Vibrant, glitter-plastered, and monochromatic bounty lay hidden in bird baths, rest on moss, and sit in the bottom of watering cans. Children race around yards to find them, hoping to find as many hidden prizes as possible. Likewise to the hidden nature of physical Easter eggs, hidden messages in electronic-based media are also referred to as Easter eggs, enthralling viewers for decades.

The term “Easter egg” was coined in 1979. Before then, Warren Robinett—a prominent Atari game designer—discovered that Atari wanted their designer’s names to remain anonymous. So, a disheartened and unappreciated Robinett gave himself credit by hiding his signature inside a secret room on an Atari game.

In turn, what were Robinett’s thoughts on Atari designers’ work not being credited?
As he put it: “I was pissed.”

Upon discovering Robinett’s signature, the then-Director of Software Development at Atari had the idea to describe surprises in media with a term that reminded him of his childhood surprise and tradition: waking up on Easter and hunting Easter eggs.

Since the discovery of Robinett’s signature and the naming of hidden messages in media, Easter eggs have developed into something almost exactly like their name: a hunt for treasure in a field of media.
So, what are some of the greatest Easter eggs?

Tron (1982):

Tron, the sci-fi film often revered as “ way ahead of its time,” is about a video game developer who is transported into the software world of a computer with only one way of escape: his interaction with the programs inside. However, this psychedelic trip of a film captured viewers’ attention when they noticed an Easter egg in the film: Pac-Man.

The brief appearance of Pac-Man—the protagonist of the 1980 video game franchise of the same name—sparked the interest of fans upon notice.

An article titled “40 years Ago: Appearance in ‘Tron’ Solidifies Pac-Man’s Celebrity,” published in the Ultimate Classic Rock magazine by Tyler Sage delves into the significance of the character in media.
“This, combined with the repetitive dot-gobbling sound effect, epitomized the hypnotic simplicity that defined so many early arcade games,” said Sage. “And it also made [a] perfect choice for anyone who wanted to reference the ’80s or gaming culture in their movie, show, cartoon or book.”

The Pac-Man Easter egg itself appears in the film when a villain is seen viewing a maze-like schematic in which Pac-Man is being played on the right-hand side of the screen. The appearance solidified Pac-Man’s place near the pinnacle of pop culture, while also simultaneously introducing the concept of an Easter egg.

Nosferatu (2024):

Nosferatu, the American gothic-horror retelling that pays homage to Dracula’s legacy, is an example of a film that references others of its kind: macabre vampire flicks. The 1922 film, an unauthorized German knock-off of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula, became a great classic of German cinema.

In 2024 after three other adaptations, Nosferatu, recast and reworked, is the ultimate treasure trove for vampire cinema lovers and film aficionados alike. At its core, Nosferatu is the evaluation of vampire presence and societal impact.

The film follows newlyweds Ellen and Thomas Hutter and the horrors they face when Thomas is tasked with closing a property deal with Count Orlock—the mysterious “man” who lives in a remote area of the Romanian countryside.

Upon viewing, a small cameo caught the attention of Nosferatu film-enjoyers; they noticed that the feline companion called “Greta” in the 2024 retelling shared a name with the original 1922 actress of Ellen, Greta Schröder.

A bigger surprise to fans was a reference to the making of the original movie.. In the film, the diagnosis of “too much blood” is repeated by Dr. Van Helsing’s stand-in, Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz.

Albin Grau was an occultist and producer for the original film. Taking this further, viewers acknowledged that in the retelling, Professor Von Franz (played by Willem Dafoe) offers schnapps, possibly pointing to his role as Count Orlock in Shadow of the Vampire.

Since the creation and naming of the term, the sheer impact of easter eggs in media has influenced decades of films. Podcasters, YouTubers, and the general public spend time picking apart scenes and scripts to uncover secrets. Robinett’s idea of hidden messages has created something much bigger.

Easter eggs not only reflect film influence and messages within films, but also the character of filmmakers; however, this can sometimes be hard to achieve. If done correctly, connection can be built deeply between the audience and the developer.

There’s something about the thrill of uncovering clues to solve the mystery: what’s the huge cinematic secret in this film? The contribution of these clues leave people intrigued to uncover something bigger. This intrigue leads to many hours of YouTube videos, multitudes of podcasts, and thousands of posts on various social media. Audiences speculate on what certain Easter eggs mean.

This feeling that people get—the gripping, enigmatic feeling, is what leaves viewers searching for more, for a bigger meaning. Easter eggs will evolve. They will make their way into many video games, upcoming films, future artwork, and even novels.

Easter eggs are bigger than we know. Grab your baskets–the hunt has just begun.