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The following is a list of allusions to works of fiction, people, places, events, and other cultural touchstones in the series Danny Phantom.

The allusions, references, similarities, homages, and other items on this list should be specific, detailed, unique, or identifying. Tropes do not count.

Images and gifs associated with allusions can be found here.

Multiple episodes[]

  • "Casper" in Casper High School is a reference to Casper the Friendly Ghost.
  • "Amity" in Amity Park is a reference to the 1977 book The Amityville Horror.
  • Jack Fenton's name is a reference to Jack Torrance, who also had a son named Daniel, from the 1977 novel and 1980 film The Shining.
  • Maddie Fenton's name and facial hair may reference the titular character of the Madeline book series created by Ludwig Bemelmans.
  • Tucker Foley's name comes from the last names of actor Chris Tucker and Axel Foley, Eddie Murphy's character from Beverly Hills Cop.
  • Vlad's real surname, Masters, may be derived from the protagonist of the Canadian short story The Man with a Thousand Names (written by A. E. van Vogt), a 23-year old spoiled man named Steven Masters whose father is the richest man in the world.
  • Maddie Fenton wearing her jumpsuit hood in some episodes and in the intro makes her resemble Catwoman from DC Comics. The only difference is that her hood lacks cat ears.
  • Danny's ghost sense is a reference to "Spider-Sense," a reflexive power of the Marvel superhero Spider-Man that allows him to sense approaching danger.[citation needed]
  • Mr. Lancer's personality is very similar to that of Principal Skinner from The Simpsons and Mr. Mackey from South Park.
  • Dash Baxter's personality is very similar to that of Kevin from Ed Edd n Eddy as well as Flash Thompson from Spider-Man and Biff Tannen from the Back to the Future movies.
  • Several stores in the Amity Park Mall are allusions to real-world stores and restaurants:
    • Abyss is a parody of Gap.
    • Burger Land is a parody of Burger King.
    • Pizza House is a parody of Pizza Hut.
  • Everytime Mr. Lancer uses a explications, he uses a title from various books, such as Moby Dick.

Season 1[]

Contents
Episodes

Mystery MeatParental BondingOne of a KindAttack of the Killer Garage SaleSplitting ImagesWhat You WantBitter ReunionsPrisoners of LoveMy Brother's KeeperShades of GrayFanning the FlamesTeacher of the YearFright Night13Public EnemiesLucky in LoveMaternal InstinctLife LessonsThe Million Dollar GhostControl Freaks

Mystery Meat[]

  • Title: "Mystery meat" is a term often used to describe meat in cafeterias, usually implying a poor quality meat source.
  • Mr. Lancer's book references:
    • "Paradise Lost" by John Milton.
  • Mr. Lancer's personality, and his yelling at Danny, Tucker, and Sam for the mess at the school is clearly based on Richard Vernon's personality, and yelling at John Bender, and the other five students from the 1985 film, The Breakfast Club.
  • One of the protest signs for the Ultra-recyclo-vegetarians says "It's easy being green" which is a reference to Kermit the Frog's song "It's not easy being green."

Parental Bonding[]

  • Title: "Parental Bonding" refers to a person attempting to get along and "bond" with their parents.
  • The Abyss store, which was selling the fleecy tees Paulina wanted, is a parody of the clothing store, Gap.
  • When Danny (overshadowing Jack) tells Mr. Lancer, "It's just in this light, I thought you were George Clooney," he's referring to the actor/director/producer, known for his dashing looks.
  • In Sam's room, there is a poster for the film A Clockwork Orange.
  • When the dragon roars at Danny as he goes to strike, the roar heard is the one used for Hulk (2003).[citation needed]

One of a Kind[]

  • Title: "One of a Kind" is a phrase used to describe something unique and unlike anything else in the world.
  • While Sampson is attacking Skulker, Danny, Sam and Tucker watch while showing expressions of exclamation at the ferocity of Sampson's attack. In one shot, they are each covering either their ears, eyes, or mouth, parodying the concept of See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil.
  • The game displayed on the PDA when Skulker is waiting for Danny to show up appears to be PONG.
  • The names "Sampson" and "Delilah" refer to the biblical story of Sampson.
  • The ring tone for Tucker's PDA is the "William Tell Overture" composed by Gioacchino Rossini.
  • When talking about the Genius Magazine, Maddie Fenton cites the feminist slogan "Beside every great man, there's a great woman" a little bit inside out: "I think that beside every genius woman, there is a genius man."
  • When Tucker captures the Box Ghost into the Fenton Thermos, he says, "Goodnight, everybody," a reference to the 1993 cartoon Animaniacs, which featured Rob Paulsen as the one of the main characters, Yakko Warner, who would often blow a kiss at the audience and say, "Goodnight, everybody" after an innuendo.

Attack of the Killer Garage Sale[]

  • Title: "Attack of the Killer Garage Sale" is possibly a reference to the movie Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.
  • Portals XL is likely a reference to Windows XP.
  • When Technus uses the remote control he turns Danny into a few different forms, one of those being Spock from Star Trek.
  • In Sam's home cinema, there are posters of Citizen Kane, Planet of The Apes, and Jaws.
  • Above Dash's desk in his bedroom, he has a poster of a basketball player with number 23, which is an allusion to the NBA legend Michael Jordan.
  • On the cover of "Jock's Quarterly", there is a highlight entitled "Exclusive Interview with Butch Hartman".

Splitting Images[]

  • Title: The show's title may be a reference to the old phrase "spitting image", which is where one looks remarkably like another. Considering Poindexter and Danny are each stuck in the other's body for a majority of this episode, it can be inferred that each one is a splitting image of the other.
  • Mr. Lancer's book references:
    • The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "Great Gatsby."
  • The "I can't believe it's not a frog cadaver" is a spoof of the product "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter."
  • The "Save the Frogs" campaign is a parody of "Save the Whales."
  • When Danny first encountered the Box Ghost in this episode and was flung to the auditorium, he was attacked with "costumes and props from the Broadway classic, My Fair Lady."
  • The music motif played at 1950s Casper High is based on the song "Mr Sandman" written by Pat Ballard.
  • When Poindexter (in Danny's body) is being popular and Kwan says they need an extra player for a football game, there's a kid wearing a t-shirt that has a logo for The Flash on it.

What You Want[]

  • Title: The episode's title refers Desiree's wish granting anyone's wants, and it also refers to Tucker wanting to have ghost powers like Danny.
  • Sayonara Pussycat is a parody of the popular Hello Kitty franchise.
  • Dash monster form is obviusly takes inspirate on the popular superhero of Marvel comics, The Hulk.
  • Mr. Lancer's book references:
    • Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
    • Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
  • In the flying car scene, Danny says to the driver, "Slow down, Jeff Gordon!" This is a reference to 4-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon. Gordon has also appeared in Nickelodeon Magazine several times.
  • In the movie theater scene, Tucker and Danny are in front of an arcade game. The game is actually "Crash Nebula" from another Butch Hartman-created cartoon, The Fairly OddParents!.
  • During the football game, one of the announcers exclaims, "Holy Mark McGwire!" referring to the famous baseball player.
  • Danny's false pleading of "Don't throw me into the Ghost Zone!" is a based on a scene from the Walt Disney movie Song of the South, in which Br'er Rabbit escapes the clutches of Br'er Fox by begging him not to toss him into a briar patch.

Bitter Reunions[]

  • Title: The title is an obvious reference to Jack and Maddie attending Vlad's college reunion. However, the term "bitter" comes from Vlad's bitter resentment towards Jack for ruining his life in college.
  • When Danny says "You really are one seriously crazed-up fruit loop", this is a reference to the Kellogg's cereal Froot Loops.
  • The fictional country Harriet supposedly traveled to (Rumekistan) is possibly a reference to the Marvel Comics country of the same name.

Prisoners of Love[]

  • Title: The episode title plays "love" for Jack and Maddie's anniversary and "prisoner" for Danny becoming Walker's prisoner.
  • The game Tucker plays after saying he has a webcam is Space Invaders.

My Brother's Keeper[]

  • Title: "My Brother's Keeper" is a reference to a quote in the Biblical story of the brothers Cain and Abel. When God asks Cain where his brother Abel is, Cain replies "Am I my brother's keeper?"
  • While chasing the ghost hornet, Danny says "Somebody call for an exterminator?" This could be a reference to a Starcraft unit, called the Ghost, who says this line.
  • The scene where Bertrand tries to fight Danny in ninja form, and is taken down in one shot may also be a reference to the first Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which a low-ranking bad guy attempts to show off his prowess with a weapon, only to be taken down by a single shot from the hero.

Shades of Gray[]

  • Title: The "Gray" in "Shades of Gray" refers to Valerie's family name. As a whole, the title could refer to the phrase "shades of gray," which means a "medium" state. This usually means in between good (white) and bad (black).
  • Danny's brief nickname for the ghost dog "Cujo" is based on Stephen King's horror novel and movie of the same name.
  • Danny references the song, "Who Let the Dogs Out?" by Baha Men, when he jokes, "Who let the dogs in?" after Cujo breaks into the Casper High cafeteria.
  • Sam calling Valerie "Valerie the Ghost Slayer" may be a reference to the movie and TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Fanning the Flames[]

  • Title: The "Flames" in the title refer to Ember, or more specifically, her hair. As a whole though, "fanning the flames" means to arouse or ignite somebody's feelings for someone else, which Ember does when she casts a love spell on Danny.
  • Mr. Lancer's book references:
    • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
    • Lord of the Flies by William Golding
    • Chicken Soup for the Soul by Chicken Soup for the Soul LLC.
  • When Danny tells Ember, "Do you take any requests? How about 'Beat It?'" he is referring to Michael Jackson's hit song.
  • At Ember's concert, someone in the audience is dressed as the Crimson Chin, a character from The Fairly OddParents.

Teacher of the Year[]

  • Title: "Teacher of the Year" is a phrase used to praise a teacher. In this episode, this refers to Mr. Lancer.
  • The outfits in Doomed resemble the outfits from the movie Tron and the video game Virtua Cop. Tucker's helmet in particular looks identical to the one worn by Sark and Tron.
  • The game Doomed is a parody of the hit video games Doom.
  • The level 0 glitch is most likely a reference to the infamous Minus World from the original Super Mario Bros.
  • All the 13 levels that Tucker shows Technus are based on all eight worlds from the 1990 NES video game, Super Mario Bros. 3.

Fright Night[]

  • The Bat logo on the title card is similar to the Batman logo.
  • Mr. Lancer's book references:
    • The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "Grapes of Wrath."
  • The name of the street on the sign on the stop-sign-turned-light-post (Elm Street) is a reference to the 1984 movie Nightmare on Elm Street.
  • When Danny and the Fright Knight are fighting on the roof, Danny says, "Way to whiff, Mr. October." "Mr. October" was the nickname given to baseball player Reggie Jackson, who was known for his clutch hitting in the postseason.
  • When Danny tells Sam to grab on to something to avoid getting sucked, this could be a reference to the 1996 movie, Twister where Bill and Jo Harding strapped themselves to the pipes to avoid getting sucked by the tornado.

13[]

  • Title: While the number "13" is well-known to be considered bad luck in many cultures, in a Biblical context, the number signifies rebellion (e.g. Genesis 14:4).[1] Both also apply to Johnny's nickname being Johnny 13.
  • The music motif played when Jazz first rides away with Johnny is based on the song "Born To Be Wild" performed by Steppenwolf.

Public Enemies[]

  • Mr. Lancer's book references:
    • Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding
    • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "The Adventures of Huck Finn."
  • When Danny and Kwan are fighting on the side of a building, it is similar to the fights between Spider-Man and Doc Octopus in Spider-Man 2.
  • The fight scene where Kwan shows off by twirling his weapon around, only to be blasted by Danny, is a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
  • When Paulina called Danny Phantom a friendly ghost, she made a reference to Casper the Friendly Ghost.
  • The Ghost-keteers are an allusion to the Mouseketeers of The Mickey Mouse Club.
  • When Danny says "I'm gonna need a bigger thermos" in the opening scene, it could be referencing to the line "We're going to need a bigger boat" from Jaws.

Lucky in Love[]

  • In the title card, Danny carrying Paulina in his arms is a reference to the book and movie Gone with the Wind.

Maternal Instinct[]

  • Title: "Maternal Instinct" refers to the special intuition mothers are believed to have.
  • When Jazz uses the Jack o' Nine Tails for the first time, she screams a battle cry similar to that of Xena, Warrior Princess from the TV show of the same name.
  • The double-ended device Maddie uses is similar to Darth Maul's double ended light saber; almost exactly with the only exception being the color (Darth Maul's being red in color while hers is green).
  • The Jack o' Nine Tails plays on the name of the traditional weapon, the Cat o' Nine Tails.
  • Vlad reads a book "Romance for Rich Creepy Dimwits," which is based on the For Dummies how-to books.

Life Lessons[]

  • Skulker's thrill of the hunt chase after two (mostly similar) people echoes/pays homage to that of Richard Connell's 1924 short story, "The Most Dangerous Game."

The Million Dollar Ghost[]

Control Freaks[]

  • Title: A "control freak" is someone who is extremely bossy, meddling, or controlling.
  • Mr. Lancer's book references:
    • Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett.
    • The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe. Mr. Lancer is in a very similar situation to Fortunato, one of the characters in the story.
  • When Tucker and Sam enter the Circus Gothica train, one of the stolen paintings is the famed Mona Lisa.
  • Jack calls Jeremy "Thurston" after Jeremy apologizes to him and Maddie. The name "Thurston" is a reference to the Gilligan's Island character, Thurston Howell III, a millionaire.
  • Freakshow acts very similar to the Joker from the Batman comics due to his similar laugh and appearance.
  • When Danny wasn't talking, or doing anything at all, he was staring out in space, with stars around his head, a potential reference to the Greek astronomy muse Urania (later associated with Christianity due to the meaning of her name).
  • Lydia's name and powers are a reference to the song Lydia the Tattooed Lady.
  • Tucker uses A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway to hide his PDA streaming the opening night of Circus Gothica.

Season 2[]

Contents
Episodes

Memory BlankDoctor's DisordersPirate RadioReign StormIdentity CrisisThe Fenton MenaceThe Ultimate EnemyThe Fright Before ChristmasSecret WeaponsFlirting With DisasterMicro ManagementBeauty MarkedKing TuckMasters of All TimeKindred SpiritsDouble Cross My HeartReality Trip

Memory Blank[]

  • Title: "Memory blank" is a term used to refer to when a person forgets something.
  • Mr. Lancer's book reference(s):
    • The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "War of the Worlds."
  • Terminatra is a parody of The Terminator while Nightmerica is a parody of Freddy Krueger. Femalien is a parody of two movies: Alien and Predator.
    • The in-universe movie Trinity of Doom might also be a parody of crossover movies Alien vs. Predator and Freddy vs. Jason, as well as the 4-issue crossover comic Aliens vs. Predator vs. Terminator.

Doctor's Disorders[]

Pirate Radio[]

  • Title: "Pirate radio" also refers to bootlegging music. It also refers to radio stations who operate illegally, that is, without any required permits. Such stations exist in countries where radio or television is state-controlled.
  • Ember says "Where's the splat?", which may be a reference to a similar line in Disney's Peter Pan.
  • Early in the episode, Sam calls Youngblood "Short John Silver", a take on Long John Silver, the pirate captain from the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Long John Silver is also the name of a popular seafood chain.
  • When the parents that were not lured aboard were captured, Danny told the kids, "If you want your parents back, you're going to have to follow my lead!" This is a reference to Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius, a fellow Nickelodeon project, when the Yolkians grab the Retroville adults.
  • The music that begins playing at 8:02, when the other parents are packing for the cruise trip, is a soundalike version of "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves.

Reign Storm[]

  • Title: A wordplay on "rain storm", which is similar to a thunderstorm.
  • The "nerd poker" looked suspiciously like Yu-Gi-Oh cards.
  • The ghosts on the Ecto-Exodus Alarm strongly resemble the ghosts found in Pac-man.
  • After Danny asks the ghosts how Sam and Tucker crammed all of them into the Specter Speeder, Ember comments, "Hey, you ever been inside your stupid thermos? Compared to that, it was the Taj Mahal in there!" The Taj Mahal is located in India and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
  • The plot and final battle resembles that of the Age of Apocalypse arc from the X-Men comics, the most notable example of this is how the protagonists have to lock the antagonist in a casket to defeat him.

Identity Crisis[]

  • Title: An "identity crisis" is an internal conflict of and search for identity.
  • Super-Danny speaks in alliteration, a possible reference to Batman, Superman, and other comic book superheroes.
  • When Technus throws the computer at Danny at the start of the episode, it has a logo on its side which resembles a pear; this is a parody of Apple Inc., whose computers and other products bear the Apple logo. Other Nickelodeon shows have also used the pear logo in parody.

The Fenton Menace[]

  • Title: A play on the movie title, Star Wars: Episode I ‒ The Phantom Menace. It is widely known that the shows creator Butch Hartman is a Star Wars fan. This was later clarified during the Fairly OddParents special Wishology!.
  • The part about Danny being the only one being able to see Youngblood shares a similar concept as that of the movie The Sixth Sense and the Twilight Zone episode "Terror at 20,000 Feet".
  • Tucker's tape recorder looks remarkably like an iPod.
  • Bearbert Einstein is a play on Albert Einstein, right down to their similar appearances.

The Ultimate Enemy[]

  • Mr. Lancer's book reference(s):
    • Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
    • The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "South Beach Diet."
    • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
  • This plot is almost similar to The Fairly OddParents special Channel Chasers, in such it takes place in the future where the city has been into a wasteland. 
  • The "pole thing" (where Danny and then Skulktech 9.9 are falling to only catch a pole to break their fall) is a reference to the Spider-Man comic series. Both times, the protagonist loses his powers before catching onto the pole.
  • When Valerie blasts Dark Danny into the street, he sticks his hand through the dust and then clears it, this is homage to One Piece when Luffy knocks back CP9 member Blueno into the side of a building and he does the same motion.
  • Dark Danny is similar to the X-Men villain Onslaught, who came to existence from Professor X's dark side combined with Magneto's consciousness. He also bears some resemblance to the Spider-Man villain Venom, which is particularly stressed when he extends his tongue.
  • Clockwork's ending speech is from Neil Gaiman's Sandman character, Delirium.[citation needed]
  • Dark Danny also slightly resembles the superhero Freakazoid, from the 1995 cartoon of the same name. Interestingly enough, David Kaufman, the voice of Danny, did the voice of Freakazoid's secret identity, Dexter Douglas.
  • When seeing the actions of Dark Danny, one part shows him lifting a tank while running around. In the shot, the way Dark Danny's holding the tank and the way one of the civilians is running is an homage to Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman.
  • Dark Danny calls Vlad a "cheesehead" at one point. Vlad is a known fanatic of the Green Bay Packers, whose supporters refer to themselves as "cheeseheads."
  • When Tucker calls Clockwork's medallions "Get out of time free cards" he could be referencing Monopoly and it's "Get out of Jail" free card.

The Fright Before Christmas[]

  • Title: A play on the seasonal poem "The Night Before Christmas". The name of this episode also shares the same title from one Looney Tunes episode.
  • When the writer brings the toys to life, "Space Wars" toys march which all look like Star Wars wookies, R2-D2s, and stormtroopers.
  • Ghost Writer's appearance is very similar to Mort Rainey from the movie Secret Window.
  • When the toys are brought to life by the Ghost Writer, the soundtrack sounds similar to one track from the Christmas operetta Babes in Toyland where the toys also come to life under the same music.
  • When the Ghost Writer says "A clock and candlestick those I won't miss" may be a reference to Cogsworth (a clock) and Lumiere (a candle) from the well-known and much-acclaimed 1991 Disney adaptation of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast.
  • The ghosts' annual truce on Christmas may be a reference to the Christmas truce that took place in 1914 during World War I.

Secret Weapons[]

  • Title: A "secret weapon" is a hidden ability or information that may be used to gain the upper hand in a conflict.
  • The pear symbol on the backs of Jazz's and Vlad's laptops is a spoof of the symbol for Apple Computers. Timmy's dad from The Fairly OddParents! has the same symbol on his laptop, and various live-action Nickelodeon shows, such as Drake and Josh, Zoey 101, and iCarly, use the symbol on their computers as well.
  • Jazz and Maddie's victory dance is similar to Princess Peach and Princess Daisy's winning pose from Mario Power Tennis for the Nintendo GameCube.
  • The way Danny describes the rhythm of the fights is very similar to how "The Joker" describes them in Batman: The Animated Series in the episode "The Squid."

Flirting With Disaster[]

  • Title: "Flirting with disaster" means to take unnecessary risks. The title also could have most likely been a reference to the hit 1979 song by Molly Hatchet.
  • Tucker says that one of his chips makes his PDA a GBA, which stands for Game Boy Advance.
  • Technus, while inside the computer hub, is in a situation remarkably similar to the one in the end of the famous sci-fi cult-classic Lawnmower Man. In the latter, the computerized protagonist is trapped in a computer hub and tries (in vain) to break a firewall and be released into the world. Like Technus, the protagonist of Lawnmower Man initially thought the task would be simple, but it was not.
  • When Technus shoots himself into a stoplight in London, he ends up on the corner of Penny Lane and Abbey Road.

Micro Management[]

  • Title: "Micro management" is a term used to refer to the act of focusing on minor details. A "micro manager" is what said people are called.
  • The symbol on Skulker's new suit is the same as The Punisher.
  • Dash's impression on Fenton family's mouse hole may be a reference to Jerry's mouse hole from Tom & Jerry.
  • This episode is a reference to the movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

Beauty Marked[]

  • Title: A "beauty mark" is a dark, facial mole that, if placed properly, is considered attractive.
  • In this episode, the prince's name is Aragon. This may be a reference to the Inheritance trilogy, a popular series by Christopher Paolini, where Eragon is a dragon-riding swordsman (This link is later enforced when Dora transforms into a blue, Saphira-like dragon with Sam riding astride her back).
  • The glass slippers Sam tries on are similar to the ones wore by the iconic 1950 Disney adaptation of the ever-popular fairy tale Cinderella.
  • If you replace the first 'a' in Aragon's name with a 'd', it spells Dragon.

King Tuck[]

  • Title: "King Tuck" is a spoof of King Tutankhamen who is commonly referred to by the nickname "King Tut".
  • Mr. Lancer's book reference(s):
    • Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare, a play set in Egypt.
    • "The Myth of Sisyphus" by Albert Camus. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "Myth of Sisyphus."
  • Hotep RA is probably a pun of King Rahotep, Egyptian King.

Masters of All Time[]

  • The restaurant where the '80s party takes place is called Material Grill, a wordplay on Madonna's hit song, "Material Girl". A further reference to the singer is when Maddie dresses as '80s Madonna for the party while Jack goes as Flavor Flav.
  • Danny and his parents dance the Moonwalk and the Robot during this episode, both made popular by Michael Jackson.
  • When Danny arrives in the past, a motif based on "Axel F" by Harold Faltermeyer is played. The song is from the movie Beverly Hills Cop, the same movie Tucker's surname comes from.

Kindred Spirits[]

  • Title: Kindred spirits are two people who share a special bond and seem to understand each other completely.
  • Mr. Lancer's book reference(s):
    • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • Bill Gates himself makes a surprise guest cameo appearance as he is seen being overshadowed by Vlad as he buys Microsoft and renames it "Mastersoft" in a flashback.

Double Cross My Heart[]

  • Title: "Double Cross My Heart" refers to the English idiom "Cross my heart (and hope to die)" which is usually used to emphasize that something is the truth. "Double-cross" means to betray someone.
  • Mr. Lancer's book reference(s):
    • The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "Hunt for Red October."
  • "A Match Made in Space", a fictional book made by the character George McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, is seen inside the bookstore Sam and Gregor visit.
  • Edward Gorey is also mentioned, who unlike the above is a real life writer and artist.
  • When spying on Sam and Gregor eating spaghetti in the mall, Danny comments "If they share a strand of that spaghetti, I'm gonna hurl," a reference to the Bella-Notte scene in Disney's Lady and the Tramp.
  • Also in the mall, when the Guys in White run to find whatever set off their wristwatches (Danny), you can see the Abyss store that has a banner that reads "Fleecy Tees Sale!", a reference to episode 2. This could also be a goof, since the saleswoman in that episode said that the line of tees had been discontinued. There is a chance that they hadn't sold out, though.
  • Tucker's cellphone ringtone is a sped-up (slightly squeaky) version of the theme song.

Reality Trip[]

  • The Reality Gauntlet and Reality Gems are a complete parody of the Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity Gems from Marvel Comics, right down to the memory-erasure at the end.
  • Gothapalooza is a reference to Burning Man.
  • Dumpty Humpty is a reference to the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. Them coming out of an egg is a play on the character Humpty Dumpty, who is most often portrayed as an egg.
  • Freakshow's similarity to The Joker (see allusions from "Control Freaks") line "Look what the bat dragged in" is a line frequently uttered by the Joker.
  • The comics convention that Team Phantom goes to is called the "San Diego Comics Fab", based off of the San Diego Comic Con.
    • Cosplays seen at the convention: Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Star Trek operations officer, Star Trek sciences/medical officer, The Flash, and Harry Potter.
  • When Danny says to the Guys in White at the end "He's not the ghost you're looking for" (in reference to himself) it parodies Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, when Obi Wan uses the Jedi Mind Trick on a pair of Stormtroopers.
  • Danny's comment on the lifeless Robot Train cars, "What're they gonna do? Rust on me?" is a reference to a line said by King Arthur to the Black Knight after cutting all his limbs off in Monty Python and the Holy Grail; "What're you going to do? Bleed on me?"
  • The space shuttle scene was probably reference to the then upcoming STS-121 mission, flown by Shuttle Discovery.
  • When Freakshow brings the Robot Train cars to life, he says, "And Freakshow said, 'Let there be life!", it is a reference to the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
  • When Empress She-Wolf says "You shall not pass!", it is most likely a reference to the same quote said by Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings.
  • Danny tricking Freakshow into becoming a ghost is reminiscent to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. Aladdin taunts and tricks Jafar into turning himself into a genie and Danny does the same thing to Freakshow only he turns into a ghost. Both villains become more powerful than their previous forms, but they now have a significant weakness for Jafar was his lamp while for Freakshow was the Fenton thermos.
  • Dash calling the trio "Fentonio, Orlando, and Dawn" is a reference to the music group Tony Orlando and Dawn.

Season 3[]

Contents
Episodes

Eye for an EyeInfinite RealmsGirls' Night OutTorrent of TerrorForever PhantomUrban JungleLivin' LargeBoxed Up FuryFrightmareClaw of the WildD-StabilizedPhantom Planet

Eye for an Eye[]

  • Title: "Eye for an eye" is a term used to refer to reciprocating inflicted injuries via an equivalent injury. For example, if one person pokes another in the eye, the latter pokes the former back. It is also part of a famous quote by Mahatma Ghandi "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind." However, it may likely reference Matthew 5:38 the most, where Jesus talks about not taking revenge on people's enemies.
  • McMaster's is a play on the fast food restaurant McDonald's.

Infinite Realms[]

  • The title and plot of this episode are based on DC Comics' Limited Series Infinite Crisis in which the Heroes of the DC Universe have to stop a madman's remodeling of the reality of Earth.
  • Michael Jackson is seen at his trial in 2005 while Vlad is flipping through channels.
  • When Danny blasts the icicle out of Frostbite's back and Frostbite calms down, this could be loosely referencing to Aesop's Androcles and the Lion.

Girls' Night Out[]

  • Title: A "girls' night out" is an evening in which females bond.
  • A monster appears at one point in the episode. It might be a reference to water cryptids.

Torrent of Terror[]

  • Title: "Torrent of Terror" is a pun referring to Vortex's weather-related powers, as "torrent" means a rushing stream of water or lava.

Forever Phantom[]

  • Title: This might be an allusion to the Rod Stewart song "Forever Young."
  • Caption: An allusion to the phrase "the sky's the limit."
  • When Amorpho (disguised as Mr. Foley) walks in the door he says "Honey I'm home" which is a reference to the iconic line from I Love Lucy.
  • Mr. Lancer's book reference(s):
    • The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "The Prince and the Pauper."
    • The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants."
  • When Danny's parents burst into Sam's room looking for their son, and Sam and Tucker are lying and saying Danny went out running, there is a poster for the band Nine Inch Nails in the background.
  • When Jack asks Danny if he wants some Fento-Bismol, this is a reference to the real-life Pepto-Bismol.
  • Dash calls Danny "Fentertainment Tonight", which is a reference to the TV series Entertainment Tonight.

Urban Jungle[]

  • Title: "Urban Jungle" is another term for a city.
  • Danny's speech to Undergrowth, "As the duly deputized protector of Amity Park..." is possibly a reference to Doctor Raymond Stantz's speech to Gozer, "As a duly designated representative of the City, County and State of New York..." in the movie Ghostbusters.
  • The scene of Danny being revived in Frostbite's Realm is an allusion to the Hoth Echo Base in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Creator Butch Hartman's love of the movie series is well known, making several allusions to the movies in his cartoon series. Coincidentally, Mark Hamill (who played Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy) does the voice of the evil Undergrowth.
  • Frostbite sometimes talks in "Object Subject Verb" format, similar to Yoda from Star Wars.
  • The green clothing Sam wore under Undergrowth's mind control the first time were reminiscent of Poison Ivy, a Batman villainess. Sam's later appearance as Queen is possibly a reference to Maleficent, the villainess of the 1959 Disney version of the story of Sleeping Beauty (she's the wicked fairy). A further reference to this are the overgrown thorny vines that have taken over the city.
  • The name of Sam's Venus Flytrap "Demilo" is a pun on the famous statue "Aphrodite of Milos" better known as "Venus de Milo".
  • This episode is similar to the 1997 superhero flop Batman and Robin where Danny has Ice power similar to Mr. Freeze's ray gun, and Sam being a plant queen like Poison Ivy.
  • The prospect of Sam played by Grey DeLisle being seen as Undergrowth's daughter is a reference to Princess Azula and Fire Lord Ozai in later and fellow Nicktoon Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Livin' Large[]

  • Vlad Masters is shown holding a copy of the Wall Street Journal.
  • The neighborhood where Vlad lives, and the Fentons move in, is called "Ultra-Posh Polter Heights," a reference to the horror classic Poltergeist.
  • After the Guys in White capture Sam and Tucker, one of them calls them "meddling kids," a reference to Scooby-Doo.
  • The moving van in the episode called "Careless-movers" have their initials on the door reading CM.
  • Danny's butler giving him advice is a reference to Alfred from the Batman series.
  • The password Danny put on the Ghost Portal is "Open Sesame", referring to Alibaba and the 40 thieves and their cave which opens with the same phrase.
  • When Tucker turns on Danny's three TVs, there are two allusions:
    • The helmet of the driver in the second film says "BH," likely a reference to Butch Hartman.
    • The third movie is a battle scene in space, clearly an allusion to Star Wars.
  • Danny mentions getting a game called "Cave Man Auto Thief." The latter part of the game title is likely a reference to the popular video game series "Grand Theft Auto."

Boxed Up Fury[]

  • Title: "Boxed up fury" means someone that has kept their anger and frustration in for too long, leading to an immense temper tantrum when they finally lose control. This is exactly what happened to the Box Ghost in the episode.
  • Caption: "Thinking outside the box" means to go beyond obvious, cliché ideas and find originality.
  • When the Box Ghost releases snakes from Pandora's Box, Tucker shows his fear of snakes and cries out, "Why did it have to be snakes?" This is alluded from Indiana Jones' famous line in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
  • Several creatures, locations, and objects seen in this episode are based off of concepts from Greek mythology that frequently appear in popular culture; see List of Greek mythological characters in Danny Phantom. There is also a reference to the Judeo-Christian Book of Exodus: the second evil released in the episode is frogs; frogs were the second plague unleashed on Egypt.

Frightmare[]

  • Title: A wordplay on nightmare.
  • One of the sleeping pedestrians looks like an older version of AJ, one of Timmy Turner's friends from The Fairly OddParents, another one of Butch Hartman's cartoons.
  • There is a dog that looks like Scooby-Doo without the patches.

Claw of the Wild[]

  • Title: A pun on the novella "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London.
  • Mr. Lancer's book reference(s):
    • the aforementioned book. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "Call of the Wild."
    • The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. The exclamation was slightly abbreviated as "Clan of the Cave Bear."
  • The scene where Danny and Sam battle Wulf, is a reference to Wolverine and Rogue battling Sabertooth from the 2000 film, X-Men.

D-Stabilized[]

  • Title: The title is a misspelling of the term "destabilized," which refers to when an object has become unstable.

Phantom Planet[]

  • Title: The title is possibly a reference to the 1961 science fiction film of the same name.
  • The "Car-puter" resembles Bumblebee from Transformers.
  • When Danny starts the jet before going into the ghost zone, he says "atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed." In the 1966 Batman television series with Adam West and Burt Ward, that was what Robin said before the dynamic duo sped off in the batmobile from the batcave. The same line was featured in the Nickelodeon movie Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Jimmy said it as he prepared to blast off in a homemade rocket.
  • The location choice of Saturn may have also been chosen because the name Daniel means "El is my judge"; El being a Semitic title for the Judeo-Christian god. The Greeks took this title and used it for their god Cronus, who was identified with the planet Saturn.[2]
  • The scene where Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz using the Fenton Gadgets is a reference to Agent K and J stopping Edgar the Bug from the 1997 film Men in Black.
  • This episode has a similar scene to the 1998 films Armageddon and Deep Impact, the latter of which is based on the novel The Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clarke. Both films and the novel involve the government sending a rocket to destroy a meteor and it fails.
  • This episode is similar to the Men in Black: The Series episode "The Endgame Syndrome", in which that all the ghosts, and everyone trying to avoid the meteor, is a reference to the MiB agents defeating the invading aliens.
  • This episode has a striking resemblance to the plot of the Nintendo DS game, Mega Man Star Force 3 Black Ace/Red Joker, where the hero must stop an asteroid made with some unusual matter, and in the end, his secret identity is revealed to the whole world.
  • The episode is also similar to the 1962 Japanese film Gorath, where an asteroid (actually the remains of a dead star) is heading towards Earth, with international cooperation centered in Antarctica to push the Earth out of the asteroid's path.
  • When Danny's is explaining his plan to the world, and Tucker says he's a techno-geek, three other kids (and him in replying to them) do the the Vulcan salute from Star Trek.
  • The episode appears to be similar to the works of Zecharia Sitchin, who wrote that the Earth and asteroids are the remains of a planet called Tiamat which was destroyed after it collided with another planet called Nibiru (often identified with the real asteroid C/2010 X1 or Elenin). His works have spawned the Nibiru cataclysm, a popular impact event theory. Sitchin also wrote that Pluto was a moon of Saturn that was forced out of orbit by Nibiru's gravity, similar to the Disasteroid originally being in orbit around Saturn before it was sent into a collision course with Earth by the explosion of Vlad's satellite.

References[]

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Season 1
1. Mystery Meat | 2. Parental Bonding | 3. One of a Kind | 4. Attack of the Killer Garage Sale | 5. Splitting Images | 6. What You Want | 7. Bitter Reunions | 8. Prisoners of Love | 9. My Brother's Keeper | 10. Shades of Gray | 11. Fanning the Flames | 12. Teacher of the Year | 13. Fright Night | 14. 13 | 15. Public Enemies | 16. Lucky in Love | 17. Maternal Instinct | 18. Life Lessons | 19. The Million Dollar Ghost | 20. Control Freaks
Season 2
1. Memory Blank | 2. Doctor's Disorders | 3. Pirate Radio | 4-5. Reign Storm | 6. Identity Crisis | 7. The Fenton Menace | 8-9. The Ultimate Enemy | 10. The Fright Before Christmas | 11. Secret Weapons | 12. Flirting With Disaster | 13. Micro Management | 14. Beauty Marked | 15. King Tuck | 16. Masters of All Time | 17. Kindred Spirits | 18. Double Cross My Heart | 19-20. Reality Trip
Season 3
1. Eye for an Eye | 2. Infinite Realms | 3. Girls' Night Out | 4. Torrent of Terror | 5. Forever Phantom | 6. Urban Jungle | 7. Livin' Large | 8. Boxed Up Fury | 9. Frightmare | 10. Claw of the Wild | 11. D-Stabilized | 12-13. Phantom Planet
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