Since the new season of Rick and Morty has arrived we can’t stop thinking about about Rick and Morty, talking about Rick and Morty or adding to our collection of Rick and Morty T-shirt designs. We’re fans of so many TV shows and movies, but something about Rick and Morty just speaks to our dark and twisted souls at CultSub.

It’s likely because Rick and Morty thrives on references to film, television, and pop culture just like we do. So, although we recently wrote a 5K word Rick and Morty fan theory guide we're finding we still have so much have more to say. 

This week we’re going to dive into one of our favorite episodes, Rickmancing the Stone. Yes, all episodes are amazing in their own right, but there’s just something about this one we love. It’s quite likely because of the following references, jokes and moments that were near and dear to our hearts before the show even aired.

FUN FACT: The “Colorkians” Mark 79th Alien Race Mentioned on Rick and Morty

Quick nerdy item before we get into all of the amazing references and jokes, in the opening line of Rickmancing the Stone, the "Colorkians," are mentioned making them the 79th alien race mentioned on Rick and Morty. We just thought you'd enjoy that little, tasty nibblet. 

Ok, moving on to Rick and Morty references as promised.

Possibly Rick’s Best Joke Ever: “Save It For The Semantics Dome, E.B.White”

E.B. White, who Rick mentions in an offhand joke after being corrected about the Bloodome, was a contributor to The New Yorker magazine and a co-author of the English language style guide The Elements of Style. In less than nine seconds, Roiland and Harmon not only make a Mad Max reference (so many more in the episode), but also make a geeky argument about language use, which renders a succinct/witty esoteric reference leading to an off-camera acknowledgement of the joke where someone says, “burn” almost to put an asterisk next to it for recognition of it’s awesomeness.

We also couldn't help ourselves and had to take a look at Google Trends for search terms surrounding EB.White. Not unlike the McDonald's szechuan sauce freakout, Rick and Morty is a huge impact. 

Rick actually calls the structure “Thunderdome” before being corrected if you listen in the following clip. [[slow clap]]

We loved this whole scene so much that it made the cut for our Rick and Morty T-shirt collection.

Rick and Morty "Save It For the Semantic Dome E.B White" T-shirt from CultSub

Title Rickmancing The Stone and Isotope 322 Date Back To 1984

The episode title Rickmancing the Stone is a reference to the 1984 film about a search for a precious gem called Romancing the Stone with Micheal Douglas and Kathleen Turner. This is a movie that I (Katey) watched one VHS as a kid and confess to some fantasies about Douglas’s character.

Gotta love those smart, rugged yet goobery Indiana Jones types.

Rick and Morty Recreated Original Mad Max Car Chase Scene

A special note for all you young nerds out there; the episode's first car chase isn't just a Mad Max: Fury Road reference. Actually, this entire chase scene is actually quite similar (although condensed) to the original chase scene from Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. So, the reference is actually deeper than it seems at first blush which we love. 

So many people don’t understand that Mad Max: Fury Road wasn’t an original movie. Crazy.

Loads of Mad Max Movie Characters Referenced In Rick and Morty’s Rickmancing The Stone

Multiple, yet very specific characters from the various Mad Max films appear in Rickmancing the Stone. I have to say that we nerded out pretty hard on this one once we saw the first few obvious ones like Immortan Joe.

Immortan Joe

Sucker punch to the face here in the first few seconds of the episode.

Bearclaw Mohawk

This one slapped us in the face when we saw it the first time as Bearclaw Mohawk even rides on the front end of the vehicle.

See him there with the blue mohawk and pink tips riding on the front of the car? Yep. Bearclaw Mohawk’s coo-coo pants nature is also obviously pulled over from Mad Max to Rick and Morty. This shot occurs just before he jumps on Rick, Morty and Summer’s car and blows himself up in the opening sequence.

Even More Mad Max Characters: Lord Humungus, Corpus Colossus and Master Blaster

In this same snapshot from Rick and Morty above we see three character references from the Mad Mad series, some are just more obvious than others.

Hemorrhage is an obviously "The Humungus" who was the leader of a merciless and psychotic motorcycle gang of marauders that took dominance long after Toecutter's gang. He’s one of the main antagonists in the events of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and pretty damn hard to miss.

Meanwhile we also see Master Blaster to the right with the purple mohawk and what we think is a take on Corpus Colossus to the left in the back over Hemorrhage’s shoulder.

Lord Humungus

Master Blaster

Corpus Colossus

Nux And His Mates (Larry and Barry) Appear Back At Camp

It only flashes for a second once Rick, Morty and Summer and invited back to camp, but we what we think is Nux and his mates Larry and Barry. If you were not aware, Larry and Barry are the two tumors on Nux’s shoulder. He even drew smiley faces on them making them this oddly sweet and helping us fall for Nux as the movie progressed. It’s fucked up to say, but he’s kind of adorable.

via GIPHY

Summer’s Outfit Inspired By Aunty Entity of Thunderdome Played By Tina Turner

Aunty Entity played by Tina Turner in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome is beyond obvious and so well done. Summer rock’s this outfit and it seems that all that’s missing are the earrings.

Side note, our co-founders totally rocked this Halloween costume in 2019.

Gotta love our Rick and Morty Inspired - Big Johnson Hemorrhage - T-Shirt!

Additional Mad Max Cultural References: War Boys Spray Paint Huffing, Milk Mother and Thunderdome

Finally, we also have a "War Boy" right in front when we arrive back at camp huffing paint, a well-known activity from Mad Max. 

Actually, remember when Rick portals home and a character comes with him? That character screams, “MY BODY IS CHROME, MY BLOOD IS GASOLINE" referencing the mentions of a "shiny and chrome" afterlife in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Anyway, also pictured above was a “Milk-Mother,” a prized possession in Mad Max: Fury Road.

So sad. So gross. Kinda badass.

Finally, when Summer's neighbor reveals she's pregnant, she makes a reference to the famous Mad Max line, "two men enter, one man leaves" which is a nod to Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.

We also must mention this is just before another one of our favorite lines,“we noticed you’ve been putting scrap metal in the bluuue bin” which gets quoted by CultSub staff more often than I can count.

Plants vs. Zombies Reference: Conehead Mutant Zombie Guy in Rick and Morty’s Bloodome

One of the mutants who Morty fights in the Blood Dome (the one with a traffic cone on his head) appears to be a zombie from the popular game series Plants vs. Zombies. Don’t you think? Might be a stretch, but we think we’re spot on knowing about Roiland’s obsession with video games.

Cultural Landmarks: Seattle Washington’s Pike Place Sign, Artari, Bart Simpson and Hello Kitty

The post-apocalyptic city Summer and Hemorrhage travel to features multiple Seattle landmarks, including Pike Place Market. Remember, Morty was all concerned about her leaving with people who have “death” in their names?

Also, go back and watch for Atari, Bart Simpson, and Hello Kitty in Seattle’s wreckage.

Rick Mentions Trichinosis An Infection Caused By Roundworms Found In Undercooked Meat

This is more of a fun fact than a reference, but we loved it. Remember when Rick selects bicep as his lunch? Rick also casually mentions trichinosis, which is an infection caused by roundworms found in raw or under-cooked meat. A well done and funny little joke we loved as well.

Oh, and don’t forget that during this post-apocalyptic journey Rick replaced Morty and Summer with robotic clones back in their reality. At the end of the episode multiple movies are referenced as Morty’s robot tries to break free and become a real human. Morty’s robot clone references titles like Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, Steven Spielberg's AI, Robin Williams's Bicentennial Man, and the classic children's book and Disney film, Pinocchio in his efforts. 

Oh Man - AND THEN THERE IS ARMOTHY

I mean, we could go on and on, but these are just some of our favorite moments, jokes and crazy-ass awesome references found in the Rick and Morty Romancing the Stone episode. 

If you’re interested, check out what else we got, broh!

Otherwise, we’d love to hear your thoughts, things we may have missed and more using the comments section located at the bottom of every blog post.

Come on, nerd out with us.