This aspect of the Whispering Rock backstory may be a nod to Maniac Mansion, which saw a radiactive meteor hitting the Edison front lawn and driving its resident doctor insane, much like the psitanium meteorite did with the residents of the boom town Shakey Claim.
Game:
Psychonauts
The line "Admiral Cruller, that canoe....are you...in love with it?" and more specifically, the way Raz delivers it, is a reference to a line by Salvador to Manny in Grim Fandango.
Game:
Psychonauts
