarface" from 1983 starring Al Pacino.

The Silence of the Lambs — In Dire Maul North, there are a series of quests that involve the creation of an Ogre suit; one of the components of the suit is an 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 Buffalo Bill killer in the film (and novel), who instructed his victim "It places the lotion in the basket" and threatened that "it gets the hose again." In an additional link, Buffalo Bill was making a suit out of human skin. In a cave in Thunder Bluff is a character named Clarice Foster. This is a reference to the FBI agent in the film (Clarice Starling) and the actress who played her (Jodie Foster).

The Simpsons — In the Library instance of the Scarlet Monastery, a miniboss named Houndmaster Loksey yells 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 have similar hair styles. Also, in Dire Maul, after killing King Gordok and causing the ogres to become friendly, some quote The Simpsons, such as "I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T!"

The Six Million Dollar Man — In the Badlands, Lotwil Veriatus's robot Servo says "We can make it better, stronger, faster. We have the technology." This is a reference to the opening credits of the 1970s TV show The Six Million Dollar Man.

SNL — One of the items you can receive in the game is called a "Happy Fun Rock" in reference to a Saturday Night Live skit commercial for a product named Happy Fun Ball. "Do not taunt happy fun ball" "Happy Fun Ball sticks to some types of skin" etc.

South Park — In the Instance Stratholme is a boss named Timmy the Cruel. He yells his name again and again similar to the South Park character of the same name. Timmy the Cruel is also a reference to the first human mission in Warcraft III, where Arthas saves a boy named Timmy from a pack of gnolls, and was turned into a ghoul when the plague spread. One of the guards in Stormwind is named "Officer Brady", probably a reference to Officer Barbrady.

Star Trek — In Booty Bay, there is a goblin named Scooty who operates the "Transporter 3000". Completing the quest and using the transporter takes you to Gnomeregan, where a goblin named Sprock waits on the other side, with his faction labeled as "Away Team". Also, in Gadgetzan there is a goblin named Jhordie Lapforge who stands next to a similar Transporter which serves as the destination for the Ultra-Safe Transporter available to Engineers of the Gnomish persuasion. Finally, in Orgrimmar, the NPC Engineer's name is Nogg, a Deep Space Nine Reference. In Oggrimmar in the Valley of Honor there is a goblin named Sovik which is reminiscent of the Vulcan Saavik first introduced in The Wrath of Khan.

Star Wars — 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. In the hangar in the Military Ward of Ironforge sits Xiggs Fuselighter, wearing a white and orange outfit strikingly similar to that of an X-Wing pilot. The name is similar to Biggs Darklighter, friend of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Superman — There is an NPC on the docks of Southshore named Farmer Kent, a reference to Clark Kent and his childhood of growing up on a farm.

Terminator — The final Hunter talent in the Beast Mastery tree is called Bestial Wrath and in its description is "your pet doesn't 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!" 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.

The Shawshank Redemption — In Tanaris, there is a quest called "The Scrimshank Redemption". While the content has little to do with the movie, the quest title is a rather obvious reference to the movie.

Top Gun — In Alterac Valley the Wing Commanders on Alliance side are Ichman, Slidore and Vipore, and on Horde side are Guse, Jeztor and Mulverick. The names are similar to the pilots Iceman, Slider, Viper, Goose, Jester and Maverick from Top Gun.

Toxic Avenger — The rare weapon Toxic Revenger inflicts special damage to its target that makes it glow radioactive green, much like the hero of the Toxic Avenger movies.

Transformers — An NPC named Grimlok may be found in Uldaman, named after the leader of the Dinobots. Grimlok says "Me Grimlock, king!", one of the original character's lines from Transformers: The Movie.

Under Siege — In the old district in Stormwind, there is a cook named Stephen Ryback, a reference to Steven Seagal, and his character from the movie Casey Ryback. He was also a cook.
Xanadu — At the Stormwind bank, 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.

Literature

The Anarchist Cookbook — A late level mage quest begins with a tome known as The Arcanist's Cookbook. This is a reference to The Anarchist's Cookbook, a collection of articles on explosives, hacking, and other shady business.

Crime and Punishment — There is an NPC in Stormwind City named Nikova Raskol, a play on the name Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Damon Knight — The book "how to serve man" can be found in some areas of the game through killing NPCs or pickpocketing them, a reference to Damon Knight's short story "to serve man", which was later made into a Twilight Zone episode, which was also parodied in the Simpsons.

Discworld — In Dustwallow Marsh there is a Watchman called Captain Vimes, a direct reference to Captain Vimes of the Night Watch, one of Terry Pratchetts popular Discworld characters. There is also a series of quests in Duskwood for a group of NPCs belonging to The Night Watch.

Flowers for Algernon — An undead man in the Apothecarium of the Undercity named Algernon stands holding a peacebloom, a reference to the aforementioned novel.

The Green Hills of Africa — In Stranglethorn Vale, there is a big game hunter's camp, led by Hemet Nesingwary, an anagram of Ernest Hemingway, who was also a big game hunter and former soldier. Besides various hunting quests, one of his aides gives a quest to retrieve lost pages of Nesingwary's book, "The Green Hills of Stranglethorn", alluding to Hemingway's "The
Green Hills of Africa."

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.

The Lord of the Rings — The 1 Ring — An item in reference to The One Ring. 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. There are also many visual similarities to the art direction of the films, such as Blackrock Mountain and the surrounding Burning Steppes bearing a striking resemblance to Mount Doom and the surrounding country of Mordor. More directly, 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 of LotR's past. Furthermore, the /silly emote 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.)

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. A movie with the same name has also been made.

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 -- scrambled writer's name.

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. 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.

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 also 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.

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".

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.

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.

Walt Whitman — in Duskwood, in a house near the alliance griffon there is an NPC named Whit Wantmal which is an anagram of Walt Whitman

Kurt Vonnegut — In the Swamp Of Sorrows, there is a canine/demon boss named Kazzak, probably based off the hound of space, Kazak, from Vonnegut's book The Sirens Of Titan

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."

ACDC — A dwarven mortar team in Dun Morogh sing "I'm TNT!" and "I'm dynamite!" during their target practice; these are lyrics from the chorus to "TNT" by ACDC.

Alizée — The female night-elf's dance styles is taken from the French pop-singer.

Bob Dylan — A quest in the Western Plaguelands called All Along the Watchtowers is named for the Bob Dylan song All Along the Watchtower, made famous by Jimi Hendrix.

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 NPC 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.

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". Also referred to in a series of quest for rogues in Teldrassil, two quests with the names "The Apple Falls" and "Destiny Calls", which is a reference to lyrics of the song "The Bottom Line".

The Doors — Lord Serpintias, 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.

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.

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-Z's popular song, "99 Problems" in which he says "I got 99 problems but a b**ch 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).

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

MC Hammer — The male Orc's dance style is the same as seen in the rapper's videos, most notably "U Can't Touch This"

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.

Peter Murphy — The quest Deep Ocean, Vast Sea in Darkshore references a song from the Bauhaus singer's solo album, Deep.

Pink Floyd — During the Alliance quest to gain Artisan First Aid, one of the injured patients will sing the opening lyrics to the Pink Floyd song "Goodbye Cruel World" off of the album The Wall. The Inn Keeper in the City of Thrallmar is an undead NPC named "Floyd Pinkus", obviously a reference to Pink Floyd.

Pomeroy — In Stormwind City there is a guard named "Patroller Pomeroy" possibly a reference to the band Pomeroy.

Oingo Boingo — The Undead quest Dead Man's Party refers to a song by Oingo Boingo and features NPCs named after band members Steve Bartek and Danny Elfman.

Olivia Newton-John — In Stormwind the three bankers are named Olivia, Newton and John. This is a reference to the singer/actor from the 80s.

Rammstein — The name of a Horde side quest 'Ramstein' and a boss in the Stratholme instance as the objective of the quest.

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.
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.

Steely Dan — A Tanaris quest called Cuergo's Gold references the Steely Dan song Cuervo Gold.

Tenacious D - There is a belt that drops from a boss in Hellfire Ramparts in the Outlands called the Tenacious Defender, which has the quote 'It has the power... to move you.' which is an obvious quote from 'Wonderboy' by Tenacious D!

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.

Fatboy Slim — There is a quest called "Weapons of Choice", a reference to the popular Fatboy Slim song "Weapon of Choice", made famous it's music video starring Christopher Walken.

Fashion

Abercrombie — Near Darkshire an old man is named Abercrombie, as in the popular clothing company (or perhaps the Primus song "My Name Is Mud"). Or perhaps it's just a name that's been in common use long before the clothing company became famous, although he does present 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.

Other

Billy the Kid — In the bat-trainer's alcove in Undercity you will find Patrick Garrett with a shovel in hand. This is a reference to Pat Garrett who was a friend of Henry McCarty, better known as Billy the Kid. Garrett eventually shot Billy twice in the back. Now Patrick Garrett shovels guano in a city of the dead, presumably his eternal reward.

Christopher Walken — The senior warrior trainer of the undead race is called Christoph Walker, apparently named after the actor.

Circus — 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.

George Carlin — Zesty Clam Meat and Tangy Clam Meat drop throughout the game. George Carlin has a rant about the seemingly meaningless advertisement words zesty and tangy in a stand-up show he did some years ago.

Gregory Charles — The undercity rogue trainer's name is the same as French Canadian singer/actor/entertainer Gregory Charles [1].

Hindenburg disaster — One of the zeppelin goblins near the Undercity is named Hin Denburg, after the famous crashed German zeppelin.

Homestar Runner — In Thorium Point in Searing Gorge, there is an NPC named "Master Smith Burninate", a reference to Strong Bad's dragon, "Trogdor the Burninator". Also Strongbad and friends are in the special thanks in the end credits.

Karl Malone — One of the NPCs in Stratholme goes by the name of Postmaster Malown, a reference to Karl "The Mailman" Malone of the Utah Jazz. He drops a rare mace named Malown's Slam.

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.

Lee Van Cleef — In Westfall, the player can enter an instanced dungeon called the Deadmines, the boss of which is VanCleef, after the well-known spaghetti-western star. He has a similar voice and the same sharp facial features as said actor who became famous for playing notoriously ice-cold villains. On another note, Hideo Kojima, the developer of the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4, modeled the elderly Solid Snake after Lee Van Cleef.

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". Furthermore, there has been added an Undead auctioneer by the name of "Yarly" in the Undercity Auction House.

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.

Smith & Wesson — In Ratchet a High Elf sailor will give you a mission to travel down the coast and kill the cannoneers Smyth and Weasson, an obvious reference to fire arm company Smith & Wesson.

Thundercats — The small inventory icon for several necklaces utilizes the Thundercats logo. There is also a horde quest in the Scarlet Monastery where one of the reward items is The Sword of Omen, the sword of The Thundercats. In addition, the "Samophlange" quest chain starting in the city of Ratchet is likely a reference to a moderately famous series of outtakes from the show.

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. Although this references a movie of the same name ([3]), it is probably also a reference to the annual Burning Man festival held in Nevada. The possibility also exists that it refers to the ancient pagan practice of burning men alive as human sacrifices, called Wicker Men.

Yuen Woo-ping — Woo Ping, the Weapon Master in Stormwind City is named after the martial arts choreographer and director.