The Ministry of Silly Walks - References in Popular Culture

References in Popular Culture

• In 2000, an episode of Mission Hill, "Andy and Kevin Make a Friend (or One Bang for Two Brothers)", referenced the sketch when one of the characters attempts to impress a girl by showing how he does a 'great silly walk' from the Ministry of Silly Walks.
• A reference is made to the Silly Walk in an episode of the WB's Gilmore Girls when Rory says "Please, don't walk away like that", and Dean responds with "Sorry, I'd do a silly walk, but I'm not feeling very John Cleese right now."
• In the video game Goldeneye 007, an image of a man doing John Cleese's silly walk can be seen on several computer monitors.
• In an issue of The Simpsons Bongo comic when the British invade Springfield it shows John Cleese doing the goosestep and labels him as "the Minister of Silly Walks".
• On an episode of The Chaser's War On Everything, Andrew Hansen and Chris Taylor do a sketch called "The Chaser's British Comedy Sketch", filled with various Monty Python cliches, which climaxes with Andrew screaming "I'm going to do something so totally bizarre it will be imitated verbatim by comedy nerds for decades to come!" He then does a silly walk, doing imitations of Pepperpots, until a 16-ton weight falls on his head.
• In November 2007, as the Eurostar duration between Brussels and London was reduced to 1 hour and 51 minutes, the "Ministry of Silly Walks" appeared in an ad campaign in Belgium. The adverts were all on building corners, showing two workers carrying a large glass pane walking towards the corner on one side, and walking towards them on the other side a John Cleese look-alike doing his famous Silly Walk. The tagline read "Warning! London is just around the corner!".
• In the twenty-fifth-anniversary reunion episode of I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, John Cleese consents to appear on the show on condition that he be allowed to do the Silly Walk; the other cast members are dubious about the comedic impact of doing the Walk on radio, but they ultimately give in after Cleese puts on a show of hurt feelings. Near the end of the show, Cleese presents the Silly Walk, rendered on radio as a series of loud, slow footsteps.
• In the video game Destroy All Humans! 2, in the Albion level, (a city based on London), if you read a hippie's mind one of the thoughts is, " I hope I can get a job at the Ministry of Silly Walks." (This video game is known for spoofing popular culture of the decade in which it is set)
• In a standup comedy routine in Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One For the Road Larry the Cable Guy, referring to strange people who go to Wal-Mart in the middle of the night, says that it "turns into Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks."
• In Improv Everywhere's 2010 Mp3 experiment, participants were asked to walk in a silly manner, after the silly walk session finished 'Mark (the omnipotent voice from above)' stated: "excellent silly walks, those belong in the Ministry hall of fame".
• Early textless panels for the next of Alan Moore's graphic novels, Century: 1969, include Cleese's character, as well as Steptoe and Son.
• In a segment in a Beano Book featured Minnie the Minx as the "Minnie-ster of Silly Walks"
• In episode 6 of Fawlty Towers, "The Germans," Basil (John Cleese) is impersonating Hitler and says, "I'll even do the silly walk," goose-stepping in a similar way to his Python routine. The live audience reacts with laughter and applause.