| This page lists all cultural references in the original Fallout. |
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All Quiet on the Western Front[]
A Paladin will ask the Vault Dweller what they have to report, to which the Vault Dweller respons, "All quiet on the western front."[1] This references All Quiet on the Western Front, a novel by German World War I veteran Erich Maria Remarque.
Batman (1989 film)[]
In the Hub Old Town, the thugs guarding the Brotherhood initiate prisoner (quest-related) will attack you on sight and one of them will sometimes say: "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?", a recurring line of Joker in Tim Burton's Batman.[2]
Christianity[]
The image and title of the perk Lifegiver is a Vault Boy presented in a manner consistent with representations of Jesus Christ.
Conan the Barbarian[]
Barney Black is most a cultural reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Unlike his brother Arnold Black, Barney a reference to another character played by Schwarzenegger - Conan the Barbarian.
Doctor Who[]
The random encounter Unusual Call Box involves the player finding a blue telephone box; as the player approaches it, a light on top begins to spin and it dematerializes. This is the TARDIS, a time-traveling ship from the UK TV series Doctor Who.
Dune[]
In Frank Herbert's Dune, Mentats are humans trained to process information and calculations at speeds usually reserved for (banned) computers. The Mentats drug is named after them and the color of the pill is likely a nod to the red-stained lips of a Mentat, caused by consumption of sapho juice.
Fallout developers[]
- Chris Avellone is an inside joke, from Jess Heinig, about how Chris Avellone has neither a past nor a future.[3]
- "Jason is a living god! Only the nullified may pass!" is a float line from the Psykers Gideon, Wiggum, Moore and Lucy that references Jason Anderson.verification overdue, remove
- Boyarsky is a reference to Leonard Boyarsky.
George Burns and Gracie Allen Show[]
The "The attack crushes the temple. Good night, Gracie" critical hit message from Fallout is a reference to this show and the Good Night, Gracie legend.[4]
The Incredible Hulk[]
From Marvel Comics's The Incredible Hulk.
- The image for the perk Mutate! is an allusion to Bruce Banner and his alter-ego the Hulk.
- The image for the perk Bonus HtH Damage is an allusion to the Hulk's anger and strength.
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Mutate! -
Bonus HtH Damage
Mad Max[]
Mad Max, especially Mad Max 2 The Road Warrior, was an influence on the entire Fallout series; most obviously his dog and the design for the leather jacket (both the double sleeve and single sleeve variant).
Max in turn was influenced by Harlan Ellison, in his post-apocalyptic short stories A Boy and His Dog and Eggsucker, and his script for the graphic novel Vic and Blood.
Monty Python's Flying Circus[]
In the Hub, there is a librarian named Mrs. Stapleton. In the British Dental Association skit, there was also a librarian named Stapleton.
Nine Inch Nails[]
The song Ismarc sings is a cultural reference to the Nine Inch Nails song "Head Like a Hole" which goes:
Head like a hole
Black as your soul
I'd rather die
Than give you control
Planet of the Apes, The[]
The line "I can't believe those bastards finally did it. Damn them all to Hell." in Captain Maxson's diary is strikingly similar to Charlton Heston's famous outcry ("We finally really did it... You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!") from the final scene of the Planet of the Apes.[5]
Pulp Fiction[]
Just outside the entrance to Vault 13 is a corpse. Examining the corpse provides the message: "You see Ed. Ed is dead." This is a reference to the line from Pulp Fiction's "The Gold Watch" story: "Zed is dead."[6]
Robin Hood[]
Loxley, the leader of the Thieves' Circle is a reference to one of the names given to the famous outlaw Robin Hood: Robin of Loxley. Loxley's fake British accent and anachronistic clothing are part of the reference.
Simpsons, The[]
The intro movie shows a television with the brand name Radiation King, which is the brand of The Simpsons have in the home.
South Park[]
If Deputy Kenny in the Hub dies in battle, your character will exclaim "They killed Kenny! Those Bastards!" (Alternatively, if you kill Deputy Kenny, the message "You killed Kenny! You bastard!" will appear in the message box). This is a reference to the running joke of Kenny dying in numerous episodes of the popular TV series, South Park.[7]
Soylent Green[]
When the Vault Dweller is trying to blackmail Iguana Bob Frazier, one of the dialogue options is to say "Prime Choice Select is made of people!!!! It's made of people!!!". This is a reference to Charlton Heston's famous line from the film Soylent Green.[8]
Terminator[]
- Arnold Black – a prefabricated character – 's first name and catchphrase indicate that he is a cultural reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger and his character Terminator.[9]
Tool[]
In a lot of buildings in Fallout (and Fallout 2) there are posters that are actually representing Maynard from Tool. The poster is part of the album art from the band's first album "Undertow" from 1993.
They Live[]
- The crack assault Paladins who accompany the Vault Dweller to the Mariposa Military Base will say "I'm here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. I'm all out of gum." This line is from the movie They Live.[10]
- The monitors in the Cathedral repeat three one-word phrases (Unity, Pray, Follow) which are similar thematically to the single word messages that "Nada," using the sunglasses, could see in the movie.
Vampire: The Masquerade[]
Camarillo and Gehenna are likely references to Camarilla and Gehenna in Vampire: The Masquerade RPG system.
 | Section needed This section is needed but has not been written yet. You can help The Vault by writing it. |
WarGames[]
Slappy, a peasant of The Hub says "Let's go play Global-Thermal Nuclear War".[11] This is clearly a reference to the motion picture WarGames.
Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The[]
Lucy in the Los Angeles Vault, quotes bThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz while pacing in her cell.[12]
Wasteland[]
- Dugan might be named after Bill Dugan, one of the designers of Wasteland.
 | The following is based on Fallout cut content and has not been confirmed by canon sources. |
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- The alien blaster was to be referred to as "Firelance" in cut dialogue with Jason Zimmerman.[13] This is a reference to the identically named Martian weapon appearing in the Wasteland Paragraphs, in the red herring Mars plot.
| End of information based on Fallout cut content. |
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References
- ↑ Paladin: "{102}{}{Hold, initiate! What do you have to report?}"
The Vault Dweller: "{103}{}{All quiet on the western front.}"
(GENPALB.MSG) - ↑ Rough guard: "{106}{}{Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?}"
(HUBCAPTR.MSG) - ↑ Fallout Bible 5: "13. There's a bounty hunter to the west of the Followers of the Apocolypse compound with a suspiciously familiary name. What's his story in the Fallout universe? Where did he come from?
It's just a joke from Jess Heinig, one of the programmers. It's one of the five billion developer in-jokes in Fallout 1 and 2. The fellow [Avellone] has no past, and no future." - ↑ Robobrain: "{5006}{}{. The attack crushes the temple. Good night, Gracie}"
(COMBAT.MSG (Fallout)) - ↑ Captain Maxson's diary, Oct. 23 2077
- ↑ Fallout Bible 6: "What's the deal with Ed? Zed's Dead, baby, Zed's dead. From Pulp Fiction. That's part of the reference. Ed was twofold: to immediately show the player that the outside world was dangerous, and to tell the player that he wasn't the first choice of someone to send out. Ed was sent out before the waterchip malfunction, however, since he's just bones."
- ↑ Kenny: "{106}{}{Oh my God! They killed Kenny! Those bastards!}"
(KENNY.MSG) - ↑ The Vault Dweller: "{234}{}{I think we need to talk about Doc Morbid and some of your secret ingredients.}"
Bob Frazier: "{153}{}{What are you talking about?}"
The Vault Dweller: "{157}{}{Prime Choice Select is made of people!!!! It's made of people!!!}"
(BITSBOB.MSG) - ↑ Fallout Official Survival Guide p.32: "Arnie, a.k.a. "Dutch""
"Born Arnold Black, the son of Dutch parents, Arnie has always been a problem in the Vault. When he sits in chairs he breaks them. When he goes through doors, his head cracks the door frame. The door frame cracks, that is, not the head. And when he rumbles "I'll be back," bad things tend to happen within the staid and normally quiet community of the Vault. Maybe that's why everyone is so glad he drew the short straw and is on his way into the outside world. Maybe someone rigged the drawing, to make certain he got the short straw."
"Strength: 10
Perception: 5
Endurance: 10
Charisma: 4
Intelligence: 4
Agility: 4
Luck: 4
Tag Skills: Small Guns, Big Guns, Unarmed Combat.
Traits: Bruiser, Bloody Mess" - ↑ Crack assault Paladin: "{100}{}{I'm here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. I'm all out of gum.}"
(BROINVAD.MSG) - ↑ Slappy: "{103}{}{Let's play Global Thermo-Nuclear War.}"
(SLAPPY.MSG) - ↑ Lucy: "{301}{}{You see a human female. She is staring at your shoes.}"
"{302}{}{There is no place like home, no place like home, no place like home . . . [pacing back and forth]}"
(GIDEON.MSG) - ↑
Jason Zimmerman: "{102}{}{Hey, are you from really far away? Have you had a lot of adventures?}"
The Vault Dweller: "{104}{}{Actually, I'm from Mars. Want to see my firelance?}"
(JASON.MSG)