Shout Out / Wizard101

Wizard101, being a quite popular MMORPG game in its heyday, has hundreds of references to movies, TV shows, other games, and pop culture in general. There are so many that they must be divided by world.

Wizard City

• In every world besides Aquila, Darkmoor, and the Arcanum, Prospector Zeke will have a sidequest that requires you to find things themed after real-life bands. For Wizard City, you need to find The Smiths.
• One of the first sidequests you can get requires you to check up on a guard named Private O'Ryan. The quest is appropriately named "Saving Private O'Ryan".
  • The "Not in Kansas Anymore" quest after it, where you must find a wizard named Dorothy. The reward is a pair of ruby slippers.
• The Pet Shop in the Pet Pavilion is run by two knownn as the "Pet Shoppe Boys". The Snack Shop, also in the Pavilion, is managed by the "West Ende Girls".
• Two guards in Olde Town are named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
• In Crab Alley, King Thermidor's advisor is named Thomas Cromshell. This is a nod to King Henry VIII's advisor Thomas Cromwell, who loved to write plays.
• A side quest in the Drains references the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with a quest called TMNP, as instead of turtles being involved, pigs are involved instead.
• The sidequest "The Power Is Ours" is one big reference to Captain Planet and the Planeteers. The quest tasks you with taking back five stolen rings, each one called and associated with an element (Fire, Ice/Water, Wind, Dirt, and...Guts). The characters that stole them call themselves the "Planet Fears" who try to use them to summon "The Destroyer". The last ring, the ring of Guts is mocked by Pierre Gallantmane and called "oft forgotten" but turns out it is the most important of the rings, as it gives The Destroyer a physical body, allow him to, well, destroy.
• The main questline for Firecat Alley mentions that the Fire Elves went rogue while they were rehearsing a song from "Firecats!: The Musical" The song specifically is called "Recollection" a reference to the song "Memory" from Cats.

Krokotopia

• After the overhaul to Wizard City, the quest that leads into Krokotopia is called "A Whole New World."
• Zeke's quest in this world is to have you find Beetles.
• The concept of using a special staff to illuminate a location on a map via sunbeam is lifted directly from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• One faction of Kroks in the Tomb of Storms is called the Djeserit, pronounced like 'Gesserit'.

Marleybone

• Zeke has you find Stray Cats.
• The snack vendor in Regent's Square is named Gordon Sumner, which is The Sting's legal real life name.
• Sherlock Bones is obviously this universe's equivalent to Sherlock Holmes, and he is portrayed as a bloodhound. He lives on 221B Barker Street, while his counterpart had the same address on Baker Street. His partner Watson is here too as his pet, a bulldog.
• The “Reckless Necklace” quest has you visit Jared Banks, a jeweler. When you deliver the repaired necklace to Ms. Marphely, she exclaims “You went to Jared’s?” which is the tagline of a series of ads for Jared’s jewelers.
• Scotland Yard is also the name of England's Law Enforcement system.
• The ''Knight's Court" area alludes to Night Court, and there are two NPCs with the surnames Anderson and Stone, which are the Judge's name and actor, respectively.
• Jacques the Scratcher is a play on Jack the Ripper.
• Dr. Katzenstein is essentially named after Dr. Frankenstein.
• The Big Bad of this world is named Meowiarty, a name not too different from Moriarty, Holmes' arch-nemesis.
• The second of the four dungeons is Barkingham Palace, an obvious play on Buckingham Palace.

Mooshu

• Zeke tasks you with finding Blue Oysters.
• The "Et tu, Lili?" quest name is taken from Julius Caesar's last words, "Et tu, Bruti?"

Dragonspyre

• Zeke wants you to find Stone Roses.
• The Labyrinth fish is modeled after David Bowie's costume in Labyrinth. The description references the line "You have no power over me!"
• The final quest of this world and the first arc is titled The Final Countdown.
• The Monstrology Tome description for the Loathsome Creeper is "They wish they were special... but they're a creep."

Grizzleheim/Wintertusk

• Zeke's collecting quest in Grizzleheim is finding Yardbirds.
  • And in Wintertusk, its The Troggs.
• Jotun the Giant in the Hall of Valor shares his name with Jotuun the Giant in Norse Mythology, barring a U for the for the former.
• In Vestrilund, two brothers named Urt and Berni can give you a quest where you must rescue Berni's prized posession: a yellow rubber wooden duck.
• The "Su Su Sudrilund" quest takes its name from Phil Collins' "Suh Suh Sudlio".

Celestia

• Zeke tells you to search for Lounge Lizards.
• One of the expeditioners is named Montgomery, who's a Scottish terrier. The chief engineer of the original Star Trek series was named Montgomery Scott.
• The Grandmaster Artisan Quest given by Pierce is named "That Seven Seas Show", which doesn't sound too different from That '70s Show.
• One sidequest given by Vendrel Starfinder is called "Piercing the Veil."

Wysteria

• While Ravenwood already bore a strong resemblance to Hogwarts, Pigswick Academy has an even stronger one.
• The boss in Tanglewood Way is named Forrest Grump.
• One sidequest is called "The Brunching Club".

Zafaria

• The place name "Zamunda" is directly lifted from Coming to America.
• One of the quests in the Savannah is called "Rock of Ages."
• In Belloq's tent, you can find a golden idol that's an exact replica of the one stolen from Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Belloq is also the name of the movie character who steals it.
• The boat you must ride to get from Stone Town to Waterfront is named the "Dancing Queen", and the quest that has you ride it is named "You Can Jive".
• A password needed to enter a secure fortress at the Waterfront is "Nants Ingonya Bagithi Baba."
• During the Five B.O.X.E.S event, the telegraph box located in Zafaria takes you to places in Pirate101 where you can meet some familiar faces.

Avalon

• This world is based on Arthurian Legend. It has a multitude of references to it as well as parodies, including, of course, Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
  • The world's mole gardener is Roger the Shrubberer, a name that's different from the others that end in "-arley".
  • One of the knights you talk to is named Perry Gilliam.
  • The "Being the Third Number" quest has the NPC you're working with directly quote the Book of Armaments as she's telling you how to handle a grenade.
  • The sidequests provided by the Knight of the Sacred Words involve seeking out said sacred words themselves, which turn out to be the three words kept by the Knights Who Say "Ni!".
• Throughout the world, you battle Wyrms. One of these quotes Smaug, and another is the Jabberwock.

Azteca

• A jaguar projecting a message to you from somewhere they are trapped tells you that "This is my most desperate hour, you're my only hope!"
• Winning the skeleton key fight against Ixcax Cursedwing gives you the title "Ixnay on the Ixcax".
• A simple dialogue quest is titled "Let the only sound be the overflow".
• Mak the Knife, a character in Pitch Black Lake, is named after the main character of The Threepenny Opera.
• The tune that must be hummed to enter the Pyramid of Mother Moon is the five notes from Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
• Titles from a stretch of the main questline: "Explosions in the Sky", "Last Known Surroundings", and "Not A Cold Dead Place."
• When you board the eagle statue to fly to Twin Giants for the first time, the narrator tells you of a voice you hear as you do so. It says "Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping, into the future."
• It's the End of the World As We Know It is both a quest name and quoted by a boss after you defeat her. "And I feel...fine."
• There's a side quest where you take a cursed amulet and throw it into lava.

Aquila

• Every immortal is a Classical Mythology figure. So far the following have been seen: Athena, Apollo, Eris, Hephaestus, Ares, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and Nyx.

Khrysalis

• Names of Mantises include "Zaltanna the MirrorMask" and "Zelda the PhantomKnight".
• The name of the "That's Not a Knife" Quest.
• There's a Hundred Legger in Tyrian Gorge who's voice actor is doing a Patrick Warburton impression.
• The Shadow Shrike spell bears resemblance to the Shrike creature from the Hyperion Cantos, though without its Spikes of Villainy. It's most notable ability, like its namesake, is its high amount of pierce (-50%), reflecting how the science fiction novels' creature is known for inflicting such a fate on its foes.
• One of Morganthe's lieutenants is named Kravenly the Hunter.
  • He also at one point says he'll "Rock you like a hurricane."
• Taylor Coleridge and his status as an ancient sailor (as well as the fact that you go on a dangerous journey across the waters with him) is an obvious nod to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
• In Ruined Alcazar, you fight a yellow scorpion named Hanzo, who tells you to "Get over here!"
  • His minion is additionally called 'Kombat Skorpion'
• The pre-battle dialogue of the Ice Angler in the Solar Arc references Let It Go. The minion he's accompanied by is additionally named 'Adele Dazeem'.
• The "A Voice for the Silent" sidequest is given by Jhae AskewedView, and you must defeat Interrogator Retenius to rescue Bawb AskewedView. The names reference Kevin Smith's movies and TV shows, which are produced by his company, View Askew Productions.

Darkmoor

• Skeleton Key bosses in Darkmoor include Bunferatu and Aphrodite Two.
  • The boss dialogue of the latter quotes "Feed Me" and "Mean Green Mother from Outerspace", of course.
• Shane von Shane's cheat message when he casts Monster Mash is "It's a graveyard smash!"

Polaris

• Inside Walruskberg's Inn of the Midnight Sun, you can spot Boochbeard's hat and Mr. Gandry on your right as you enter.
• A sidequest named The Professional has you helping a "Cleaner" named Leon root out a corrupt Inspectors' Brigade official.
• Rasputin is keeping a Pingouin named Jock Coosto in a vault, who often talks like the namesake and wears a similar hat.

Mirage

• Zeke sends you off to locate some Mini-Oases.
• Further than just being an "Arabian Nights" Days world, the world's major city is called Aggrobah and a boss during the main storyline is named "Vizier Rafaj".
• Dumoozid heavily resembles Mr. Clean, and is a clean freak who is terrified of letting anyone and anything inside his tent and sells cleaning products.
• There is a species of amphibian or reptillian type creatures used to carry cargo known as the PackMan, who are all yellow with round heads and large mouths. The resemblance goes further with a side quest called "PackMan Fever", which is given by a "Madam PackMan" and involves entering a ghost maze to collect magic spheres and fruit.
• The first thing you see upon entering the Alkali Barrows is Two vast and trunkless legs of stone standing in the desert, around which the lone and level sands stretch far away.
  • Inside the base of this statue you meet Ozzy, who is essentially Morte.
• Befitting that he's the son of Grandfather Spider known as "The Scorpion", Overlord Xerxes bears more than a passing resemblance to The Rock as the Scorpion King.
• Sultana Sharzad says in passing that an artifact "Belongs in a museum".
• One of the gang leaders in Aggrobah is named Loother, and tells the Wizard "Come out to play!"
  • One of his cheat messages additionally mentions the strength of street knowledge.
• The Qhats have a considerable amount of Dune references: Various political houses, a group known as the "Binny Jezzerit" led by a "Reverend Mother Meowhaim", a "Pol Atraydies" being groomed for leadership, and even "Sand Wurms"; one of which is named "Melanj" and is summoned using sand-thumpers. There's also the use of a power like The Voice and a "Baron Hairkonnen".
• In the Rubal Wastes, you battle three Mongus: Ricky, Tiki, and Taffy.
• Istanboa's snakes are ruled by a "Kobra Kommander", and your serpentine ally in the city is named "Snake Plizkin".
• One quest is titled "Rebels with a Cause".
• The name of the first quest in the Thieves Den is titled "Just Dance", something that Devinn repeats. The dance itself in front of Ali Baboon is done on a trapdoor, a. la. Jabba's Palace.
  • Ali additionally has a Salacious Crumb stand-in, a Qhat named "Hairy Qhrum".
• Boochbeard can be found in Thieves' Den.

Empyrea

• Zeke wants you to locate some Blowfish.
• Your main cast of sidekicks in this world are walking parallels to Star Trek: "Sparck", "Pork", and "Beans", who operate a Skyship called the "Endeavor".
• One quest in Zanadu is named House Oddity, given to you by Major Tom.
• The Bat is a walking Batman reference. It's made even more apparent in the Sepidious area, where you fight foes like Le Pingoin, the Quizzler, and Poison Oak. Slightly less obvious is Dynt.
• In the Aero Plains, you meet an Aero Dwarf named Tyler, who works as an Aero Smith. At one point, he leads you to a windmill, saying "Walk this way."

Karamelle

• Your goal in a particular sidequest is to find a Golden Ticket so you can tour Nana's Olde Fashioned Candy Factory. The names of the Gobblers sent by King Gobbsmack for their sweat are shared by four of the touring kids.
• An Alphoi hologram finishes a transmission by saying "Help me, Choco Khan, you're my only *burp*.
• In one instance, you have to fight witches named Samantha, Tabitha and Endora.

Lemuria

• The name The Nothing takes on, "Dasein", is ripped right from the work of Martin Heidegger.
• Mandar's predecessor, and who he got his ultimate sword from, is named He-Mander.
• The top-tier equipment recipe salesman is located in Sky City, and he is a platypus named Perry.
• The side dungeon quest in Heap is Go, Go Power Grazers, and it is one huge love letter to the franchise. The giver is named Putty, who mentions that all he could do to rescue his friend Goldaur from the Power Grazers gang was dance around going "Hooolooolooolooo". The dungeon they're in is called the "Command Center". They say WE. ARE. THE. POWER GRAZERS! when you first confront them. After you defeat the Grazers, they say "IT'S BORGIN' TIME!" and turn into Borgs. And after you defeat them they try to fuse to form the Mega-Borg, only for Green to realize there is none. Afterwards, they decide to leave it to the "new guy" a.k.a. the Power Draconian and the White Tiger.
• Two of the citizens of Heap that you deliver supplies to are named Rene Musso and Paul Cudd.
• As if the reference to Frozen in Khrysalis wasn't enough, a side boss in Night Forest named Ice Queen also refers to some of her lines in cheats. For example, "Let the Storm Rage On" and "Do you want to fight a snowman?"
• There's a detective named Dog Tracy in the Heap.

Novus

• A lot of the world has references to abstract art. For example a side quest depicts melting clocks.
• There are clearly Mario references as well. Dasein Duelist takes on the form of the "Turtle King" (Bowser), there's also Mario di Mario (obvious) and Princess Pesca (Princess Peach).
• The Pet vendor is named Jean-luc Petcard.

Wallaru

• One of the world's major antagonists is a "Freddie Kroaker."
• One sidequest involves defeating "Jake the Smoke Monster", who likes confusing mysteries, nostalgic callbacks, and intends to rewrite reality.
  • "Get this, my best idea yet: what if...Somehow, Malistaire returned!"

Other

• The Level 7 ice school quest "Introduction To Ice" has your wizard say the magic words "Klaatu, Verata, Nictu!" to summon the Frost Giant
• The title of the Level 78 professor quest depends on your school; each is also the title of a Stephen King novel, novella, or short story:
  • Balance - It
  • Death - Bag of Bones
  • Fire - Firestarter
  • Ice - Misery
  • Life - The Green Mile
  • Myth - The Eyes of The Dragon
  • Storm - Hearts in Atlantis
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is in the name of the "Sorcery Stones" minigame (using its American title, Sorcerer's Stone).
• The Creepier Carnival Bundle includes a teddy bear pet called a Scare Bear.
• There's a ring called Band of the Answer, which gives exactly 42 health and 42 mana.