From its earliest minutes, Fuller House is a spinoff that has always embraced paying homage to the main characters' TGIF past as part of the flagship sitcom Full House. While the Netflix comedy never got to welcome Michelle Tanner into the fold, with the Olsen twins refusing all cameo offers, it has featured the vast majority of Full House's expanded cast over its five-season run, all the while calling back to plenty of specific Tanner-family moments. To be expected, Fuller House doubled down on the nostalgic references with its final nine episodes, even with certain faces still absent this time around.
Below, you'll find the lion's share of Fuller House's awesome callbacks to its cheese-tastic predecessor, as seen in the back half of Season 5, which will likely be the last time we see anything new from the Tanner-Fuller families on TV. (At least until Jackson, Max and Tommy are all grown up and in need of a big house to call their own.) Grab a big bowl of "ous cweam," a big box of tissues, and read on!
Joey's Bullwinkle Impression (Episode 10)
Almost from the very beginning of its final nine episodes, Fuller House gave viewers a impersonation-centered blast from the past. When Dave Coulier's Joey Gladstone entered the main house to an empty living room, his first instinct was to give himself some fake antlers and say, "Hello, everybody," as Bullwinkle. The animated moose was one of Joey's most oft-used impressions in the original show, alongside Popeye.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? A slew of them, since Joey was known for impersonating Bullwinkle on a regular basis. Not so much Rocky J. Squirrel, though.
Stephanie Drives Into The Kitchen...Again (Episode 11)
Considering how rare it is for the Full House franchise to feature a car in the backyard, a lot of fans likely had some instant expectations upon seeing just such a thing in Season 5's eleventh episode. And sure enough, as soon as Stephanie got behind the wheel, audiences likely experienced a feeling of de(struction)ja vu as she backed the vehicle through the kitchen wall, just like she did as a child.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 3, Episode 20: "Honey, I Broke the House"
D.J.'s Newlywed Game Round 2 (Episode 16)
Even though The Newlywed Game hasn't produced new episodes for quite a few years now, that didn't stop Fuller House from using the relationship-based game show to prepare for D.J., Stephanie and Kimmy's respective upcoming nuptials. While it's certainly worth theorizing about how the show's youngest generation set up this wedding shower, complete with official trademarked logos, the main idea here is that it's a callback to that other time Steve and D.J. tested their relationship's strength against that of Danny/Vicky and Jesse/Becky.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 7, Episode 13: "The Perfect Couple"
Jimmy's Version Of Stephanie's "Love Shack" Dance (Episode 16)
Nothing says loving like reproducing an adult version of the multi-colored, home-crafted sweater that your significant other had worn while dancing to The B-52's "Love Shack" during a telethon when they were seven years old. Wait, that IS love, right? I should hope so, because that's what Jimmy Gibbler did for Stephanie during the Newlywed Game episode. I hope there was video of that telethon, because otherwise, I have too many questions.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 3, Episode 24: "Our Very First Telethon"
Michelle's Bike, Dude (Episode 17)
Have mercy, Fuller House unleashed a smorgasbord of fan-friendly callbacks during the penultimate episode's trip to the attic. The show had already gone into the attic earlier in Season 5, where fans got to see the framed bunny wallpaper from Uncle Jesse's old room, as well as a stuffed doll of Rigby the Rhino, the psuedo-Barney TV character. This time around, D.J., Stephanie and Kimmy went up in search of wedding gear, and the first object that got a direct mention was Michelle's old bike. Amusingly enough, it was fourth-wall-breaking nod to the Olsen Twins' glaring absence.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 5, Episode 13: "Easy Rider"; Season 7, Episode 11: "The Bicycle Thief"
Reconnecting With D.J.'s Lips Phone (Episode 17)
While in the attic, Stephanie quickly stumbled across one of the most recognizable TV show telephones of any era: D.J.'s ultra-red lips phone. Not sure why Danny & Co. packed that up instead of throwing it out years ago, but its existence in this episode led to what was easily my favorite joke of Fuller House's entire run. D.J.'s perfectly punned reaction to seeing her old phone: "Oh my landline," itself a reference to the "Oh Mylanta" catchphrase.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Many, many of them.
Stephanie's First Earrings (Episode 17)
Remember all the times when the Tanner girls rallied against the elitists who dared to say they weren't cool enough? The attic trip unearthed another baffling life souvenir when D.J. came across the first earrings that Kimmy used to pierce Stephanie's ears against Danny's wishes. Because Kimmy Gibbler-ness is not next to cleanliness, Stephanie's ears got infected because the gun and needles weren't sterilized. And the family kept the evidence long enough for the jewelry to become an attic artifact. Let's all reflect on the weirdest things stored in our own attics and basements, shall we?
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 6, Episode 10: "I'm Not D.J."
D.J.'s Lollipops and Gummy Bears Song (Episode 17)
The never ending treasure trove of D.J.'s attic brought out another callback to Full House's charitable telethon episode that closed out Season 3. D.J. came across the lollipop that she used during her completely random musical number with Michelle and a shopping cart full of junk. Teen D.J. looked adult enough to pass for Murphy Brown, all while antithetically singing a twee ditty about gummy bears and lollipops being her favorite treat. If only they'd held onto the entire shopping cart.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 3, Episode 24: "Our Very First Telethon"
Kimmy Finds An Ostrich Feather (Episode 17)
Remember Kimmy's ostrich Oscar, that late (though still prime) example of Full House's signature TGI-WTF moments? Kimmy was pet-sitting the fowl from her Uncle Johan's cheapo safari, and was also practicing her bagpipes in the backyard...on the same day that Jesse was told he needed to lower his blood pressure. Naturally, Oscar waged war on Jesse's head, and Kimmy had the wherewithal to keep one of his feathers as a keepsake. Weirdly enough, Fuller House actually built in an early verbal reminder for Kimmy's ostrich before revealing a physical callback from the attic trip.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 8, Episode 22: "All Stood Up"
Stephanie Finds Her Honeybee Outfit (Episode 17)
On the surface, Fuller House featured a cute callback to Season 1 when Stephanie found the black-and-yellow outfit she wore as part of the (non-Girl Scouts) Honeybee troop. But if you'll recall, D.J. was the sales legend with the honey-jar record, and that episode was really about the conflict surrounding Danny wanting the troop leader Linda to be his first date as a widower. I'm sure she had other grand times while wearing that outfit, but for viewers, it's a direct pipeline back to Danny's awkward attempts to restart his romantic life.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 1, Episode 17 "Danny's Very First Date"
Joey The Sea Captain (Episode 10)
In the midseason premiere (after the previously mentioned Bullwinkle impresion), Joey threw a fancy-ish engagement party for the to-be-betrothed couples. To top it off, he took the gentlemanly route of offering to walk Kimmy down the aisle once it became clear her and Jimmy's parents weren't going to make an appearance at the triple wedding. And what was Joey wearing during the party? The same sea captain look that he rocked back in the first episodes of Season 1. If any character in this franchise deserves to serve as cruise ship entertainment, it's Joey. (And maybe the Gibblers would be on that cruise.)
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 1, Episode 5: "Sea Cruise"
Vicky's Back! (Episode 18)
For this list, I mostly limited the cameo entries to Full House actors that hadn't yet showed up in Fuller House, but Gail Edwards' Vicky Larson gets to be the exception here, since her initial Season 3 finale appearance was so unfortunately brief. Not that her reunion with Danny was extended much further in the series finale. Still, it was great to see her popping back in to celebrate everyone's happiness, since she should have been D.J. and Stephanie's stepmother years ago, amirite?
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Each of the Season 6 and 7 episodes that Vicky appeared in.
Duane And Viper Are Also Back! (Episode 18)
While viewers may have expected to see Vicky making one more return in the final season, I can't imagine there were tons of Full House fans that expected to see D.J. and Kimmy's later-season boyfriends returning for their combined wedding ceremony. But it happened, with an almost unrecognizable Scott Menville reprising the role of Duane "Whatever" Moffat – and yes, he uttered his duh-inspiring catchphrase – and David Lipper returning to the franchise for a brief appearance as D.J.'s ex Viper, who used to rock out with Jesse. Viper sure did enjoy watching D.J. and Steve dancing, too, for whatever potentially creepy reason.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? The handful of Season 8 episodes featuring Viper and Duane as recurring characters.
Derek Sings "Yankee Doodle Dandy" Again (Episode 18)
Of all the final-season cameos, arguably the most mind-blowing was the long-wanted cameo from Blake McIver Ewing as Stephanie's childhood friend Derek Boyd, who was responsible for another one of Full House's most memorable musical moments. Derek, of course, played Yankee Doodle in the America the Beautiful play while decked out in his reddest, whitest and bluest. He popped into the finale as a "tryout" to officiate D.J., Stephanie and Kimmy's weddings, and actually SANG PART OF "YANKEE DOODLE DANDY" in an immediate callback joke at the end of the montage. Also of note during this sequence was the second appearance from Michael Sun Lee as Stephanie's aces friend Harry Takayama.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 6, Episode 8 "The Play's the Thing"
Stephanie's Afraid Of Peer Pressure (Episode 13)
While not so much a visual reference, Episode 13 featured a dialogue-driven callback to a memorably dramatic episode in Stephanie's childhood. While zonked out at the house during a rare moment of peace, Stephanie was shocked awake by a nightmare and woke up saying, "I don’t want to go to school, Dad, Gia’s going to make me smoke!" That was, of course, in reference to Marla Sokoloff's Full House introduction as Gia, whose bathroom-smoking habits were deemed non-repeatable by one Stephanie Tanner. Luckily, the girls got past all that, and Gia remained a fixture in Stephanie's life throughout Fuller House's run.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 7, Episode 5 "Fast Friends"
Uncle Jesse's Revenge Tactics (Episode 15)
John Stamos' Uncle Jesse was a good role model in many ways – with 80% of them tied to proper hair maintenance – but Fuller House called back to one of Jesse's more cloudy choices in the flagship series. In the fifteenth episode, Jesse is under the impression that someone bit his daughter Pamela, which inspires his "eye for an eye" mode of vengeance that first came up back in Full House Season 4, when he advised Michelle to get back at her "bully" Aaron by pinching and hitting him back. It got him in trouble with Danny, but there's no one to chastise him for giving his own kid that advice.
Which Full House Episode Is Being Referenced? Season 4, Episode 6 "A Pinch for a Pinch"
For an in-closing reference that wasn't strong enough to get its own entry, Episode 10 featured Joey reminding D.J. that Danny doesn't like people poking around in his room when he's not there. That didn't have anything to do with the present moment, given that it's been D.J.'s room for years, but it was a subtle reference the Full House Season 4 episode ("The Hole-In-The-Wall Gang") where D.J. and Stephanie tried to hide a giant hole they accidentally poked in the bedroom wall. Hope you had fun remembering the days of Tanner yore.
All five seasons of Fuller House are currently available to stream on Netflix.
