Cameos
Some bootleg arcade versions of Dig Dug were made, under the name Zig Zag. One version looked exactly like the original, and the other changed both the sounds and colors, as well as adding a pickaxe power-up that made the player move faster.
The character Pooka has many cameos in Namco games, most often as an enemy in Namco games such as the Pac-Man World series. Pooka was playable for the first time in the game Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness as an unlockable character for the multiplayer modes. He is also available to play as in Pac-Man World Rally, as well as Fygar. Pooka also appeared in the Namco arcade game Pole Position on a roadside billboard. In Pac-Man World, he appears as one of the friends of Pac-Man who was kidnapped by Toc-Man.
In R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, there is an American racing team with Dig Dug artwork on its hauler and is named the "Dig Racing Team", run by manager Robert Chrisman. It is the "expert" team of the game. Also in R4, the track "Phantomile" has a giant statue of Pooka alongside Pac-Man on the left hand side of the finishing straight. The "Pooka Line" track, which is the first in the game, has a giant screen with a Pooka and Fygar chasing Dig Dug's protagonist in arcade-style graphics, which changes to him inflating a Pooka when the player takes the lead. In Ridge Racer 64, however, "Dig Racing Team" has to be unlocked by winning all the tracks in Stage 3 in first place – and waiting for the credits to roll, then defeating the car on the "Renegade Expert" track in Car Attack mode. This same game also features Pooka as a selectable car, which is unlocked by breaking the time record in any of the Ridge Racer Extreme tracks on Time Attack mode.
The Dig Dug universe and some of its characters appear in the Mr. Driller games, starring Taizo Hori's son, Susumu. Additionally, he is also a playable character in the Japan only RPG, Namco X Capcom.
Dig Dug was parodied in the Robot Chicken episode "President Evil."
In the Disney movie, Wreck-It Ralph, Dig Dug, a Pooka, and a Fygar are three of the characters in Game Central Station. Pooka and Fygar are seen when the camera is moving from the tunnel, and Dig Dug starts trying to dig away from Ralph when he comes towards him.
In Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith Kevin expresses his joy at Bruce Willis wanting to work with him, and unable to find a film to suit his jokes about Bruce Willis as Dig Dug.
In Mario Kart Arcade GP Pooka is used as a special character item for Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man.
In Noby Noby Boy, you can sometimes play on maps with Dig Dugs and Pookas.
In the fifth season of the X-Files, a character was featured playing "Dig Dug" in the episode "Unusual Suspects".
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