The fictional Zoltar Speaks fortune-telling machine portrayed in the film was modeled after the real-

life 1960s machine Zoltan,[50][51] the name differing by one letter. In 2007, the Nevada-
based animatronic company Characters Unlimited was awarded a trademark for Zoltar Speaks[52] and
began selling fortune-telling machines with that name.[53]

The film is referenced in the 2019 DC Extended Universe film Shazam!. In the scene in which Doctor
Sivana chases Billy Batson into a toy store, Billy unknowingly steps onto a Walking Piano and briefly
plays it before being knocked out a window by Sivana. Additionally, both films' plots center around a
child who is magically transformed into an adult.[54][55]

An Easter egg made an appearance in The Order season 2, episode 2, entitled "Free Radicals, Part
2." In the episode, Alyssa shows Jack (Jake Manley) their vault of magical artifacts, which is
described by Alyssa as "the beating heart of the Order." This place has everything from Excalibur to
the Ark of the Covenant. While there, a Zoltar fortune-telling machine from Big catches Jack's eye.
Alyssa explains that it's an "enchanted" Zoltar machine that makes wishes come true. After Jack
says he wishes to know his major, Alyssa quickly warns him that Zoltar is a "bit of a trickster" who
"grants your wishes ironically." The machine, which is among the artifacts stolen by the demon
summoned by the Knights of Saint Christopher, can be spotted in multiple episodes. [56]

In the 2023 film Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the character Mirage references the movie in the
line, "Big is just a movie, you'll never be a real boy!"