Easter Eggs and other hidden treasures
- Dan Connors
- Apr 23
- 3 min read
"Just like an Easter egg hunt, life is all about discovering the joy in little things." Unknown
One of the most fun activities a child can participate in is an Easter egg hunt. Kids (and adults) of all ages love the challenge of finding something surprising that's hidden in plain sight. Kind of like a real-world Where's Waldo. Locating a colorful egg, especially one that's full of candy or money is a special experience that can inspire us all.
Over time the term "Easter Egg" has grown to include a host of other hidden goodies that were cleverly placed in modern works of art and commerce. These days, one can find Easter eggs hidden within literature, movies, video games, tv shows and more, but you have to look very hard to find them as they're easily missed. This requires time and patience, something that's hard to utilize in our hyper-connected world.
I used to collect and admire David Winter Castles, hand-painted recreations of real and fictional castles with amazing detail. The castles themselves are inspiring and well-done. But David Winter, their creator, hid an Easter egg , a tiny little mouse, somewhere on each castle and cottage that he created. The challenge of finding the mouse was almost as fun as admiring the huge castle surrounding it.
One of the earliest Easter eggs I can recall was inside of the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock's films were classics of suspense and mystery, and he was recognized as one of the best movie directors of his time. And in each of his films, Hitchcock made a quick cameo in the background of the action to challenge the viewer to find him. In some movies you can barely notice it without pause and rewind. But each appearance adds a bit of humor and fun to an otherwise dark tale of spies, murder, or intrigue.
Pixar studios has become known for its bevvy of Easter eggs in each of its movies. Characters from past and future movies make quick cameos in almost every Pixar movie. They also try to work in The Pizza Planet truck from the first movie, Toy Story, as well as the Luxo Ball from one of its first shorts, and the room number A-113, an inside joke of the room number where many of the animators learned their craft.
While Pixar movies are famous for their touching stories and great animation, it's the Easter eggs that keep many of us coming back for more.
Why are Easter eggs inspiring? Read the quote at the top of this post again- "life is all about discovering the joy in little things". Seeking out life's Easter eggs is about noticing the smaller details in a fast-moving world. The big and important things monopolize our energy and attention, but once in a while it's healthy to admire a flower, movie, or inside joke, and see the beauty and humor hidden within. Life can seem dark and serious, and sometimes looking too closely at the pain and corruption around is isn't such a great idea. (Though hat's off to those able to see into the darkness and want to do something about it.)
Easter eggs are meant to be fun, whimsical, and special, and seeking them out adds some much needed joy to our lives.
I only wish that the classic Easter egg hunts weren't just for kids. I guess I'll have to be satisfied with Pixar and Wordle. By the way, I've hidden three Easter eggs somewhere in this blog post. Hope you find them...
One of the most brilliant Easter eggs that I know of occurred in three separate seasons of the tv show Community. In each show, one of the characters mentions the name Beetlejuice, almost offhandedly. But after the third utterance, Beetlejuice himself appears in the background very quickly, just as he would have appeared in his movies. And eagle-eyed fans of the show caught on quickly!
Community was one of those shows that took pride in details and background humor. Many of the multi-tasking, barely watching viewers miss out on the best jokes. One of my favorite shows, Police Squad, ended in 6 episodes because executives didn't think viewers would pay enough attention to catch the fast-moving satire and jokes. Too bad.
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