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{{Short description|Something hidden within a work}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
[[File:Adventure Easteregg.PNG|thumb|The secret room in ''[[Adventure (1980 video game)|Adventure]]'' with [[Warren Robinett]]'s credit. ''Adventure'' is typically regarded as one of the first video games to feature an Easter egg.]]

An '''Easter egg''' is a message, image, or feature hidden in software, a video game, a film, or another—usually electronic—medium. The term used in this manner was coined around 1979 by Steve Wright, the then-Director of Software Development in the Atari Consumer Division, to describe a hidden message in the [[Atari]] video game ''[[Adventure (Atari 2600)|Adventure]]'', in reference to an [[egg hunt|Easter egg hunt]].

The earliest known video game Easter egg is in the 1973 video game ''[[Lunar Lander (video game genre)#Graphical games|Moonlander]]'', in which the player tries to land a [[Lunar module]] on [[Moon|the Moon]]; if the player opts to fly the module horizontally through several of the game's screens, they encounter a [[McDonald's]] restaurant, and if they land next to it, the astronaut will visit it instead of standing next to the ship. The earliest known Easter egg in software in general is one placed in the "make" command for [[PDP-6]]/[[PDP-10]] computers sometime in October 1967–October 1968, where if the user attempts to create a file named "love" by typing "make love", the program responds "[[Make love, not war|not war?]]" before proceeding.<ref name="Montfort"/><ref name="Willaert"/>

==Origin==
{{see also|Adventure (1980 video game)#Easter egg}}
The use of the term "[[Easter egg]]" to describe secret features in video games originates from the 1980 video game ''[[Adventure (1980 video game)|Adventure]]'' for the [[Atari 2600]] game console, programmed by the employee [[Warren Robinett]]. At the time, [[Atari Corporation|Atari]] did not include programmers' names in the game credits, both to prevent competitors from poaching its developers as well as to deny developers a means to bargain with the management of the new owners, [[Warner Communications]].<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Yarwood |author-first=Jack |title=Easter Eggs: The Hidden Secrets of Videogames |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/03/easter-eggs-the-hidden-secrets-of-videogames.html |website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=3 February 2021 |date=27 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Fatsquatch |title=Of Dragons and Easter Eggs: A Chat With Warren Robinett |url=https://tjg.joeysit.com/of-dragons-and-easter-eggs-a-chat-with-warren-robinett/ |website=The Jaded Gamer |access-date=3 February 2021 |date=20 May 2003 |archive-date=1 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301203516/https://tjg.joeysit.com/of-dragons-and-easter-eggs-a-chat-with-warren-robinett/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Robinett, who disagreed with his supervisor over this lack of acknowledgment, secretly programmed the message "Created by Warren Robinett" to appear only if a player moves their [[Avatar (computing)|avatar]] over a specific pixel (dubbed the "Gray Dot") during a certain part of the game and enters a previously "forbidden" part of the map where the message can be found. When Robinett left Atari, he did not inform the company of the acknowledgment that he included in the game. Shortly after his departure, the "Gray Dot" and his message were discovered by a player. Atari's management initially wanted to remove the message and release the game again, until this was deemed too costly. Instead, Steve Wright, the Director of Software Development in the Atari Consumer Division, suggested that they keep the message and, in fact, encourage the inclusion of such messages in future games, describing them as Easter eggs for consumers to find.<ref name="Wolf">{{cite book |author-last=Wolf |author-first=Mark J. P. |title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming |date=2012 |publisher=Greenwood |location=Santa Barbara, California, USA |isbn=9780313379369 |page=177}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Play Atari Adventure |url=http://my.ign.com/atari/adventure |website=IGN |access-date=4 November 2017 |archive-date=13 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413222733/http://my.ign.com/atari/adventure |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Baker">{{cite magazine |author-last=Baker |author-first=Chris |title=How One Man Invented the Console Adventure Game |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/03/warren-robinett-adventure/ |magazine=WIRED |access-date=2 September 2016 |date=13 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author-last1=Salen |author-first1=Katie |author-last2=Zimmerman |author-first2=Eric |title=The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology |date=2005 |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA |isbn=0262195364 |pages=690–713 |oclc=58919795}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Letter to Atari |url=http://www.2600connection.com/eastereggs/adventure_letter.pdf |website=2600 Connections |access-date=2 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013192403/http://www.2600connection.com/eastereggs/adventure_letter.pdf |archive-date=13 October 2016 |url-status=usurped |date=4 August 1980}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/08/technology/easter-eggs-tesla-google.html |title=The Secret History of 'Easter Eggs' |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=8 August 2019 |author-last=Pogue |author-first=David |access-date=8 August 2019}}</ref>

==In video games==
While Robinett's message in ''[[Adventure (Atari 2600)|Adventure]]'' led to the first use of the phrase "Easter egg", Easter eggs were included in previous video games. The earliest known video game Easter egg is in ''[[Lunar Lander (video game genre)#Graphical games|Moonlander]]'' (1973), in which the player tries to land a spaceship on the Moon.  If the player flies far enough horizontally, they encounter a [[McDonald's]] restaurant, and if they land next to it, an astronaut will visit it instead of standing next to the ship.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Willaert |author-first=Kate |title=Ready Player One Was Wrong: The First Easter Eggs In Video Games |url=https://www.acriticalhit.com/ready-player-one-was-wrong-the-first-easter-eggs-in-video-games/ |website=A Critical Hit! |access-date=5 April 2021 |date=4 April 2021}}</ref> Other early known Easter eggs include one in the first text adventure game, ''[[Colossal Cave Adventure]]'' (1976), from which ''Adventure'' was fashioned, which includes several secret words. One of these is "[[xyzzy (computing)|xyzzy]]", a command which enables the player to move between two points in the game world.<ref>{{cite journal |author-last=Jerz |author-first=Dennis G. |title=Somewhere Nearby is Colossal Cave: Examining Will Crowther's Original "Adventure" in Code and in Kentucky |journal=Digital Humanities Quarterly |date=2007 |volume=1 |issue=2 |url=http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000009.html |access-date=4 November 2017 |publisher=The Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations}}</ref> According to research by [[Ed Fries]], one of the earliest Easter eggs in a graphical video games could be found in ''[[Starship 1]]'' (1977), programmed by Ron Milner. By triggering the cabinet's controls in the right order, the player can have the message "Hi Ron!" appear on the screen. Fries describes it as "the earliest arcade game yet known that clearly meets the definition of an Easter egg". The existence of this Easter egg was not published until 2017, leading Fries to suggest that, as more than one hundred arcade games predate ''Starship 1'', earlier Easter eggs may still be undiscovered.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Machkovech |author-first=Sam |title=The arcade world's first Easter egg discovered after fraught journey |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/03/the-arcade-worlds-first-easter-egg-discovered-after-fraught-journey/ |website=[[Ars Technica]] |access-date=22 March 2017 |date=22 March 2017}}</ref><ref name="Fries">{{cite web |author-last=Fries |author-first=Ed |title=The Hunt For The First Arcade Game Easter Egg |url=http://kotaku.com/the-hunt-for-the-first-arcade-game-easter-egg-1793593889 |website=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=24 March 2017 |date=24 March 2017}}</ref> Fries says that some Atari arcade cabinets were resold under the [[Kee Games]] label and include changes to the hardware that make the game appear different from the Atari version. ''[[Anti-Aircraft (video game)|Anti-Aircraft II]]'' (1975) includes a means to modify the circuit board to make the airplanes in the game appear as alien UFOs. Fries surmises that this feature may have been intended for a Kee Games release. For this reason, and because it requires a hardware modification, Fries questions whether it meets the definition of an Easter egg.<ref name="Fries"/> In 2004, an Easter egg displaying programmer Bradley Reid-Selth's surname was found in ''Video Whizball'' (1978), a game for the [[Fairchild Channel F]] system.<ref name="Wolf"/>

Since ''Adventure'', there has been a long history of video game developers placing Easter eggs in their games.<ref name="Consalvo">{{cite book |author-last=Consalvo |author-first=Mia |title=Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Videogames |date=2007 |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA |isbn=9780262033657}}</ref>{{rp|19}} Most Easter eggs are intentional—an attempt to communicate with the player or a way of getting even with management for a perceived slight. Easter eggs in video games take a variety of forms, from purely ornamental screens to aesthetic enhancements that change some element of the game during play. The Easter egg included in the original ''[[Age of Empires (video game)|Age of Empires]]'' (1997) is an example of the latter; [[catapult]] projectiles are changed from stones to cows.<ref name="Consalvo"/>{{rp|19}}

More elaborate Easter eggs include [[Level (video gaming)#Secret levels|secret levels]] and developers' rooms—fully functional, hidden areas of the game. Developers' rooms often include inside jokes from the [[fandom]] or development team and differ from a [[debug menu|debug room]] in that they are specifically intended for the player to find. Some games even include hidden [[minigame]]s as Easter eggs. In the [[LucasArts]] game ''[[Day of the Tentacle]]'' (1993), the original ''[[Maniac Mansion]]'' (1987) game can be played in its full version by using a home computer in a character's room.<ref name="Björk">{{cite book |author-last1=Björk |author-first1=Staffan |author-last2=Holopainen |author-first2=Jussi |title=Patterns In Game Design |date=2005 |publisher=Charles River Media |location=Hingham, Massachusetts, USA |isbn=9781584503545 |page=235 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IFQfyODK4wAC&pg=PA235 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Optical Information Systems Update/library & Information Center Applications |journal=CD-ROM World |date=February 1994 |volume=9 |issue=1–5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xwoQAQAAMAAJ&q=Day+of+the+Tentacle+easter+egg |access-date=4 November 2017 |publisher=Meckler Publishing |quote=The best Easter egg of all is the entire Maniac Mansion game, which appears on a computer in Doctor Fred's mansion. Users can play the original game in its entirety.}}</ref> Similarly, a programmer included the whole of ''[[TimeSplitters 2]]'' (2002) within ''[[Homefront: The Revolution]]'' (2016), accessed by using a special code at an in-game arcade cabinet.<ref>{{cite magazine |author-last=Stanton |author-first=Rich |title=Cheat code to play 4K Timesplitters 2 in Homefront: The Revolution revealed after 5 years |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/lost-cheat-code-to-play-4k-timesplitters-2-in-homefront-the-revolution-is-found/ |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |access-date=10 April 2021 |date=9 April 2021}}</ref>

Other Easter eggs originated unintentionally. The [[Konami Code]], a type of [[cheat code]], became an intentional Easter egg in most games, but it originated from Konami's ''[[Gradius]]'' (1985) for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]. The programmer, [[Kazuhisa Hashimoto]], created the code as a means to rapidly [[debug]] the game by giving the player's avatar additional health and powers to easily traverse the game. These types of codes are normally removed from the game before it is shipped but, in the case of ''Gradius'', Hashimoto forgot to remove it and the code was soon discovered by players. Its popularity inspired Konami to reuse the code and purposely retain it for many of its future games as an Easter egg.<ref name="Wolf"/><ref name="Björk"/><ref>{{cite web |author-last=Garmon |author-first=Jay |title=Geek Trivia: The cheat goes on |url=http://www.techrepublic.com/article/geek-trivia-the-cheat-goes-on/ |website=TechRepublic |access-date=16 April 2008 |date=5 March 2007}}</ref>

Technical issues may also create unintentional Easter eggs. [[Jon Burton]], founder of [[Traveller's Tales]], said that many seemingly apparent Easter eggs in their [[Sega Genesis]] games came about as a result of introducing programming tricks to get around some of the difficulty they had in getting Sega's strict certification for their games, [[Exception handling|catching any exceptions during execution]] to bring the game back to a usable state as to pass certification. For example, [[Cartridge tilting|hitting the side]] of the ''[[Sonic 3D Blast]]'' (1996) cartridge while it is slotted in the console will bring the game back to the Level Select screen, which Burton explains is the default exception handling for any unidentified processor error, such as when connectivity between the cartridge and the console's microprocessor is temporarily lost.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Orland |author-first=Kyle |title=How hitting a game cartridge unlocks gaming's weirdest Easter egg |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/smack-cartridge-for-level-select-behind-gamings-weirdest-easter-egg/ |website=Ars Technica |access-date=4 October 2017 |date=4 October 2017}}</ref>

==In computing==
===Software===

In [[computer software]], Easter eggs are secret responses that occur as a result of an undocumented set of commands. The results can vary from a simple printed message or image to a page of programmer credits or a small video game hidden inside an otherwise serious piece of software.

In the [[TOPS-10]] operating system (for the DEC [[PDP-10]] [[mainframe computer]]), the {{code|make}} command is used to invoke the [[Text Editor and Corrector|TECO]] editor to create a file. If given the file name argument {{code|love}}, so that the command reads {{code|make love}}, it will pause and respond [[Make love, not war|{{code|not war?}}]] before creating the file.<ref name="Montfort">{{cite book |author-last1=Montfort |author-first1=Nick |author-last2=Bogost |author-first2=Ian |title=Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System |date=2009 |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA |isbn=9780262012577 |page=59 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DqePfdz_x6gC&pg=PA59 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref> The Easter egg was added sometime between October 1967 and October 1968 by William F. Weiher at the [[Stanford AI Lab]] to the COMPIL program for the PDP-6, which was then used in the TOPS-10 operating system, making it the first Easter egg in a software program.<ref name="Willaert">{{cite web |author-last=Willaert |author-first=Kate |title=Make Love Not War: Talking With The Creator Of The First Software Easter Egg |url=https://www.acriticalhit.com/make-love-not-war-first-software-easter-egg |website=A Critical Hit! |access-date=24 May 2021 |date=23 May 2021}}</ref> This same behavior occurs on the [[RSTS/E]] operating system, where TECO will provide this response.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} Other [[Unix]] [[operating system]]s respond to "{{code|why}}" with "{{code|why not}}" (a reference to ''[[The Prisoner (computer game)|The Prisoner]]'' in [[BSD|Berkeley Unix]], 1977).{{citation needed|date=January 2013}}

Some versions of the DEC [[OpenVMS]] operating system have concealed [[exit status]] codes, including a reference to the [[Monty Python]] [[Dirty Hungarian Phrasebook]] skit; "{{code|exit %xb70}}" returns the message "%SYSTEM-W-FISH, my hovercraft is full of eels" while "{{code|exit %x34b4}}" returns a reference to an early [[Internet meme]]: "%SYSTEM-F-GAMEOVER, [[All your base are belong to us]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=OpenVMS Undocumented Features |url=https://www.parsec.com/os/openvms/undocumented.php?page=13 |website=PARSEC Group |access-date=6 April 2016}}</ref>

Easter eggs in the 1997 version of [[Microsoft Office]] include a hidden [[flight simulator]] in [[Microsoft Excel]] and a [[pinball]] game in [[Microsoft Word]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Anonymous |title=Excel Easter Egg - Excel 97 Flight to Credits |url=http://eeggs.com/items/718.html |website=The Easter Egg Archive |access-date=4 January 2011 |date=19 July 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author-last=Arima |author-first=Kevin |title=Word (Microsoft) Easter Egg - Pinball in Word 97 |url=http://eeggs.com/items/763.html |website=The Easter Egg Archive |access-date=4 January 2011 |date=20 July 2009}}</ref> Since 2002, Microsoft does not allow any hidden or undocumented code as part of its [[trustworthy computing]] initiative.<ref name="Larry">{{cite web |author-last=Osterman |author-first=Larry |title=Why no Easter Eggs? |url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/larryosterman/why-no-easter-eggs |website=Larry Osterman's WebLog |publisher=[[Microsoft Docs]] |date=21 October 2005 |access-date=10 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331003753/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/larryosterman/why-no-easter-eggs |archive-date=31 March 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Debian]] operating system's package tool [[apt-get]] has an Easter egg involving an [[ASCII]] cow when variants on {{code|apt-get moo}} are typed into the shell.<ref>{{cite book |author-last1=Grant |author-first1=Rickford with |author-last2=Bull |author-first2=Phil |title=Ubuntu for Non-Geeks: A Pain-Free, Get-Things-Done Guide |date=2010 |publisher=[[No Starch Press]] |location=San Francisco, California, USA |isbn=9781593272579 |page=168 |edition=4th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lNylcIBk1xsC&q=apt-get+moo&pg=PA168 |access-date=25 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=apt-private/private-moo.cc |website=main - APT Developers / apt - GitLab |date=12 July 2017 |url=https://salsa.debian.org/apt-team/apt/-/blob/main/apt-private/private-moo.cc |access-date=30 January 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=cmdline/apt-get.cc |url=https://salsa.debian.org/apt-team/apt/-/blob/main/cmdline/apt-get.cc#L432 |website=main - APT Developers / apt - GitLab  |date=28 October 2022 |access-date=30 January 2023}}</ref>
[[File:Android easter eggs (version 2.3 to 10).gif|thumb|Animation showing Easter eggs in Google's [[Android (operating system)|Android]] operating system]]
An Easter egg is found on all Microsoft Windows operating systems before [[Windows XP|XP]]. In the 3D&nbsp;Text [[screen saver]], entering the text "volcano" will display the names of all the [[volcano]]es in the United States. Microsoft removed this Easter egg in XP but added others.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Hoye |author-first=David |title='Easter egg' hunts can turn up surprises |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F9C5967DFAD25DD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |website=Newsbank |publisher=[[The Sacramento Bee]] |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=13 March 2003 |archive-date=4 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204022317/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SB&p_theme=sb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F9C5967DFAD25DD&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D |url-status=dead }}{{subscription required}}</ref> In Windows Vista and later, by launching a screensaver executable (introduced with Windows Vista) on the command line with the <code>/p65552</code> flag, for example launching the "bubbles" screen saver with <code>bubbles.scr /p65552</code> command-line parameter, it runs as [[desktop wallpaper]].<ref>{{cite web |title=How to run Screensaver as Wallpaper in Windows 11/10 |url=https://www.thewindowsclub.com/run-screensaver-as-wallpaper-windows |website=The Windows Club |access-date=27 February 2022 |date=18 March 2019}}</ref> [[Microsoft Excel 95|Microsoft Excel&nbsp;95]] contains a hidden action game similar to ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' (1993) called ''The Hall of Tortured Souls''.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Gaskell |author-first=John |title=Excel Easter Egg - Excel 95 Hall of Tortured Souls |url=http://www.eeggs.com/items/719.html |website=The Easter Egg Archive |access-date=30 April 2009 |date=19 July 1999}}</ref>

The Google search engine famously [[List of Google Easter eggs|contains many Easter eggs]], given to the user in response to certain search queries.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Sherman |author-first=Chris |title=Updated: The big list of Google Easter eggs |url=https://searchengineland.com/the-big-list-of-google-easter-eggs-153768 |website=[[Danny Sullivan (technologist)#Search Engine Land|Search Engine Land]] |access-date=22 November 2020 |date=9 October 2018}}</ref>

[[Steve Jobs]] banned Easter eggs from Apple products upon his return to the company.<ref name="Diaz">{{cite web |author-last=Diaz |author-first=Jesus |title=The Easter Eggs Are Back in OS X—And This One Is Insanely Great |url=https://gizmodo.com/the-easter-eggs-are-back-in-os-x-and-this-one-is-insane-5929286 |website=Gizmodo |access-date=13 August 2025 |date=26 July 2012}}</ref> The first Easter egg to appear after his death is in a 2012 update to the [[Mac App Store]] for [[OS X Mountain Lion]], in which downloaded apps are temporarily [[timestamp]]ed as "24 January 1984", the date of the sales launch of the original [[Mac (computer)|Macintosh]].<ref name="Diaz" />

The [[Python (programming language)|Python]] programming language and its ecosystem of libraries include various Easter eggs.<ref>{{cite web |title=OrkoHunter/python-easter-eggs: Curated list of all the easter eggs and hidden jokes in Python |url=https://github.com/OrkoHunter/python-easter-eggs |website=[[GitHub]] |access-date=27 August 2021 |date=9 August 2019}}</ref>

===Firmware===
While computer-related Easter eggs are often found in installed [[software]], occasionally they exist in the [[firmware]] of certain devices. On some [[home computer|home]] and early [[personal computer]]s the [[read-only memory|ROM]] contains Easter eggs, including lists of the developers' names, political exhortations, snatches of music, or images of the entire development team.

The [[palmtop PC]] [[Hewlett-Packard|HP]] [[HP 200LX#Easter eggs|200LX]] (1994)<!-- the [[HP 100LX]] (1993) might have included these Easter eggs as well, but I'm not sure about it; the earlier [[HP 95LX]] (1991) at least has some poems in test mode already. --> includes an undocumented hex calculator [[HEXCALC.EXM]]. The built-in maze game "Lair of Squid" incorporates a hidden gallery of the software developers. In test mode it displays several poems.

Other notable examples include some versions of the [[AMI BIOS]] that on 13 November 1993, proceeded to play "Happy Birthday" via the PC speaker repeatedly instead of [[booting]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Happy Birthday Description |url=http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/birthday.shtml |website=F-Secure Labs |access-date=3 July 2012}}</ref> as well as several early [[Apple Macintosh]] models that have photos of the development team in the ROM. These Mac Easter eggs were well-publicized in the Macintosh press at the time<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Kendig |author-first=Brian |title=Macintosh/Newton Easter Egg List |url=http://www.ralentz.com/old/mac/faqs/source/easter-eggs.html |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=1994 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107024006/http://www.ralentz.com/old/mac/faqs/source/easter-eggs.html |archive-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> along with the means to access them, and were later recovered by an NYC Resistor team, a [[Hacker space|hacker collective]], through elaborate [[reverse engineering]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=hudson |title=Ghosts in the ROM |url=http://www.nycresistor.com/2012/08/21/ghosts-in-the-rom/|website=NYC Resistor |access-date=23 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217050949/http://www.nycresistor.com/2012/08/21/ghosts-in-the-rom/ |archive-date=17 February 2015 |date=21 August 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author-last=Tirosh |author-first=Udi |title=Photographs Of Apple Team Found In 25 Years Old Macintosh SE |url=http://diyphotography.net/photographs-of-apple-team-found-in-25-years-old-macintosh-se |website=DIY Photography |access-date=4 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130226150444/http://diyphotography.net/photographs-of-apple-team-found-in-25-years-old-macintosh-se |archive-date=26 February 2013 |date=22 August 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Similarly, the [[Radio Shack]] [[TRS-80 Color Computer 3|Color Computer&nbsp;3]]'s ROM contains code which displays what looks like three [[Microware]] developers on a [[Control key|{{key press|Ctrl}}]]+[[Alt key|{{key press|Alt}}]]+[[Reset button|{{key press|Reset}}]] keypress sequence—a hard reset which discards any information currently in [[Random-access memory|RAM]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Swygert |first=Frank |date=May 1998 |title=Color Computer 3 Consumer Information |url=https://archive.org/stream/World_of_68_Micros_The_Vol._5_Number_6_1998-05_FARNA_Systems_US/World_of_68_Micros_The_Vol._5_Number_6_1998-05_FARNA_Systems_US_djvu.txt |access-date=4 November 2017 |magazine=The World of 68' Micros |publisher=FARNA Systems |page=5 |volume=5 |issue=6}}</ref>

Several [[oscilloscope]]s contain Easter eggs. One example is the HP&nbsp;54600B{{when|reason=To put this into perspective timewise, when was the HP 54600B introduced? (The HP 54600A was introduced in 1992, the switch to Agilent happened in 1999. The manual has copyright dates "1992, 1997", so it might have been introduced in 1997, but I'm not sure about it.)|date=May 2022}}, known to have a ''[[Tetris (video game)|Tetris]]'' (1985) clone,<ref>{{cite web |author1=kcbhiw |title=HP 54600B Oscilloscope Easter Egg - Tetris Within Oscilloscope |url=http://www.eeggs.com/items/28801.html |website=The Easter Egg Archive |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=24 July 2001}}</ref> and the HP&nbsp;54622D{{when|reason=To put this into perspective timewise, when was the HP 54622D introduced? (It must have been before the switch to Agilent in 1999, who continued to sell the oscilloscope as "Agilent HP 54622D".)|date=May 2022}} contains an imitation of the ''[[Asteroids (video game)|Asteroids]]'' (1979) game named ''Rocks''.<ref>{{cite web |author1=TonyK |title=HP 54622D Easter Egg - HP Asteroids |url=http://www.eeggs.com/items/34063.html |website=The Easter Egg Archive |access-date=11 March 2015 |date=24 April 2002}}</ref> Another is the [[Tektronix]] 1755A{{when|reason=To put this into perspective timewise, in which year was the Tektronix 1755A introduced?|date=May 2022}} Vector and Waveform Monitor which displays swimming fish when Remote > Software version is selected on the CONFIG menu.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Pavel |title=Tektronix 1751 Digital Video Osciloscope / Vectorscope Easter Egg - Fishes Swimming on Screen |url=http://www.eeggs.com/items/10043.html |website=The Easter Egg Archive |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=8 April 2000}}</ref>

In the second and third hardware revision of the [[Minolta Maxxum 9|Minolta Dynax/Maxxum/Alpha 9]] (introduced in 1998) [[Single-lens reflex camera|SLR]] camera, including all SSM/ADI upgraded bodies (since 2003), an undocumented button sequence can be utilized to reconfigure the camera to behave like the Dynax/Maxxum/Alpha 9Ti (1999) and subsequently invoke support for the limited model's extra functions also in the black model.<ref name="Paul_2010">{{cite web |title=Zusätzliche Funktionen für die Minolta Dynax 9 - Kleine Bescherung: Und es geht doch - 9Ti-Funktionen für Dynax 9 |language=de |trans-title=Extra functions for the Dynax 9 - a little Christmas present: Against all odds, it works: 9Ti functions on the Dynax 9 |author-first=Matthias R. |author-last=Paul |date=2010-12-24 |work=Mi-Fo |url=http://www.mi-fo.de/forum/index.php?showtopic=28555 |access-date=2014-05-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723113011/http://www.mi-fo.de/forum/index.php?showtopic=28555 |archive-date=2016-07-23}} (NB. Description of an undocumented activation procedure to enable the extra functions of the Minolta Dynax/Maxxum/Alpha 9Ti limited edition model on all standard black Dynax/Maxxum/Alpha 9 bodies equipped with second and third PCB revision, including all bodies with SSM/ADI upgrade.)</ref><ref name="Conny1_2010">{{cite web |title=Belated Christmas gift for Dynax/Maxxum/Alpha 9 <!-- |author-first=Rolf |author-last=Conny1??? --> |work=Dyxum |date=2010-12-28 |url=https://www.dyxum.com/dforum/topic71107.html |access-date=2022-05-18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518102900/https://www.dyxum.com/dforum/belated-christmas-gift-for-dynax-maxxum-alpha-9_topic71107.html |archive-date=2022-05-18}}</ref><ref name="Slipsale_2011">{{cite web |title=Upgrade des fonctionnalités du D9 en D9Ti gratuite |language=fr |trans-title=Upgrade of the functions of the D9 and D9Ti free |author=<!-- Slipsale --> |work=AlphaDxD |date=2011-01-05 |url=https://www.alphadxd.fr/viewtopic.php?f=118&t=54935 |access-date=2022-05-18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518104420/https://www.alphadxd.fr/viewtopic.php?f=118&t=54935 |archive-date=2022-05-18}}</ref><ref name="Paul_2006">{{cite web |title=Maxxum 9 Update? |author-first=Matthias R. |author-last=Paul |work=[[Shutterbug (magazine)|Shutterbug]] |date=2006-06-25 |url=http://forum.shutterbug.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=7414&an=0&page=0#Post7414 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061027021407/http://forum.shutterbug.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=7414&an=0&page=0#Post7414 |archive-date=2006-10-27 |quote=[…] the SSM/ADI upgrade does not incorporate upgrading a black body to 9Ti specs, functions-wise. That is, the extra custom functions (except for 20-4) still do not normally exist on black bodies after the upgrade. Of course, 9Ti bodies do not lose their extra functions during the upgrade. […] Die-hard Minolta fans of the "black beauty" may feel free to contact […] if their camera body is either SSM/ADI upgraded already or shows the above mentioned improved behaviour. I may have some extra sweets for you... […]}} (NB. Not related to the undocumented button sequence revealed in the {{citeref|Paul|2010|2010 post|style=plain}} but giving general background on the subtle differences of the camera variants and already hinting on a more elaborate internal configuration file manipulation hack to switch camera profiles.)</ref>

One of HP's electronic pocket [[calculator]]s, the [[HP-45]] (introduced in 1973), has a built-in undocumented [[stopwatch]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.decodesystems.com/hp45-stopwatch.html |title=How To Use The HP-45 Calculator As a Stopwatch Or Elapsed-time Indicator |author-first=Paul E. |author-last=Miller |magazine=[[Popular Electronics]] |date=June 1976}}</ref>

The firmware of HP's [[HP ScanJet|ScanJet 5p]] [[image scanner]] contains an easter egg wherein, on a cold power-on, holding down the scan button when the SCSI ID selector on the back is set to "0" will cause the ScanJet to play a rendition of [[Friedrich Schiller|Schiller]]'s "[[Ode to Joy]]", by modulating the speed of the audible stepper motor drive to produce specific pitches.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Bombay | first=Emilio | date=October 29, 1998 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/273693106 | title=Have your eyes checked, too | journal=Fort Worth Star-Telegram | page=3 |id={{ProQuest|273693106}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Colvey | first=Scott | date=April 25, 2000 | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/329268726 | title=How you can crack the Easter egg codes | journal=Evening Standard | page=55 |id={{ProQuest|329268726}}}}</ref>

===Hardware===
The [[Amiga 1000|Commodore Amiga 1000]] computer includes the signatures of the design and development team embossed on the inside of the case, including Jay Miner and the paw print of his dog, Mitchy.<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Corrigan |author-first=Patricia |title=Bringing Science to Life: A Guide from the Saint Louis Science |date=2007 |publisher=Reedy Press |location=St. Louis, Missouri, USA |isbn=9781933370163 |page=69}}</ref> The [[Commodore International|Commodore]] [[Amiga]] models 500, 600, and 1200 each feature Easter eggs in the form of song titles by [[the B-52's]] as white printing on the [[motherboard]]s. The 500 says "[[Rock Lobster (song)|B52/Rock Lobster]]", the 600 says "[[Cosmic Thing|June Bug]]", and the 1200 says "[[Channel Z (song)|Channel&nbsp;Z]]".<ref>{{cite journal |title= |journal=Compute! |volume=12 |issue=6–9 |publisher=Small System Service |date=1990}}</ref> The [[Amiga OS]] software contains hidden messages.<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Petersen |author-first=Julie K. |title=The Telecommunications Illustrated Dictionary |date=2002 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |location=Boca Raton, Florida, USA |isbn=9780849311734 |page=293 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b2mMzS0hCkAC&pg=PA293 |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author-last=Hyman |author-first=Michael |title=PC Roadkill |date=1995 |publisher=Programmers Press |location=Foster City, California, USA |isbn=9781568843483 |page=c |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3eTCYYYaTC8C&q=amiga+os+software+hidden+messages |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>

Many [[integrated circuit]] (chip) designers have included hidden graphics elements termed [[chip art]], including images, phrases, developer initials, logos, and more. This artwork, like the rest of the chip, is reproduced in each copy by [[photolithography]] and [[etching]]. These are visible only when the chip package is opened and examined under magnification.<ref name="cvax">{{cite web |author-first=Bob |author-last=Supnik |title=CVAX |url=http://simh.trailing-edge.com/semi/cvax.html |website=Computer Simulation and History |access-date=23 May 2019 |date=24 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150117182438/http://simh.trailing-edge.com/semi/cvax.html |archive-date=17 January 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> The 1984 CVAX microchip implementation of the [[MicroVAX]] CPU contains in its etchings the [[Russian language|Russian]] phrase in the [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] alphabet "VAX: When you care enough to steal the very best",<ref>{{cite web |title=Steal The Best |url=https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/creatures/pages/russians.html |website=Molecular Expressions: The Silicon Zoo |access-date=16 May 2019 |date=7 July 1999}}</ref> placed there because, "knowing that some CVAXs would end up in the USSR, the team wanted the Russians to know that we were thinking of them".<ref name="cvax"/>

Another notable example is the [[Nintendo Switch Pro Controller|pro controller]] for the [[Nintendo Switch]], on the controller's [[motherboard]], if a player holds down on the right stick and looks closely into the transparent plastic surrounding its socket while shining a light on it, there is a hidden message that reads "THX2ALLGAMEFANS!". The message was discovered by Japanese Twitter user Geo Stream on March 4, 2017, one day after the Switch's launch.

==Comics==
American [[comic book]] artists are known to include hidden messages in their art:<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Cronin |author-first=Brian |title=Comic Book Easter Eggs Archive! |url=http://www.cbr.com/comic-book-easter-eggs-archive/ |website=[[Comic Book Resources]] |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=1 July 2011}}</ref>

* In a reprint of classic ''[[Captain America]]'' comics, a production artist drew a penis on [[Bucky Barnes]].<ref name="Johnston">{{cite web |author-last=Johnston |author-first=Rich |author-link=Rich Johnston |title=Marvel Artist Ardian Syaf Hid Antisemitic And Anti-Christian Messages In This Week's X-Men Comic |url=https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/04/08/marvel-artist-ardian-syaf-hid-anti-christian-jewish-messages-weeks-x-men-comic/ |website=[[Bleeding Cool]] |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=8 April 2017 |quote=And there was the time a production artist drew a penis on Bucky in classic Captain America archive reprints.}}</ref>
* In 2000, [[Al Milgrom]] inserted a message into ''[[Universe X: Spidey]]'' #1 insulting his previous boss, Marvel Editor in Chief [[Bob Harras]], following Harras' termination from [[Marvel Comics]]. On Page 28, panel 3, the spines of books on a bookshelf in the background read, "HARRAS HA HA, HE'S GONE, GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH HE WAS A NASTY S.O.B." The message was spotted after the book was printed but before it went on sale; the copies that were printed for consumers were destroyed. However, 4,000 preview copies were distributed to retailers as part of a "[[First-look deal|First Look]]" deal, and these are today considered rare collector's items. Milgrom was "apparently fired and allegedly (and quietly) re-hired several weeks later".<ref name="Johnston"/><ref>{{cite web |author-last=McCallum |author-first=Diana |title=6 Comic Book Easter Eggs That Stuck It to The Man |url=http://www.cracked.com/article_18984_6-comic-book-easter-eggs-that-stuck-it-to-man.html |website=[[Cracked.com]] |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=4 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Universe X Spidey 1 Harras Slander Variant |url=https://recalledcomics.com/UniverseXSpidey1RecalledHarras.php |website=Recalled Comics |access-date=30 January 2023}}</ref>
* [[Ethan Van Sciver]] hid the word "sex" in the background of nearly every page of ''[[New X-Men (2001 series)|New X-Men]]'' #118 (November 2001).<ref name="Johnston"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cronin |first1=Brian |title=Comic Book Easter Eggs - New "Se"X-Men #118 Edition! |url=http://www.cbr.com/comic-book-easter-eggs-new-sex-men-118-edition/ |website=Comic Book Resources |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=19 July 2011}}</ref> Van Sciver subsequently stated that he hid the word throughout the book because he was annoyed with Marvel at the time for reasons he cannot remember, and thought it would be fun to engage in some mischief with his work.{{Citation needed|date=November 2017}}
* Indonesian artist [[Ardian Syaf]] is known to engage in the practice of hiding Easter egg references to political figures in the backgrounds of his artwork. In ''[[Batgirl]]'' (vol. 4) #9 (July 2012), Syaf included a storefront sign that referenced the [[President of Indonesia]], [[Joko Widodo]], although the text that accompanies the image of Widodo is covered by a caption.<ref name="Johnston"/><ref>{{cite comic |writer=[[Gail Simone]] |penciller=[[Ardian Syaf]] |inker=Vicente Cifuentes |story=In the Line of Fire |title=[[Batgirl]] |volume=4 |issue=9 |date=July 2012 |publisher=[[DC Comics]]}}</ref> In April 2017, he caused [[Ardian Syaf#Easter egg references and X-Men Gold controversy|an outcry]] by placing Easter egg references to the [[November 2016 Jakarta protests]] into the pages of ''[[X-Men Gold]]'' #1, which were perceived by readers to be [[anti-Semitic]] and [[anti-Christian]]. Though Syaf acknowledged the political nature of the messages,<ref name="Johnston"/><ref>{{cite web |author-last=Lovett |author-first=Jamie |title=Marvel Releases Statement On Controversial X-Men Gold Art |url=http://comicbook.com/marvel/2017/04/08/marvel-releases-statement-on-controversial-x-men-gold-art/ |website=ComicBook.com |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=8 April 2017}}</ref> he stated that they were not intended to express any anti-Semitic nor anti-Christian sentiment on his part.<ref>{{cite web |title=Buni Yani Questioned Again in Cyber Harassment Case |url=http://www.jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/buni-yani-questioned-again-in-cyber-harrasment-case/ |website=[[Jakarta Globe]] |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170221010020/http://www.jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/buni-yani-questioned-again-in-cyber-harrasment-case/ |archive-date=21 February 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In response to these Easter eggs, Marvel terminated their contract with Syaf.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Brown |author-first=Tracy |title=Today in Entertainment: Inside Disney's Pandora; Fyre Fest's apology; and 'Hamilton' ticket details |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-april-marvel-officially-terminates-x-men-1491945410-htmlstory.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=11 April 2017}}</ref>

==Video==
===Home media===
Easter eggs are found on films, [[DVD]]s, and [[Blu-ray|Blu-ray Disc]]s, often as deleted scenes or bonus features.<ref>{{cite book |title=DVD Confidential: Hundreds of Hidden Easter Eggs Revealed |author-last=Saltzman |author-first=Marc |publisher=McGraw-Hill Osborne Media |isbn=9780072226638 |date=2002}}</ref><ref name="Klinger">{{cite book |author-last1=Bennett |author-first1=James |author-last2=Brown |author-first2=Tom |title=Film and television after DVD |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York, USA |isbn=9780415962414 |page=23 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7uVCwa2mzFMC&pg=PA38 |access-date=22 January 2013 |chapter=The DVD Cinephile: Viewing Heritages and Home Film Cultures}}</ref><ref name="Berard">{{cite book |author-last1=Berardinelli |author-first1=James |author-last2=Ebert |author-first2=Roger |title=Reel Views 2: The Ultimate Guide to the Best 1,000 Modern Movies on DVD and Video, Volume 2 |date=2005 |publisher=Justin, Charles & Co. |location=Boston, USA |isbn=9781932112405 |page=577 |edition=1st U.S |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y1LmH8ld1yoC&pg=PT590 |access-date=22 January 2013 |chapter=Appendix: Easter Eggs, Extended Editions, and Director's Cuts}}</ref> Klinger states that their presence is "another signifier of artistry in the world of DVD supplements."<ref name="Klinger"/> According to American [[Film criticism|film critics]] [[James Berardinelli]] and [[Roger Ebert]], most DVDs do not contain them and most examples are "inconsequential", but a few, such as the one found on the ''[[Memento (film)|Memento]]'' DVD release, are "worth the effort to seek out".<ref name="Berard"/>
<!-- Doctor Who "Blink" episode Easter Egg info in "In popular culture. Do not re-add here." -->

===Broadcast media===
Unlike DVDs and computer games, broadcast radio and television programs contain no executable code. Easter eggs may still appear in the content itself, such as a [[hidden Mickey]] in a Disney film or a real telephone number instead of a [[555 (telephone number)|555]] [[fictitious telephone number]].{{Original research inline|date=November 2017}} A [[2014 Super Bowl]] advertisement was leaked online in which a lady gives a man a real telephone number, which the advertiser had hidden as a marketing ploy; the first caller to the number received a pair of tickets to the game.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Merda |author-first=Chad |title=Easter egg in Old Spice Super Bowl ad yields two tickets to curious fan |url=http://voices.suntimes.com/news/easter-egg-in-old-spice-super-bowl-ad-yields-two-tickets-to-curious-fan/ |website=Chicago Sun-Times |access-date=11 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402091642/http://voices.suntimes.com/news/easter-egg-in-old-spice-super-bowl-ad-yields-two-tickets-to-curious-fan/ |archive-date=2 April 2015 |date=30 January 2014}}</ref> The 1980s animated series ''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power]]'' featured a character named [[Loo-Kee]] who typically appeared once per episode, hidden in a single screenshot. At the end of the episode, the screenshot would be shown again and Loo-Kee would challenge viewers to locate him before revealing his hiding place.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Bricken |author-first=Rob |title=Every She-Ra: Princess Of Power Figure, Ranked |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/every-she-ra-princess-of-power-figure-ranked-1706814141 |website=io9 |access-date=12 April 2018 |date=25 May 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author-last=DePiano |author-first=Hillary |title=The She-Ra Collector's Inventory: an Unofficial Illustrated Guide to All Princess of Power Toys and Accessories |date=2006 |publisher=Priced Nostalgia Press |isbn=9781411631281 |page=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tcQgHlVoRLMC&pg=PA33 |access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> ''[[Adventure Time]]'' also had a character known as The Snail that was hidden in almost every episode of the show.<ref>{{Cite web |last=D'Onofrio |first=Matthew |date=2021-05-14 |title=10 Things Only Die-Hard Fans Of The Series Will Notice In Adventure Time: Distant Lands |url=https://gamerant.com/adventure-time-distant-lands-easter-eggs/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Game Rant |language=en-US}}</ref>

More recent broadcast media, where viewers have access to high-resolution digital copies or streaming services, may include further Easter eggs that can only be found by freezing the show at certain points. In the anthology series ''[[Black Mirror]]'', the producers have included Easter eggs that reference past episodes, or tie into future episodes, as a means of loosely tying together all episodes into a single ''Black Mirror'' universe.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-season-4-episodes-charlie-brooker-annabel-jones-interview-spoilers-1033807 |title='Black Mirror' Bosses on "San Junipero" Sequel and an Unpredictable Season 4 |author-first=Jackie |author-last=Strause |date=7 September 2017 |access-date=14 December 2017 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215053422/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/black-mirror-season-4-episodes-charlie-brooker-annabel-jones-interview-spoilers-1033807 |archive-date=15 December 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>  The opening credits of Season 2 of the animated series ''[[Arcane: League of Legends]]'' feature Easter eggs that foreshadows the episode. They generally could only be found by pausing the sequence at certain points.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gamerant.com/arcane-season-2-opening-credits-easter-eggs-clues/|title=All The Easter Eggs Hidden in Arcane's New Opening Credits|author-first=Lauren |author-last=Rouse |date=13 November 2024 |access-date=1 January 2025 |website=Game Rant }}</ref> Consequently, the introductions to each episode of the season slightly differs from each other. The [[Netflix]] series ''[[Stranger Things]]'' had a real-world Easter Egg where a pizza delivery van featured in the show's fourth season had the phone number (805) 45-PIZZA shown on its side. If that number, which translated to 805-457-4992 was dialed, it led to a special message from Argyle, the fictional restaurant's delivery driver.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.polygon.com/stranger-things/23200060/stranger-things-surfer-boy-pizza-number-phone-easter-egg-argyle-message|title=Stranger Things' Surfer Boy Pizza number really lets you call Argyle|author-first=Austen |author-last=Goslin |date=8 July 2022 |access-date=18 July 2022 |website=Polygon }}</ref>

==Security concerns==
Security author Michel E. Kabay discussed security concerns of Easter eggs in 2000, saying that, while software quality assurance requires that all code be tested, it is not known whether Easter eggs are. He said that, as they tend to be held as programming secrets from the rest of the product testing process, a "[[logic bomb]]" could also bypass testing. Kabay asserts that this undermined the [[Trusted Computing Base]], a paradigm of trustworthy hardware and software in place since the 1980s, and is of concern wherever personal or confidential information is stored, as this may then be vulnerable to damage or manipulation.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Kabay |author-first1=M. E. |title=Easter eggs and the Trusted Computing Base |url=http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/sec/0327sec1.html |website=Network World |access-date=4 November 2017 |date=27 March 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615213259/http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/sec/0327sec1.html |archive-date=15 June 2006}}</ref><!-- For this reason, many developers have stopped the practice of adding Easter eggs to their software. -- UNSOURCED since 15 May 2006, highly replicated after that. Do not add back without earlier source. --Lexein. See Talk. --> Microsoft created some of the largest and most elaborate Easter eggs, such as those in [[Microsoft Office]].<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Schultz |author-first=Greg |title=Take a look back at Microsoft Word Easter Eggs |url=http://www.zdnet.com/photos/take-a-look-back-at-microsoft-word-easter-eggs_p6/160791#photo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103151827/http://www.zdnet.com/photos/take-a-look-back-at-microsoft-word-easter-eggs_p6/160791#photo |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 January 2013 |website=ZDNet |access-date=5 October 2012 |date=29 August 2010 |quote=Microsoft's developers hid multiple Easter Eggs in Word 95/97/2000.}}</ref> In 2005, Larry Osterman of Microsoft acknowledged Microsoft Easter eggs, and his involvement in development of one, but described them as "irresponsible", and wrote that the company's [[operating system]] division "has a 'no Easter Eggs' policy" as part of its [[Trustworthy Computing]] initiative.<ref name="Larry"/>

In 2006, [[Douglas W. Jones]] said that while "some Easter eggs may be [[copyright trap|intentional tools used to detect illegal copying]], others are clearly examples of unauthorized functionality that has slipped through the quality-control tests at the vendor". While hidden Easter eggs themselves are harmless, it may be possible for [[malware]] to be hidden in similar ways in voting machines or other computers.<ref>{{cite journal |author-last=Neuman |author-first=Peter G. |title=A Conversation with Douglas W. Jones and Peter G. Neumann |journal=ACM Queue |date=10 November 2006 |volume=5 |issue=9 |url=http://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=1180188 |access-date=5 October 2012}}</ref>

[[Netscape Navigator]] contributor [[Jamie Zawinski]] stated in an interview in 1998 that harmless Easter eggs impose a negligible burden on shipped software, and serve the important purpose of helping productivity by keeping programmers happy.<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Spolsky |author-first=Joel |author-link1=Joel Spolsky |title=Joel on Software |date=2004 |publisher=Apress |location=Berkeley, California, USA |isbn=9781590593899 |page=280 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xdxrDYZyNLUC&pg=PA280 |access-date=4 November 2017 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Contemporary works about Easter eggs==
<!-- this section is NOT for listing easter eggs. It should be for works where Easter eggs are part of the narrative. All entries must have third-party sourcing -->
Easter eggs have become more widely known to the general public and are referenced in contemporary artworks.
* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "[[Blink (Doctor Who)|Blink]]", the existence of video Easter eggs across seventeen [[DVD]]s leads to solving the protagonists' dilemma.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Wilkins |author-first=Alasdiar |title=Doctor Who: "Blink"/"Utopia" |url=https://www.avclub.com/doctor-who-blink-utopia-1798180187 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=5 August 2019 |date=13 April 2014}}</ref>
* In [[Ernest Cline]]'s novel ''[[Ready Player One]]'' and its [[Ready Player One (film)|film adaptation]], the protagonists are competing with others to find various Easter eggs within a large [[virtual reality]] environment. The final challenge includes identifying and reaching the Easter egg from the Atari ''Adventure'' game.<ref>{{cite web |author-last=Gach |author-first=Ethan |title=The Real-Life Atari Secret That Inspired Ready Player One |url=https://kotaku.com/the-real-life-atari-secret-that-inspired-ready-player-o-1824221173 |website=[[Kotaku]] |access-date=5 August 2019 |date=30 March 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Video games}}
* {{Annotated link|Acrostic}}
* [[Hacking of consumer electronics]]
* {{Annotated link|Hidden track}}
* [[Konami Code]] – a secret code, originally from the game [[Contra (video game)|Contra]], that has gained widespread adoption as an Easter egg
* [[List of Easter eggs in Microsoft products]]
* [[List of filmmaker's signatures]]
* [[List of Google Easter eggs]]
* [[List of Easter eggs in Tesla products]]
* {{Annotated link|Magic string}}
* {{Annotated link|Rickrolling}}
* ''[[The Book of Mozilla]]''
* {{Annotated link|Undocumented feature}}
* {{section link|Al Hirschfeld|Nina}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://smithsonianchips.si.edu/chipfun/graff.htm "Chip Fun: Microchip-based Easter eggs"] – National Museum of American History.
* [http://www.eeggs.com/ The Easter Egg Archive]

{{Hidden messages}}

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[[Category:Easter egg (media)| ]]
[[Category:Cheating in video games]]
[[Category:1980s neologisms]]
[[Category:Computer humour]]
[[Category:In-jokes]]
[[Category:Software features]]