Did you know that many of the spells they write into Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place are more than just a mish mash of nonsense words? Many of the spells they use on the show are made up of pop culture references. Here are a few interesting ones they’ve used on the show.

Edgebono Utoostis (the ability to duplicate any object) is a reference to the Irish band U2 and its members The Edge and Bono.

Spandau Ballet, tell me it’s true, take this evil man, you know what to do (a spell to make an evil wizard disappear), Scrittipolitty Noquitty (the ability to make someone unable from quitting and Please please, tell me now, is there something I should know, Duranium, Duranius (shows something people “might want to know” in a picture frame) are references to the 80′s bands Spandau Ballet, Scritti Politti and Duran Duran.

The episode Monster Hunter has a bunch of music references:
Train in vain, go to Spain! (causes a train to go to Spain) is a reference to one of punk band The Clash’s best known songs Train in Vain. Hot monsters in the city, running wild what a pity! (releases monsters into someone’s city) “Hot monsters in the city…running wild and…” are lyrics from a nick gilder song. And Hair all frizzy, don’t have a tizzy, thin lizzy! (makes people thin) is obviously a reference to the band Thin Lizzy.

McReary Time-reary (the ability to rewind time) is a pun on the name of one of the shows writers, Gigi McCreery. Murrieta Animata (the ability to animate any object) is a reference to Peter Murrieta, an executive producer and writer for the series.

Gunga Galunga are the magic words you speak while wearing Merlin’s hat to grant any wish. It is also a pretty well known catch phrase of Bill Murray’s from the movie Caddyshack.

Fortunato Amontillado (Causes a person to come to the wizard depending on where he or she is) is the spell Stevie used in “The Good, the Bad, and the Alex” to barricade the wizard portal with a broom stick, it’s also a reference to the Edgar Allen Poe story “The Cask of Amontillado” where the main character named Fortunato (where do we know that name from seals his enemy up by chaining him to a wall and sealing that section of the room up by building a wall leaving him there to die.

Bonus Waverly Place trivia Mr. Laritate is named after Larry Tate a character from the sitcom Bewitched and Ms. Majorhealy is named after Major Healey from sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.