Easter Special - Top 25 Easter Eggs in TV, Films and Video Games

 

In the world these days, there are two types of Easter Eggs. The first and most well known are the ones you eat at Easter which are traditionally chocolate ones, but some people are known to experiment (me included). The second is one that you often find in films, TV shows and video games. These are known to be tough to find, but its great that the people behind these things like to put in that extra detail. It can often be treated as fan service for some or just something completely random for others. All the Easter Eggs featured on this list are ones I have come across in the films, TV shows and video games that I have experienced. So let's take a look at my top 25:

25 - Heeerrrrrrreeee's Woody!! (Toy Story)

Believe it or not, there was a time when Pixar were not a studio, but instead a production company. They originally were part of LucasFilm and created a lot of short films. Then in 1995, Disney got them to work on the very first Toy Story film which itself was the first ever fully CGI feature film at the time. It was hugely successful with Buzz Lightyear action figures selling out rapidly and from that point on, Pixar became a major film studio. Since those days, they have become a household name and despite a frosty partnership with Disney, they would be acquired by the company following a management shuffle which has since made Disney in the following years, be in a much better place. Fans of The Shining will notice that in Sid's house during Toy Story, the flooring looks awfully familiar. That's because it's the same flooring used at the Overlook Hotel in that very film. It would take me quite a few watches to pick this up especially as I never really saw The Shining until I was much older than I was when I watched Toy Story for the first time. Clearly Pixar are fans.

24 - Saul Goodman Predicted his Future (Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul)

It's strange how a show that looked like it was going to suck, actually turned out to be a huge success. Bryan Cranston as an actor was widely known for comedy roles before becoming Walter White in Breaking Bad and follows a number of actors who many believed would never be able to do something serious, but then those people are proven wrong. Michael Keaton and Kevin Conroy are just some of those people, and Bryan Cranston joins that group. Towards the end of that show, White's lawyer Saul Goodman says what his best case scenario would be if he didn't get caught. He explains that he would end up managing a Cinnabon and sure enough, at the start of the spin-off Better Call Saul, he ends up doing just that. It's one of those times when someone predicts a future event and that's what happens. But now I just wanna know what will become of Saul at the end of his show with the Cinnabon thing.

23 - Creepers gonna Creep on Pandora (Borderlands 2)

First video game Easter egg now and all I can say is that when it comes to gaming, there will be tons of Easter eggs to find if it's one that the developers put a lot of heart, soul and effort in. These little things, especially in beloved games, are really what gamers most look forward to. There are a lot of these in Borderlands 2 including internet memes, other video games and a couple of films too. The one that really stands out for me is this Minecraft one. Head to the Caustic Caverns and there you will find an area that is very clearly to do with Minecraft and has a lot of Creepers to take down and a lot of loot to do with that game, which was a historical acquisition on Microsoft's part back in the day. Who knew Pandora would have some things that are a bit creepier than Handsome Jack's tragic backstory.

22 - First rule of Starbucks, you put it in every scene (Fight Club)

One of the biggest cult hits of all time, Fight Club also has its fair share of Easter eggs. But this one is one that you would only pick up if you see the film more than once. In practically every scene of the film, the global chain of coffee shops known as Starbucks, is referenced at least once. A cup with the famous logo, appears in every scene of the film, but the one question that you may want an answer to is if it is leading into something later on in the film. It's linked in a way to the film's narrative, which itself is anti-consumerist. Director David Fincher is widely known to add extra layers to his films to give them a need to be watched over and over again to pick up on it. A classic example of product placement in films regardless and the director has no beef with the chain apart from confusion over how it became so successful. Little detials like this may lead into something later on, but for this film, its just cups from a chain that the director has a love-hate relationship with while also having ties to this exellent film's narrative.

21 - Tamatoa May Be Aware of a Certain Lamp and a Fellow Lobster (Moana)

One of the best parts about Moana is the giant lobster Tamatoa with his villain song and just how much treasure his shell has. Amongst said treasure is a certain lamp which, you guessed it, comes from Aladdin which, years before this film came out, also had a scene with lots of treasure in it. But that's not the only Easter Egg to a fellow Disney Animation Studio film in this film. Later on in the credits, Tamatoa returns, where he asks the audience if people would like him more if he was a red singing lobster. This is a reference to Sebastian from The Little Mermaid who also loved to sing. Not just that, but that very film and Aladdin were like Moana, also directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. Classic thing with directors who want their previous work to be remembered it a subtle way.

20 - Guess We Found Out What Became of Scar's Fur (Hercules (1997))

Another Disney film by those two, happens to feature a certain lion from The Lion King. Those of us who have seen The Lion King will know that Scar had quite a grim fate in that film and I guess at some point, his fur would find its way into Thebes and be worn for a portrait of some kind by Hercules. A bit of a dark Easter egg for a Disney film (though then again, they are known for their villains as well as princes and princesses), but another subtle one that also has many theorists question whether the animated Disney films are all connected in a way (that would be insane if they were, but who knows). Will proberbly not likely be repeated in the live action remake, but would be a good example of attention to detail if they did.

19 - That Badge Looks Familiar (The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists) 

Fans of Aardman will be aware that they are often regulars of receiving a Blue Peter badge. A children's show on the BBC that awards badges to people for a number of things such as sending in interesting letters and stories or demonstrating your passion for something such as a cause, sports or music. But its not just awarded to children, as high profile celebrities also receive them for being positive roles models for children. Aardman too have received a few and are often working in partnership with Blue Peter for various contests. The badge often appears in Aardman's films in a subtle way, but in a first for them, it is seen a lot in The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. Often appearing on the hat of Pirate with Gout. Little details again that show how British Aardman are despite working with major studios such as DreamWorks and Columbia.

18 - E.T. in a Galaxy Far Far Away (Star Wars: The Phantom Meance)

It's no surprise that two of the greatest filmmakers of all time George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are good friends. So good in fact that Lucas felt Star Wars would never be as successful as it was, but Spielberg convinced him otherwise and the rest is history. The pair have worked together on the Indiana Jones films (which like Star Wars, is a LucasFilm franchise) and have often collaborated on various other projects. As a way to cement their friendship, you may notice a certain alien during the senate scenes of The Phantom Meance. That alien being E.T. from the Spielberg film of the same name who has since become the mascot for his production company Amblin Entertainment (or at the very least, the iconic bike over moon scene anyway). Nice little nod to the film either way.

17 - That one LEGO game with ties to other LEGO video games and themes (LEGOLAND)

Many people forget that there was a time when LEGO games were not as popular as they are today. Many also forget that the first LEGO Star Wars game was not the first LEGO game that came into existence. Yes, long before the days of TT Games (whom themselves were formed as a result of merging Travellers Tales and LEGO's own video game development team known as Giant Entertainment), LEGO were making their own games largely based on their own original sets and themes. Much like Disney back in the late 90s and early 00s, LEGO at the time were also desperate with the only thing that was really keeping them afloat being the licensed sets that they were making at the time. They tried doing video games too and while many have been quite successful, none of them really left an impact on the company at large. Yet people like me have fond memories of them. Looking back at the LEGOLAND game, it kind of feels like LEGO's first attempt at bringing things full circle for their games. You see the game is full of Easter Eggs to do with their earlier games. Professor Voltage here is the grandfather of the ghost racer in LEGO Racers. The music you hear at one point during the opening comes from LEGO Friends. One of the chefs is related to a chef from LEGO Island. The biker set you would recieve in the original packaging for LEGO Creator makes a cameo in the opening. And two cutscenes from LEGO Chess and LEGO Rock Raiders are recycled here to accomadate the professor's arrival in both settings. Plus a huge array of references and other Easter Eggs to do with a number of LEGO sets and themes that were around at the time with very few things being actual rides from LEGOLAND itself. Fans like me want a sequel, but for what it is with all these things, its a beloved cult game from LEGO despite the creepy looking characters and the dated graphics.

16 - It's a Doggy Dog World out there (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)

Something that many filmmakers often do during the creation of their stuff is do things inspried by what they have. An example of this is Dobby in the Harry Potter films having ears inspired by one of the crew's dogs. But I think what is a better example is in the Indiana Jones films where nearly all the characters are named after the cast and crew's dogs. Indiana himself was named after George Lucas's Alaskan Malamute dog whom is perhaps the most well known of the characters named after dogs. Nice little touch that shows that it is very much a creator's own creation even though he has others working on it too.

15 - That Time When Batman Came Across Plans for a Certain City (Batman: Arkham Asylum)

One of the nice little Easter Eggs you may come across in films and video games are hints at what the sequel or next instalment may look like. It's annoying when they don't amount to anything and nothing happens, but Batman: Arkham Asylum was such a surprise hit that a sequel was inevitable and a sequel is what we got a few years later. So at some point in this game, you will at some point come across this secret room in Quincy Sharp's office with the use of explosive gel. It hints at a much greater plan which would eventually be called Arkham City. Batman really is the world's greatest detective if he can find that little detail.

14 - George Clooney as a dog (South Park)

Oh did you think The Simpsons was the only known animated adult humoured show to feature guest star voices? Well it ain't the only one. South Park which for all sorts of reasons is not one to usually have guest stars, ended up having one in the form of actor George Clooney. But rather than voice a sophisticated well dressed man like he is known for being, he voices none other than a dog in South Park. But not just any dog, the dog that belongs to one Stan Marsh who is one of the show's main characters. Very random and unusual indeed, but just goes to show that despite the crudeness of the show, it still has its celebrity fans out there.

13 - This is similar to a famous Robert Zemeckis film (Rick and Morty)

Now some of you watching Rick and Morty may actually look at it and think how similar the main characters are to the main characters of Back to the Future. Well there is something about that, that may interest you. The show got inspiration from the films after all which is very clear right from the start. Sure its more travelling around space and in the multiverse (which according to Doctor Strange, is still something we scarily known nothing about), but no surprise that it would look and feel like a show inspired by Back to the Future. Even going as far as having a live action promo with Christopher Lloyd playing Rick. Lloyd having played Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy and a majority of other related content. Looking forward to the crossover!

12 - The Teen Titans did appear in the DC Animated Universe After All (Justice League: TAS)

One of the big regrets that the DCAU had before it came to an end, was how it was going to have a Teen Titans show that ultimately never officially became part of the shared universe and instead became its own thing. Despite this, one two part episode of Justice League contained a subtle crossover that saw the entire Royal Flush Gang be voiced by none other than the main cast of Teen Titans. The voices are all recogniseable and its kind of a nice way to see that great cast join up with the legendary DCAU cast that for this episode included Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Arleen Sorkin, George Newbern, Phil LaMarr and Michael Rosenbaum who are all great in their own right. What a great crossover that wasn't even a crossover anyway. Plus it would also be the last release order appearances of Joker and Harley Quinn in the DCAU due to higher ups wanting Justice League Unlimited to not feature any Batman related character besides Batman to prevent confusion over Batman stuff that was being released at the time.

11 - The A113 Directive (WALL-E)

For all the animation fans out there, you will know that A113 is a common code that appears in a number of animated films. This is because its the classroom that directors such as Tim Burton and Brad Bird went to, to learn about animation. The same is said for a number of Pixar employees too and as such, the classroom number A113 is quite a well known Easter Egg. But it wasn't until the Pixar film WALL-E where the number became a plot device. Directive A113 as its known in the film, was a directive that the US President secretly programed into the autopilots across all the starliners in the year 2110 AD. It stated that Operation Cleanup has failed and as such, the Earth became uninhabitable which meant that Operation Recolonize had to be cancelled and all Auto units should therefore take full control of the starliners. But as we later learn in the film, this is proven to be false as EVE found a plant on Earth which meant that Operation Cleanup was successful after all. I should also say that even though this is the one that is a plot device, the code does appear not only in films made by the people I mentioned, but also other animated features too. Its even appeared in some video games as well and to this day, it reamins as one of animation's biggest Easter Eggs.

10 - Alfred Hitchcock's cameo (The Birds)

With a lot of directors, they have their own style, traits and ways of making their films. Kubrick likes doing millions of takes, Speilberg is all about big blockbusters and wonder, Burton likes dark twisted fantasy stuff and then you have Hitchcock who has a thing for suspense. His films have some suspense in them and are among some of the biggest and most well known films of all time. But one thing he does in nearly all his films, is have a little cameo in them. Some are very subtle while others like this one in The Birds feels a little different. You see usually cameos are like a few seconds and then done. But this one is 2 minutes which is very unusual for cameos. Nevertheless, its one of his most consistent things in all his films. It's just interesting that it was much longer than what is considered a "normal" cameo.

9 - No Dragons Were Harmed (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Some of the best Easter Eggs are the ones you find in the credits. One such example is this one where we as the viewer learn that no dragons were harmed in the making of the fourth Harry Potter film. Which as those of us will know, is one that features at least four dragons. But then you have to remember that apart from perhaps the komodo dragon, dragons are generally non-existant in our world. And also chances are that the dragons depicted in the film are a mix of CGI and animatronics so unlikely to be harmed unless problems with either thing occurs. Reassuring nonetheless though.

8 - The Merc with a Mouth Time Travels to Correct some Mistakes (Deadpool 2)

One of the great things about Deadpool is his way of breaking the fourth wall. This is on full force in both his films which while both loosely based on his stories, often do a lot of Easter Eggs that break the fourth wall. One that in my opinion is the best one is one where Deadpool goes back in time to correct some mistakes. Including killing that mouthless abomination from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds just as he reads the Green Lantern script and in the extended cut, he also attempts to kill that Nazi that people really hate (you know who I'm on about). You can't change what happened in the past, but at least Ryan was given a second chance to do Deadpool justice and he did so to great success and thus proving that some studio risks can pay off.

7 - Hang on, These Opening Sequences look Familiar (WandaVision)

A common theme in WandaVision is how each episode has an opening that is reminicent of a classic sitcom opening. Starting from the 60s, we get all sorts of openings that are clearly inspired by the likes of Malcolm in the Middle, Modern Family and others. But it's also extended to the overal episode which themselves also mimick a typical episode of a sitcom from a certain era. Well at first until we get the whole "things aren't quite as they seem" cliche later down the line. But anyone that likes American sitcoms will get a kick out of these well made openings for sure. Plus a certain X-Men appears at some point too.

6 - The Statue of Liberty has a Heart?! (Grand Theft Auto IV)

You'd think with the amount of work that Rockstar put into the GTA games, that they would not have time to add little Easter Eggs. Well certainly in their more recent games, there are a few subtle ones and well hidden ones. This is a well hidden one that is both disturbing, but if you really think about it, its very typical for a controversial series to have something as disgusting as this. The Statue of Liberty (or rather its GTA cousin to be more accurate) has a heart. But not just any heart, an actual human heart connected to chains. Fortunately its an Easter Egg that you will unlikely find unless you like hacking away to find hidden things. 

5 - Pac-Man saves the galaxy (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)

There was a short period of time when beloved Namco mascot Pac-Man, was appearing in a few feature films. He had a cameo in Wreck-It Ralph and its sequel, appeared as an enemy in Pixels (which unlike the other games depicted, was not played in the traditional way) and was the thing that helped Star-Lord save the galaxy in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Which of course works perfectly well with his character being a horder of pop culture so of course he would use Pac-Man to defeat his all powerful "Dad". Waka waka waka indeed.

4 - There Was no PS4 or PS5 When the World went to Pot (The Last of Us: Part II)

A bit of a depressing Easter Egg now in which in the world of The Last of Us and its sequel here, the apocolypse happened when Sony's current PlayStation was the PS3. No PS4, PS5 or VR as the world went to pot before those consoles ever came out. Sometimes you just have to remember that when the world changes dramatically with something like a pandemic, the production of things are going to be halted, delayed, cancelled or some other negative thing. Fortunately in our lifetime, we did in fact get the PS4, PS5 and VR with the promise of a new VR headset for PlayStation very soon.

3 - It's Quite Scary When They are Right (The Simpsons)

Yeah I'm just going to leave this one here. I mean the very idea that they are predicting correctly are Easter Eggs themselves. Donald Trump being president of the United States, Lady GaGa's over the top Superbowl concert, faulty vote machines and even Disney buying up Fox assets. All are just some of the many times that they have predicted the future correctly and even their Treehouse of Horror episodes which are usually non-canon, have predicted future events correctly. Who knows what they will predict next that will come true. But remember, the creators never thought any of these things would come true. Some are just potiental worse case scenarios that happened to come true. Hopefully what they predict next is something really good.

2 - The Fates of Certain Squad Members (Mass Effect 2/3)

One of the best things that I like in the Mass Effect games is how everything can be carried over across the original trilogy. But sometimes little things can lead into nothing more than just Easter Eggs that tell us what happened without going too far into it. In this instance, we learn about the fates of certain squad members from Mass Effect 2. If Jack is alive, but you don't go to Grissom Academy in time, you encounter her as a Phantom in the endgame and also find an audio log that tells you exactly what went down. If Legion was sold to Cerberus, you will also find him in the endgame as the lone Geth that Cerberus has in their HQ. If you picked Morinth over Samara in Mass Effect 2 and she survives, you'll see her as a Banshee on Earth in Mass Effect 3. Minor little things that show us what happens if these decisons are made. Kinda sad with Jack and Legion for sure, but Morinth in my opinion got what was coming to her.

Now of course there are loads more that I could add to the list, but rather than do honourable mentions, I encourage you to check them out for yourself. You never know what you might find. And with that, let's look at my number one choice:

1 - Actual Easter Eggs (The Rocky Horror Picture Show)

Believe it or not, there is a film that quite literally got Easter Eggs within in. Just before the making of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the cast and crew took part in an Easter Egg hunt and as the film makes out if you have good eyes, some were missed and you can see them for yourself. The film was also one that kinda started the whole Easter Egg trope from the start, but its nevertheless good to see something that has literal Easter Eggs. All very good indeed.

I've probably missed some of your favourites so leave them in the comments below. Have a good Easter or whatever thing you'll be celebrating this long weekend and go easy on the chocolate.