History ShoutOut / SlyCooper

* The first time the Cooper van disappears through time in the fourth game's prologue is like that of ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', complete with leaving behind its license plate spinning. There is also a "Flux Capacitor" in the blueprints to the time machine, and a collectible treasure called "Temporal Flux Driver."

*** "The Claw" is likely a reference to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''.

*** The [[CanisLatinicus style of binomial nomenclature]] used for the guards in the [[VideoGame/SlyCooperAndTheThieviusRaccoonus first game]] also brings to mind the introduction segments from those shorts.

* When we first see Jean Bison frozen, one can’t help but be reminded of ''Film/TheShining''.

** The Black Knight is a reference to the various Black Knights of the Myth/KingArthur myths. Not only is said boss the antagonist of the Medieval England stage in ''Thieves in Time'', but the tendency for black knights to [[spoiler:use the armor to conceal their identities for misdeeds]] is retained here, this time by [[spoiler:Penelope]].

** Sir Galleth Cooper is likely a reference to Sir Galahad, a character from Myth/KingArthur myths. Like Galahad, Galleth is a knight that is part of a particular band of knights. Galahad is a member of the Knights of the Round Table, while Galleth is the founder and leader of the Knights of the Cooper Order.

* For one, the games' overall design and look is heavily inspired by ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''. Designer Dave Madan described the visual development stage as "taking a walk through the Creator/WarnerBros animation archives."

** In ''Thieves in Time'', if you knock one of Toothpick's coyote mooks off a ledge, he'll [[WesternAnimation/WileECoyoteAndTheRoadRunner briefly flash a "Yipes!" sign before falling]].
*** The [[CanisLatinicus style of binomial nomenclature]] used for the guards in the first game also brings to mind the introduction segments from those shorts.

** From ''Sly 3'':

* In ''Sly 2'', one of Dimitri's lines you can hear in the safehouse after bugging his office is: [[Film/TaxiDriver "You talkin' about me, my friend? Well, I'm not seeing anyone else here, so you must be talkin' about me!"]]

* For one, the games' overall design and look is heavily inspired by ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''. Designer Dave Madan described the visual development stage as "taking a walk through the Warner Bros. animation archives."

** Before fighting The Grizz, Murray remarks that he knew he "should have made that left turn". [[WesternAnimation/BugsBunny Looks like Murray came across Albuquerque]].

** Sir Raleigh's hammer-wielding walrus guards are listed as "Thor [=McCracken=]", with both names referencing characters from Myth/NorseMythology. Thor is the god of thunder, who also carries a hammer (a much more powerful one, of course), while [=McCracken=] references the Kraken, a massive sea monster.
** Mz. Ruby's spider guards are listed as "Nasty Charlotte", a reference to the titular character of the novel ''Literature/CharlottesWeb''.

*** "Beauty and the Beast", as well as a Master Thief Challenge titled "Beauty versus the Beast", is a reference to the story ''Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast''.

*** "Pretty in Pinker" is a reference to "Pretty in Pink", a song by The Psychedelic Furs.

*** ''Clan of the Cave Raccoon'' is a reference to the first book in the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' novel series, titled "The Clan of the Cave Bear".
*** "Starving Starving Hippo" is a reference to a children's tabletop game named "Hungry Hungry Hippos".
*** "Ice Ice Bentley" is a reference to "Ice Ice Baby", a song by Music/VanillaIce.

*** ''40 Thieves'' is a reference to the ''Literature/ArabianNights'' story "Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves". The year the episode takes place in, 1001 AD, is another reference to ''Arabian Nights'', as its actual translation is ''One Thousand and One Nights''.

** Salim al-Kupar was said to have the stealth of forty thieves, a reference to the ''Literature/ArabianNights'' story "Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves". Salim was also a founding member of a group known ''as'' the Forty Thieves.

* In ''Sly 2'''s second episode, Neyla twice refers to Carmelita as "Old Ironsides", a reference to the controversial military leader UsefulNotes/OliverCromwell.

* The first time the Cooper van disappears through time in the fourth game's prologue is like that of ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', complete with leaving behind its license plate spinning. There is also a "Flux Capacitor" in the blueprints to the time machine, and a collectible treasure called "Temporal Flux Driver".

* Collecting 50 Sly Masks will allow you to swap out Sly's cane for a weapon called [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank "Ratchet's Wrench." This will also change all the coins into Bolts]]. Collecting 60 Sly Masks will allow you to swap the cane out for a weapon called [[{{VideoGame/InFAMOUS2}} "Cole's Amp", complete with electric damage]]. The descriptions for both weapons even weave in a pun or two about the games they come from.
* If one were to download ''Bentley's Hackpack'', they would notice that the outside of "Bentley's Arcade" would remind you of an arcade run by [[Film/{{Tron}} a cheerful man]] [[{{Film/TronLegacy}} who's been missing for 20 years]].

* One of the shots of the Guru's training of Murray resembles [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack Yoda and Luke Skywalker training]], with the Guru riding Murray's back.
* In ''Thieves in Time'', Sly Cooper has an unlockable costume based on {{Franchise/Batman}}. Even the description mentions that Sly "owns the darkest night in this costume", a reference to one of Batman's nicknames, the Dark Knight.

* In the ''Thieves in Time'' mission "Cooper for Hire", Murray at one point holds up a door for Tennessee Kid to slide under. [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom Tennessee drops his hat in the process, but manages to swipe it before Murray drops the door on him]].
** In the mission "Rug Rats", Salim has to infiltrate a heavily guarded rug store. Upon encountering snakes, Salim exclaims [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk "Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?!?"]]

* [[Main/HitFlash Hit Flashes]] with [[Main/WrittenSoundEffect Written Sound Effects]] will occasionally pop up when knocking out guards in the second and third game, as well as in cutscenes from the first three games. [[{{Series/Batman}} These are sometimes accompanied with a blare from a trumpet]].

** El Jefe is a reference to UsefulNotes/FidelCastro, even being referred to by one his more well-known nicknames. Much like any other parody of Castro, El Jefe is a Cuban dictator, has a beard, is often seen with a Cuban cigar in his mouth, and even wears the typical green military uniform in the cutscene that introduces him.

* In ''Thieves In Time'', Bentley exclaims "[[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Holy Hand Grenade!]]" when he discovers that the Moat Monster is a robot.

* Collecting 50 Sly Masks will allow you to swap out Sly's cane for an [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank OmniWrench. This will also change all the coins into Bolts]]. Collecting 60 Sly Masks will allow you to swap the cane out for an [[{{VideoGame/inFAMOUS}} Amp, complete with electric damage]]. The descriptions for both weapons even weave in a pun or two about the games they come from.

* In ''Thieves in Time'', Sly Cooper has an unlockable costume based on {{Franchise/Batman}}. Even the description mentions that Sly "owns the darkest night in this costume", a reference to one of Batman's nicknames, the Dark Knight. Bentley's unlockable costume is based on ComicBook/JudgeDredd, which similarly references the character in its description.
** Carmelita’s unlockable costume is very much a Catwoman expy, a reference to the [[Creator/GreyDeLisle voice actor]] who voices her in the Arkham games.

* In the fourth game, the "Lutrela Nivadensis" treasure found in the Ice Age is based off a certain [[Franchise/JakAndDaxter ottsel]]. And the "Medieval Metal Man" treasure in Medieval England is based off a certain [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank tiny robot]].

* Some of the bosses throughout the series reference various media:

* One of the members of the Cooper Clan is named [[Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer Huckle]][[Literature/AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn berry]] Cooper.
* Muggshot was inspired to be a gangster after watching his first gangster movie. The poster in the cutscene explaining this reveals that the gangster movie he watched was ''[[Film/TheGodfather The Dogfather]]''. The poster itself is based on the original poster, with the hand and marionette control bar replaced with a dog's paw and two crossed bones.

* Some of the bosses throughout the series reference various forms of media:

* Several of the guards ''also'' reference various forms of media:

* In the fourth game, one of the treasures found in the Ice Age would remind you of a certain [[Franchise/JakAndDaxter ottsel]]. And another one in Medieval England resembles a certain [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank tiny robot]].

* In ''Thieves in Time'', Sly Cooper has an unlockable costume based on {{Franchise/Batman}}. Even the description mentions that Sly "owns the darkest night in this costume", a reference to one of Batman's nicknames, the Dark Knight.
** Bentley's unlockable costume is based on ComicBook/JudgeDredd, which similarly references the character in its description.

* [[Main/HitFlash Hit Flashes]] with [[Main/WrittenSoundEffect Written Sound Effects]] will occasionally pop up when knocking out guards in the second and third game, as well as in cutscenes from the first three games. [[{{Series/Batman}} These are sometimes accompanied with a blare from a trumpet]].
* Several of the names of the guards from the first game reference various media:

* Neyla's design and accent appears to have been inspired by [[Franchise/TombRaider Lara Croft]].

* The name of the main villain in ''Sly 3'', Dr. M, is a reference to Doctor Moreau, the titular antagonist of ''Literature/TheIslandOfDoctorMoreau''. In fact, Dr. M and Doctor Moreau are both mad doctors that own an island and have a penchant for turning animals into monstrosities.

* In ''Sly 3'', when Bentley uses the Grapple-Cam to lure a guard: [[Series/WelcomeBackKotter "Up your nose with a rubber hose!"]]

* Some of the names of the episodes and missions throughout the series are references to various media.
** From ''Sly 3'':
*** "The Claw" is likely a reference to ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory''.
*** "Beauty and the Beast", as well as a Master Thief Challenge titled "Beauty versus the Beast", is a reference to the story ''Literature/BeautyAndTheBeast''.
** From ''Thieves in Time'':
*** ''Turning Japanese'' is a reference to the song of the same name by The Vapors.
*** "Pretty in Pinker" is a reference to "Pretty in Pink", a song by The Psychedelic Furs.
*** ''Go West, Young Raccoon'' is a reference to a UsefulNotes/ManifestDestiny saying from John Soule, "Go west, young man, and grow up with the country."
*** ''Clan of the Cave Raccoon'' is a reference to the first book in the ''Literature/EarthsChildren'' novel series, titled "The Clan of the Cave Bear".
*** "Starving Starving Hippo" is a reference to a children's tabletop game named "Hungry Hungry Hippos".
*** "Ice Ice Bentley" is a reference to "Ice Ice Baby", a song by Music/VanillaIce.
*** ''Of Mice and Mechs'' is a reference to the novel ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''.
*** ''40 Thieves'' is a reference to the ''Literature/ArabianNights'' story "Literature/AliBabaAndTheFortyThieves". The year the episode takes place in, 1001 AD, is another reference to ''Arabian Nights'', as its actual translation is ''One Thousand and One Nights''.

* Collecting 50 Sly Masks will allow you to swap out Sly's cane for an [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank OmniWrench. This will also change all the coins into Bolts]].
** Similar to the above, collecting 60 Sly Masks will allow you to swap the cane out for an [[{{VideoGame/inFAMOUS}} Amp, complete with electric damage]].

** Bentley's unlockable costume is based on Comicbook/JudgeDredd.

* In the first game, the first stage's flashlight guards are listed as [[Creator/HPLovecraft "H.P. Squidcraft"]]. Said flashlight guards look like humanoids with a squid for a face, which is a dead ringer for [[Literature/TheCallOfCthulhu Lovecraft's most famous creation]].