The 25 Most Ingenious Easter Eggs in Movies, TV Shows, and Video Games

Andor

Finding an easter egg in your favorite movie, TV show, or video game is always cool. This type of quick wink and a nod to something only really big fans will notice has become popular over the years. Here are 25 easter eggs we noticed in TV shows, movies, and video games.

1. Community (2009-2015) 

Community
Image Credit: Krasnoff Foster Entertainment.

During Community‘s run, there is an ongoing joke about Beetlejuice. You can see him walk by in the background the third time they mention him. It's even better because the third time they say it is during a Halloween episode, so it is the perfect time for Beetlejuice to show up.

2. The Ring (2002) 

The Ring
Image Credit: DreamWorks Pictures.

If you picked up The Ring‘s DVD version, you can watch the cursed video footage. By doing so, the DVD “takes control” of your player and turns off all DVD controls, forcing you to watch the entire thing. To make matters worse, once you watch it, it will play the sound of a ringing telephone to make you think someone is calling you.

3. Duke Nukem 3D (1996) 

Duke Nukem
Image Credit: FormGen.

While going through the game, there is an easter egg about the popular franchise Doom. If you knew where to look, you could find the main character from Doom impaled on a spike.

4. Fallout (1997) 

Fallout New Vegas
Image Credit: Obsidian Entertainment.

While exploring the wastelands, you can come across many interesting items. One of them is the Holy Hand Grenade from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

5. Borderlands 2 (2012) 

Borderlands 2
Image Credit: Gearbox Software.

There was a fun Minecraft easter egg in this one where Creepers were added as an enemy to fight. If you defeated them, you could receive special Minecraft-themed items. A great example is a weapon that would shoot the Minecraft “block” in a three-by-three pattern.

6. Predator 2 (1990) 

Predator 2
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox.

During Predator 2, you see what is in the Predator's trophy cabinet. If you look closely, you will notice that one of the items there is the Alien skull.

7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Image Credit: Warner Bros.

In the book, it's mentioned that the summer is unusually hot. It was based on the 1995/1996 school year in England when there was a real-life drought with water shortages. In the film, the grass where the kids play is yellow at the beginning due to the drought.

8. Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) 

Dungeons & Dragons Honor Among Thieves
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures.

During the segment where the characters are forced to participate in the arena, one of the other parties includes the kids from the 80s show. Additionally, the maze we see resembles the board game included with some box sets.

9. Better Call Saul (2015-2022) 

Better Call Saul
Image Credit: High Bridge Productions.

In an episode of Better Call Saul, a phone number was visible on a church's website. If you called the number, you would hear the voicemail of the pastor, Blaise Hansford.

10. Hot Fuzz (2007) 

Hot Fuzz
Image Credit: Rogue Pictures.

During an investigation, an employee remarks on not having any luck tracking down the killers. Right behind the employee, you can see an album by the band The Killers, with the name of the album being “Hot Fuss.”

11. Portal 2 (2011) 

Portal 2
Image Credit: Valve.

At some point in the game, a sign says, “In case of implosion, look directly at implosion.” That sign is there because, during the game's development, the playtesters would have their character turn around and miss the animation of the implosion.

12. Lego Dimensions (2015) 

Lego Dimensions
Image Credit: Traveller's Tales.

This is an excellent combination of some popular franchises. On a level based on the world of The Simpsons, you can use the Tardis to travel back in time to see the Flintstone's house.

13. Doctor Who (2005- Present) 

Doctor Who
Image Credit: BBC Studios.

In the episode “Face the Raven,” you will see some text written in Aurebesh on a wall. For those unaware, this is the lettering system from Star Wars. Suppose you decide to translate it using the Roman alphabet. In that case, you will discover it spells out “DeLorean,” the famous car from the Back to the Future series. Both of these easter eggs represent time and space, which is central to the Doctor Who franchise.

14. Andor (2022) 

Andor
Image Credit: Lucasfilm.

In the series Andor, there is an antique shop run by Luthen. Inside it, you can see the Sankara Stones on the shelf. They are from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

15. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures.

In the movie, the coffee shop is called “Mean Bean.” This refers to the game Doctor Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine that was released in 1993 on the Sega Genesis.

16. Metal Gear Solid 3 (2004) 

Metal Gear Solid 3
Image Credit: Konami Computer Entertainment.

There is a specific area in the game with vultures; you can use them to eliminate a guard. Once that occurs, you can kill the vulture and eat it yourself. If you do that, a boss fight will force you to walk by everyone you have taken out in the game. One of those people will be that guard who will repeat, “You ate me, ate me, ate me.”

17. Uncharted (2022) 

Uncharted
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing.

In the movie, there is a scene when Nathan and Chloe are coming out of the ocean. A hotel guest asks what happened, and Nathan explains that they fell out of a car that had dropped out of a plane. The hotel guest mentioned that a similar thing had happened to him in the past. This hotel guest was Nolan North, the voice actor for Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series of games that inspired the movie.

18. John Cusack

War, Inc.
Image Credit: First Look Studios.

In the 1989 movie Say Anything, John Cusack aspired to be a martial arts instructor. In 1997, he was in Grosse Pointe Blank as a hired assassin with expertise in martial arts. In 2008, he was a hired assassin in War, Inc. These three movies were the story arc for the same character.

19. Adventure (1980) 

Adventure
Image Credit: Atari, Inc.

Quite possibly the first easter egg, the game developer put his name in a secret part of the game. He decided to do this because Atari would not give credit to their developers at the time.

20. Memento (2001) 

Memento
Image Credit: Newmarket Films.

If you have the correct version, there is a way to play the movie chronologically. If you own the original Region Two release, this option is in the special features menu. You have to wait for the words “Memento Mori” to appear and then fade off the screen. Pushing the “enter” button after it fades out should allow you to watch the movie chronologically.

21. Halo 3 (2007) 

Halo 3
Image Credit: Bungie.

There was a part of a campaign level that was almost inaccessible in Halo 3, but not entirely. It contained an image of a shirtless guy gyrating. It was challenging to get there, though, as you had to perform a grenade jump at the perfect angle to reach it.

22. Bluey (2018) 

Bluey
Image Credit: Ludo Studio.

In this show, two of the characters are dogs. You don't think much of it until you realize they are Dalmatians whose address number is 101.

23. Amnesia: The Dark Descent (2010) 

Amnesia The Dark Descent
Image Credit: Frictional Games.

Somewhere in the second mission, there is a room with a lantern. This room has a ceiling with a big hole in it. You aren't supposed to go up there. However, you can do so by simply stacking up some boxes and then making the climb. The development team knew someone would figure out how to get up there, so they put a sign in there that said “Hello!” in Swedish.

24. The Office (2005-2013) 

The Office
Image Credit: Deedle-Dee Productions.

In one episode of The Office, Creed used his blog. As it turns out, the blog is real and exists on the internet. It's every bit as kooky as you'd expect.

25. Star Trek (2009) 

Star Trek
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures.

In the 2009 Star Trek movie, the Enterprise emerged from warp speed in a debris field. They were in the middle of a big battle with the Romulans. During one of the scenes showing the debris, if you looked closely, you could see R2D2 from Star Wars floating out there.

Author: Brandon Hofer

Title: Freelance Contributor

Expertise: Entertainment Industry, Video Games, Sports Entertainment

Bio:

Brandon Hofer is a California-based writer who covers the entertainment industry. More specifically, Brandon has covered the gaming industry since 2006, attending and covering the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) every year. Brandon has also attended the Games Developer Conference, Penny Arcade Expo, and various events put on by publishers and developers. Brandon has worked with numerous studios, including Xbox Game Studios, PlayStation, Nintendo, Ubisoft, THQ, Activision, Electronic Arts, and more. Over the years, working with those studios has also allowed Brandon to work with iconic franchises such as the NFL, WWE, and the UFC. Thanks to that experience, Brandon also covers what goes on in the world of sports entertainment, primarily WWE. Brandon's work can be found on Wealth of Geeks as well as Muck Rack.