List of references (Heavy)

Due to the comedic style of Team Fortress 2 and Valve's humor, the game includes references, usually in a humorous fashion. There are many sources, including games, movies, and music; even jokes that have developed within the game and its community have been included. Below are references specific to the Heavy class. Many of these refer to topics relating to the USSR or communism in general, as the Heavy hails from the Soviet Union, a former communist superpower.

Achievements

Borscht Belt Kill 10 Heavies with The K.G.B.

Borscht Belt is an informal term for the summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in Sullivan and Ulster Counties in upstate New York, which were a popular holiday spot for New York Jews. The term Borscht Belt can also refer to the Catskill region itself.

Borscht is a vegetable soup that can be found in many Eastern European countries, including Russia.

Class Struggle Work with a friendly Medic to kill an enemy Heavy & Medic pair.

Class struggle is the active expression of a theoretical class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. The communist manifesto suggested a course of action for a working-class revolution to overthrow the bourgeois social order and to eventually bring about a classless and stateless society.

Communist Mani-Fisto Kill an enemy with a critical punch.

The name of this achievement is a portmanteau of "communist manifesto" and "fist".

Crime and Punishment Kill 10 enemies carrying your intelligence.

Crime and Punishment is a novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Crock Block Survive a direct hit from a critical rocket.

"Crocket" is an abbreviation for a critical rocket.

The term also derives from the expression "cock block", a term for blocking a man's advance on a woman in some way.

Division of Labor Kill 10 enemies with a Medic assisting you, where neither of you die.

Division of labour is the specialisation of cooperative labour in specific, circumscribed tasks. Historically, an increasingly complex division of labour is closely associated with the growth of total output and trade, the rise of capitalism, and of the complexity of industrialisation processes.

Don't Touch Sandvich Kill 50 Scouts using Natascha.

This is a reference to Meet the Scout, where the RED Scout ate the BLU Heavy's Sandvich after a fight. The requirement to use Natascha may be due to Natascha's slowdown properties.

Factory Worker Kill 20 enemies while being recharged by a dispenser.

The reference of this achievement alludes to Russia's industrialization during the 1920s, in which the majority of Russian workers took jobs in factories. This would also apply to the Heavy's location of origin, the Soviet Union, which the majority of 1920s Russia was ruled by.

Five Second Plan Kill an enemy in the first 5 seconds after you exit a teleporter.

The Five-Year Plans for the National Economy of the USSR were a series of nation-wide centralized exercises in rapid economic development in the Soviet Union.

Gorky Parked Kill 25 enemies while you're standing on a control point you own.

Gorky Central Park of Culture and Leisure is an amusement park in Moscow, named after Soviet author Maxim Gorky, a founder of the socialist realism literary method and a political activist.

Gorky Park is also the name of a 1981 crime novel written by Martin Cruz Smith set in the Soviet Union. It follows an investigator who is assigned a case involving three corpses found in Gorky Park. It was adapted into a well-received film in 1983.

Heavy Industry Fire $200,000 worth of minigun rounds in a single life.

The description of the achievement might be referring to an often-quoted line from Meet the Heavy, in which the Heavy, while talking about his minigun, Sasha, explains that "it costs four hundred thousand dollars to fire this weapon...for twelve seconds."

Soviet industrial policy, and Soviet propaganda, placed great emphasis on the development of heavy industries such as steelmaking.

Icing on the Cake Get 20 kills on players that you're dominating.

The term "icing on the cake" refers to additional touches or perks that make something that was already regarded as quite good become even better.

Iron Kurtain Take 1000 points of damage in a single life.

The term "Iron Curtain" was coined by Winston Churchill and refers to the symbolic, ideological, and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War, roughly 1945 to 1991. On both sides of the Iron Curtain, the states developed their own international economic and military alliances, COMECON with the Warsaw Pact on the east side with the USSR as most important member, and NATO and the European Community on the west side, with the United States.

Kollectivization Get 1000 assists.

Collectivization was a policy of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union; its goal was to gather individual land and labor into collective farms. This can be seen as an implementation of a Command Economy during the rapid Industrialization of the USSR from the late 1920s to the 1940s.

Konspicuous Konsumption Eat 100 sandviches.

Conspicuous consumption is lavish spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying a person's wealth. It can also refer to a propensity towards overeating.

Krazy Ivan Kill 50 enemies while both you and your victim are underwater.

Crazy Ivan is a naval term for a submarine maneuver, characterized by any number of sudden and sharp turns, used by submarine crews to "look behind" their boat using sonar.

Lenin A Hand Help 5 teammates get revenge on their nemeses.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian revolutionary, communist politician, the main leader of the October Revolution, the first head of the Russian Soviet Socialist Republic and the first de facto leader of the Soviet Union. He was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Marxman Kill 10 enemies in mid-air with the minigun.

Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, political economist, sociologist, humanist, political theorist, and revolutionary, who was known as the Father of Communism.

0wn the Means of Production Remove 20 stickybombs by killing the Demomen who produced them.

"Means of Production" is a Marxist concept describing the combination of the means of labor and the subject of labor used by workers to make products. "Own the Means of Production" itself is a quote by Karl Marx.

"0wn" is an Internet slang term used to refer to defeating someone in a game.

Permanent Revolution Kill 5 enemies without spinning down your gun.

"Permanent revolution" is a term within Marxist theory, established in usage by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels by 1850.

Photostroika Provide an enemy with a freezecam shot of you taunting while invulnerable.

Perestroika is the Russian term for the political and economic reforms introduced in June 1987 by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Its literal meaning is "restructuring", referring to the restructuring of the Soviet economy. Perestroika is often argued to be one reason for the fall of communist political forces in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and for the end of the Cold War.

Purge Kill 15 enemies capturing a control point you own.

The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938.

Pushkin the Kart Get 50 caps on payload maps.

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was a Russian Romantic author who is widely considered to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. Pushkin pioneered the use of vernacular speech in his poems and plays, creating a style of storytelling — mixing drama, romance, and satire — associated with Russian literature ever since and greatly influencing later Russian writers.

Rasputin In a single life, get shot, burned, bludgeoned, and receive explosive damage.

Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was a Russian mystic who is perceived as having influenced the later days of the Tsar Nicholas II. Rasputin had often been called the "Mad Monk", while others considered him a religious pilgrim and even a faith healer. He reputedly survived being stabbed, poisoned, shot, and beaten, after which he finally died from exposure after being thrown into an icy river. In addition, his body was to be cremated, only for several muscles in his body to contract during the cremation, causing his corpse to stand up, creating panic that he was still alive during the burning.

Rationing Kill an enemy with your shotgun while you're out of minigun ammo.

The controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services is called rationing. An individual's allotted portion of the resources is called their ration, and is distributed to them on a particular day or at a particular time. Rationing is often used to minimise a county's dependence on imported goods during wartime.

Redistribution of Health Heal 1000 damage with med-kits in a single life.

Redistribution of Wealth is the transfer of income, materials, and/or property, usually from the rich to the poor. Because of this, the policy is usually associated with Communism.

Red Oktoberfest Earn a domination for a Medic who's healing you.

The October Revolution, also known as the "Red October", refers to a revolution that began with an armed insurrection in Petrograd. The October Revolution overthrew the Russian Provisional Government and gave the power to the Soviets dominated by Bolsheviks. It was followed by the Russian Civil War and the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922.

It may also refer to The Hunt for Red October, a novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.

Red Oktoberfest is a combination of Red October and the name of the German festival Oktoberfest, as obtaining this achievement requires the collaboration of a Medic and a Heavy.

Show Trial Kill an enemy with a taunt.

The show trials were a significant part of Stalin's regime. If defendants refused to admit guilt for their alleged and mostly fabricated crimes, they did not go on public trial, but suffered execution nonetheless. The Moscow Trials of the Great Purge period in the Soviet Union are characteristic of this.

Soviet Block While invulnerable and on defense, block an invulnerable enemy Heavy's movement.

During the Cold War, the term "Communist Bloc" or "Soviet Bloc" was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were its allies in Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and — until the early 1960s — Albania).

Soviet Union Get 25 enemy kills where you either assist or are assisted by another Heavy.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also called the Soviet Union, was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.

Spyalectical Materialism Kill or assist in killing 10 cloaked Spies.

Dialectical materialism, according to many followers of Karl Marx's thinking, is the philosophical basis of Marxism.

Stalin the Kart Block the enemy from moving the payload cart 25 times.

Joseph Stalin was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee from 1922 until his death in 1953. During that time, he established the regime now known as Stalinism. He gradually consolidated power and became the de facto party leader and dictator of the Soviet Union.

Supreme Soviet Get ÜberCharged 50 times.

The Supreme Soviet of the USSR was the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. It elected the Presidium, formed the Soviet government and Supreme Court, and appointed the Procurator General of the USSR.

Vanguard Party Be the first on your team to start capturing a control point in a round.

A Vanguard party is a political party at the forefront of a mass action, movement, or revolution.

Weapons

Apoco-Fists Turn every one of your fingers into the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse! That's over nineteen Horsemen of the Apocalypse per glove! The most Apocalypse we've ever dared attach to one hand!

The Apoco-Fists are based on the "Apoca-Fist", a weapon in Saints Row: The Third.

The name is a play on apocalypse, a term for the end of the world.

The description references the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, depicted in Christian theology as the harbingers of the Last Judgement.

Dalokohs Bar

"Dalokohs" is "shokolad" (шоколад), the Russian, Bulgarian, and Ukrainian word for chocolate, spelled backwards.

Eviction Notice

Eviction is the act of forcibly expelling someone from a property. The term is used as a euphemism for murder by the Mafia.

Family Business

The phrase "Family Business" often refers to crime families operating within the Mafia.

Fists of Steel

The weapon's name is a reference to the Heavy's line "My fists, they are made of steel!" which is in turn a reference to Duke Nukem's line "I've got balls of steel!"

Gloves of Running Urgently

G.R.U. is a Latin romanization of the Russian acronym ГРУ which means Главное Разведывательное Управление (Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye). The GRU was the foreign military intelligence agency of the Soviet Union, directly translating to "Main Intelligence Directorate", and is still used to refer to the foreign military intelligence agency of the Russian Federation.

Holiday Punch Be the life of the war party with these laugh-inducing punch-mittens.

Holiday punch is a drink commonly made during the holiday season.

Iron Curtain

The term "Iron Curtain" was coined by Winston Churchill and refers to the symbolic, ideological, and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War, roughly 1945 to 1991.

Killing Gloves of Boxing

The acronym of the Killing Gloves of Boxing, K.G.B., was also an abbreviation for the Russian security agency, secret police, and intelligence agency Komityet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosty, which was disbanded in 1995.

Tomislav

The name "Tomislav" is derived from the Slavic verb tomiti, meaning "to suppress." It is also a play on "Tommy gun", a well-known name for the Thompson submachine gun.

Cosmetic Items

All-Father Throughout the history of civilization, the white beard has come to symbolize wisdom and status. Show the world it’s possible to be bearded AND stupid with this Heavy- and Soldier-specific face-nest. Shove it, civilization!

"All-Father" refers to Odin, the chief god of Norse myth and one of the folkloric origins of the modern Santa Claus figure.

Apparatchik's Apparel Toting around a 150-kilogram minigun gives those forearm muscles a nice workout. Show them off with these rolled-sleeve shirts, in your choice of argyle, lumberjack, rugby stripe or vertical pinstripe.

"Apparatchik" is the Russian word for an operator of a mechanical device, as well as slang for a Communist bureaucrat or agent.

The item's description refers to Meet the Heavy, in which the Heavy states that Sasha weighs 150 kilograms.

Aqua Flops While the rest of your body's at war, why not treat your feet to a little taste of the tropics?

This item resembles the flip-flops worn by the character Carl Brutananadilewski from the TV show Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Brock's Locks The first time the sun glints off of this manly mane of teased, tousled trusses, you'll wonder why you didn't get hair implants from your lower back and buttocks years ago.

This hat resembles the hairstyle of the character Brock Samson from the TV show The Venture Bros.

Capo's Capper

A Capo is a high-ranking member of a Mafia family, who usually serves as a direct aid to the Mob boss.

Carl Action stars like Bruce Willis and Vin Diesel have shown us the unstoppable power of baldness. On the other hand, Nic Cage's long flowing hair was pretty great in Con Air. This male pattern baldness wig solves the problem of what (if any) hair to have, by giving you the best of both worlds. Comes with free moustache!

This hat resembles the hair and mustache worn by the character Carl Brutananadilewski from the TV show Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Champ Stamp Show Chinese organized crime gangs who's boss by wearing their cool tattoos without actually participating in any of their totally illegal criminal conspiracies! Note: DO NOT actually show your new tattoo to ANYONE in a Chinese organized crime gang.

The name is a reference to the term "Tramp stamp", referring to a tattoo which a woman places on her lower back.

Chicken Kiev

Chicken Kiev is an Eastern European dish of boneless chicken breast pounded and rolled around cold garlic butter with herbs, then breaded and either fried or baked, similar to Chicken Cordon Bleu.

Dread Knot Crybabies cower; At the approach of fat man; With terrible hair.

The name is a reference to the dreadnought, a type of 20th Century battleship with tremendous firepower. The word itself literally means "fear nothing".

The name also refers to the top-knot, a traditional hairstyle worn by samurai and sumo wrestlers.

The description is written in traditional Japanese haiku form of three lines in a 5-7-5 syllable pattern.

The FrankenHeavy

The name of this set refers to Frankenstein, a horror novel about a scientist who creates a monstrous creature out of body parts. The items in the set give the Heavy a likeness to Frankenstein's monster.

Gym Rat Let's get physical. Physical.

A gym rat is a person who spends a disproportionate amount of time working out.

The hat's description is a reference to the song Physical by Olivia Newton-John.

Heavy Duty Rag It costs $400,000 to wear this bandanna for 12 seconds.

The description of this hat is based on "It costs four hundred thousand dollars to fire this weapon... for twelve seconds," a phrase from Meet the Heavy that is frequently referenced and parodied.

The name is a portmanteau of "heavy duty" and Do-Rag, a name for a piece of cloth used to cover the head.

Hound Dog Your opponents will be all shook up when they see these sweet shades and coif.

This hairstyle was popularised by Elvis Presley, who also wrote the song Hound Dog, after which the hat is named. The description refers to the lyrics of another of Elvis's songs, All Shook Up.

Hunger Force Let your enemies know you're a loose cannon by showing them how little you care about your own appearance. You've let yourself go, and have absolutely nothing to lose. Terrifying!

This item resembles the tank top worn by the character Carl Brutananadilewski from the TV show Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Mad Mask

Road Rage

Road Block

This item is based off the mask worn by Lord Humungus, the main antagonist of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. The Mad Mask's name is also a pun on "Mad Max", the main protagonist of the series of the same name.

Nuke

This item is styled after the Duke Nukem series' eponymous character.

Officer's Ushanka This hat was made of bear hands. That bear was killed with bare hands.

The description of this hat is a reference to one of the Heavy's responses.

This hat, alongside the Gentleman's Ushanka, are references to the 1982 romantic drama film An Officer and a Gentleman.

One-Man Army You send that many men against a bandanna like this, don't forget one thing: A good supply of body bags.

This hat gives the Heavy a striking resemblance to Rambo. The description is a reference to a quote from Rambo: First Blood, which is spoken by Rambo's commanding officer to the chief of police, with the word "man" replaced with "bandanna".

Purity Fist

Purity First is the name of a radical anti-augmentation group in the game Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

Starboard Crusader

Tsar Platinum

Both items are modeled after the iconic hat and coat worn by by Jotaro Kujo, the primary protagonist of Stardust Crusaders, the third part of the manga and anime series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Team Captain Our lawyers say 'YES! YES!'

The appearance and description of this hat is a reference to the Street Fighter series main villain M. Bison. "YES! YES!" refers to the Street Fighter cartoon which is also a widely spread Internet meme.

Toss-Proof Towel Make sure you never throw in the towel, even accidentally, by keeping it nice and close, where it can't run off and surrender like a coward when you're not looking.

The phrase "throw in the towel" is an idiom that means to admit defeat. The phrase comes from boxing, wherein a trainer may throw a towel into the ring to signal that his fighter cannot continue.

Tough Guy's Toque Because when you're the toughest Mother Hubbard in the fort, nobody's criticizing your fashion sense.

This hat is a possible reference to Jayne, the big, gun-toting mercenary in Joss Whedon's series Firefly and the subsequent movie, Serenity. Like the Heavy, Jayne personifies everything it means to be a "tough guy", and has given his gun a name, Vera. Also like the Heavy, Jayne acquires a knitted cap much in this same style, of which he is irrepressibly proud. The description is also a reference to Meet the Engineer.

White Russian

El Duderino

Both the White Russian and the El Duderino are a reference to the character Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski from the film "The Big Lebowski."

Taunts

Killing Gloves of Boxing

Also works with Gloves of Running Urgently, Fists of Steel, Eviction Notice, Bread Bite, and Warrior's Spirit.

The Heavy's K.G.B. taunt animation is a homage to Mr. Sandman's warm-up technique from the NES game Punch Out!!.

Responses

Other Responses

"Run, cowards!"

"I live!" - at round start

These quotes come from the 1982 arcade game Sinistar, in which a gigantic antagonist taunts the player with said phrases.

"Moist and delicious! Hehaha!" -after eating a Sandvich

This is a reference to a line from the ending song in Portal, Still Alive (It's so delicious and moist).

"My fists! They are made of STEEL!" - after a kill made with the Fists of Steel

This phrase is a reference to Duke Nukem's quote "I've got balls of steel!"

"I am Heavy weapons guy, and this is my new weapon." - after using the "battle cry" voice command while holding an unlockable weapon or spinning up an unlockable weapon

This is very similar to one of the Heavy's lines in Meet the Heavy.

"Nom nom nom, om nom." -while eating a Sandvich

The Heavy's distinctive Sandvich-devouring noise is a reference to popular internet phrase "OM NOM NOM", an onomatopaeiac representation of the act of eating believed to have been coined by Cookie Monster from the children's educational television series Sesame Street. "Copyright Omnomnom" is also seen on the ending card of Meet the Sandvich. The phrase is often misspelled as "nom nom nom".

"Da da da da. Da da da da. Come sing with me! Da da da da da." (Volga Boatmen) - "Cheers" command

(Mily Balakirev's Song of the Volga Boatmen)

(Mily Balakirev's Song of the Volga Boatmen) "C'mon!"

(Mily Balakirev's Song of the Volga Boatmen) "Push!" - pushing Payload cart forward

(Mily Balakirev's Song of the Volga Boatmen) "Saww-ndvich, sandwich!" - after eating a Sandvich

(Mily Balakirev's Song of the Volga Boatmen) - After eating Dalokohs Bar or Fishcake

(Mily Balakirev's Song of the Volga Boatmen) "Da di da da. This is morale song!" - Starting the first round of Competitive Mode under Casual Mode

"Da dun dun...ha ha ha!" (Sung to the tune of "The Song of the Volga Boatmen") - If previous Competitive Mode round was a win

"Da da da da! Everybody!" (Sung to the tune of "The Song of the Volga Boatmen") - If previous Competitive Mode round was a win

This is the Heavy's rendition of The Song of the Volga Boatmen, a well-known traditional Russian song collected by Mily Balakirev, and published in his book of folk songs. It was inspired by Ilya Repin's famous painting, Burlaks on the Volga, depicting the suffering of the people in the depth of misery in Tsarist Russia.

"Dakka-dakka-dakka-dakka-da-Kaboom-Kaboom!" - after destroying a building

This is the Sabre Dance, by Aram Khachaturian. It evokes a whirling war dance in an Armenian dance, where the dancers display their skill with sabres. Due to its exceptionally exciting rhythm, the Sabre Dance established a place for itself in common concert practice, leading also to various adaptations in popular music.

"Dah da da-dah da da-da-da-da-da-dahhhh!" - using "cheer" voice command

One of the songs the Heavy sings as part of his cheer lines is the Funeral March, the third and most recognizable movement of Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2. This has become well known in popular culture, and was also used at the state funerals of John F. Kennedy and those of Soviet leaders, including Leonid Brezhnev, and in the WWE as the entrance theme of The Undertaker.

"Everyone! Friendship is STUPID magic!" -wearing the Fairy Princess item set

A reference to the 2010 series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.

Media

Meet the Sandvich

The ending of Meet the Sandvich is a direct reference to the ending of Meet the Heavy, with the Heavy eating his Sandvich rather than firing his Minigun.

Meet the Scout

The Sandvich first appeared as a joke in the Meet the Scout video, acting as a point of contention between a BLU Heavy and the Scout. It was later added into the game as an unlockable weapon and major class addition to the Heavy.

Meet the Heavy

"Four hundred thousand dollas to fire that gun, huh? Yeah, money well spent!"

"Them two hundred dolla' bullets ain't so hot when they don't HIT nothin', are they?"

The Scout talks about the price of Sasha in Meet the Heavy.