Huzzah! After a six-year hiatus,The Amazing World of Gumball is back at last. Hulu’sThe Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball is the stuff TV revival dreams are made of.
Just like the OG episodes, this new season is packed with hidden jokes and cultural references that are sure to fly over kids’ heads. Here are 15 of the most clever references I clocked:
1.
First, in “The Burger,” when Gumball casually takes a shot at Elon Musk for his children’s, erm, unusual names.
2.
In “The Assistant,” when cartoon Donald Trump gloriously gets his wig snatched away at the supermarket.
3.
Also in “The Assistant,” this clever nod to Club Penguin.
4.
In “The Distance,” the line below is a play on the term “Padawan” from Star Wars.
5.
In “The Butts,” when Mr. Brown begins to rap, the students break out into some very distinct dance moves, parodying several popular memes.
6.
In “The Boring,” when Darwin and Gumball pay tribute to Dragon Ball Z.
7.
In “The Teacher,” when the show poked fun at a bunch of celebs’ Met Gala outfits.
8.
In “The App,” Darwin and Gumball wear special shades that make them see subliminal messages, just like in the sci-fi movie They Live (1988).
9.
Also in “The App,” the moldy tortilla trend on Click-Sap is based on the IRL TikTok trend from 2022 where people slapped each other’s faces with tortillas (aka “The Tortilla Challenge”).
10.
In “The Letter,” when Darwin busted out some Fortnite dance moves.
11.
In “The Gut,” when the show gave us this clever little nod to Love Island.
13.
In “The Wrinkle,” there’s a subtle reference to Tom Cruise’s mask in Vanilla Sky (2001).
14.
In “The Gourmet,” this brilliant (and disturbing) nod to Lady Gaga’s infamous “meat dress.”
15.
And finally, in “The Climb,” when an animated Queen Camilla randomly makes a cameo because…reasons, I guess!
What other references have YOU spotted? Tell us your faves in the comments!
Watch The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball on Hulu.