History ShoutOut / SlyCooper

* Trophy names in the fourth game reference ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', ''{{Creator/Capcom}}'' franchises, ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', ''{{VideoGame/Uncharted}}'', ''{{Film/Predator}}'', ''Franchise/EvilDead'', ''{{Rocky}}'', and ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty''.

* During the cutscene that plays after defeating Clockwerk in the first game, Bentley can briefly be seen holding a miniature version of Clockwerk's head in his hand while pondering over it. This is a reference to the scene in ''Theatre/Hamlet'' where Hamlet does the same thing to Yorick's skull.

* Likewise, [[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]].

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

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

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

* Some of the names of the missions throughout the series are references to various media.

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

* When we first see Jean Bison frozen, one can’t help but be reminded of [[Stanley Kubrick’s The ShiningFilm/TheShining]]

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

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

** 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?!?"]]

*** 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.

* For one, the game's 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]].
* Likewise, [[Main/HitFlash Hit Flashes]] 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 quick note from a trumpet]].

* According to the ending to ''Sly 2'', [[spoiler: The Contessa]] became the most successful real estate broker in the Greater Milwaukee area. The accompanying picture features [[spoiler: her]] in front of an old-fashioned house with two of her clients: a male and female farmer with stern faces, [[spoiler: hypnosis-ridden eyes]], and, in the male's case, holding a pitchfork. The overall picture, excluding [[spoiler: The Contessa]], spoofs the famous Grant Wood painting, ''[[AmericanGothicCouple American Gothic]]''.

** In ''Sly 3'', a cheat code can be used to change the appearance of Sly's biplane into a Toonami-inspired design.

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

* Collecting 50 Sly Masks will turn Sly's Cane into an [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank OmniWrench, and all the coins into Bolts]].
** Similar to the above, collecting 60 Sly Masks will give turn the Cane into the [[{{VideoGame/inFAMOUS}} Amp]], complete with electric damage.

* 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 [[Franchise/RatchetAndClank tiny robot]].

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

* In ''Thieves in Time'', Bentley at one point disguises himself as a [[Main/FrothyMugsofWater sarsaparilla]] bartender in order to distract some mooks. The game then switches to [[{{VideoGame/Tapper}} a minigame where Bentley has to throw mugs to serve the thirsty mooks before they get impatient]].

* Murray's training of Bob Cooper in ''Thieves in Time'' pays a homage to the ''{{Franchise/Rocky}}'' movies, complete with a training montage.

* In ''Thieves in Time'', Bentley at one point disguises himself as a [[Main/FrothyMugsofWater sarsaparilla]] bartender in order to distract some mooks. The game then switches to [[{{VideoGame/Tapper}} a minigame where Bentley has to throw mugs to serve the thirsty mooks before they get impatient]].

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

* [[Creator/{{Toonami}} TOM]] appears in ''Sly 2''.

* The first time the Cooper van disappears through time in the 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".

* Trophy names in Sly 4 reference ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'', ''{{Creator/Capcom}}'' franchises, ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', ''{{VideoGame/Uncharted}}'', ''{{Film/Predator}}'', ''Franchise/EvilDead'', ''{{Rocky}}'', and ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty''.
* Murray's training of Bob Cooper in ''Thieves in Time'' pays a homage to the ''{{Franchise/Rocky}}'' movies, and while you're training, Murray shouts quotes from movies like ''{{Franchise/Dodgeball}}'' and ''Franchise/StarWars''.
-->Murray: [[Film/ANewHope Great shooting, kid, but don't get cocky!]]

* In ''Sly 2'', there is a tombstone reading [[VideoGame/RocketRobotOnWheels "R.I.P. Rocket"]].

* The first time the Cooper van disappears through time in the game's prologue is like that of ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', complete with leaving behind its license plate spinning.

* 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.

* One of Sly's ancestors resembles Franchise/CarmenSandiego. Carmelita wears an outfit reminiscent of Carmen's signature attire in the unlockable ''Goodbye My Sweet'' cartoon in Sly 3.
* In Sly 2, there is a tombstone reading [[VideoGame/RocketRobotOnWheels "R.I.P. Rocket"]].
* [[Creator/{{Toonami}} TOM]] appears in Sly 2.
* In Sly 3's Blood Bath Bay episode, there's a pirate who has some kind of serious problem with [[VideoGame/MonkeyIsland monkeys.]] In case that was too subtle, later in that same mission Sly has a battle of insults—though no swords are involved, and it doesn't have [[YouFightLikeACow the same sense of humor]] as the ones it's clearly referencing.
* In Sly 3, when Bentley uses the Grapple-cam to lure a guard: [[Series/WelcomeBackKotter "Up your nose with a rubber hose!"]]

* From a trailer for Thieves In Time, Bentley exclaims [[MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail Holy Hand Grenade!]] when he discovers that the Moat Monster is a robot.

* In the first mission with Bentley in Sly 4, he breaks into a sewer to shut down a museum's security. [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles He then mentions that he hasn't been down there since he was a teenager]].
* In Sly 4 during the side-scrolling shooter version of Bentley's hacking sequences, Bentley's avatar is a buffed-up version of himself wielding guns a la ''{{Franchise/Rambo}}''.

* Murray's training of Bob Cooper in Sly 4 pays a homage to the ''{{Franchise/Rocky}}'' movies, and while you're training, Murray shouts quotes from movies like ''{{Franchise/Dodgeball}}'' and ''Franchise/StarWars''.

* At the end of Chapter 2 in Sly 4, the time-traveling van is seen tumbling through a blue time vortex, then getting struck by lightning, then tumbling faster through a fiery orange vortex — replicating the season 5-7A opening sequence of ''Series/DoctorWho''.

** Similar to above collecting 60 Sly Masks will give turn the Cane into the [[{{VideoGame/inFAMOUS}} Amp]].

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

-->Murray: Great shooting, kid, but don't get cocky!

* 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 ''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.

* Trophy names in Sly 4 reference Final Fantasy, Capcom franchises, Pirates of the Caribbean, Uncharted, Predator, Evil Dead, Rocky, and Call of Duty.

* For one, the game's 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."

* One of Sly's ancestors resembles Franchise/CarmenSandiego. Carmelita wears an outfit reminiscent of Carmen's signature attire in the unlockable Goodbye My Sweet cartoon in Sly 3.

* In the first game, the first stage's flashlight guards are listed as [[Creator/HPLovecraft "H.P. Squidcraft"]]
* One of Sly's ancestors resembles CarmenSandiego. Carmelita wears an outfit reminiscent of Carmen's signature attire in the unlockable Goodbye My Sweet cartoon in Sly 3.
* In Sly 2, there is a tombstone reading [[VideoGame/RocketRobotOnWheels "R.I.P. Rocket"]]

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

* In Sly 4 during the side-scrolling shooter version of Bentley's hacking sequences, Bentley's avatar is a buffed-up version of himself wielding guns a la Rambo.

* Murray's training of Bob Cooper in Sly 4 pays a homage to the Rocky movies, and while you're training, Murray shouts quotes from movies like Dodgeball and Star Wars.

* At the end of Chapter 2 in Sly 4, the time-traveling van is seen tumbling through a blue time vortex, then getting struck by lightning, then tumbling faster through a fiery orange vortex — replicating the season 5-7A opening sequence of Doctor Who.

** Similar to above collecting 60 Sly Masks will give turn the Cane into the [[VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS}} Amp]].

* One of the shots of the Guru's training of Murray resembles [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda and Luke Skywalker]] training, with the Guru riding Murray's back.