Easter Egg: Examples of Hidden Treats in Software, Websites, Games, and Movies

Easter eggs are not just for the Easter holiday. They are a special type of surprise or hidden message that can be found in software, websites, games, and movies. These Easter eggs can be anything from a hidden message or an inside joke to a special feature or game. Easter eggs are typically put in place by developers or designers as a fun way to surprise and delight users.

Let's dive deeper into what an Easter egg is and some examples of hidden treats you may have missed.

What is an Easter Egg?

An Easter egg is a hidden message, feature, or game that is hidden within software, websites, games, or movies. These Easter eggs can be anything from a hidden message or an inside joke to a special feature or game. Easter eggs are typically put in place by developers or designers as a fun way to surprise and delight users.

27 Examples of Hidden Treats in Software, Websites, Games, and Movies

Google: If you search for "Google in 1998" in Google search, it will take you back to the Google homepage as it appeared in 1998.

Facebook: Typing @[3:3] in a Facebook comment or status update will show a picture of a penguin.

Adobe Photoshop: Typing the Konami Code (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, enter) will bring up a picture of the Adobe Photoshop development team.

Microsoft Excel: Typing =rand(200,99) into a cell will generate a block of Latin text.

Apple Siri: Asking Siri "What is the meaning of life?" will give you a humorous response.

Microsoft Word: Typing =lorem(1,1) into a cell will generate a block of Latin text.

Reddit: Typing "up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A" while on the homepage will make the Reddit logo change to a dinosaur.

Spotify: Typing "spotify:app:visualizer" into the search bar will launch a visualizer.

Pinterest: Typing "meow" while on the homepage will turn the Pinterest logo into a cat.

YouTube: Typing "use the force luke" while a video is playing will make the progress bar turn into a lightsaber.

Windows XP: Typing "notepad" into the "Run" command and then typing "Bush hid the facts" (without the quotes) and saving the file will show a message saying "We are sorry, but we cannot display this page."

Google Maps: Typing "do a barrel roll" in the search bar will make the map do a barrel roll.

Microsoft PowerPoint: Typing "powerpoint.exe /safe" in the "Run" command will launch PowerPoint in safe mode.

Netflix: Typing "up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, up, up, up, up" while on the homepage will bring up a secret menu.

Google Chrome: Typing "about:credits" in the address bar will display the names of all the people who contributed to the development of Google Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox: Typing "about:robots" in the address bar will display a message from the robots that helped build Firefox.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: Typing "the impossible quiz" while playing will launch a mini-game.

Minecraft: Typing "§k§l§o§l§k§l§o§k§l§o§k§l§o§k§l§o" in a chat message will make the text

The Sims: Typing "rosebud" in the cheat console will give you $1,000 in game currency.

Amazon: Typing "zerg rush" in the search bar will make small "O's" attack your search results.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: When BB-8 rolls past Rey on Jakku, he makes a brief nod to the famous Pixar lamp.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: In the movie, when Harry and Ron are flying the Ford Anglia car to Hogwarts, they fly past the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.

The Matrix: In one of the final scenes, Neo opens a door to a room with two identical cats. This is a reference to the concept of a "glitch in the Matrix" where the same thing happens twice.

Jurassic Park: During the scene where the T-Rex escapes and the characters are running to the car, a "Jurassic Park" banner falls from the ceiling. This was an accident that was kept in the movie.

Fight Club: During one of the scenes, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) briefly flashes on screen before disappearing again. This was done as a subliminal message to the audience.

The Shawshank Redemption: In the scene where Andy escapes from Shawshank prison, a poster of Rita Hayworth is used to hide the hole he dug. This is a nod to the original title of the movie, "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption".

The Dark Knight: During one of the opening bank robbery scenes, the clown robbers are all named after famous characters from heist movies, such as Mr. Blonde from "Reservoir Dogs" and Mr. White from "Heat".

Conclusion

Easter eggs can be found in all sorts of software, websites, games, and movies. They are hidden messages, features, or games that are put in place by developers or designers as a fun way to surprise and delight users. These Easter eggs can range from simple jokes or hidden messages to full-fledged games or special features. Next time you're using software, browsing the web, or watching a movie, keep an eye out for Easter eggs – you never know what you might find!