Summary
TheWayne’s Worldmovies are packed full of cultural references that were big in the early 1990s, but some of them make no sense today.Wayne’s Worldis one ofMike Myers' best movies, and it draws a lot of humor from timely pop culture parodies. For example,Wayne’s World 2includes a nod toJurassic Park,even though it was released less than six months after the Steven Spielberg movie.
Wayne’s Worldstarted life as anSNLsketch, so it makes sense that it has its finger on the pulse. However, whileSNL’s timely references are often forgotten about after a couple of weeks,Wayne’s Worldhas remained popular for over 30 years. There have even been persistent rumors of a potentialWayne’s World 3.BothWayne’s Worldand its sequel feature nods to some timeless classics, likeThe Graduate, Scooby-DooandPsycho,but there are also some lines that have aged terribly.
Alice Cooper’s Wayne’s World Role Explained
Legendary musician Alice Cooper is best known for his shock rock anthems, but he also had a memorable role in the 1990s comedy Wayne’s World.
10"NOT!"
People Don’t Talk Like They Did In 1992
One of the most famous quotes fromWayne’s World,and something that carried over from the originalSNLsketch, is the way Wayne and Garth say"Not!“For example, when a guest shows off his vacuum-powered hair-cutting machine, Wayne says"What a totally amazing excellent discovery… not!“The blunt, sarcastic remark is repeated by Wayne and Garth throughout both movies, and Russell even says it to Benjamin at one point.
The blunt, sarcastic remark is repeated by Wayne and Garth throughout both movies, and Russell even says it to Benjamin at one point.
The phrase has fallen out of fashion since 1992, and looking back atWayne’s World,it seems like a time capsule from an era when people used to speak like this. For such a short and simple catchphrase, it manages to sum up a lot of whatWayne’s Worldis about. Wayne and Garth often know the correct or proper thing for them to say in any given situation, but they show that they have no interest in that.
9"Do You Have Any Grey Poupon?”
Wayne’s World References A Series Of Commercials From The 1980s
While driving in the Mirthmobile, shortly afterWayne’s World’s iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene, the characters come to a stop next to a luxury car.Wayne gestures to the man in the backseat to roll down his window, and he asks him in an eloquent British accent for Grey Poupon.This is a reference to a series of commercials which ran throughout the 1980s, which tried to sell the dijon mustard as a luxury brand.
Wayne’s Grey Poupon prank underlines the way thatWayne’s Worldthumbs its nose at authority.
Wayne’s Grey Poupon prank underlines the way thatWayne’s Worldthumbs its nose at authority.Mike Myers isn’t the only person who has latched on to the idea of Grey Poupon as an indicator of the finer things in life. Rappers from Busta Rhymes to Kendrick Lamar make references to the condiment in their lyrics. It isn’t Wayne and Garth’s type of music, but it has the same attitude.
8Chia Pets
Chia Pets Aren’t As Popular As They Used To Be
Grey Poupon isn’t the only product thatWayne’s Worldname-drops. The beginning of the first movie shows Benjamin watching TV, and he flicks past a commercial for Chia Pets. The terracotta figures are designed for people to plant chia seeds in them, so that the seeds will sprout and resemble the fur of different animals. The product shown inWayne’s Worldis a ram, one of the company’s most popular pets.
Benjamin watches one or two other commercials, including one for Noah’s Arcade, but the Chia Pets commercial stands out as the most dated reference by far.
Chia Pets are still being sold today, but they definitely don’t hold the same cultural weight that they once did.It’s unlikely to see them being advertised on TV, and their jingle,“Ch-ch-ch-chia,“is well beyond its peak. Benjamin watches one or two other commercials, including one for Noah’s Arcade, but the Chia Pets commercial stands out as the most dated reference by far.
7"Nuprin. Little, Yellow, Different.”
Wayne’s World Makes Fun Of Product Placement In Movies
In one of the most memorable scenes inWayne’s World,Wayne and Garth tell Benjamin that they don’t want to sell out, but they do so by winking at the camera while showing off several famous products. This meta joke pokes fun at egregious product placement in movies. What Wayne and Garth are saying completely contradicts their actions, as they sell out in the most obvious way.
The movie refers specifically to the commercials for the painkiller that showed the yellow pills against a monochrome background to make them stand out.
The scene features a few different brands, including Pepsi, Reebok and Pizza Hut.Wayne’s World’s reference to Nuprin is outdated in a way that these others aren’t. The movie refers specifically to the commercials for the painkiller that showed the yellow pills against a monochrome background to make them stand out. It also dates itself by using the slogan,“Little. Yellow. Different”.
6"Fished In!”
Wayne’s World’s Final Line Is Incredibly Dated
Wayne’s Worldhas three endings. First, the sad ending, where Cassandra is rejected by the record company and Wayne’s house burns down. Next is the Scooby-Doo ending, where Wayne and Garth unmask Benjamin as old man Withers, who runs the haunted amusement park. Finally, they decide to go for the happy ending, where everything turns out perfectly in true Hollywood style.
Wayne and Garth say that everyone learned something and improved themselves, but they end the movie by shouting"Fished in"and imitating fish.
After Cassandra gets her record deal and takes Wayne back, he and Garth address the audience for one last time. They say that everyone learned something and improved themselves, but they end the movie by shouting"Fished in"and imitating fish.This is an outdated expression which has a similar meaning to"taking the bait”.The joke is that they tricked the audience with the sad ending, but the happy ending is the real one.
5The Sports Illustrated Football Phone
Physical Magazines And Landline Phones Aren’t The Only Outdated Parts Of This Joke
When Wayne first meets Jim Morrison in his dream inWayne’s World 2, he asks him two questions. First, he asks what he should do with his life, and then he asks whether Garth’s Sports Illustrated football phone will arrive in the mail soon. The rock star tells him that it was delivered to the wrong address, but it will arrive the next day. When Garth shows Wayne the phone after he wakes up, he takes it as a sign to follow Jim Morrison’s advice.
Sports Illustrated was struggling for new sales in the 1980s, and the football-shaped phone helped bring in over a million new subscribers.The novelty phone came free with every new subscription to the magazine when it was introduced in 1987, and it has been credited with turning Sports Illustrated’s fortunes around.Landline phones, let alone kitschy novelty phones, have all but disappeared now.
4Wayne’s Princess Di Comment
Wayne And Garth Definitely Fly To London, And Don’t Have Body Doubles There Instead
Ralph Brown’s character inWayne’s World 2pays tribute to his almost identical role in the British dark comedy classicWithnail & I.To get Del Preston’s help in creating Waynestock, Wayne and Garth must travel to London. While they are there, a couple of horribly mismatched body doubles go sightseeing. While outside Buckingham Palace, Wayne refers to Princess Diana as a"babe,“which seems a little insensitive now after the tragedy of her death.
While outside Buckingham Palace, Wayne refers to Princess Diana as a"babe,“which seems a little insensitive now after the tragedy of her death.
TheWayne’s Worldmovies refer to many of the pop culture sex icons of the time.Wayne and Garth pay tribute to Heather Locklear and Claudia Schiffer, and Kim Basinger has a role inWayne’s World 2.Princess Diana is another one of their celebrity crushes, but she died in a car crash in 1997. Wayne’s comment about her attractiveness now rings hollow. IfWayne’s Worldwere made today, it would almost certainly exclude this line.
3Cassandra Says Vinyl Is Becoming Obsolete
Wayne’s World’s Comments On Outdated Media Have Become Outdated
When Cassandra is talking about Bobby’s plans for her career inWayne’s World 2,she laments the fact that vinyl records are on their way out, since she will never be able to enjoy her own album on vinyl. This was true at the time, as CDs were taking over in the early 1990s as the predominant form of physical media, but vinyl has come back into fashion in recent years, while CDs are less common.
This outdated reference inWayne’s Worldis interesting because it shows the cyclical nature of some trends.
If Cassandra was making music in 2024, she probably would get a vinyl version of her album. This outdated reference inWayne’s Worldis interesting because it shows the cyclical nature of some trends. Vinyl was gone for a while, but it has seen a resurgence in sales. Of course, there’s no way thatWayne’s Worldcould have predicted this at the time, which leaves its dialogue about physical media looking dated.
2Jolt Cola
Garth’s Brand Of Cola Is No Longer Sold In The US
Toward the end ofWayne’s World 2,Wayne starts worrying his friends by talking about the naked Native American man who visits him in his dreams. When he appears beside Wayne at Waynestock holding a phone, Garth can’t see him. Instead, he sees the phone floating in midair, and he suggests that he may be hallucinating after drinking too much Jolt Cola, a caffeinated beverage that is now discontinued.
Jolt Cola was created in 1985. Its slogan,“All the sugar and twice the caffeine,“makes it clear why Garth might think he had been drinking too much.
Jolt Cola was created in 1985. Its slogan,“All the sugar and twice the caffeine,“makes it clear why Garth might think he had been drinking too much.The joke is that the cola has so much sugar and caffeine that it can mess with people’s brains. Jolt Cola’s parent company fell into financial trouble during the 2000s. The drink made a brief comeback, butit can now only be bought in Australia.
1Keep America Beautiful
The Ending Of Wayne’s World 2 Makes Room For One More Outdated Reference
Larry Sellers plays the weirdest character in theWayne’s Worldmovies, the naked Native American man who guides Wayne into a desert dreamscape to meet Jim Morrison. Wayne’s strange spiritual guide doesn’t say anything for the entire movie, and he only appears periodically to urge Wayne to follow him or, in one case, to dance along to Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.”
This is a reference to a PSA from the environmental non-profit Keep America Beautiful that became famous in the 1970s.
In the post-credits scene ofWayne’s World 2,the Native American man looks at the trash left behind by the fans at Waynestock and lets a single tear roll down his cheek. This is a reference to a PSA from the environmental non-profit Keep America Beautiful that became famous in the 1970s. The organization still exists today, and it still tries to stop littering. However, its most famous PSA has been left in the past. The actor who plays the Native American man was actually Italian-American, so it could be seen as problematic.
Wayne’s World
Cast
Penelope Spheeris takes the classic Saturday Night Live recurring sketch and expands it into its own film with Wayne’s World, a comedy film that stars Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth. The movie follows the two music fans as they begin to climb the ladder of success by taking their public access show in their basement to a worldwide audience after “selling out,” leading the two stuck in a situation where they lose creative control of their passion project - and must find a way to take it back.
