10 Favorite Wizard101 Pop Culture References

Hey all! It’s Nalia Dunestrider (AKA Mallie, KingsIsle Marketing Coordinator), here to celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of Wizard101 with another top 10 blog post. There’s a lot to love about Wizard101, but one of my favorite parts is catching the references that our writing and design teams include.

The KingsIsle team references everything from music, movies, and TV shows to real life people, places, and events in Wizard101. Some are obvious, while others are a little trickier to find. There are huge lists on our official forums and fansites of all the Easter Eggs and references in the game, but I’ve put together my personal top ten.

1. This one may be cheating since it’s got so many, but I love the Accursed Play Gauntlet! It’s packed with references to Shakespeare, from his plays to famous Shakespearian actors like Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh.
2. As someone who’s originally from Kansas, I’m a sucker for a good Wizard of Oz reference. The “Not in Kansas Anymore” side quest line brings the magic of Oz to the streets of Unicorn Way. The quest reward is even a pair of ruby slippers! It may be an obvious reference, but it’s one of my favorites since it reminds me of where I grew up.
3. If you look closely at the crates in Belloq’s tent in Zafaria, you might notice a familiar looking gold statue. It’s a nearly identical replica of the idol in the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” that Belloq (the movie version) steals from Indiana Jones.
4. In Vestrilund, you’ll find a pair of brothers name Urt and Berni who ask you to rescue Berni’s prized possession: a yellow wooden duck. This one’s a reference to the famous sesame street characters Bert and Ernie and their song “Rubber Ducky.”
5. Avalon heavily references the legend of King Arthur, and you can’t reference that without including a few references to the greatest King Arthur parody of all time: Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Roger the Shrubber (the Avalon gardening vendor) is named after a character in the movie and you may recognize a line from the movie when completing the quest “There’s the Shrub.” Of course, there are many more Holy Grail references throughout Avalon, but I’ll leave you to discover them.
6.  Dancing Queen is my go-to karaoke song, so you know I’m a fan of the Zafaria boat “The Dancing Queen.” The boatman gives you a quest called “You can Jive” which is a direct reference to the lyrics in Dancing Queen.
7. In the Pet Pavilion, there’s a double reference to the same band. There’s the “Pet Shoppe Boys Pet Shop,” named after famed British pop duo the Pet Shop Boys. The “West Ende Girls Snack Shop” is named after one of that band’s most famous songs, West End Girls.
8. The Labyrinth Fish in Dragonspyre is modeled after David Bowie’s costume in the 1986 movie Labyrinth. The description even references the famous line “You have no power over me!”
9. Horror fans with a keen eye might notice that the hybrid pet quest you get from your professor at level 78 references a Stephen King novel, novella, or short story depending on your school. Each school gets a different quest/Stephen King title:
   • Balance – “It”
   • Death – “Bag of Bones”
   • Fire – “Firestarter”
   • Ice – “Misery”
   • Life – “The Green Mile”
   • Myth – “Eyes of the Dragon”
   • Storm – “Hearts in Atlantis”
10. There’s a Marleybone quest called “Reckless Necklace” that has you visting 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.

As I mentioned earlier, this is just a small list of my favorite references. There are hundreds if not thousands more for you to find as you explore the Spiral. I’d love to hear your favorite in-game pop culture references in the comments below!