Like many companies, Amazon uses code names to reference devices during their development, and Fire TV devices are no exception. Fire TV code names are more entertaining to learn than most because nearly all Fire TV models, and their remotes, are named after TV characters. I’ve been tracking Fire TV code names for a while, from the very first Fire TV box to the most recent Fire TV Stick 4K Max that was just released, so here are all the code names of Fire TV devices and what inspired the name.

Characters Sloane Peterson and Ferris Bueller from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

The very first Fire TV is codenamed Bueller, after the main character in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This kicks off both the Fire TV line and the trend of code naming new devices after movies and TV shows. While there isn’t any hard evidence that the code name is derived from the movie, it becomes evidently clear that’s the case when you learn that the 2nd-gen Fire TV is code named Sloane, after the name of Ferris Bueller’s girlfriend in the movie. Things aren’t as clear for the first Fire TV Voice Remote, which is code named Hurley. My best guess is it’s named after the character in the TV show Lost.

Character Inigo Montoya from the movie The Princess Bride

Next is the code name of the 1st-gen Fire TV Stick, which is Montoya, after the last name of the main character in the movie The Princess Bride. The code name of the small non-voice remote that was included with the original Firestick is Inigo, after the first name of the same character.

Rounding out the first generation of devices is the original Fire TV game controller, which was code named Thunder. Sticking to the same theme, the Fire TV App is code named Storm, while the virtual remote feature in the app is code named Lightning. I don’t believe any of these three are named after characters.

Characters Tank and Dozer from the movie The Matrix

Moving into the 2nd-gen devices we have Tank, which is the code name of the 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick. This is named after the operator character in the movie The Matrix. We know this because the Fire TV Stick Basic Edition, which is the international release that uses the same hardware as the 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick but a different remote, is code named Dozer, which is also a character in The Matrix. Much like the two Firesticks are closely related, Tank and Dozer are brothers in the film.

Characters Bane from the movie The Dark Knight Rises, Dr. Nefario, and Minions from the movie Despicable Me

Speaking of remotes, the 2nd iteration of the Fire TV Voice Remote, which shipped with the 2nd-gen Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, is code named Bane, likely after the Batman character. There was another remote variant, with different buttons and housing material, code named Gelato, that briefly shipped with the 2nd-gen Fire TV around the same time. Rounding out the 2nd-gen peripherals is the 2nd-gen Fire TV Game Controller, which is code named Nefario. My best guess is this is named after Dr. Nefario from the movie Despicable Me and Gelato may be a reference to the Minions in that movie, which love gelato ice cream.

Characters Arya Stark, wielding her sword Needle, and Jon Snow from the TV Show Game of Thrones

While the inspiration for the code name of the 2nd-gen remotes and gamepad is a bit foggy, things become crystal clear again for the 3rd-gen devices. That’s because the next set of devices and remotes are certainly derived from the TV show Game of Thrones. The 3rd-gen Fire TV (pendant) is code named Needle, after the name of the small sword wielded by the character Arya Stark. Speaking of the Stark family, the code name of the 1st-gen Fire TV Cube is Stark, named after the royal family in the show. Additionaly, the 3rd iteration of the original Fire TV Voice Remote is code named Snow, after the character Jon Snow in the same TV series. Lastly, the 2nd-gen Fire TV Cube is code named Raven, which is likely also derived from Game of Thrones, as ravens appear throughout the series.

Just when things started to get fun again comes the release of the Fire TV Stick 4K which is code named Mantis. The “2nd-gen” Fire TV Voice Remote, which is the first to have TV power/volume controls, is code named Lindbergh. I have no clue what these are named after and I suspect that those two names have nothing to do with movies or TV shows. If you’ve got any ideas, I’d love to hear them in the comments below.

Characters Sheldon Cooper, Howard Wolowitz, and Penny Hofstadter from the TV show The Big Bang Theory

Before you start to think that all the fun is over, we’ve got the characters from the TV show The Big Bang Theory jumping in to save the day. The 3rd-gen Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite, which use identical hardware, are code named Sheldon after one of the main characters in The Big Bang Theory. While the main Firestick came with the same remote as the Fire TV Stick 4K, the Fire TV Stick Lite came with a new simplified remote that is code named Howard, after another character in the same TV show. Rounding out The Big Bang Theory’s code name contributions is Penny, which is the code name of the latest 3rd-gen Fire TV Voice Remote that comes with app shortcut buttons along the bottom.

The movie and TV show inspiration might end there, as far as I know, because the code name of the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is Kara. That might be inspired by Kara Zor-El, the main character in the TV show Supergirl, or possibly Kara “Starbuck” Thrace from the show Battlestar Galactica, but there is nothing supporting either of those two guesses. As for Fire TV Smart TVs, those also have code names as well, but I don’t know them all and the ones that I do know don’t really follow a fun theme, apart from most of them being female names.