In-jokes and references/items

⇐ In-jokes and references

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Blizzard has included many in-jokes and pop-culture references in various forms throughout WoW.

Items

Angelista's items

• Angelista is listed in the "Special Thanks" section of the WoW credits, and is most likely a friend or relative of a Blizzard staff member. She's had 5 items named after her:  [Angelista's Charm],  [Angelista's Grasp],  [Angelista's Touch],  [Angelista's Sash] and  [Angelista's Revenge]. There also is a shop in Stratholme (you can't enter) that used to belong to a person named Angelista as you can read her name on the shield hanging atop the former entrance.

Sulfuras

The legendary weapon  [Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros] is seen as the ultimate sign of mastery of Molten Core (MC). Due to this hammers connection to MC, it could be seen as a reference to MC hammer.

Boomstick

The rough boomstick, precisely calibrated boomstick, and lovingly crafted boomstick are all probably references to the line in Army of Darkness: "Now listen up, you primitive screwheads. See this? This... is my boomstick! The 12-gauge double-barreled Remington."

the Sawed off shotgun may also be a reference to this

Crimson Steer Energy Drink

Crimson Steer Energy Drink is a quest reward from a quest in Zangarmarsh, Secrets of the Daggerfen for Alliance and Us or Them for Horde. It is an obvious reference to "Red Bull Energy Drink"

Empty Barrel

• You can sometimes receive Empty Barrels as loot from the thunderers and stompers in the northeast of Un'Goro, which is a reference to Donkey Kong. This could also be a reference to "A barrel of monkeys".

Firefly

Several items are references the Firefly TV series, such as  [An Antique Gun],  [Mudder's Milk],  [Broken Engine Part], and, of course, the  [Captured Firefly].

Flintlocke's Piloting Pants

Flintlocke's Piloting Pants are a reference to the wow comic "flintlocke"

Linken's Sword and Boomerang

• The gnome, Linken, offers two rewards at the end of his rather long quest-line:
  • Linken's Sword of Mastery: In the 'Legend of Zelda' games, it was common to take a weak or powerless sword and to travel all over the world in a quest to restore its power in order to defeat some evil power. The name is a reversal of the common name for Link's sword, "The Master Sword."
  • Linken's Boomerang: Another common feature is a boomerang, used to stun or disable enemies, or collect far away objects.

The 1 Ring

•  [The 1 Ring] is clearly a reference to "The One Ring" from the Lord of the Rings books. "The One Ring" was discovered at the bottom of a river by Smeagol (later Gollum) and his cousin, Deagol, while fishing.  [The 1 Ring] is a random low-level fishing drop. (Thottbot) This ring also has its own joke: It's the 1 Ring, and it grants the wearer several +1 enhancements to their stats. The One Ring was the most powerful magical ring in Middle Earth, but The 1 Ring (while being pretty good for its level) is one of the lowest-powered rings in World of Warcraft.

It also appears that the popular pet site, Neopets, followed up on Blizzard's joke, and an item called "The Two Ring" is catchable from a fishing game. When moused-over, the tooltip states: "A slight upgrade." In patch 2.4, however, Blizzard actually implemented  [The 2 Ring] as a reward from fishing daily quests.

The Arcanist's Cookbook

The Mage's book for the Dire Maul class trinket is named The Arcanist's Cookbook. This is a reference to The Anarchist Cookbook, the 1970 book that contained instructions on how to make bombs, among other topics.

The Emperor's New Cape

The final boss of Blackrock Depths, Emperor Dagran Thaurissan, drops a cape called "The Emperor's New Cape". The name of the cape is a reference to a story by Hans Christian Andersen that tells of a vain and greedy emperor who is told that his new clothes can only be seen by the noble and worthy. Being vain and rather dense, he pretends that he can see the clothes. In a parade, a small child points out that the emperor is stark naked. In the end, the emperor realizes that clothes that are only visible to the the worthy are, in fact, no clothes at all. The cape is also invisible. This is also a reference to the Disney animated movie The Emperors New Groove. (Thottbot)

The Light And How To Swing It

The Paladin book for the Dire Maul class trinket is named The Light and How to Swing It. A 1994 album by lounge singer Tom Jones is titled The Lead And How To Swing It. This title was probably inspired by the 1965 Richard Lester film, The Knack...and How to Get It.

Malown's Slam

 [Malown's Slam], a hammer which drops off Postmaster Malown in Stratholme, is a reference to former NBA star Karl "The Mailman" Malone.

Rum Tum Tuber Surprise

Runn Tum Tuber Surprise is a reference to, The Rum Tum Tugger, one of the cats in T.S Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and the musical Cats.

Wirt's Third Leg

Wirt's Third Leg is a running inside reference between Blizzard games. Wirt's Leg was first found in Diablo II. Wirt's Other Leg was found in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The term "third leg" is also likely a form of sexual innuendo.

Fight Club

There is a rare mace called  [Fight Club], Presumably in reference to the Chuck Palahniuk book of the same name. Presumably, one does not talk about it.

Razor's Edge

• Razor's Edge. Most likely a reference to AC/DC.

Dawn Treaders

This pair of cloth shoes is a possible reference to the C. S. Lewis novel "Voyage of the Dawn Treader."

Zandalarian Hero Charm/Medallion

There is a pair of trinkets called the  [Zandalarian Hero Charm] (tb) and the  [Zandalarian Hero Medallion] (tb) , which is perhaps a reference to the Star Wars species Mandalorian, which are renowned as strong and fierce warriors and mercenaries with an immense capacity for self-healing. It just so happens that the charm trinket boosts your healing spells for a limited time, whilst the medallion trinket boosts your melee and ranged damage.

Tusken Helm

Tusken Helm is a mail helm that drops from Overlord Ramtusk in Razorfen Kraul. It is apparently a reference to an item of the same name in the MMORPG, Star Wars Galaxies. The SWG version drops from (you guessed it) Tusken Raiders. It may also be a play on words, considering Razorfen Kraul is full of quilboars, who have tusks.

Unstoppable Force & Immovable Object

The mace  [The Unstoppable Force] and the shield  [The Immovable Object] are references to the pseudo-physics/philosophical question: "What would happen if an unstoppable force met an immovable object?". In Burning Crusade, there is a grey mace from random drop,  [The Stoppable Force]. Whether or not "The Movable Object" will appear remains to be seen.

Lifelike Mechanical Toad

• The  [Lifelike Mechanical Toad] is a reference to Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The novel is the basis for the movie "Blade Runner," but the toad is a reference to the novel, not the movie. In the novel, a lone android toad is discovered in a barren wasteland. And in WoW, you can learn how to make one.

Tenacious Defender

Tenacious Defender is an item from Hellfire Ramparts whose name clearly references the name of the band Tenacious D. The quote found on the item's flavor text is a reference to the song "Wonderboy."

Jom Gabbar

•  [Jom Gabbar] is a "Dune" reference from the book of Frank Herbert, a Sci-Fi novel. it references to the "Gom Jabbar", which is a poisonous needle used by the Sisterhood to test the "humanity" of their students. It drops from the sandworm Ouro in TAQ

The Don

• There are a number of "Don" items in Wow.  [Don Rigoberto's Lost Hat],  [Don Julio's Band], etc.

Nigh-Invulnerability Belt

• The Nigh Invulnerability Belt's name is a reference to the comic/cartoon/television character The Tick, who describes himself as "nigh-invulnerable".

Charlotte's Ivy

• The  [Charlotte's Ivy]'s name is a reference to the book/movie Charlotte's Web.

Stung

• A sword that is a reward choice from the Anok'suten quest. It is a reference to Sting, the glowing sword used by Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. The spider lord Anok'suten is a hint at Shelob, the spider queen wounded by Sting.

Doctor in the House

• The book  [Master First Aid - Doctor in the House] needed to learn 375 first aid skill can be a reference to "House M.D." the famous TV series with Hugh Laurie. It is also likely that this is simply a reference to the phrase "Is there a doctor in the house?" used commonly in (vintage) film.

 [Blue Suede Shoes]

• Drops from Kaz'rogal in Hyjal, a reference to a song by Carl Perkins (famously covered by Elvis Presley).

Ruby Slippers

• [Ruby Slippers] reference Dorothy's ruby slippers from the movie, The Wizard of Oz, which also had a hearthstone-like use: Dorothy was instructed to click her heels three times and say, "There's no place like home."

Red Riding Hood's Cloak

• [Red Riding Hood's Cloak] is a reference to the famous fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. In the tale a wolf (often identified as the Big Bad Wolf) wants to eat the girl. Appropriately enough, this item drops from the Big Bad Wolf Opera Event in Karazhan.

Booterang

• This appears to contain a reference to the movie "Full Metal Jacket". The text written in yellow is: "This is your booterang. There are many like it but this one is yours." And in Full Metal Jacket: "This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine."

Badge of Justice

• This appears to be a reference to the Stone of Jordan in Diablo 2. The Stone of Jordan (SoJ), after being dupped continously, became a currency within the Diablo 2 community. Likewise, the Badges of Justice (BoJ) is a currency within World of Warcraft.