- AFI's 100 Years… 100 Laughs: #42
- AFI's 10 Top 10:
- #10, Fantasy
- Defictionalization: That computer game Josh plays? Someone went ahead and made it for real
.
- The Other Marty: Invoked during filming. Reportedly, Penny Marshall had David Moscow perform scenes of the grown-up Josh to help Tom Hanks get a handle on a how a kid would behave in an adult setting.
- The Red Stapler: Since its first release, many people have stopped by the FAO Schwartz on Fifth Avenue to play the floor keyboard. The demand for smaller floor pianos such as "Foot Notes" also dramatically rose in the months following Big's release, especially during the Christmas season after it came out.
- Throw It In: The "Big rap" sung by Josh and Billy is one Tom Hanks' son had learned while at summer camp.
- The scene where Josh and Billy shoot Silly String at each other was derived from Hanks, Rushton, and Moscow being left in a room filled with toys.
- At the fancy party with baby ears of corn, Josh' eating the tiny ear as one would a normal one was put in by Hanks.
- Tom Hanks Syndrome: This movie marks Tom Hanks' transition from a comedic actor to a dramatic actor, even though the movie was part comedy, part drama.
- What Could Have Been:
- Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Dennis Quaid, Albert Brooks, Gary Busey, Steve Guttenberg, Robin Williams, Bill Murray, Judge Reinhold, and Michael Keaton were all considered for the role of adult Josh.
- John Travolta also auditioned for the role of adult Josh, but was turned down due to being "box office poison" at the time.
- Debra Winger was offered the role of Susan, but she turned it down because she was pregnant at the time. She even recommended Elizabeth Perkins for the part.
- Steven Spielberg considered directing the film (his sister co-wrote it, after all) but declined as his son had been born and felt he should be closer to him. Ron Howard and Sydney Pollack also turned down the directorial job.
