This is a list of references in the Bloons franchise to other media, elements of popular culture, and real-world figures. References from official crossovers that are limited to the other party's source material (such as Bloons Adventure Time TD referencing the Adventure Time show) are not included.
- The special Chomper Bloon is directly based on Pac-Man; whenever one is popped, Pac-Man appears in its place and the player is able to control him using the arrow keys, popping other Bloons in the process before Pac-Man soon vanishes.
- Level 47, Bloon of Damacles, references the Sword of Damocles story, in which Dionysius offers Damocles the chance to be king for a day but precariously hangs a sword above the throne to convey the dangers that being king presents. In the level, a lone Spikey Ball Bloon represents the sword.
- One of the new special Bloon types is the Light Sabre Bloon, referencing the Lightsaber weapon used throughout the Star Wars franchise; its introductory level, Use the Force, also references Star Wars.
- Level 11, Death Star, references the space station of the same name shown throughout the Star Wars franchise; the solution to the level is dropping a single dart through a narrow hole on the top, which mirrors how the original Death Star was destroyed by launching a torpedo into an exhaust vent.
- Level 29, Dagobah, bears a name referencing the planet in the Star Wars universe.
- Two of the game's levels (7 and 17) are named after the Minesweeper computer game.
- Three of the game's levels (13, 25, and 39) are named after the Pop-Tarts snack food. Additionally, level 13 contains all Bloons in a simple grid-like structure reminiscent of how the holes in Pop-Tarts are arranged.
- Level 44, Ice Ice Baby, references the song of the same name by Vanilla Ice.
- Level 25, Angry Monkeys, is a parody of Angry Birds: The monkey sits atop a structure resembling a slingshot, the Bloons sit atop a geometric structure of breakable blocks, and the special Bloon types are used in ways that mirror the special abilities of the different birds.
- The "hint" text shown upon completing round 33 directly mentions the game Counter-Strike.
- The Laser Vision upgrade introduced for the Super Monkey is a reference to heat vision being one of Superman's powers.
- The MOAB Bloon is a reference to the real-world MOAB bomb developed for the United States military.
- The tier 4 upgrade for the Boomerang Thrower, Lightsabre Thrower, is based on the lightsaber used throughout Star Wars. However, unlike most upgrades, Lightsabre Thrower does not return in any later games, which has been implied to be due to copyright concerns.[1]
- The tier 3 upgrade for the Banana Farm, Banana Republic, is based on the real-world idea of a "banana republic" country—a country that is very unstable and relies on exporting its natural resources.
- Most of the Extreme tracks available for purchase in the mobile version reference other media:
- The Master Builder's main second activated ability, Power Glove, is a reference to the Power Glove controller released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
- The third, fourth, and fifth bottom path upgrades for the Super Monkey change the tower's design to instead reference Batman, another DC Comics super hero.
- The tier 5 bottom path upgrade for the Banana Farm, Monkey Wall Street, refers to the real-world Wall Street within New York City; the upgrade description considers it a "Hub of Monkey trades" in the same way that "Wall Street" is often used to describe New York City's whole Financial District and not just a street.
- Striker Jones's placement line "I love the smell of bubble wrap in the morning" references the quote "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" from Apocalypse Now.
- Ezili takes her name from Ezili Dantor, a dominant spirit in Haitian Vodou.
- The Harlegwen skin for Gwendolin references Harley Quinn from the Batman franchise in both name and design.
- The Tinkerfairy skin for Rosalia references the rendition of Tinker Bell from Disney's Peter Pan film in both name and design.
- The Fusty the Snowman skin for Pat Fusty references Frosty the Snowman, as he appears in the 1969 TV special of the same name, in both name and design. Additionally, the description for the skin, "Was a poppy happy soul", refers to the original "Frosty the Snowman" song.
- The Kaiju Pat skin references the monster Godzilla in its design. Additionally, its voice line for when a Bloon leaks references the mecha from the 2013 film Pacific Rim.
- The Joan of Arc skin for Adora references the real-world Joan of Arc in both name and design, with the skin description, "All battles are first won or lost in the mind", also being a quote from her.
- The Cross the Streams Monkey Knowledge point references the Ghostbusters and how crossing the streams of their equipment can be disastrous.
- The There Can Be Only One Monkey Knowledge point references the film Highlander with its name and description.
- The Monkeys Together Strong Monkey Knowledge point is based on the quote "Apes together strong" from the Rise of the Planet of the Apes film.
- The Candy Falls map is conceptually very similar to the chocolate river room found within Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, and it contains a much more direct reference as an easter egg: Interacting with various parts of the map reveals monkeys that resemble Oompa-Loompas, and the first part of their song can play when they are selected in the correct order.
- The Another Brick map, which takes place alongside a large brick wall, references the song "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd.
- The Super Dartling Bros quest bears a name referencing Super Mario Bros.
- One of the purchasable cosmetic items for Gwendolin is a firefox pet, referring to the browser of the same name.
- One of the purchasable cosmetic items for Etienne is a Roomba pet with a cat sitting atop it.
- Benjamin's matrix place and upgrade animation cosmetic bears a description referencing The Matrix: "Woah, now I know kung fu!"
- The Monkey Village Elf pet bears a description that directly mentions Elf on the Shelf.
- The Dart Monkey's pumpkin projectiles cosmetic and the Bomb Shooter's pumpkin bombs cosmetic both contain a description referencing The Smashing Pumpkins.
- The Monkey Buccaneer's Flavored Trades Projectiles cosmetic references a running gag among members of the Bloons community, whereby the Favored Trades upgrade is referred to as "Flavored Trades" instead.
- The Wizard Monkey's firework projectiles cosmetic bears a description that directly mentions Gandalf from The Hobbit.
- Most of the Monkey Village flag cosmetics based on real-world flags have descriptions that include general cultural references to their respective countries.
- The Red Nose Decal cosmetic equips all MOABs with a red nose and fake antlers that reference Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
- The Disguise Glasses Bloons cosmetic equips all Bloons with the type of Groucho glasses used by Groucho Marx.
- The Mo' Monkeys Pop FX cosmetic is based on the Barrel of Monkeys toy.
- The Pew Pew Pop FX cosmetic is based on the blasters used throughout the Star Wars franchise.
- The Dancing Monkey co-op emote bears a description that references the song "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I.
- The "All is fine" co-op emote references the "This is fine" internet meme.
- The Sunset Samba - 64 Mix music track is based on the music of the Commodore 64.
- The Jingle Bloons music track bears a name referencing Jingle Bells.
- The Sunshine Serenade - Gameboy Mix music track is based on the music of the Nintendo Game Boy.
- The Yes We Can Engineer avatar references the "Yes we can!" catchphrase frequently used in Bob the Builder.
- The Lead Zeppelin avatar references the band Led Zeppelin and their Celebration Day film poster.
- The SAS Monkey avatar references Ninja Kiwi's SAS Zombie Assault games.
- The Darts avatar references the internet meme involving Flynn from Tangled surrounded by swords.
- The Down, Not Out avatar references the Terminator giving a thumb up as he sinks into lava at the end of Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
- The Thrive Stonks cosmetic references the "stonks" internet meme.
- The discontinued gift code "Speakforthetrees" references The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.
- Many references can also be found within the achievements of Bloons TD 6:
- Me Did A Job on DDT is based on the lyric "D.D.T. did a job on me" from the song Teenage Lobotomy by Ramones.
- Mega Monkey likely refers to Mega Man since the achievement icon depicts The Anti-Bloon, a conceptually similar robotic tower.
- Monkey Avenger League, an achievement involving the use of four different Heroes, refers to The Avengers, which is a team of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" in the MCU.
- You've Got the Power is based on the lyric "I've got the power" from the song The Power by Snap!.
- Bloonzilla! refers to the monster Godzilla.
- Our Powers Combined refers to the phrase used by Captain Planet whenever he is summoned: "By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!"
- When the going gets tough... refers to the song "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" by Billy Ocean.
- Snap of your fingers, in both name and unlock requirement, refers to the part of Avengers: Infinity War in which Thanos snaps his fingers while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, erasing half of all life in the film's universe. The achievement icon also depicts a rendition of the Infinity Gauntlet.
- Bloontona 500 refers to the real-world Daytona 500 motor race.
- Tetrimino is the exact term used to describe the pieces found in Tetris, with the unlock requirement referencing the game's gameplay.
- What did it cost? - Everything is a direct quote from Avengers: Infinity War when Thanos has just acquired the Soul Stone.
- 12 Tasks of Monk-ules refers to the Greek myth known as the Labours of Hercules.
- Freaky Friday refers to the 2003 film of the same name.
- Crash of the Titans refers to the film Clash of the Titans.
- The Daily Reid refers to Ethan Reid, an online content creator known for uploading YouTube video guides for each day's Advanced Challenge.
- I'll Be Back is a catchphrase used by the Terminator; the achievement icon also depicts a monkey with a robotic endoskeleton hidden underneath its skin.
- Alchermistman and Bloonacleboy refers to the characters Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy from the show SpongeBob SquarePants; the achievement's description "You have it set to M for mini, when it should be W for wumbo" is also a quote from the show, albeit as "[...] should be set to W for wumbo".
- Bill Greates refers to the real-world Bill Gates, with the unlock requirement referencing his status as a multi-billionaire and a philanthropist.
- Josh's Constant refers to Jajajosh, an online content creator known for being the first to complete Bloody Puddles on CHIMPS mode and for using Perma-Spike to clear many difficult Expert maps on CHIMPS; the unlock requirement references this by encouraging the use of the Perma-Spike specifically.
- Golden Ticket refers to the tickets present in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, with the achievement icon showing a rendition of the ticket.
- Chunky Monkeys bears a description referencing the song Big and Chunky from the film Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
- Nah, I'd Win is a phrase that originates from some English translations of the Jujutsu Kaisen manga series.
- They call me Cave Monkey! bears a description that originates from the film The Croods.
- In the update notes for Version 41.0, one of the listed changes is "Removed Herobrine". The phrase is based on the running gag of Minecraft update logs including "Removed Herobrine" many times over.
- In the update notes for Version 52.0, one of the listed changes involving Perma-Spike is a parody of the opening sequence quote for Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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- The game is a direct parody of the television game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, featuring a series of multiple choice questions with two lifelines included; these include 50/50 and Ask the Monkeys, both of which are also derived from the show.
- One of the questions asks what the initials B.F.B stand for; one of the incorrect answers, "Big Freaking Bloon", references the fictional BFG from id Software games such as Doom.
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- The Fusty the Snowman skin for Pat Fusty returns from Bloons TD 6, being a reference to Frosty the Snowman, as he appears in the 1969 TV special of the same name. Additionally, the skin's description and related player title (Poppy Happy Soul) refer to the original Frosty the Snowman song.
- The In the Wall map, which takes place alongside a large brick wall and has the same visual style as Another Brick, references the song "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd; the song's name being split between two different maps furthers this connection, as the original composition was also split into different parts.
- The Sun Palace map displays a parody of the painting The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo; the same reference is also made by the Art Monkey profile banner.
- Two cosmetic packs specifically themed around Super Bowl LIX were made available for a limited time leading up to and including the day of the game; the only difference between the two packs was the included avatar icon, as one was Kansas City themed and the other was Philadelphia themed.
- Star Captain Jericho's Bounty Hunter Hero Pack references the anime series Cowboy Bebop, in which the protagonists are interstellar bounty hunters. The pack's avatar, Space Cowboy, alludes to the series' popular phrase, "See you space cowboy"; and Asteroid Bloons is a pun on the name of the series' first episode, "Asteroid Blues".
- The discontinued gift code "Usethecode" references the phrase "Use the Force" from the Star Wars franchise; the text emote it unlocks, "Hello There!", references the scene when Obi-Wan Kenobi greets General Grievous with the phrase in Revenge of the Sith.
- Many references can also be found within the individual cosmetic items of Bloons TD Battles 2:
- Several online content creators in the Bloons community, including Tewity, Boltrix, and ISAB, have cosmetic items based on them.
- Captain Scott references Captain Robert Falcon Scott, who was known for leading two expeditions to the Antarctic regions in the early 20th century.
- The Red Monkey Sub references the film The Hunt for Red October; the avatar itself is a parody of the film's poster.
- Simpler Times references the painting American Gothic by Grant Wood; the avatar's description "banana farm remembers" is also a reference to the slogan of Pepperidge Farm.
- Iron Monkey references the super hero Iron Man, with the unlock requirement referencing how Tony Stark is an engineer without innate super powers.
- The One references the film The Matrix.
- We Want You references a United States Army recruitment poster featuring Uncle Sam pointing directly at the viewer.
- Towering Titan references the Attack on Titan franchise.
- License to Pop references the intelligence agent James Bond; the avatar itself is a parody of the opening of GoldenEye 007.
- Dark Champion: The Animated Series references Batman: The Animated Series; the avatar itself is a parody of one of the show's posters.
- Uphold the Law references the film RoboCop; the avatar itself is a parody of the film's poster.
- 3 Darts High and Popping references the album 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul.
- X-Monkey references the X-Men, with the avatar itself parodying the character Cyclops.
- Brick Monkey features a monkey in the style of a Lego minifigure.
- Game and Pop references the Game & Watch series of games.
- Shall Not Pass is based on a quote from Gandalf, spoken in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
- Vitruvian Monkey is based on the drawing Vitruvian Man by Leonardo da Vinci.
- Retro Game Cart is a parody of the design of Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) cartridges.
- Don Obyn references Vito Corleone (often referred to as Don Corleone) from The Godfather.
- Lofi Monkey is based on the Lofi Girl internet meme.
- North By North Ace references the film North by Northwest.
- Xenobloon references the Xenomorph creature from the film Alien, with the avatar itself parodying Alien's poster.
- Surprised Smudge Avatar references the "surprised Pikachu" internet meme that originates from the Pokémon anime series.
- Puss n' Bloons references the fairy tale of Puss in Boots.
- Deal With It equips all Bloons with the pixelated sunglasses associated with the "deal with it" internet meme.
- Monkey Signal is based on the Bat-Signal from the Batman franchise.
- M.I.B. is a reference to the film Men in Black.
- BASIC Ben bears a description referencing the All your base are belong to us internet meme: "All your emotes are belong to us."
- Make The Jump is a reference to space travel as it appears in the Star Wars franchise.
- Time's Ticking is based on an idle animation performed by Sonic the Hedgehog in his original game.
- Mane Character is based on the character Sunburst from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
- Gotta Go Fast features a parody of the rotating signs that mark the end of each zone in some Sonic the Hedgehog games; "Gotta go fast" is also a catchphrase used by Sonic.
- Ghost of Battles Past is based on the Ghost of Christmas Past from A Christmas Carol.
- Bricks Pop Effect makes all popped Bloons burst into small plastic toy bricks akin to Legos; the Toy Bricks weapon skin also makes the same reference.
- Blasting off again! is based on a catchphrase used by Jessie and James in the Pokémon anime series; the Blast off! sell animation also makes the same reference.
- Wrong Lever! references a scene from the film The Emperor's New Groove.
- Jericho Who? features Jericho wearing the type of Groucho glasses used by Groucho Marx.
- Puny Planes references how King Kong is defeated when attacked by biplanes.
- Do A Barrel Roll! is a quote said by Peppy Hare from Star Fox 64, with the description including the game's release year (1997).
- Captain Obyn bears a description referencing a quote from Pirates of the Caribbean: "Not the best captain, but you have heard of him."
- Rollout! references the Transformers series.
- King's Challenge references King Kong.
- Portal Gun references the Portal games.
- Up up and away! is a catchphrase used by Superman.
- Got Milk is a reference to the American advertising campaign with the slogan of "got milk?"
- Foam Darts bears a description referencing the slogan of Nerf.
- Biker out of hell references the song "Bat Out of Hell" by Meat Loaf, with its description alluding to the lyric, "I'll be gone when the morning comes."
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- Lead Zeppelin card's name, artwork, and flavor text reference English rock band Led Zeppelin, their Celebration Day concert film, and their single "Immigrant Song", respectively.
- Triple Threat Bloon is a reference to a "triple threat" performer, which is able to act, sing, and dance. This is reflected in both its name and flavor text.
- The Luftballons feat is a reference to the song "99 Luftballons" by German new wave band Nena.
- Various flavor texts of each card are references to popular culture, media, or other Bloons games.
- Bloontonium Cache: a quote from Gollum, in the film series The Lord of the Rings, obsessing over the One Ring.
- Bloontonium Miner: the song "Heigh-Ho" from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, with "diamonds" replaced with "Bloonstones".
- Double Blue Bloon, Double Green Bloon, Double Red Bloon: in boxing, the red and blue corners refer to competitors from the home and visitor sides, respectively, and the green corner is non-standard.
- Double Lead Bloon: the final sentence is a pun that references "PB", which is an abbreviation of the gaming term "personal best", and the chemical element for lead "Pb".
- Expert Negotiator: the idiom "Every man has his price."
- Glaive Ricochet: the pop song "You Spin Me Round" by the English band Dead or Alive.
- Golden Bloon: a popular onomatapoeia for gaining cash.
- Heart of Vengeance Druid, The Eternal, Strike Bloon: all three reference the quote "What does not kill me makes me stronger", which originates from Friedrich Nietzsche's Twilight of the Idols.
- Hastening Bloon: similar to the main lyrics of the single "I Like To Move It" by Reel 2 Real.
- Mass Detonation: Bonnie from Bloons TD Battles 2; the flavor text is her voice line when activating her Mass Detonation ability.
- Max Heal: various commercials by Flex Seal and demonstrated by Phil Swift, such as the 2017 Flex-Tape commercial and "The Bucket Test".
- Toxic Bloon: part of the lyrics of "Toxic" by Britney Spears - With a taste of a poison paradise / [...] / Don't you know that you're toxic?
- Wall of Fire Monkey: "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel; specifically, the first one-and-a-half lines of the lyrics have exactly the same words.
