Easter egg

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{{about|hidden items in toons}} {{for|Easter specials|Holidays#Easter (Sunday following first full moon after March 20){{!}}Holidays (Easter)}} {{for-nothe|other uses of eggs|Eggs (disambiguation)}}
{{about|hidden items in toons}} {{for|Easter specials|Holidays#Easter (Sunday following first full moon after March 20){{!}}Holidays (Easter)}} {{for-nothe|other uses of eggs|Eggs (disambiguation)}}
[[Image:Easter egg toon.png|thumb|Not ''those'' kinds of Easter eggs!]]
[[Image:Easter egg toon.png|thumb|Not ''those'' kinds of Easter eggs!]]
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An '''[[Wikipedia:Easter egg (media)|Easter egg]] ''' of a [[Homestar Runner (body of work)|Homestar Runner]] cartoon is a feature that is hidden in some way. Often, it is only accessible by clicking on a hidden button, a keypress or by waiting a while after the toon is seemingly over.
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'''{{w|Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs}}''' {{--}} a message, image, scene, or other feature that is hidden or obscured during normal viewing {{--}} are a mainstay of [[Homestar Runner (body of work)|Homestar Runner]]. Primarily featured throughout the hundreds of [[Flash]] toons that make up the body of work, this tendency to include hidden bonus content extends to [[games]], other media releases, and even [[Strong Bad Talking Plush|toys]].
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Most of the recent Homestar Runner Flash animations feature Easter eggs. These are most prominent in [[Strong Bad Email]]s, but are also placed in other cartoons on the site. Most are activated by clicking a specific area of the animation.
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The majority of [[toons]] feature Easter eggs, documented in their respective articles. Easter eggs are most often triggered by clicking on a hidden button in the Flash cartoon; other Easter eggs may be activated by pressing a certain key, or simply by waiting a while after the toon is seemingly over. For instance, Easter eggs are commonly found in [[Strong Bad Email]]s by clicking on a certain word or phrase that [[Strong Bad]] has typed onto his computer.
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Occasionally, Easter eggs are hidden in a way that cannot be revealed directly, and can only be seen if the Flash file is opened in a [[Wikipedia:decompiler|decompiler]]. At [[Georgia Tech - 26 Apr 2007|Georgia Tech]], [[Matt Chapman]] explained that these were added because the normal Easter eggs were getting too easy to find.
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Occasionally, Easter eggs are hidden in a way that cannot be revealed directly: they can only be seen if the Flash file is opened in a {{w|decompiler}}. In [[Georgia Tech - 26 Apr 2007|a 2007 appearance]], [[Matt Chapman]] explained that these were added because the normal Easter eggs were getting too easy to find. The [[Halloween Teasers]] are the most prominent example of this sort of Easter egg.
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Maintaining Easter eggs in formats that do not have the same interactivity as Flash has been [[Lost in the Stacks Interview - 15 Dec 2017|a constant topic of consideration]] for [[The Brothers Chaps]]. [[DVD]] releases used the "angle" feature to display visual Easter eggs and often retained post-toon Easter eggs as hidden menu options (often requiring a directional button to be pressed multiple times before selecting). As [[homestarrunnerdotcom|YouTube videos]] cannot be interacted with, many toons uploaded to [[YouTube]] make use of [[Fake YouTube End Screens|fake end screens]] to hide bonus scenes {{w|Post-credits scene|after the toon appears to have ended}}.
== Finding Easter Eggs ==
== Finding Easter Eggs ==
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The majority of Easter eggs are activated by clicking a certain area of the cartoon. The easiest way to find these is by following a few simple steps:
The majority of Easter eggs are activated by clicking a certain area of the cartoon. The easiest way to find these is by following a few simple steps:
*Click on the Flash animation so keypresses are accepted.
*Click on the Flash animation so keypresses are accepted.
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*Press the "Tab" key on your keyboard to cycle through all click zones.
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*Press the "Tab" key on the keyboard to cycle through all click zones.
*When a border surrounds a part of the animation, it is probably a hot spot for a Easter egg. Either press the "Enter" (or "Return") key or click on the spot to activate the Easter egg.
*When a border surrounds a part of the animation, it is probably a hot spot for a Easter egg. Either press the "Enter" (or "Return") key or click on the spot to activate the Easter egg.
In addition to clickable Easter eggs, there are a small number of Easter eggs found by pressing a key or digging through a decompiled Flash file.
In addition to clickable Easter eggs, there are a small number of Easter eggs found by pressing a key or digging through a decompiled Flash file.
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Note that some Easter eggs do not do anything immediately. For example, in almost all the [[Holidays#Halloween (October 31st)|Halloween cartoons]], [[Homsar]] appears in a later scene if an Easter egg is clicked (usually near [[The Poopsmith]]).
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Note that some Easter eggs do not do anything immediately. For example, in almost all the [[Halloween]] cartoons, [[Homsar]] appears in a later scene if an Easter egg is clicked (usually near [[The Poopsmith]]).
==Keypress Easter Eggs==
==Keypress Easter Eggs==
Occasionally, Easter eggs are activated by a specific keypress.
Occasionally, Easter eggs are activated by a specific keypress.
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=== Keypress Easter Eggs in Toons ===
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In most cases, letters will only be recognized if they are "lowercase" {{--}} pressing a key while holding down shift or with caps lock turned on will not activate the Easter egg. Letters are only rendered as capitals in this article for clarity of reading.
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==== [[Fluffy Puff Commercial]] ====
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=== Toons ===
[[Image:fluffypuff_head.png|thumb|Homestar likes Marshmallows... in Abe Lincoln's Head]]  
[[Image:fluffypuff_head.png|thumb|Homestar likes Marshmallows... in Abe Lincoln's Head]]  
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*Pressing '''L''' causes the screen to become Abraham Lincoln's profile silhouette.
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* [[Fluffy Puff Commercial]] {{--}} '''L''' frames the screen in a silhouette of [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s profile.
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* [[Meet Marshie]] {{--}} At the end of the toon, two additional moments are triggered by keypresses. They can only be played once, and the second can only be triggered after the first plays.
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==== [[Meet Marshie]] ====
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**'''R''' cues an additional line from Homestar:
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::'''HOMESTAR RUNNER:''' I hate that freakin' robot.
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*At the end of the toon, press '''R''' on the keyboard and Homestar Runner will say something.
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:*'''F''' plays a disclaimer from Fluffy Puff Marshmallows.
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:'''HOMESTAR RUNNER:''' I hate that freakin' robot.
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::''{The yellow screen from earlier is seen with the Fluffy Puff Marshmallows logo, a bag of marshmallows, and a jar of mayo.}''
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::'''VOICEOVER:''' Fluffy Puff Marshmallows and Marshmallow Mayonnaise. Each sold separately. Comes with everything you see here. Batteries not included. Kids, don't eat nails. ''{pause}'' Is that it? Am I done? Can I go? Anybod—Anybody want to get something to eat?
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*Press '''F''' after the previous Easter egg to hear a disclaimer from Fluffy Puff Marshmallows.
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:''{The yellow screen from earlier is seen with the Fluffy Puff Marshmallows logo, a bag of marshmallows, and a jar of mayo.}''
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:'''VOICEOVER:''' Fluffy Puff Marshmallows and Marshmallow Mayonnaise. Each sold separately. Comes with everything you see here. Batteries not included. Kids, don't eat nails. ''{pause}'' Is that it? Am I done? Can I go? Anybod—Anybody want to get something to eat?
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==== [[personal favorites]] ====
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*At the end, pressing the '''Q''' key will make Strong Bad's email intro tune play again.
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==== [[mile]] ====
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*Press '''O''' on the keyboard at the end to see a silhouette of Strong Bad doing cartwheels over a bunch of hills with a song playing in the background, which is a takeoff of [[Old Intro 2]].
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==== [[Where My Hat Is At? (toon)|Where My Hat Is At?]] ====
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*Throughout the toon, pressing '''spacebar''' will show the corresponding page from the [[Where My Hat Is At?|original book]].
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=== Keypress Easter Eggs in Games ===
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==== [[TROGDOR!]] ====
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* [[personal favorites]] {{--}} At the end of the toon, '''Q''' plays Strong Bad's email intro tune again.
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*On the hints screen (found by clicking and holding the "G" on the TROGDOR title screen), entering the [[Wikipedia:Konami Code|Konami Code]] on the keyboard ('''up up down down left right left right B A''', and then clicking the word "START") will start the player off with 30 lives.
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* [[mile]] {{--}} At the end of the toon, '''O''' shows a clip of a silhouetted Strong Bad doing cartwheels over a bunch of hills with a song playing in the background (in reference to [[Old Intro 2]]).
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*During the game, pressing the '''K''' key will kick the game. This doesn't seem to give the player any advantage, but it does cause the machine to repeat the word "TROGDOR!" (a reference to [[Arcade Game]]).
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* [[Where My Hat Is At? (toon)|Where My Hat Is At?]] {{--}} '''Spacebar''' toggles an overlay of the corresponding page from [[Where My Hat Is At?|the original book]].
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==== [[50K Racewalker]] ====
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=== Games ===
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*There is a "big head mode", similar to that found in many video games, especially first-person shooters and sports games. To toggle between "big head" and normal press the '''h''' key on the "Choose it out" screen.
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*[[TROGDOR!]] {{--}}
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*There is a "fat walker" mode.  To toggle between a fat walker and a normal one press the '''f''' key on the "Choose it out" screen.
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**On the hints screen (found by clicking the "G" on the TRO'''G'''DOR title screen), inputting the key sequence '''up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A''', and then clicking to start (the {{w|Konami Code}}) will begin the game with 30 [[mans]] instead of the default 3.
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**These tricks are case-sensitive and must be typed in lowercase.
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**During gameplay, '''K''' will "kick" the game: a kick sound effect plays, and the machine to repeats the word "TROGDOR!" (a reference to [[Arcade Game]]).
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*The arms on the walker can be moved up and down by pressing the arrow keys on the "Choose it out" screen.
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==== [[HomestarRunner.com: PAY PLUS!]] ====
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*[[50K Racewalker]] {{--}} Additional hidden customization options are in the "Choose [[it out]]" screen:
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*During the trial game, pressing the '''7''' key allows the flashing "TRIAL VERSION" screen to go away so the game can be played for 20 seconds uninterrupted.
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** '''H''' toggles "[[TVTropes:Main/BigHeadMode|big head mode]]".
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** '''F''' toggles "fat walker" mode, widening the walker sprite.
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**The '''up''' and '''down''' arrow keys adjust the vertical position of the arms on the walker.
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=== [[Kid Speedy]] ===
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*[[HomestarRunner.com: PAY PLUS!]] {{--}} During the trial game, '''7''' deactivates the flashing "TRIAL VERSION" overlay so the game can be played for twenty seconds uninterrupted.
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*At the title screen, pressing s, k, or h 10 times alows you to play is Strong Sad, King of Town, and Homestar Runner, respectively.
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*[[Kid Speedy]] {{--}} At the title screen, pressing certain keys 10 times allows the player to race as a different character:
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**'''S''' {{--}} Strong Sad
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**'''K''' {{--}} The King of Town
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**'''H''' {{--}} Homestar Runner
==Decompiled Flash Easter Eggs==
==Decompiled Flash Easter Eggs==
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<blockquote>
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''From [[Georgia Tech - 26 Apr 2007|a 2007 talk at the Georgia Tech library]]:''
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People are poking around, they decompile our Flash files and look at stuff. So we've started adding a few things here and there for the nerds that do that stuff. [[Senorial Day|There's one]] where these two Homestars appear {{--}} like, it appears that there's two Homestars, you can barely see the edge of his feet on that side of the frame, that's in the actual cartoon. But then, to make it consistent in the universe, one of them has a mustache. But you only see it if you decompile the Flash thing and be like, ''"Oh, that's Homestar with a mustache."''
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<blockquote>'''MATT CHAPMAN:''' People are poking around, they decompile our Flash files and look at stuff. So we've started adding a few things here and there for the nerds that do that stuff. [[Senorial Day|There's one]] where these two Homestars appear {{--}} like, it appears that there's two Homestars, you can barely see the edge of his feet on that side of the frame, that's in the actual cartoon. But then, to make it consistent in the universe, one of them has a mustache. But you only see it if you decompile the Flash thing and be like, ''"Oh, that's Homestar with a mustache."''</blockquote>
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:— [[Matt Chapman]], [[Georgia Tech - 26 Apr 2007]]
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</blockquote>
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=== Appearances ===
=== Appearances ===
[[Image:By strong bab age 5.PNG|thumb|Who actually made all those fence drawings...]]
[[Image:By strong bab age 5.PNG|thumb|Who actually made all those fence drawings...]]
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*All [[Halloween Teasers]] {{--}} When a Halloween teaser is decompiled in an attempt to view the costumes (presuming that they are obscured versions of the full image), there is text mocking the viewer. In the [[Doomy Tales of the Macabre Teaser|'09 teaser]], there were also rejected costumes.
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*All [[Halloween Teasers]] {{--}} The teasers feature messages hidden behind the [[silhouettes]] of the [[characters]], visible upon attempting to view the [[Halloween costumes]] with a Flash decompiler (presuming that they are obscured versions of the full image).  
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**[[Jibblies 2]]: "[[nice try]] [[dan]]"
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**[[Most in the Graveyard Teaser]]: "no cigar" (derived from the phrase "[[Wiktionary:close, but no cigar|close, but no cigar]]")
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**[[Doomy Tales of the Macabre Teaser]]: "sorry charlie"; also hidden are some [[rejected costumes]] from previous years
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**[[Halloween Safety]]: "hidden words"
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**[[The House That Gave Sucky Tricks Teaser]]: "dislike smoke" (referencing the hidden message from [[the chair]])
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**[[Later That Night... Teaser]]: "[[total]] [[cop-out]]"
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**[[Haunted Photo Booth Teaser]]: "can't see this on [[youtube]]"
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**[[Mr. Poofers Must Die Teaser]] and [[Halloween Hijinks]]: "secret reading"
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**[[The Homestar Runner Enters The Spooky Woods Teaser]]: "oh blurry moon"
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**[[2022 Costume Pack Now Available Teaser]]: "you are error"
*Email [[different town]] {{--}} Marzipan has a secondary hairdo when decompiled.
*Email [[different town]] {{--}} Marzipan has a secondary hairdo when decompiled.
*Email [[myths & legends]] {{--}} When the ancient fence drawings are viewed outside the border, the words "by strong bab age 5" can be found.
*Email [[myths & legends]] {{--}} When the ancient fence drawings are viewed outside the border, the words "by strong bab age 5" can be found.
*[[Senorial Day]] {{--}} When viewed outside the border, the second Homestar has a mustache.
*[[Senorial Day]] {{--}} When viewed outside the border, the second Homestar has a mustache.
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*Email [[the chair]] {{--}} The photo that Strong Bad holds up of his parents (that is conveniently blocked by [[Le Restige]]) is actually a photo with the text "[[nice try]], [[The Legend of Zelda|dodongo]]!"
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*Email [[the chair]] {{--}} The photo that Strong Bad holds up of his parents (that is conveniently blocked by [[Le Restige]]) is actually a photo with the text "nice try, [[The Legend of Zelda|dodongo]]!"
*[[Donut Unto Others]] {{--}} If Bubs is decompiled at the end of the toon, it is revealed that he is wearing [[The Thnikkaman]] "tH" on his chest.
*[[Donut Unto Others]] {{--}} If Bubs is decompiled at the end of the toon, it is revealed that he is wearing [[The Thnikkaman]] "tH" on his chest.
*[[Haunted Photo Booth]] {{--}} When decompiled, an unused background can be found hidden in the file.
*[[Haunted Photo Booth]] {{--}} When decompiled, an unused background can be found hidden in the file.

Current revision as of 18:00, 22 August 2024

This article is about the hidden items in toons. For the Easter specials, see Holidays (Easter). For other uses of eggs, see Eggs (disambiguation).
Not those kinds of Easter eggs!

Easter eggs — a message, image, scene, or other feature that is hidden or obscured during normal viewing — are a mainstay of Homestar Runner. Primarily featured throughout the hundreds of Flash toons that make up the body of work, this tendency to include hidden bonus content extends to games, other media releases, and even toys.

The majority of toons feature Easter eggs, documented in their respective articles. Easter eggs are most often triggered by clicking on a hidden button in the Flash cartoon; other Easter eggs may be activated by pressing a certain key, or simply by waiting a while after the toon is seemingly over. For instance, Easter eggs are commonly found in Strong Bad Emails by clicking on a certain word or phrase that Strong Bad has typed onto his computer.

Occasionally, Easter eggs are hidden in a way that cannot be revealed directly: they can only be seen if the Flash file is opened in a decompiler. In a 2007 appearance, Matt Chapman explained that these were added because the normal Easter eggs were getting too easy to find. The Halloween Teasers are the most prominent example of this sort of Easter egg.

Maintaining Easter eggs in formats that do not have the same interactivity as Flash has been a constant topic of consideration for The Brothers Chaps. DVD releases used the "angle" feature to display visual Easter eggs and often retained post-toon Easter eggs as hidden menu options (often requiring a directional button to be pressed multiple times before selecting). As YouTube videos cannot be interacted with, many toons uploaded to YouTube make use of fake end screens to hide bonus scenes after the toon appears to have ended.

Contents

[edit] Finding Easter Eggs

"Next, as I'm typing, you can usually click on certain words and make little pictures of dumb stuff pop up."

The majority of Easter eggs are activated by clicking a certain area of the cartoon. The easiest way to find these is by following a few simple steps:

  • Click on the Flash animation so keypresses are accepted.
  • Press the "Tab" key on the keyboard to cycle through all click zones.
  • When a border surrounds a part of the animation, it is probably a hot spot for a Easter egg. Either press the "Enter" (or "Return") key or click on the spot to activate the Easter egg.

In addition to clickable Easter eggs, there are a small number of Easter eggs found by pressing a key or digging through a decompiled Flash file.

Note that some Easter eggs do not do anything immediately. For example, in almost all the Halloween cartoons, Homsar appears in a later scene if an Easter egg is clicked (usually near The Poopsmith).

[edit] Keypress Easter Eggs

Occasionally, Easter eggs are activated by a specific keypress.

In most cases, letters will only be recognized if they are "lowercase" — pressing a key while holding down shift or with caps lock turned on will not activate the Easter egg. Letters are only rendered as capitals in this article for clarity of reading.

[edit] Toons

Homestar likes Marshmallows... in Abe Lincoln's Head
  • Fluffy Puff Commercial — L frames the screen in a silhouette of Abraham Lincoln's profile.
  • Meet Marshie — At the end of the toon, two additional moments are triggered by keypresses. They can only be played once, and the second can only be triggered after the first plays.
    • R cues an additional line from Homestar:
HOMESTAR RUNNER: I hate that freakin' robot.
  • F plays a disclaimer from Fluffy Puff Marshmallows.
{The yellow screen from earlier is seen with the Fluffy Puff Marshmallows logo, a bag of marshmallows, and a jar of mayo.}
VOICEOVER: Fluffy Puff Marshmallows and Marshmallow Mayonnaise. Each sold separately. Comes with everything you see here. Batteries not included. Kids, don't eat nails. {pause} Is that it? Am I done? Can I go? Anybod—Anybody want to get something to eat?
  • personal favorites — At the end of the toon, Q plays Strong Bad's email intro tune again.
  • mile — At the end of the toon, O shows a clip of a silhouetted Strong Bad doing cartwheels over a bunch of hills with a song playing in the background (in reference to Old Intro 2).
  • Where My Hat Is At? — Spacebar toggles an overlay of the corresponding page from the original book.

[edit] Games

  • TROGDOR! —
    • On the hints screen (found by clicking the "G" on the TROGDOR title screen), inputting the key sequence up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, and then clicking to start (the Konami Code) will begin the game with 30 mans instead of the default 3.
    • During gameplay, K will "kick" the game: a kick sound effect plays, and the machine to repeats the word "TROGDOR!" (a reference to Arcade Game).
  • 50K Racewalker — Additional hidden customization options are in the "Choose it out" screen:
    • H toggles "big head mode".
    • F toggles "fat walker" mode, widening the walker sprite.
    • The up and down arrow keys adjust the vertical position of the arms on the walker.
  • HomestarRunner.com: PAY PLUS! — During the trial game, 7 deactivates the flashing "TRIAL VERSION" overlay so the game can be played for twenty seconds uninterrupted.
  • Kid Speedy — At the title screen, pressing certain keys 10 times allows the player to race as a different character:
    • S — Strong Sad
    • K — The King of Town
    • H — Homestar Runner

[edit] Decompiled Flash Easter Eggs

From a 2007 talk at the Georgia Tech library:

MATT CHAPMAN: People are poking around, they decompile our Flash files and look at stuff. So we've started adding a few things here and there for the nerds that do that stuff. There's one where these two Homestars appear — like, it appears that there's two Homestars, you can barely see the edge of his feet on that side of the frame, that's in the actual cartoon. But then, to make it consistent in the universe, one of them has a mustache. But you only see it if you decompile the Flash thing and be like, "Oh, that's Homestar with a mustache."

[edit] Appearances

Who actually made all those fence drawings...

[edit] Easter Egg Pages

"Easter Egg Toon" redirects here. For a list of Easter toons featuring decorated eggs, see Easter.

[edit] See Also

Retrieved from "http://hrwiki.org/wiki/Easter_egg"
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