Hesse's 1928 short story "Harry, the Steppenwolf" forms a companion piece to the novel. It is about a wolf named Harry who is kept in a zoo, and who entertains crowds by destroying images of German cultural icons such as Goethe and Mozart.
A paragraph in Hesse's 1943 novel The Glass Bead Game states that the term 'magic theater' is another name of the glass bead game itself.
The name Steppenwolf has become notable in popular culture for various organizations and establishments.
- In 1967, the band Steppenwolf, headed by German-born singer John Kay, took their name from the novel.
- The Belgian band DAAU (Die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung) is named after one of the advertising slogans of the novel's magical theatre.
- The innovative Magic Theatre Company, founded in 1967 in Berkeley and which later became resident in San Francisco, takes its name from the "Magic Theatre" of the novel
- The Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, founded in 1974 by actors Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry, and Gary Sinise, took its name from the novel.
- The lengthy track "Steppenwolf" appears on English rock band Hawkwind's album Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music and is directly inspired by the novel, including references to the magic theatre and the dual nature of the wolfman-manwolf (lutocost). Robert Calvert had initially written and performed the lyrics on "Distances Between Us" by Adrian Wagner in 1974. The song also appears on later, live Hawkwind CDs and DVDs.
- Danish acid rock band Steppeulvene (1967–68) also took their name from this novel.
- The song Magic Dragon Theater from Utopia's 1977 album RA, penned by Todd Rundgren and Kasim Sulton, alludes to Harry Haller's visit to the Magic Theater.
- "He Was a Steppenwolf" is a song by Boney M. from the album Nightflight to Venus.
- Zbigniew Brzezinski includes a quote from Steppenwolf as an epigraph to his 1970 book Between Two Ages.[5]
- The United States of America's eponymous album features the track "The American Metaphysical Circus", which has lyrical references to the novel ("And the price is right/The cost of one admission is your mind").
- Be Here Now (1971), by author and spiritual teacher Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), contains an illustration of a door bearing a sign that reads "Magic Theatre – For Madmen Only – Price of Admission – Your Mind". This references an invitation that Steppenwolf's Harry Haller receives to attend an "Anarchist Evening at the Magic Theatre, For Madmen Only, Price of Admission Your Mind".[6][7]
- The Black Ice, by Michael Connelly, has J. Michael Haller making a reference to the author when he mentioned that, if his illegitimate son took his surname, he would be "Harry Haller" instead of Harry Bosch.
- Paula Cole references the concept of the steppenwolf in her song "Pearl" on her 1999 album Amen.
- French singer Alizée sings her song "Gourmandises" to "le loup des steppes", literally "the wolf of the steppes" (2001).
- Steppenwolf was also referenced in the film Mall (2014). It is also read by the female lead, Maria, throughout the film Manny Lewis (2015) .
- "Lobo da Estepe" by the Brazilian band Os Cascavelletes was also inspired by the book.
- The lyrics on the album Finisterre (2017) by the German black metal band Der Weg einer Freiheit are largely based on this book.
- "Жълти Стъкла" (Julti Stukla, or "Yellow Glass" from Bulgarian) released a song "Страстите Хесови" on YouTube on 6 August 2019. It largely and directly references Steppenwolf in its lyrics and description.
- A supervillain named Steppenwolf appears in the animated television series The Venture Bros.
- The high school team in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin are the Steppenwolves.
- A character named Steppenwolf appears in DC comics and in the film Zack Snyder's Justice League.
