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Tech Talk:
Not 
Your Ordinary Easter Egg Hunt
by Jamey Landry
Crave the excitement of an Easter egg hunt, but without the mess of dying eggs and the taunts of family members who say you’re too old? Then grab a stack of DVDs and your remote, because many of those ordinary-looking DVDs are chock full of hidden treasures—virtual Easter eggs.
A virtual Easter egg is a little lagniappe hidden in a DVD or video game. These hidden bonus features can be found in many (but not necessarily all) commercially available DVDs and games. In the case of DVDs, the secret additions reward those who seek them with extra features such as deleted scenes, hidden documentaries, and other movie memorabilia-type items. For video games, hidden Easter eggs often reward the searcher with tips or bonus points for the current game play—or pointed taunts for exploring for suspected Easter eggs in the wrong place!
Although the exact origin of virtual Easter eggs is debatable, a general consensus among experts and historians credits Warren Robinette as the probable instigator of the practice. Robinette was a programmer at Atari, producers of Pong, Missile Command and other popular video games in the early 1980s. At the time, programmers received no on-screen credits for their work as is customary today. In 1978, as a way of giving himself credit for his development work on the Atari video game Adventure, Robinette is said to have inserted an Easter egg consisting of his name in that game. Zealous fans of video games discovered the Easter egg, and the practice continued. Contemporary virtual Easter eggs are often a creative outlet for the programmers to share their personalities in a fun way. In effect, they are “signing” their work as a painter would sign a portrait.
Until recently, even computer software often contained benign Easter eggs of the programmer’s fancy. Security concerns over malicious applets being slipped into the program code has largely eliminated the practice, although some older versions of current office software contain Easter eggs on start-up screens and the like.
As the name implies, DVD Easter eggs will take a bit of a hunt to find. Some are relatively obvious, while others are well hidden. So how does one go about it? Sometimes it’s blind luck. Other times, it’s through diligent follow-up of a hunch that one exists. An easier way is to go to a DVD Easter egg website where someone who has done the hard part of hunting has shared the results. One site in particular, hiddendvdeastereggs.com, boasts a database of more than 2,089 DVDs, with a cumulative total of 3,100 Easter eggs.
Which movies and TV shows have Easter eggs, and what do they do? Good questions! The first-season release on DVD of “Grey’s Anatomy,” for example, offers a hidden featurette about a certain prop that makes an appearance on every episode. On the DVD of “The Incredibles,” a series of commands via your DVD’s remote offers a version of the movie as performed by sock puppets. Even movies released on DVD may contain Easter eggs. The James Bond classic “Dr. No” offers a secret story on the history of a libation made famous by 007.
Probably the most talked about DVD Easter egg is “Hip Hop Yoda” in “Star Wars, Episode III, Revenge of the Sith.” From the main menu, highlight Options, then enter the digits 1, 1, 3 and 8. (This is an inside joke that refers back to director George Lucas’ first movie, “THX 1138,” which contains an Easter egg itself.) Once entered, you are treated to an entirely new look at Yoda that you’ll never forget.
Easter eggs may vary from country to country, as well as between “special edition” and “regular release” DVDs. When using clues in searches for DVD Easter eggs, be sure to use clues for Region 1 (R1) DVD, which is the encryption standard used in the United States and the rest of North America. This should be relatively easy, as all DVDs and DVD players sold in the United States are for Region 1. Most Easter eggs are designed for set-top DVD players with remote controls, so your computer’s DVD player is unlikely to be able to access the hidden features, except for Internet-access features.
Should you or the kids decide to take up this pleasant little pastime, don’t be discouraged if you can’t always find the DVD Easter eggs on the first try. Even if you know where and how to look for them, they still may be difficult to find. But then again, isn’t that the point of a treasure hunt?
Selected DVD Easter eggs from hiddendvdeastereggs.com.
Star War Episode III, Revenge of the Sith:
Hip Hop Yoda. On Disc 1, select Options, then press 1, 1, 3 and 8 on your keypad.
Austin Powers, The Spy Who Shagged Me: Dr. Evil Mockumentary.
Go to the Special Features menu and wait a few seconds for the Dr. Evil logo to appear center screen. Clicking the logo accesses hidden features, including a Dr. Evil Mockumentary and a summary of the half-baked plans for world domination from classic spy movies.
Friends—The Complete Second Season: Music Video. There is a trivia game on Disc Four of this set. Correctly answer all the questions and the music video for Phoebe’s song “Smelly Cat” appears. Shortcut: the music video can be directly accessed as Title 27, but then what’s the fun? (Check your player for instructions as to how to directly access titles.)
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit:
Web Site/Game Reward. Enter Special Features from the main menu, then go to the game and play it. A good score on the game yields an access code (CHEESE). Insert the disc into an Internet-connected computer and enter the code in the bottom right corner as indicated. This takes you to the Wallace and Gromit website, which has all sorts of fun stuff.
Toy Story: The Ultimate Toy Box: Bonus Feature. Insert the Supplemental Features disc (Disc 3) and choose Toy Story 2 from the menu. Then choose Story, then Jessie’s Song. When the new menu for Jessie’s song loads up, press your Left button on the DVD controller. Choose the question mark that pops up for something unbelievably funny!
The Incredibles: Alternate Version of Film. On Disc 2, highlight the back arrow then allow the Set Up menu to go through the full animation cycle. At the end of the cycle, an Omnidroid icon will appear in the upper right corner. Press your Down button quickly to get a sock puppet version of the movie.
Dr. No: Bonus Feature. From the Special Features menu, press the Down button on your remote to highlight the Martini glass, then press Enter button. A history of the Martini, along with a recipe, appears.
Disclaimer: Some Easter Eggs are very well hidden and difficult to access. This may cause you to become “button happy,” which may result in changes to your DVD or TV settings. If you can’t get the egg to pop up by your second or third try, it might be best to give up and simply watch the movie instead.
