DragonVale Real Life References

It has been made obvious that Backflip Studios has inserted references to real life into DragonVale. Backflip even associated the elements with real life! To read about that, go here.

This will be a list of automated dragon names, decorations, and other references which have a connection to life outside of DragonVale and the explanations of how and why.

The list is in alphabetical order for each section.

Leave a comment about anything you think is an outside reference or explanation of how and why, and we will add it to the list.

The Four Elements
There have been cross-references to four of the basic elements that DragonVale starts with. Here is an in-depth look at how DragonVale relates to the elements:

DragonVale and Real Life - Elements

Dragon Automated Names
Ahab - Captain Ahab from Herman Melville's Moby Dick; the deranged whaler

Amelia - Amelia Earhart - famous female pilot who disappeared flying around the world

Amp - short for ampere - the unit for electric current

Aput - Inuit word for "snow" (on the ground)

Azul - Spanish for "blue"

Blitzen - "blixem" or "bliksem" which are German/Dutch for "lightning"

Boreal - Northern Tundra biome; Aurora Borealis; reference to Boreas the Greek god of the North Wind; Greek god of cold/ice/snow

Buck - name of the main character form Jack London's The Call of the Wild, which takes place in the north

Buzz - reference to Buzz Aldrin and the moon

Cecil - the sea serpent from the cartoon Beany and Cecil

Ceres - Roman goddess of the harvest

Chuck - reference to Chuck Yeager,the first pilot to break the sound barrier, back in 1947

Cucoo - derived form of "cuckoo"; a kind of bird

Curly - name of the dog in The Call of the Wild

Dvergr - (automatic name for Metal Dragon)- a type of Scandinavian dwarf that dwells in rocks and hills, and it is skillful in working metals

Dewi - ancient Celtic god who took on the form of a serpent or dragon

Donner - "donder" or"dunder" which are German/Dutch for "thunder" or one of the Reindeer

Elmo - St. Elmo, patron saint of sailors; said to protect them from storms

Faraday - famous scientist in electrics

Freya - Norse god of love and fertility

Fuji - Mt. Fuji

Gaia - Greek goddess of the Earth

Geoff - name of one of the developers?

Glenda - Glenda the Goodwitch from "The Wizard of Oz".

Gotard - reference to Goddard, a rocket scientist

Helen - Mt. St. Helens, a volcano near Seattle

Hydra - the water snake constellation; as well as a multi-headed serpent

Jotun - name used for frost giant in Norse mythology

Jupiter - Roman god of thunder (and 5th planet from the sun)

Kelvin - Unit of measurement for temperature based on absolute zero - It was the name of a river near the laboratory of William Thompson the scientist who "discovered" absolute zero. When he was elected to the House of Lords he was given the title Lord Kelvin.

Kraka - Krakatoa - a volcano

Kraken - mythical sea monster

Kukul - Mayan word for "feathered"

Larson - a company that makes boats

Lemmy - reference to "Lemmy" Kilmister, a heavy metal musician.

Leo - flight simulator software

Leviathan - a biblical sea monster

Lief - reference to King Lief, the king of Deltora in Deltora Quest

Loki - Norse god of mischief

Mar - Spanish for "sea"

Meeker - Mount Meeker, a tall mountain in Colarado

Moby - reference to Moby Dick, the great white whale

Nami - "wave" in Japanese

Nanuk - Inuit word for "polar bear"

Nemo - Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; From the movie "Finding Nemo"

Neptune - Roman god of the seas (And 8th planet from the sun)

Nessy - reference to the Loch Ness Monster

Nico - famous European singer; the demigod son of Hades in the Percy Jackson series

Oakheart - Braveheart

Ohm - measurement for electrical resistance

Orville - reference to Orville Wright, inventor of the airplane

Pele - Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanos

Petra - famous "lost" archaeological city in Jordan (also means 'stone' in Arabic)

Pompey - Pompeii, Italy

Poseidon - Greek god of the seas

Saturn - Roman god of time (And 6th planet from the sun)

Sierra - Sierra Nevada Mountains

Siren - Greek sea nymph with a beautiful voice

Sol - Spanish for "sun"

Spitz - a character form Jack London's The Call of the Wild, which takes place in the north

Steve - Steve Jobs' name, the former Apple CEO

Stratos - reference to the stratosphere - one of the layers of Earth's atmosphere

Sulfur- a yellowish brown element often associated with volcani activity

Toa - Polynesian word for "warrior"

Tesla - famous scientist in electrics

Thor - The Norse god of thunder

Tul - The famous European singer

Tundra -Northern biome with less trees and more permafrost than Boreal

Vesuvius - A volcano in Italy responsible for the destruction of the city of Pompeii

Vulcan - Roman name of Hephaestus, the god of blacksmithing

Whitefang - the name of a character in Jack London's Whitefang, the title character, which also takes place in the north

Wilbur - reference to Wilbur Wright, co-inventor of the airplane

Yeager - reference to Chuck Yeager,the first pilot to break the sound barrier, back in 1947

Ymir - a Frost giant from Norse mythology

Zeus - The Greek god of the skies

Any Flower Name - Too many to list all, but references to different types of flowers.

Decorations
Astrolabe - "The great wizard Dalfgan claims that the leap year is a myth" - Dalfgan rearranged/syllables swapped is Gandalf - Gandalf is a main character in The Lord of the Rings series

Ami'Lya Pond  - reference to Amelia Pond, a character in the most recent series of Doctor Who 

Bed of Roses - "Berrywhite Mountains"  - A reference to Barry White.

Cactus -  "Brought in from that great sandy home where the earth dragons roam" - reference to the song "Home, Home on the Range"

Clover Cottage - '' ""These cottages may look small from the outside, but somehow the inside of them is larger than any other building that you will ever see! It's not known how the builders managed to do this, but our wizards assure us that they are almost definitely 99% certain that we are not being transported to another dimension inside." '' - reference to the Doctor's TARDIS.

Cozy Dogen  - "A dogen is the traditional underground home of the Tols, a race of half-sized men from the Great South. In the southern fields you can sometimes overhear a Tolsan father telling his son to "get out an mow the roof before it gets dark." -
 * take on the houses from The Shire in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by famous author, J.R.R.Tolkien. The info box even describes a Hobbit, "race of half-sized men" but calls them the Tols for copyright purposes.

Fire Statue- "The original statue was moved to the Magical Archives to be investigated by top men. Top. Men." - A reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark. SPOILER ALERT: At the end of the movie, Indy asks Maj. Eaton about the fate of the Ark of the Covenant.

Maj. Eaton - We have top men working on it right now.

Indy - Who?

Maj. Eaton - Top... men.

Then the movie cuts to the now famous (or infamous) scene where a wooden crate, which we are to assume contains the Ark, is being wheeled by a lone man into a huge government warehouse filled with similar boxes.

Happy Tree - "Famous dragon artist Bob Ploss love painting and planting Happy Trees! Maybe they will attract some little squirrel friends." - reference to artist Bob Ross
 * The design is based on the Tree Stars from The Land Before Time

Jack-O-Lantern - Jack-O-Lanterns

Moon Flag  - '' "The traditional banner of the moon dragon. It bears no resemblence to delicious dairy snack foods. None at all. Trust us." '' - references the lore that the moon is made of cheese.

Sham-rock - "Said to have magically appeared one day in the meadows of Ulster, the Sham-rock seems to attract clover dragons whenever they come out from hiding. No one seems to know how these majestic beasts always find their way to the same place every year, but some have said that they are in search of some sort of lucky trinkets or charms."
 * Title is a pun on Shamrock which is a type of three-leaf-clover. Also implies that the rock is a "sham"

Shard of Tull - "After the fiasco of building the large metal habitat the wizards thought it best to simply replicate the metal shards found in the Tull Caverns. I'm not sure what kind of magic was used to create it, but we've been told that there's only a 50/50 chance it's more dangerous than making a portal."
 * a reference to Jethro Tull's winning of the 1988 Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, despite not being a hard rock or metal band

Stone Path - "If you build it, they will walk." - reference to the film Field of Dreams which had the line "If you build it, they will come."

Thatched Roof Cottage - '"It would be tragic to accidentally burninate your thatched roof cottage." - reference to the episode of Homestar Runner in which the character Strong Bad draws a dragon named Trogdor the Burninator

Vernal Fountain - "Using water directly from the Vernal Springs that run beneath the Cadberry Meadows, this fountain will not only be a refreshing destination for guests within your park, but it is sure to make bloom dragons feel right at home!... 
 * reference to the Cadbury company which produces chocolate, cremes, and their famous chocolate eggs.

Volcano - "I once went to the doctor with a fever, and the only prescription was more volcano." - a reference to the SNL skit, "more cowbell."

Witch Hut - "Mor'Gynne the Ancient was the most famous of all witches" - This is a reference to Morgan le Fay from the legends of King Arthur.

Goals
"Flame On" - Goal Name - for building the Fire Shrine is a reference to the Human Torch in Marvel's Fantastic Four.

"Hungry Hungry Dragons" - Goal Name - for upgrading 6 Large Treat Farms is a reference to the game Hungry Hungry Hippos.

"Ice Ice Baby" - Goal Name - for hatching an Ice Dragon is a reference to the rap song "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice.

"Let It Snow" - Goal Name - for hatching a Snow Dragon - reference to the song with lyrics "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

"Love is in the Air"  - Goal Name - for building the Breeding Cave is a reference to the song "Love is in the Air" originally sung by John Paul Young.

"Lady in the Lake" - Goal Name - for building the Ami'Lya Pond is a reference to the Lady of the Lake who in the Arthurian legend gave Excalibur to King Arthur.

"Raise the Rainbow" - Goal Name - is a reference to " Taste the Rainbow &reg;" the Skittles slogan.

"Reach for the Sky" - Goal Name - reference to the film "Reach for the Sky" in which the main character is in the Royal AIR Force. Also a reference to the movie "Toy Story" in which the main character, Woody, says this tagline when his string get's pulled.

"They were all... yellow." - Goal Name - Reference to the Coldplay song "Yellow"

"Wild Thing" the goal awarded after hatching a swamp dragon, is a reference to the song "Wild Thing" by Chip Taylor. It may also be a reference to Where the Wild Things Are book by Maurice Sendak.

Habitats
Large Cold Habitat Description  - "We heard that cold dragons like cold, so we added some cold to your cold habitat so you can keep more cold dragons in the cold." - a reference to the "Yo Dawg" Xzibit meme.

Moon Habitat Description  - "This beautiful specimen of space rock will keep your Moon Dragon nice and happy. It is definitely not made of cheese, barbecue spare ribs or anything even remotely edible. We strongly recommend not trying to eat this habitat, even if it does look just... so tasty." - a reference to a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Will Ferrell as legendary Chicago Cub's broadcaster Harry Caray as the host of a space and astronomy TV talk show, Space: The Infinite Frontier. During one episode, he asks a scientist if he would eat the moon if it were made of barbeque spare ribs.

Sun Habitat Description  - "Ripping a hole through space and time to obtain a tiny actual star is pretty dangerous. Placing it safely in your dragon park is nigh impossible. Having a cozy home for your sun dragon? Priceless. Well, actually, no, it's pretty expensive. But still worth it." - a tongue in cheek reference to the MasterCard Priceless series of commercials.

Dragon Descriptions
Blazing Dragon - "Many attempts have been made to craft a magical blazing saddle..." - reference to Mel Brook's film Blazing Saddles

Bloom Dragon - "“The bloom dragon is found roaming the Cadberry Meadows near the beginning of Spring. These dragons have been known to hide their ornate eggs in some unusual places to protect them from Spring-time showers. Unfortunately it seems to have had the opposite effect because children have made a game out of finding them!."
 * reference to the Cadbury company which produces chocolate, cremes, and their famous chocolate eggs.
 * reference to kids searching for Easter eggs.

Butterfly Dragon - "Flightless as babies, the amazing butterfly dragons transform into multi-winged magnificent creatures. They can be found fluttering around the lush Sykie Meadows. Their large and beautiful wings are sure to attract visitors... unless the visitor mistakes their wings for a fearsome wingaling dragon."
 * "wingaling dragon" refers to "Trogdor," the "wing-a-ling dragon" on the online game, "Homestar Runner." "Trogdor" is a fearsome being with with wings and a long, muscular arm; hence the quotation, "unless the visitor mistakes their wings for a fearsome wingaling dragon."

Dodo Dragon - "Cave drawings of the dodo dragon were first discovered on Mooretoss Island long ago by the great explorer Lewis Dodoson. They depict an ancient, flightless, and rather clumsy dragon. For centuries it was thought to be extinct, but we now know that while the dodo dragon may be rare, it is certainly not extinct! I wonder what other dragons have yet to be discovered!"
 * a reference to the dodo, an extinct bird which was related to the pigeon. The dragon is described as flightless and clumsy, and these were famous characteristics of the real dodo.
 * The dodo lived on the island of Mauritius, which is also referenced in the description of the Dodo dragon's home island, "Mooretoss".
 * Lewis Dodoson's first name comes from the great explorer and pioneer Lewis, with his partner, Clark. Lewis was helped by Sacagawea. "Dodoson" is a clear reference to the Dodo.
 * Lewis Carroll's real name was Charles Dodgson. The Dodo appears as a character in Alice in Wonderland, and is also a caricature of the author.
 * Dodgson himself is known to have stuttered, and one story, which may be apocryphal, says he chose the Dodo as the bird to represent himself because he used to stutter on his last name, introducing himself as "Do-do-son." but in any case the Alice In Wonderland character is probably the most famous fictional Dodo.
 * In the 2010 movie Alice in Wonderland, the Dodo is bright blue.

Firefly Dragon -  "The magical glow from their tails can be seen in the skies for miles around. They look like stars at night. Their insect-like shape tends to scare people away, but I think they're kind of cute!" - reference to the shape of the ship, Serenity, on the show Firefly

Frostfire Dragon - "While researching his forthcoming work, The Origins of Dragons, Professor Dravin happened upon the uncharted Palagos Islands" - reference to Darwin,The Origin of Species, and the Galapagos Islands

Iron Dragon - "“First discovered during the great wizard Dalfgan's maiden attempt to summon an unknown beast from ancient times, the iron dragon is a close cousin of the more common metal dragon. The large metal block at the end of its tail is intimidating to some, but we've been assured that it just uses it for communication. Hopefully they don't try to communicate with any of the visitors!”
 * the description speaks of a great wizard "Dalfgan", which is a rearrangement of Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings

Leap Year Dragon  - "The exceptionally rare leap year dragon can only be seen in the wild once every four years near Bridget's Pass. Getting one of these in your park is sure to make your visitors over the rainbow? Or is it over the moon? I can never remember..."
 * Legend is that around fifth century Ireland, St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick that women had to wait a long time for men to propose, so St. Patrick told her that women could propose on February 29 each leap year.
 * reference to The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring; Gandalf is at Bridget's Pass where he met the ogres
 * reference to the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the The Wizard of Oz, and also the nursery rhyme with the line "and the cow jumped over the moon"

Lichen Dragon -"“Lichen dragons can be found on the highest mountain peaks and furthest polar reaches throughout the world. Our wizards say that the unique substance growing on them is some sort of strange plant that feeds the dragons using sunlight. Or something. I didn't really understand it myself. Oh and be sure not to confuse lichen dragons with any other kind of supernatural beings, they've been known to take offense to that."
 * the "supernatural beings" the description talks about references the mythical creature known as a lycan; the description was using a play on homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently).

Metal Dragon "For years explorers were afraid to enter the Tull Caverns because of the loud noises that could be heard coming from deep below. It's only thanks to the brave Dickinson Osbourne that we now know that these sounds come from the Metal Dragon's unique behaviour of "drumming" precious metals with their heavy tails."
 * the description speaks of "the brave Dickinson Osbourne" refering to American Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden front man) and Ozzy Osbourne (of Black Sabbath), two Metal greats.
 * may be a play on the Ozzfest 2005 incident where Dickinson spent a proportion of his stage time berating Ozzfest, Ozzy and Black Sabbath, resulting in a war of words between the Osbournes and himself.

Mine Dragon - "“One of the oldest known dragon types, the mine dragon spends much of its time deep underground in the cold Dramoria Mines. Because they are often seen running into walls while moving about it was once thought that they felt their way around using their beards. We now know that they just have really poor eyesight.”
 * the description speaks of "Dramoria Mines", as in the Mines of Moria that the dwarves once mined for Mithril. And the fact that the dragon has a beard, which is a physical characteristic of all dwarves from The Lord of the Rings.

Panlong Dragon  - "originates from the Far East and is said to come out of hiding every twelve years" - the Far East is where China is located in the world, and every twelve years from the year of the dragon, the Chinese zodiac calender restarts its cycle.

Plasma Dragon - "The story of the plasma dragon is a strange one, years ago the brilliant wizard Franklin Dogood was caught in a terrible storm when a bolt of lightning struck a near by pond, instantly evaporateing it. Ever the scholar, Franklin went to investigate and discovered something incredible~ a baby dragon stood where the pond once was."
 * "Franklin"  refers to Benjamin Franklin, an American inventor who experimented with a kite and lightning during a storm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 * "Dogood," or "Silence Dogood," is the name that Benjamin Franklin withheld while writing letters to The New England Courant when he was about 16 years old.

Poison Dragon  - "deadly neurotoxin" - a Portal reference

Reindeer Dragon - ''"These hybrid dragons come from the Far North and can only be bred near the end of the year. Centuries ago, the magical toymaker Sandakloz journeyed north to study these rare creatures. He never returned from his journey, but every year since, during the month when reindeers dragons can be bred, children wake up one day to find magical toys in boxes bearing the old mage's signature." ''
 * "Sandakloz" is Santa Claus and the "magical toys in boxes bearing the old mage's signature" is a reference to Santa Claus bringing presents to everyone on Christmas.

Sakura Dragon - “Villages where Sakura Dragons visit will hold celebrations and picnics beneath these docile dragons' flowered wings in honour of the season.”- reference to the Japanese tradition of Hanami, when friends and family get together to have a picnic under the cherry blossom trees.

Sandstorm Dragon  - "new form of music they lovingly call 'tectonica' " - referencing the worldwide techno/dance hit "Sandstorm" by Darude; reference to the tectonic plates that make up the earth.

Steel Dragon  - "The steel dragon likes to parade back and forth showing off its fearsome horns. As other dragons pass, the steel dragon will turn over its right shoulder to flash a cold, steely gaze, stopping them in their tracks. It is a matter of curiosity that no steel dragon has ever been observed to turn left before flashing its gaze." Butterfly Dragon - "Unless the visitor mistakes their wings for a fearsome wingaling dragon" - A reference to Trogdor The Burninator, a popular subculture dragon created by The Brothers Chaps, creators of Homestar Runner series.
 * a reference to the movie Zoolander - Blue Steel and the signature look "Magnum",
 * also a reference to how Derek Zoolander claims he isn't an "ambiturner" - he can't turn left.

Other
Clover Dragon  - Incubation Time, Cost, Selling Price, and Hatch Experience are filled with the number "7" - reference to the number "7" being considered lucky. Getting three "7s" in a row on a slot machine produces a large sum of winnings compared to the other outcomes.

"Double Rainbows All the Way" - Game Center Achievement - is a reference to "Double Rainbows All the Way Across the Sky", a song that arose from a viral video

Earth Shrine Description - "A time came when the hermit never returned, yet Zector remained steadfast" - This is a reference to a famous Japanese dog named Hatchiko. One day Hachiko's master went to work but never came back, but Hachiko would sit and wait on the street until he died.

Fire Boost - ''The Fire Dragon Master, Tim, gives an income boost to all Fire based Dragons on the island.  - reference to the sorcerer Tim from Monty Python and the Holy Grail''

Hibernation Cave - costs 3,141,592 DragonCash - the price is a reference to the value of Pi

Leap Year Dragon Incubation Time  - Incubation Time is 14 hours 30 minutes, which is half of 29 hours; the number of hours can be written as 29 / 2, which corresponds to February 29th - Leap Day.

Metal Shrine Description-"Tailstep"-A reference to Dubstep music. "Wub-wub" in the description is a common onomatopoeia used to describe one of the most common sounds in Dubstep

Reindeer Dragon and Santa visitors  - Rudolph and Santa

Sakura Dragon  is wearing Zōri - A pair of footwear commonly worn by geisha or worn with common japanese festival wear such as Kimonos

Sarjin Peppers  - Sgt. Pepper (see The Beatles)

Water Shrine Description  - "Kessi of Lake Kes" - Nessie of Loch Ness, also known as the Loch Ness Monster