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The Great Big List of 50+ Google Easter Eggs & How to Access Them

Google Easter Eggs are fun, hidden, often gamified surprises found in Search and other Google products. Here's how to find & activate them.

Aside from the tasty chocolate candy many of us enjoy eating in the springtime, ‘Easter eggs’ have an entirely different meaning when they come from Google.

An Easter Egg is an unexpected feature in games, movies — and in this case, Google Search or another of its products.

These secret goodies are usually discovered through word of mouth or entirely by accident.

In this column, you’ll learn how to activate a ton of different Google Easter Eggs. See how many you already knew, and have fun activating those that are new to you.

But first, where did this fun tradition of hiding tricks and games in code begin?

Long Before Google’s Easter Eggs Came Atari

Steve Wright, former Director of Software Development at Atari, has been credited with coining the term “Easter egg” for this particular use.

He did this after disgruntled employee Warren Robinett snuck his name into a game he programmed but didn’t get credited for.

A delighted player discovered this secret communication tucked away in a hidden chamber of the game and wrote in to express how much they had enjoyed finding it.

Initially, the higher-ups at Atari were furious and considered reworking the game, but Wright was able to convince them otherwise.

He suggested turning this boo-boo into a boon by making it company policy to include concealed features in future games.

After all, what kid wouldn’t love hunting out these little ‘Easter eggs’?

He was proven correct, but no one could have predicted just how much of a cultural phenomenon Easter eggs would become.

Today concealed links, messages and features can be found anywhere and everywhere – including Google Search.

Special thanks to Abby Villarica , editorial assistant here at Search Engine Journal, for helping to test these out and capture the Easter Egg videos below.

Grab a beverage, get comfortable, and check out these Google Easter Eggs. See which ones are new to you!

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [anagram] or [define anagram] into Google.

What happens: Google displays, Did you mean: Nag A Ram.

2. Super Mario Bros

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [super mario brothers] into Google.

What happens: Google Easter Eggs can really bring the nostalgia.

Case in point: searching [super mario brothers] triggers the appearance of a glittering coin block in the knowledge panel. Click it to get your 200 points and be rewarded with that delightful Super Mario Bros coin sound.

It seems you can click this infinitely… I kept going until I heard a One-Up sound, then clicked some more. Eventually, the dogs barking at my desk made me quit.

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [askew] into Google.

What happens: The Google SERP slightly tilts; it goes askew.

4. Bletchley Park Secret Code

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [bletchley park] into Google.

What happens: The local panel at right gives a nod to World War II codebreakers in the name of this historical landmark.

5. The Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [the answer to life the universe and everything] into Google.

What happens: In science fiction novelist Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, the supercomputer states that 42 is the answer to everything. Some really smart people have put an awful lot of time into figuring out just what Adams meant.

6. Breathing Exercise

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [breathing exercise] into Google.

What happens: Take a minute (literally) and reset with a quick mindful breathing exercise at the top of the SERP.

7. War in Ba Sing Se

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [War in Ba Sing Se] into Google.

What happens: Here’s one from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Query [war in ba sing se] and Google will try to correct you. “Did you mean: THERE IS NO War in Ba Sing Se” links to search results for that phrase.

8. Cha-cha Slide

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [cha-cha slide] into Google.

What happens: Simply the best thing ever, that’s what happens. Check it out, click the icons to keep it going, and make sure your sound is on .

9. A Love Letter to Pluto

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [pluto] into Google.

What happens: This may not technically be an Easter Egg as it’s not gamified in any way, but it’s a fun little bit of someone’s personality in the otherwise informational search results space.

If you’re Gen X or a crossover Xennial like me, you might remember when Pluto was downgraded from planetary status and we were forced to question everything we ever learned in elementary school.

Google pays homage to “our favorite” dwarf planet in the knowledge panel in this fun Easter Egg.

10. Conway’s Game of Life

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [Conway’s Game of Life] into Google.

What happens: Look to the right and you will see an animation that demonstrates how the population multiplies and how all life began.

Bonus Easter Egg: Conway’s Game of Life also auto-populates in Google Docs using [Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E] [Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C] on Windows, or [⌘+Option+Shift+E] [⌘+Option+Shift+C] on Mac.

11. Dinosaur Game (Chrome only)

How to trigger this Easter Egg: This will trigger if you open your Chrome browser and you have zero internet connection available.

What happens: A dinosaur runs across your screen above tips to help repair your internet connection. Use your space bar to make him jump over the bumps in the road.

12. Text Adventure or Interactive Fiction

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [text adventure] or [interactive fiction] into Google.

What happens: Text adventures use text commands to move your player around and achieve objectives throughout the game. This Easter Egg appears in the Developers Console, which you can access by:

• Typing [text adventure] in Google Search.
• Right-clicking and choosing Inspect.
• Navigating to Console in the Inspect window.

Once there, you’re asked, “Would you like to play a game? (yes/no).” Click yes and you’re off and running on your text-based adventure.

13. Do a Barrel Roll

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [do a barrel roll] into Google.

What happens: Google follows your order and the entire SERP does a barrel roll.

14. The Funniest Joke in the World

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [Wenn ist das Nunstück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!] into Google Translate.

What happens: The funniest joke in the world or the killer joke comes from Monty Python, and as legend has it, anyone who hears the joke will promptly die of laughter.

Searching this in Google Translate brings back [FATAL ERROR] in English.

15. Festivus

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [festivus] into Google.

What happens: It’s a holiday for the rest of us! George’s father Frank’s obsession with the alternative to Christmas was a running gag on the TV show “Seinfeld”.

With this Easter Egg, the occasion makes its way to the SERPs with a Festivus Pole spanning the page, top to bottom, on the left.

16. Fidget Spinner

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [fidget spinner] into Google.

What happens: The trendy toy appears at the top of the search results page where you can click or use your mouse to hold and spin.

17. Spinner

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [spinner] into Google.

What happens: A numbered spinner appears at the top of the search results page (you can toggle between this and the fidget spinner). Click to play, and adjust the size of the wheel in the top left of the game.

18. Once in a Blue Moon

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [once in a blue moon] (all lowercase) into Google.

What happens: When you search “once in a Blue Moon”, Google guides you to the mathematical equation for the occurrence of a blue moon.

The calculator shows the result of “once in a blue moon = 1.16699016 × 10-8 hertz.”

19. Green Hill Zone

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [green hill zone] into Google.

What happens: In yet another throwback to the glorious 90s, this Google Easter Egg features Sonic the Hedgehog. His game came out on Sega Genesis in 1991, introducing us all to the Green Hill Zone — the first level.

Searching [green hill zone] makes Sonic appear in the knowledge panel where you can click to make him roll. Stop clicking and he’ll roll his eyes and tap his foot at you. Click him enough and he’ll level up to Super Sonic.

20. Flip a coin

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [flip a coin] into Google.

What happens: A coin-flipping game appears at the top of the search results page, where you can click to keep flipping.

21. Fun Facts

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [fun facts] into Google.

What happens: When you type it in, a random fact will appear in the top panel of the results. You can continue down the wormhole by clicking “Ask Another Question.”

22. I’m Feeling Curious

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [im feeling curious] into Google.

What happens: Much in the same way as the “Fun Facts” Easter Egg above, Google randomly displays factoids you can flip through to satisfy your curiosity (and boredom, let’s be honest).

23. Google in 1998

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [Google in 1998] into Google Search.

What happens: Check it out… this was your Google Search experience in 1998! Clicking a result will take you into the Wayback Machine. I’m digging the logo.

Click “Take me back to the present” to restore regular, everyday Google.

24. Google Logo History

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [Google logo history] into Google.

What happens: Travel back in time through a series of seven Google logos dating all the way back to 1998 in this animated rich snippet.

25. Kerning

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [kerning] into Google.

What happens: Each instance of the word “kerning” on the Google results page has letters spaced evenly apart to demonstrate the meaning of the word.

26. Marquee HTML

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [marquee HTML] or [marquee tag] into Google.

What happens: The text showing the number of results will scroll from right to left like a real marquee.

27. Blink HTML

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [blink HTML] into Google.

What happens: All instances of “Blink” and “HTML” in the SERPs blink as long as you’re on-page.

28. Pirate, Hacker or Bork Bork Language

How to trigger these Easter Eggs: Change the language settings ( Settings > Search Settings > Languages > Show More ) to get the Google Search experience in Pirate, Hacker, or Bork Bork.

What happens: Hacker language or Leet Speak (1337 5p34k) replaces the normal letters of the alphabet with different ASCII characters.

You might remember Bork! Bork! as a common refrain of The Swedish Chef on “The Muppets”. Note the menu options for “Imeges” and “Shoeppeeng” — bet you just read that in Chef’s voice!

Pirate speak is self-explanatory, Matey:

29. Metronome

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [metronome] into Google.

What happens: A metronome appears, enabling you to keep a beat from 40 to 218 BPM at the top of the search results.

30. PAC-MAN Google Doodle

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [pac-man] into Google.

What happens: The classic PAC-MAN appears in a featured snippet. On clicking play, it opens as an interactive Google Doodle you can play using your arrow keys.

Careful… it’s loud! We left the sound off our video in case you’re supposed to be working, but if you play online you’ll get the full experience.

31. Play Snake

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [play snake] into Google.

What happens: A snake game appears at the top of the search results page. Click Play and it expands; use your arrow keys to get the apples without smashing into the walls.

32. Random Number Generator

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [random number generator] into Google.

What happens: Google’s random number generator tool appears at the top of the search results. By default, it’ll generate a number between 1 and 10 but you can adjust the range to suit your needs.

Don’t get carried away, though. Tack on too many zeros and you’ll kill the poor emoji man.

33. Recursion

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [recursion] into Google.

What happens: This one is cute. In programming, recursion is defined as “the process of defining a problem (or the solution to a problem) in terms of (a simpler version of) itself. For example, we can define the operation ‘find your way home’ as: If you are at home, stop moving.”

Searching [recursion] on Google displays, Did you mean: recursion? Clicking it reloads the same set of results.

34. Roll a Die

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [roll a die] or [roll dice] into Google.

What happens: An interactive featured snippet appears at the top of the search results. Choose 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or even 20-sided die and click to add more to the game. Click Roll to shake them up; your total is displayed in the box.

35. Solitaire

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [solitaire] into Google.

What happens: A preview of Google’s Solitaire game appears at the top of the search results. Click Play to pop the game open overlaying the SERPs and choose your level of difficulty: Easy or Hard.

36. Dreidel

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [dreidel] into Google.

What happens: A spinning dreidel appears at the top of the search results page in an interactive display you can keep playing.

37. Tic-tac-toe

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [tic-tac-toe] into Google.

What happens: Here’s another time-suck fun, hidden game in Google Search. Tic-Tac-toe allows you to play against the machine or a friend (on the same device), and choose Easy, Medium, or Impossible levels of play.

38. Webdriver Torso

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [webdriver torso] into Google.

What happens: In 2013, a YouTube channel popped up and published thousands of 11-second videos consisting of red and blue rectangles with beeping noises. Mystified, the internet did its magic and conjured up everything from aliens to foreign spies in explanation for the channel.

By the time Google finally revealed it was a testing channel, the legend of Webdriver Torso had taken on a life of its own. Even the BBC reported on it . Today, activate this Google Easter Egg and you’ll see an animated series of the iconic colored shapes to the left of the search box (on desktop).

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [timer] into Google.

What happens: Trying to cook the perfect egg? Maybe you’re doing a writing sprint to get that blog post out the door. Either way, querying [timer] brings Google’s handy timer tool to the top of the SERPs.

40. What Sound Does That Animal Make?

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [what sound does a dog make] (without a question mark) into Google.

What happens: An interactive panel of animal cards appears at the top of the search results page. Scroll through and click on the dog, penguin, bat, tiger, or other creature to hear the sound it makes. The downward-facing arrow on the panel opens more Google games, toys, and tools (many of which are featured in this article).

Clicking “More Sounds” opens a panel with over 50 animals you can hear on the SERP.

41. Wubba Lubba Dub Dub

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [wubba lubba dub dub] into Google.

What happens: “Rick and Morty” fans will love this one. Searching this seemingly nonsensical query causes Google to question, “Did you mean: i am in great pain please help me,” from Birdman’s explanation of the term.

42. 3D Easter Egg

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Click here

What happens: This most meta of Google Easter Eggs activates… an actual Easter egg. Searching the formula [1.2+(sqrt(1-(sqrt(x^2+y^2))^2) + 1 – x^2-y^2) * (sin (10000 * (x*3+y/5+7))+1/4) from -1.6 to 1.6] displays a 3D animated Easter egg. Use your mouse or touchpad to zoom in and out.

43. Server Status 418: I’m a Teapot

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Click here .

What happens: The teapot page is a 418 response code. Mozilla explains:

“The HTTP 418 I’m a teapot client error response code indicates that the server refuses to brew coffee because it is, permanently, a teapot. A combined coffee/tea pot that is temporarily out of coffee should instead return 503. This error is a reference to Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol defined in April Fools’ jokes in 1998 and 2014.”

44. The Number of Horns on a Unicorn

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [the number of horns on a unicorn] into Google.

What happens: Similar to the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” joke, look for “the number of horns on a unicorn” and the search engine will show you the calculator with the answer “1.”

45. Bubble Level (mobile only)

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [bubble level] into Google on your smartphone.

What happens: Simply search for “bubble level” on your smartphone and you will instantly have an interactive leveler on your mobile phone.

46. Loneliest Number

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [loneliest number] (all lowercase) into Google.

What happens: Look for the “loneliest number” in the search box and the Google calculator will show you the answer “1”.

47. Bacon Number

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [bacon number] + any famous person’s name into Google.

What happens: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a game that shows we’re all connected somehow — and it all leads back to the famous actor. Where a result is triggered, a featured snippet appears at the top of the SERP explaining the person’s Bacon number and linking to the source of that information.

48. Spelling Out Numbers

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [any number=english] in Google Search.

What happens: Google helpfully spells out the number for you.

Note: The maximum volume of numbers is 13. You cannot go higher; believe me, I tried.

49. Play Minesweeper

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Search [minesweeper] on Google.

What happens: A preview appears at the top of the SERPs. Clicking on it opens a minesweeper game (with far lower quality graphics, I have to say)

50. Valentine’s Day Easter Egg

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Click here to search [sqrt(cos(x))*cos(300x)+sqrt(abs(x))-0.7)*(4-x*x)^0.01, sqrt(6-x^2), -sqrt(6-x^2) from -4.5 to 4.5] on Google.

What happens: Similar to the 3D egg, inputting a mathematical formula triggers a graph. Like the 3D egg, this does not appear on a search results page but on its own.

51. Earth Day Quiz

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [earth day quiz] on Google.

What happens: Work through the illustrated multiple-choice questions in this fun, simple Google game to find out which animal you are (I’m a mantis shrimp, for those dying to know).

52. Friends + Character

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [friends + ross, phoebe, monica, etc.] on Google.

What happens: Look to the knowledge panel for each Friends character. There’s a different icon for each that triggers an action unique to that character. Clicking on the sponge on Monica’s knowledge panel, for example, animates the sponge which scrubs up the listing (a nod to Monica’s compulsive housecleaning).

Clicking the guitar on the Phoebe panel turns the SERPs into a backdrop for a cat leaping and strutting across the screen to Phoebe’s iconic song “Smelly Cat.”

53. PRIDE In Google Sheets

How to trigger this Easter Egg: In Google Sheets, type “PRIDE” with each letter in a separate spreadsheet column.

What happens: Trigger rainbow columns and pay homage to LGTBQ2S rights by putting P-R-I-D-E as your headers.

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [pi] on Google Search.

What happens: A calculator appears with the value of Pi.

Retired Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs such as Zerg Rush, Atari Breakout, Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet don’t seem to work on Google Search anymore — at least, not consistently enough for me to make them happen.

Some can still be found in various archives (using Google, of course).

Who Hides Easter Eggs Besides Google?

Disney frequently inserts characters or iconic items into their movies for eagle-eyed viewers to spot.

Two such examples of this are the Genie in Aladdin pulling The Little Mermaid’s Sebastian from a cookery book and Rapunzel from Tangled attending Elsa’s coronation in Frozen.

Stephen Spielberg’s recent offering “Ready Player One” crammed in the Easter eggs referencing everything from “Back to the Future” to “Star Wars” and even giving the nod to the Atari game Adventure that popularized the whole concept in the first place.

That’s not to say that Robinett was the first person to include secret eggs in his media.

Programmers who worked on The Fairchild Channel F console, which predated the game by four years, added their names in the demo game, and film legend Alfred Hitchcock was known to make brief cameos in his own movies.

The list goes on…

What’s clear is giving people the opportunity to turn up interesting things in unexpected places adds another dimension to an already enjoyable activity or can help perk up someone’s day.

And I don’t know about you, but my days could sure use some perking up with Easter Egg goodness lately.

Diehard gamers and TV junkies especially take great delight in uncovering these eggs, often spending hours, weeks, months doing so.

However, while some hidden items in software and games should perhaps be left to the more technically minded, or just those with a little more time on their hands, there are quick and easy eggs to be spotted all around.

Have You Spotted a New Google Easter Egg?

Or have we missed any? Share your favorite or any new Google Easter Eggs in the comments and you may see it added to this article!

Image credits: All screenshots and video by authors, April 2021

Writer, editor & marketing professional; digital nomad, feminist and mother bear. 15 years of experience planning & executing engaging digital ...

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Nov 23, 2013

Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary

This doodle’s key themes.

This interactive Doodle game celebrates Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary — Click the Doodle to become the fastest time lord in the universe!

• Discover More Doodles

About Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary

The Doctor Who doodle started life as a request from a huge fan at Google. It seemed daunting- 11 Doctor's, 50 years of adventures, countless enemies and time travel!

But we loved the idea of science fiction, technology and fun coming together, so we set about creating a multiple level game. The game was always a simple premise- those dastardly Daleks have stolen the Google letters and we need Doctor Who to retrieve them.

Early drafts

DR WHO'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY DOODLE TEAM

Artists don't make games, programmers do. I provided the designs and various pieces of animation but without the engineers the game would only exist in another dimension! I was fortunate to work alongside people that genuinely cared:

Engineering Gurus - Rui Lopes, Corrie Scalisi, Mark Ivey

Additional support - Doug Simpkinson, Jonathan Shneier

All things D of 3 - Leon Hong

Deity of rain, lava & lightning - Kevin Laughlin

Additional game ideas - Gregory Capuano

Sounds - The BBC, Tom Tabanao, Manuel Clement and Cody!

Creative consultant - Chris Dibona

User testing - Jennifer Zamora

We thank the BBC for trusting us and also helping us whenever needed. So what are you waiting for?! Jump in your TARDIS (Time and relative "doodle" in space) and become the fastest time lord in the universe!

Where this Doodle appeared

Discover more doodles by color.

No results found.

What’s your Birthday Doodle?

Did you know?

The very first Doodle launched as an “out of office” message of sorts when company founders Larry and Sergey went on vacation.

The first Doodle launched in 1998, before Google was officially incorporated.

The first animated Doodle premiered on Halloween 2000

The first same day Doodle was created in 2009 when water was discovered on the moon.

Doodle for Google student contest winners have gone on to become professional artists

The time it takes from sketch to launch for a Doodle varies widely: some have taken years and others just a few hours!

Hundreds of Doodles launch around the world every year. Often, several different ones are live in different places at the same time!

Our most frequently recurring Doodle character is Momo the Cat - named after a real-life team pet!

The official term for the artists that work on Doodles is "Doodler"

Google Mirror - I'm elgooG

We create, restore, and discover interactive Google Easter Eggs. Just click and play them online for free.

Official Google Easter Eggs ①

Official Google Easter Eggs ②

Unofficial Google Easter Eggs

Other Google Easter Eggs

About elgooG

Google’s Easter Egg is just one of a huge number of gaming-themed treats that are hidden in the search engine. But over time, many of them have become ineffective (not working), AKA "Killed by Google".

On @elgooG we restore, discover and also create interactive Google Easter Eggs - we provide one-stop exclusive Google Easter Eggs experience services, so you can explore and enjoy almost all the best interactive Google Easter Eggs (Up to 2023 ), secret Google Tricks, mini Google Doodle Games, funny Google Jokes, Google Pranks, Google Hacks, etc. Just play online, free for all!

We are NOT affiliated with Google in any way. Just for fun.

Best Google Easter eggs: 26 hidden treats from Google Maps to Android 14

Google is a big fan of Easter eggs – here are its best ones

• New Easter eggs
• Classic Easter eggs
• Hidden tools
• Secret games
• Google Maps

Like us, Google is a big fan of Easter eggs, though it particularly likes the software rather than chocolate kind – those little hidden surprises tucked away inside apps and services for users to stumble upon.

The search giant has been burying Easter Eggs in its software more consistently than any other tech company for the past 25 years. Whether you're using Google Search, Google Maps , Android, Google Earth or its Assistant, there are dozens of little inside jokes and waiting to be found.

This is the part of a series of TechRadar articles marking and celebrating Google's 25th birthday. Read them all here .

But what are its best Easter eggs and how do you find them? We've been out on a digital hunt to track them down, and you'll find all of our favorite ones below. Use the navigation bar to find your way around – there's everything from recent nods to The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Last of Us , to some brilliant Street View art in New York.

Not all of the Easter Eggs below are just for mild amusement either – we've also picked out some handy hidden tools that you may not know were tucked away in Google Search, from bubble levels to guitar tuners.

So as we head towards the launch of the Google Pixel 8 and potential surprises that event has in store, here's our pick of the best Google Easter eggs of the past 25 years that you can still find. And no, they don't yet include Google Bard , which says it doesn't have any hidden features – for now, at least...

New Google Easter eggs

Google has been hiding Easter eggs inside Search for a quarter of a century, but we thought we'd start by highlighting some of its most recent nods to films, TV shows and gaming (tap the arrow on the right of each image to scroll through them)...

1. Gather your Mario coins

Almost exactly 30 years on from the critically-panned original movie, a new The Super Mario Bros. Movie is here – and Google's made a fitting easter egg to celebrate. Type the movie's name into Google search and you'll get a little coin block over on the right-hand size – click it for a charming hit of nostalgia. Try it: type 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' into Google Search

2. Enter the apocalypse

If you haven't already wandered through the post-apocalytic wastelands with Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us , then that's something you need to address right away – and Google's easter egg will help get you in the mood. Click on the mushroom that appears at the bottom of the screen when you search for the TV and the cordyceps fungus will take over your screen. Try it: type 'The Last of Us TV' or 'The Last of Us TV show' into the Google Search box. Now click on the mushroom icon at the bottom of your screen.

3. Use the Force with Baby Yoda

The Mandalorian  season 3  has landed on Disney Plus, with the hit TV show following Din Djarin's adventures with Grogu. To mark the occasion Google, made one of its most satisfying Easter eggs so far. Search for 'The Mandalorian', 'Grogu' or 'Baby Yoda' and you'll see the latter appear in the bottom-right of your screen. Click on him to see some destructive spells cast on your search results. Try it: type 'The Mandalorian', 'Grogu' or 'Baby Yoda' into Google

4. Fly a spacecraft into an asteroid

In October 2022, NASA confirmed that its DART Mission (which stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test) had successfully altered an asteroid's path by crashing into it. Aside from blasting out Aerosmith, a good way to honor this selfless act is to type 'NASA Dart mission' into Google and watch the impact play out in front of you. Try it : type 'NASA Dart Mission' into Google Search  

5. Get a bonus game of Wordle

Have you already cracked today's Wordle ? You can get a bonus game by typing Wordle into the Google Search bar. Well, kind of – you'll notice that Google's Easter egg has an extra letter and may be relatively easy to guess. Still, it's good to see the search engine is still as addicted to the game as we are. Try it: type Wordle into the Google Search bar.

Classic Google Easter eggs

Not familiar with the staples of Google's Easter egg history? Here are some of its all-time highlights, including a time machine back to 1998 and, our personal favorite, its interactive treat for puppies and cats (tap the arrow on the right of each image to scroll through them)...

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6. Travel back in time

Google was founded almost 25 years ago and if you want to get a taste of its even more minimalist design and experience in 1998, you can do that with a quick search. Type in 'Google in 1998' and the search engine will switch to its original interface, which isn't exactly a radical change considering it's a quarter of a century old. Try it: Type 'Google in 1998' into the Google Search bar.

7. Do a barrel roll

If you need a reminder of your Star Fox days on the SNES, type 'do a barrel roll' into the Google Search bar. It might not quite be as fun as flying alongside Slippy and Peppy, but your screen will dutifully perform the 360-degree horizontal spin. Try it: Type either 'do a barrel roll' or 'z or r twice' into the Google Search bar.

8. Get a virtual puppy (or kitten)

Perhaps our favorite of all the Google Easter eggs is what happens when you search for 'puppy' or 'cat'. Head over to the right-hand side of the results page and you'll see a paw icon. Not only does this start a charming interactive animation, you'll also be treated to a varied chorus of barks and meows. Try it: type 'puppy' or 'cat' into Google, then click on the paw icon on the right-hand side of the page.

9. Browse the Doodles

Fancy leafing through the archive of Google Doodles? These animations take the place of the Google logo on special occasions, but they live on in a special corner of the search engine where you can play games or watch educational videos on everything from bubble tea to the birth of hip-hop 'break'. Try it: Search for 'Google Doodles' in Google Search.

10. Embrace DVD nostalgia

If you're old enough to remember DVD players, then you might fondly recall their logos bouncing around the screen during screensaver mode. Well, in a nod to your youth, Google has built the feature into its search engine, with its logo instead bobbing around the screen. But will it ever hit the corner? Try it: Search for 'DVD screensaver' or 'DVD bouncing logo'.

Google Search Easter egg tools

Google's Easter eggs aren't just about games and nerdy in-jokes – some of them are actually pretty handy tools that you can call on when you need them. Here are some of the useful ones that are hidden in Google Search (tap the arrow on the right of each image to scroll through them)...

11. Bubble level

Looking to put up some shelves and lost your spirit level? You can find an emergency one buried in Google Search, as long as you're using a phone or a device with an accelerometer. Sure, there's one already built into your iPhone, but it's easier than using a standalone app on Android. Try it: On a smartphone, type 'bubble level' into Google Search. Tap it to activate the tool.

12. Tune your guitar

There are more guitar tuner apps around than there are podcasts on Spotify, but if you need a quick tune-up then Google's built-in tool could be just the ticket. It's a pretty basic affair so you might need some extra help for alternate tunings, but the Tuner is also one of Google Search's lesser-known tools. Need help with your rhythm? Just type in 'Metronome' instead. Try it: Type 'Google Tuner' into Google Search on a smartphone, and tap the microphone icon to allow mic access.

13. Fidget spinner

Fidget spinners may have hit their cultural peak about five years ago, but a virtual one still lives on in Google Search. Perhaps more usefully, the hidden tool also has a 'Number' switch that turns it into a customizable 'spin the wheel' to help you make tricky decisions or settle who's doing the washing up. Try it: Type 'Fidget Spinner' into Google Search. Tap the switch in the top-right to turn it into a number wheel.

14. Take a breather

Need to pause from all your Google searching for a quick breather? The search engine actually has a little one-minute breathing exercise to help. A simple, mesmerizing circle will guide your breathing back into a more relaxed state, leaving you refreshed and ready to hunt for more Google Easter eggs. Try it: Type breathing exercise into Google Search

15. Color picker

Whether you're looking for some home decor inspiration or just really need to know the hex value of that particular shade of purple, Google's color picker is a handy tool to have on standby. Searching for 'color picker' or 'Google color picker' will bring it up beneath the Google search box, which makes it quicker and easier than reaching for a Chrome extension. Try it: Search for 'color picker' or 'Google color picker' in the Google Search box.

Google Search Easter egg games

Google Search may not quite be able to run Crysis or Hogwarts Legacy inside its search engine, but there are quite a few hidden games for those who have a couple of minutes to spare while waiting for a meeting.

Many of them were originally among the best Google Doodles , and while some of those have been retired these ones are all still available to pla (tap the arrow on the right of each image to scroll through them)...

16. Coding for Carrots

This charming little Google Doodle game teaches you the basics of coding and was built in collaboration with MIT Scratch in 2017. Created to celebrate 50 years of kid-friendly coding, it focuses on the Logo coding language and asks you to guide a rabbit around a little blocky islands collecting carrots. Try it: Google 'Google Doodles' and choose 'Coding' from the menu, or head directly to the game .

17. Pac-Man

This seminal arcade game, which dates back to 1980, needs little introduction. Google celebrated Pac-Man's 30th anniversary in 2010 with this Doodle game, which you can still play in the search engine – time to start munching on those power pellets. Try it: Search for 'Pac-Man' in Google's search box.

Yes, mobile gaming has moved on a bit from the days when your only commuting option was Snake , but it's still good to check in with the ridiculously simple and addictive Nokia staple now and again. The high score to match is 256 points – no pressure. Try it: Type 'snake game' into the Google search box.

19. Jerry Lawson's birthday

This familiar game with Snake- like addictiveness was made to celebrate the 82nd birthday of Gerald “Jerry” Lawson. The influential founder of modern gaming developed the first home video game system with interchangeable cartridges. Just use your cursor keys to move the platform around – and don't get discouraged when it burns you with 'try again, turkey!' messages. Try it: Type 'Google Doodles' into search and choose 'Jerry Lawson' from the menu.

20. Minesweeper

Another classic that'll be second-nature to anyone who had a Windows PC in the 90s, Minesweeper is built into Google Search for those who need a quick blast of its screen-clearing satisfaction. If you're new the game (the aim is to clear the board without detonating any of the mines), there's fortunately also a difficulty setting, too. Try it: Do a Google search for 'Minesweeper'.

Google Maps Easter eggs

To get into the true spirit of Easter egg hunting, there's no better place than Google Maps, Street View and Google Earth – here are our favorite secrets that are hidden away in those mapping services...

21. Visit the International Space Station

Back in 2017, the astronaut and flight engineer Thomas Pesquet popped up to the International Space Station and shot some special photos for Google Street View. Naturally, there wasn't quite enough room for the usual Street View car or apparatus up there, so NASA had to help design a gravity-free method of collecting the imagery using DSLR cameras and equipment that was already on the ISS. 

These were stitched together back on earth – and fortunately you can still visit the virtual space station today to get a sense of what it's like to peek out from The Cupola (the small observation module on the ISS). Try it: head to the International Space Station on Google Street View

22. Experience surreal Street View art

Over the years, Google Street View has been 'hacked' (or at least co-opted) by many artists to make online pieces that are hidden away as Easter eggs for people to find. One of the most memorable recent ones was created by a mysterious group called the 'Loosi Ninjas'. 

They discovered that the Brookyln Navy Yard was one of the few public spaces in New York that has never been visited by Google's Street View Car. So they made their own stop-motion animation, which took Reddit by storm , that takes you on a journey following a man in a white jumpsuit through some surreal scenes that include paper airplanes, umbrellas, beach balls and fragments of sky. For the full behind-the-scenes story, head to this interview on Moving Image Artists . Try it: Head here on Google Maps to start the adventure, or type 'Brooklyn Navy Yard' into Google Maps and drop the Street View Pegman anywhere in that area.

23. 'No ice cream for you'

The Google Maps Navigation assistant might sound robotic and unerringly polite, but it is possible to make them break character and reveal their inner sass. When you're in navigation mode, try tapping the microphone and saying "are we there yet?".

Your first response will be the usual polite reminder about how much further you have to go. But try three more times and the Navigation voice will snap and say "If you ask me again, we won't stop for ice cream." That's us told.

24. Have a poke around the TARDIS

A blue police box has been standing outside London's Earls Court underground station for over 25 years, and ten years ago Doctor Who fans were happy to discover that in Google Street View it offers a portal the the heart of the TARDIS. You can have a good look around its control room by clicking on the Street View arrow that appears when your cursor is directly over (or on front of) its doors. Try it: Head to the Earls Court Police Box in Google Street View , hover your cursor over the box and click the arrow that appears.

25. Pegman Easter eggs

Google Maps' 'Pegman', the little character in the bottom right-hand corner who helps you open Street View, usually just looks like an orange rag doll. But in a few special locations, you'll seem him change into a fitting icon instead.

For example, around Scotland's Loch Ness, Pegman will turn into a little green 'Nessie' with a tartan hat, to honor the famous Loch Ness Monster. Other examples include Pegman turning into an astronaut around the Kennedy Space Center, or a UFO when you type in 'Area 51'. Try it: Type 'Loch Ness' or 'Area 51' into Google Maps, and drag Pegman from the bottom right-hand corner into the map.

Android Easter eggs

26. android 14 easter egg.

Google has always been fond of placing Easter eggs into its Android operating system – and it's followed up the cat-theme ones from Android 13 with a new space-themed on in Android 14 .

The process is a little involved, but bear with us. If you have a phone that's running Android 14, head over to the Settings app, then scroll down to About Phone and tap that. Now find and press the Android Version option. Tap the number 14 a few times until the settings app closes, and you'll see the Android 14 logo.

Tap and hold this logo and you should see the logo shaking like a rocket during take-off, with stars zooming by in the background. This is just the start – after the logo's lift-off, a space exploration game starts, letting you control a ship by tapping on the screen and dragging it in different directions.

If you're still on Android 13, you can also check out our full guide to the Android 13 Easter egg .

Mark is TechRadar's Senior news editor. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 years, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the number of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor at both TechRadar and Trusted Reviews, Acting editor on Stuff.tv, as well as Features editor and Reviews editor on Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he's contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Arena. And in a former life, he also won The Daily Telegraph's Young Sportswriter of the Year. But that was before he discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a photo shoot in London's Square Mile. 

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30 Best Google Easter Eggs Of 2021

What do you think of when you hear the words "Easter egg?" Those words have a specific connotation to much of the population, related to a certain holiday which happens in the spring of each year. They conjure images of children tromping through gardens, searching for hidden treasures. In tech or gaming circles, however, an Easter egg is something entirely different.

The more modern usage of the term dates back to "Adventure ," an Atari 2600 game developed by Warren Robinett. The story goes that Robinett was denied any credit for the game he created. So, as an act of early video game rebellion, he coded a secret room which players could find through a specific set of actions. That room's only function was to serve as a flashing credits screen for its creator.

Years later, when the room was discovered and Atari became aware of its existence, an emergency meeting was called to discuss what was to be done. Reportedly, some of the head honchos were angry, but Steve Wright, manager of Atari's home video game department at the time, thought it was cool, comparing it to discovering an Easter egg .

The popularity of "Adventure's" secret room set off a revolution in Easter eggs which lives on to this day, including in the world's most frequented search engine. Google Easter eggs are hidden features which, like "Adventure's" secret room, reveal themselves through specific actions.

Here are our favorite Google Easter eggs from 2021 and how to find them.

The classic DVD screensaver

If you're a person of a certain age (ahem, over 30) or just a fan of "The Office," you might remember the classic screensaver on most early DVD players. Between rounds of watching " Finding Nemo " in your living room, the screen would revert to a black square (remember when TVs were square? What a wild time!) which a bouncing "DVD" logo pinging from top to bottom and side to side.

If you Google the words "DVD screensaver," at first it looks like any other search, complete with articles to read and videos to watch. Then, while you're deciding which hours-long video of the classic bouncing screen to watch, the Google logo looses itself from its perch in the corner and beings bouncing around your monitor.

You could entertain yourself for whole minutes as it careens around the screen, hoping for it to hit precisely in the corner . If you see it happen, let us know!

Do a barrel roll

The barrel roll is an aviation term referring to a maneuver during which an airplane rotates both horizontally and vertically , returning to the same heading upon completion.

While the term and the maneuver predate video games by decades, it was popularized by Nintendo's "Star Fox" franchise. In "Star Fox 64," Peppy Hare tells the player to "do a barrel roll" as part of the early training missions. The game's barrel roll is a simplified version of the maneuver, during which the player's starship rolls only along the horizontal axis.

Peppy's command to do a barrel roll stuck with players, becoming a long-lived meme during the early days of the social internet. In 2011, Google added their own twist on the barrel roll in the form of an Easter egg.

Searching for the words "do a barrel roll" in the Google search bar results in the screen turning a full 360 degrees clockwise, mimicking the motion of the ship in "Star Fox 64." You can also activate the egg by searching for "z or r twice" which is a reference to the button commands used in "Star Fox 64" to barrel roll your ship.

In-browser games

Google has a whole slate of playable games built right into the search engine interface, waiting for you to call them up to play. Searching for "Pac-Man" will deliver the expected search results where you can learn about the history and current state of the game. But before all that, you'll see a custom level map of the game, playable in your browser.

The usual twists and turns of "Pac-Man's" classic levels are replaced with walls spelling out a blocky version of the Google logo. You can use the direction keys on your keyboard to navigate Pac-Man through the maze, gobbling up spheres and power ups while avoiding ghosts.

Googling the word "snake" will take you to pages about slender, limbless animals, but the first result is a clone of the classic consumption game. You can navigate a snake through a small arena, eating apples and growing larger. It conjures memories of early Nokia phones and one of the first mobile games millennials ever obsessed over.

More browser games

If "Pac-Man" and "Snake" aren't enough to keep you entertained, Google's secret arcade has a number of other games on offer.

Searching for "Solitaire" or "Minesweeper" offers up stylized versions of the classic games many of us remember playing on our first family computers in the '90s, while waiting for questionable responses from strangers in AOL chat rooms.

Winning a game of Google's Solitaire won't give you that satisfying card cascade from when you were a kid, but there is a celebratory animation which is almost as good. Google's Minesweeper lacks the industrial aesthetic you might remember, while maintain the same level of frustration over deciding between to blocks with equal probability of being mined.

Searching for "Tic Tac Toe" results in a version of one of the world's oldest games , complete with a computer opponent to play against. Which makes it all the more frustrating when you make a silly mistake and lose against a machine.

They aren't the most thrilling games, but they've stood the test of time, and they're a welcome surprise when all you were expecting were millions of search results.

Google Breakout

"Breakout" is a classic game released by Atari in 1976. Like many of Atari's early games, the gameplay was simple, yet challenging and addictive. Unlike the above Easter egg games, this one takes a little more effort to find.

As before, you'll begin by searching the name of the game in Google's search engine. But instead of being presented with the game at the top of the search results, you have to do a little more digging. Navigate to the Images option in the overhead table. Once there, you'll want to look for the image which redirects to "elgoog.im" it should be in the top row of returned image results. Then click to expand the image. Click the expanded picture one last time and all of your image results will shrink and transform into blocks for you to destroy.

You'll also be given a bar at the bottom of the screen and bouncing ball. Now you can play breakout, destroying the search results to your heart's content.

Text adventure

Maybe the above games are too technologically advanced for you. You wish for the days before pixelated characters and chiptune soundtracks, when the only thing you had to rely on was the world's most impressive graphics generator: the human mind.

Back before video games had pictures, gamers had to rely on text prompts and their imaginations. Games like "Zork" and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" entertained a generation and you can relive those glory days by searching for "text adventure" in the search bar.

Again, this Easter egg requires some additional steps. Once your search results have generated, you'll need to press Ctrl+Shift+J if you're on a Windows computer, or Cmnd+Option+I if you're on a Mac. That should open the Inspector tool and you'll see a window populate on the right side of your screen.

Just below a safety warning, you'll be presented with the question every adventurer is waiting for, "Would you like to play a game?" If you accept the call to adventure, you'll enter into a story where you play as the blue capital G of the Google logo, on the hunt for your missing friends.

Take a chance with a coin toss or roll of the dice

No one likes to make hard decisions but sometimes we have to. Even worse, sometimes all of your options are equally bad, or equally good, and we find ourselves paralyzed by indecision. If you find yourself in that sort of situation, you can offload the decision-making to Google.

Searching for "toss a coin" presents a fictional digital coin that lands either on heads or tails. If you're unhappy with the result, you can always flip again. It's the best of both worlds, you can ultimately blame Google if things go wrong, while still secretly doing the thing you really wanted in the first place.

If the direction you need is more complicated than a simple binary decision, Google has a whole bag of dice for you to play with. Searching for "roll dice" gives you a single d6 which lands on a random number between one and six. You also have the option to add any combination of d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and a modifier, depending on your needs.

Use your endless bag of digital dice to play a role-playing game or choose between hundreds of options. The possibilities are truly endless.

Time travel with Google in 1998 or explore the Tardis

In life, there aren't many do-overs, but that doesn't mean Google doesn't have options for simulated time travel. Searching for "Google in 1998" lets you travel back in time to the very beginning of the search engine's existence. As soon as you hit enter on your search, you'll find yourself on a version of the search results page which looks wholly different while remaining familiar.

This is what Google looked like, all those years ago when it was first launched. There are only a handful of usable results and clicking them takes you to the Wayback Machine Internet Archive where you can peer into the proto internet like finger paintings on a digital cave wall.

For even more time travelling fun, search for "232 Earls Ct Rd, Earl's Court, London SW5 9RD" in Google Maps. In the table on the left, under "at this location" you'll se a familiar looking police box. If you select it and choose Street View, you can enter the Tardis and look around.

Try as we might, we haven't been able to figure out how to fire the ship up and blast off into time and space. If you figure it out, let us know.

Change your point of view with Askew and the "Cha Cha Slide"

The first of these perspective shifting Easter eggs is relatively simple, yet fun. If you type "askew" into Google, you'll be delivered all of the search results you might expect, with a small twist. Literally. Google nudges your display ever so slightly a few degrees clockwise. It's good for a soft chuckle but that's about it. Searching for the "Cha Cha Slide" takes search engine interactivity to another level.

The song was released in 2000 by DJ Casper and quickly made its way onto Billboard's Hot 100, where it stayed for five weeks. People all over the world were sliding to the left and cha cha-ing real smooth. Google got in on the action by creating an Easter egg not-so-subtly hidden in the search results.

Searching for the song delivers the music video at the top of the search results. Near the video—either above or below depending on your specific search terms—you'll see a sparkling microphone icon. Click the icon and you'll hear the lyrics "to the right now" play through your speakers, while Google moves to the right. Keep clicking the changing icon picture and you'll move through the song's basic dance steps.

If you're an internet user of a certain age, you probably remember LAN parties, playing "StarCraft" with your friends late into the night, drinking Mountain Dew and eating Doritos. They weren't the healthiest choices, but it was the '90s.

There was nothing worse than struggling to build up your fledgling base at the beginning of a new game, only to be overwhelmed by a rush of early zerglings which tore through your buildings and SCVs while you watched in dismay. Now, you can bring all of that frustration and fun to your search engine experience by searching for "zerg rush" and selecting the first result.

An army of colorful Os will invade your screen from all sides, just like the zerglings of old, and commence consuming your search results. If you don't destroy them fast enough, your search results will crumble one by one until there's nothing left. Your job is to fend off the invaders by clicking on them until they die, or until you do.

Google gravity, sphere, and space

For this one you need to go to the primary Google page at Google.com, instead of searching in the overhead bar. Once there, you can mess with the physics of your search engine in a number of ways by typing in one of a few different search terms and clicking "I'm Feeling Lucky."

Searching for "Google gravity" pulls all of the page's elements to the bottom of the screen in a tumble, as if they are under the influence of an intense gravitational pull. Despite their jumbled state when they finally come to rest, everything is still functional.

Searching for "Google space" has the opposite effect. Instead of falling to the floor, everything begins casually drifting around the screen as if the digital world's gravity has been turned off.

Finally, searching for "Google sphere" combines the two realms of space and gravity whipping the search page elements into an orbit around the Google logo. Hovering over this makeshift solar system slows things down enough for you to click things if you need to and moving your mouse cursor around changes the properties of the spin.

Fun with avatars

There are a couple of ways you can control a video game avatar through Google's search engine, and one of them doesn't even require an active internet connection. In fact, it only works if you're not connected.

Attempting to access Google without an internet connection results in an error page with a cute little 8-bit dinosaur. Pressing the spacebar while in this state initiates a game in which you control the dinosaur as it runs through a desert jumping over cacti.

As you move through the environment, your speed consistently increases, ramping up the difficulty of the game until the dinosaur ultimately meets its end.

The second character under your control is higher in detail but lower in functionality. Searching for "Sonic the Hedgehog game" (it's important to include the word "game" in order for this to work) will bring up all sorts of sites about Sonic, but you'll also see an active avatar in the information box to the right. Clicking on Sonic sends him into a spin and, eventually, into his golden Super Sonic state.

3D animals and other objects in the "real" world

When searching the names of animals, you can expect to be pointed to the relevant Wikipedia page, local pet stores, or informational articles at the World Wildlife Fund, but certain animals offer up an unexpected and fun feature.

This Easter egg only works when searching for animals on your mobile device, because it needs a camera in order to work. A subset of animal searches will ask if you want to meet a life-sized version up close.

Querying a Giant panda, a house cat, or an alligator, just to name a few, give you to option to view in 3D. You'll have to give Google access to your camera, but once you do, you'll find yourself sharing space with a life-size version of your chosen animal in augmented reality.

Seeing a virtual hamster crawling on your desk is fun, but you don't need to limit yourself only to living animals. You can bring dinosaurs into your home, as well as anatomical systems, characters from pop culture, and more .

Calculator tricks

Certain questions, framed in the right way, will bring up Google's built-in camera, even when that doesn't seem particularly relevant.

Searching for "the answer to life the universe and everything" brings up the camera with the number 42 displayed. This is only one of the many calculator jokes Google has programmed into the search engine.

Asking "what is the loneliest number" or "the number of horns on a unicorn" will populate the calculator with the number one displayed.

Perhaps the coolest calculator trick happens if you google the term "pi." As before, the calculator pops up and you'll see the value of pi calculated to eleven decimal places. The real fun begins if you click the sparkling pi symbol in the top-left corner.

Doing so initiates a game in which the calculator will generate digits of pi, then ask you to repeat them. Each round adds another digit until you get one wrong. It's a fun way to memorize the digits of pie, if you're into that sort of thing.

Googly eyes

Everyone loves googly eyes. They're perfect for keeping in your bag and sticking to random objects out in the world for an added bit of whimsy. It makes sense that Google would do something fun with them, considering how close their names are.

When you search for "googly eyes" the two Os of the Google logo in the top-left corner of the screen are replaced with a pair of googly eyes which descend onto the screen from above. It's a subtle enough effect that you might miss it if you're not paying attention. But they're there, peering through tubes, judging the questions you ask.

Where the eyes come from is unclear, but it doesn't really matter. Now they're here and your day has gotten a little better. Or a little creepier, it's up to you.

From then on, until you click away for another screen, those eyes follow your cursor wherever it goes. Watching. Always watching.

Did you mean?

Similar to the calculator tricks listed above, Google has programmed a bunch of niche jokes into the "did you mean?" suggestions.

Searching for the late, great Alex Trebek hits you with the suggestion, "Did you mean: who is Alex Trebek?" a reference to the structure of the gameshow he hosted for 36 years .

Searching the word "anagram" results in the suggestion "did you mean: nag a ram?" which is itself an anagram of anagram. Clever. Searching for either "recursion" or "Groundhog Day" results in Google asking if you meant to search for recursion or Groundhog Day, the very terms you already searched for.

If you click the suggestion, it send you back to the same page with the same suggestion, resulting in an endless loop of repetition. Bill Murray, eat your heart out.

Searching for "Bruno Madrigal" suggests "Did you mean: we don't talk about Bruno?" Interestingly, the same thing doesn't happen if you search for "Fight Club." Go figure.

Fun facts and feeling curious

Speaking of Alex Trebek and "Jeopardy!" you can train for to be the next champion using a couple of different search terms. Querying either "fun facts" or "I'm feeling curious" gives you a box at the top of the screen with a random question like "is it possible to fire a gun in space" or "how long does it take for a diamond to form?"

After a few seconds, the answer populates beneath the question with a link to the referenced article where you can read more.

At the bottom of the box is a button which, when clicked, generates another random question and answer. Given the many billions of pages which currently exist on the internet, you could potentially click through a series of random fun facts for the rest of your life without ever finding them all.

If that doesn't get you ready for the next trivia game night with your friends, nothing will.

What the future holds

One of the frustrating yet fun features of many Google Easter eggs is that they don't always stick around. Some have been a feature of the site for years, while others come and go before you get a chance to try them for yourself.

Limited Easter Eggs related to the cast of "F.R.I.E.N.D.S.," the famous "Star Wars" scroll, and the Ever Given Suez Canal incident which captures all of our imaginations for a few brief weeks have come and gone. That's just a brief list of the Easter eggs which are no longer active in the search engine.

The good news is the folks at Google are always creating new secrets for us to discover and enjoy. There's no telling what the future will bring, but it will probably be fun, at least for a little while. And it's enough to keep our eyes peeled while we're studying for college exams or keeping up on the latest meme trends.

16 of the best Google Easter eggs

Discover the best Google Easter eggs – hidden treasures buried inside the search engine.

If you haven't yet heard of Google Easter eggs, the chances are that you've led an extremely productive life up until this point. Well, all of that is about to change, but we don't think you'll be too sorry about it.

Google Easter eggs are the perfect treat to break your day and while away five minutes, or even an afternoon of discovery. Plus, you get to feel like you're in the know, and you can share your new-found knowledge with your friends. Of course, Google Easter eggs have their biggest impact when you discover them completely by surprise because you happen to type in a search term where Google has hidden something in the results, but there are plenty of things you may never search for, meaning that you'd miss the treats Google has hidden.

That's why we've created this roundup of the best Google Easter eggs to help you find some of these little gems. Some of them have disappeared now, but many are still there to be enjoyed if your type the right term into the search engine. If you'd like to insert some Easter eggs in your site, check out our guide to the best web design tools or sign up for our UX design course to learn more about UI and UX design in general. And for more design treats from Google, see our Google logo history .

What is a Google Easter egg?

The term 'Easter egg' has two meanings. It's most obviously an egg (usually made from chocolate) that you eat at Easter. But because of the tradition of hiding Easter eggs around the house, the term is also used to refer to a hidden feature, detail or reference within a design, game, film and more. These Easter eggs could be a hidden feature in a logo (see our logo Easter eggs ), or hidden surprises built into the code of a program or website that can only be unlocked in a certain way. That means you have to know what to do to be able to take part. 

Google Easter Eggs are fun because they're super-accessible. All you need to do is type the search term into the Google search bar, but of course, you have no know what to search for. There are surely many more Google Easter eggs than the ones that we've found, but these are some of the best Google Easter eggs we've come across so far. Just don't blame us if your workflow suffers as a result.

01. DART mission

The most recent Google Easter egg that we inadvertently came across is one of the most elaborate, setting the whole Google search results off kilter. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) feels like something out of a sci-fi film. The space agency crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid to change its course.

Want to know what the project involved? Type 'Dart Mission' into Google Search to find out, and you'll be treated to a spectacular Google Easter egg. First there's an animation of a satellite careering to the right of the screen. And then, after impact, the entire results page is left askew. It has great replay value.

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02. Sonic the Hedgehog

Do you miss the original manifestation of everyone's favourite hedgehog? We certainly do. Here's your chance to enjoy the 1991 version of our spiky friend, complete with those evocative jumping noises. 

Type 'Sonic the Hedgehog video game' into the Google search bar and you'll find Sonic waiting for you to the right of the screen. After a little while, he starts the foot tapping that used to give us all palpitations, letting you know you're taking too long. 

Click on Sonic to see him jump, and hear the 'boing' that was the soundtrack to hours on end of hoping the Mega Drive didn't overheat. Keep clicking, and after 25 times, he will transform.

See the best retro gaming consoles for more retro fun.

03. Google in 1998

For a trip back in time, try searching 'Google in 1998'. Although it's less feature-packed than other Easter Eggs, it's certainly interesting to check out how Google used to look. You can't actually search on this page, but we enjoy the retro aesthetic and pondering how Google has evolved since then.

Check out the links at the bottom of the page that suggest the user try searching through some of the other big search engines of the time. That's certainly a feature that's unlikely to return.

04. Minesweeper

Sometimes we long for the simplicity of the days when playing PC games was limited to those found in the Windows start menu. Solitaire, Hearts and... that other one with the King's head that turned from side to side.

And of course, Minesweeper. Here's your chance to immerse yourself in the numbered battle against the computer. Type 'Minesweeper' into the search bar to partake. 

05. Friends

Google released this super-fun series of Friends Easter Eggs this year, in celebration of the 25th anniversary (yes, really) of our favourite group of chums. This one is probably our favourite.

We won't go into all of them, we don't want to ruin the surprise, but try typing in the full names (we know you know them) of the characters and watch what pops up. We've demoed 'Joey Tribbiani', because everyone loves the Joey Special. 

06. Wizard of Oz

This one seems to have been removed now, but there was once no place like your Google homepage after you typed 'Wizard of Oz' into the search bar. Click on Dorothy's sparkling Ruby slippers and the world would turn upside down as the eponymous tornado comes to town. This Google Easter egg was created in 2019, for the 80-year anniversary of the original film's 1939 release. 

07. T-Rex Runner

This is a Chrome-specific Easter Egg that the dinosaur-mad among us will get a kick out of. If you've ever tried to browse offline on your Chrome browser, you might recall the Lonely Dinosaur illustration that appears before you. But have you ever taken much notice of it? 

To start the action, Android / iOS users need to tap on the dinosaur, while desktop users press the space-bar or the up arrow key. This launches the T-Rex Runner game, in which users control the running dinosaur by tapping the screen or pressing the space-bar or up arrow to avoid obstacles. The features of this game are updated periodically, and reaching different point totals changes the entire screen. 

It's seriously hard to believe that such an abundance of fun has been right in front of our eyes this whole time and we never knew. What a great reason to get offline.

08. Colour Picker

This one is not a novelty piece of fun but a useful tool that we bet you'll be using regularly from now on. Type in 'colour picker' and a colour picker tool will be displayed on the screen. You click and drag your cursor inside the picker area to highlight a colour on the right. Add Hex, HSL, RGB or CMYK values to find a certain colour, then click and add to your palette to save it. 

And you can enter 'RGB to hex' to be provided with a colour picker that is also an instant colour value converter. 

Read more about colour with our colour theory post.

09. Pac-Man

Remember that Google Doodle from 2010? It is still around and waiting for you to get involved. Type in 'Pac-Man', 'play Pac-Man' or 'google Pac-Man' and an ear-splitting (honestly, do turn the sound down a bit before you start, we had a cat in the room that almost jumped out of the window) version of the game will appear on the screen. Use your arrow keys to move him around the screen. 

10. Breathing exercise

If you've ever found yourself stressed or angry whilst sitting at the screen, you might enjoy this one. We didn't realise Google had our backs here, but if you type in 'Breathing exercise' to the search bar, a (sort-of) calming blue screen appears along with some helpful instructions to complete a breathing exercise. Perhaps not as effective as leaving your computer and going outside for a walk, but certainly enough to tide you over in a non-emergency. Thanks, Google.

You can also check our mindfulness apps to add more calm to your day.

11. Harry Potter: Fantastic Beasts

It's not just the Google search engine that has delights in store for Easter Egg hunters. Google Maps has loads to explore, too. So hold on to your wizard hats Harry Potter fans, as your minds are about to be blown. 

Diagon Alley, the cobblestone alley from the Harry Potter films, has been added to Google Maps. Peek into the windows of Slug & Jigg Apothecary, and Flourish and Blotts bookshop. You will have to put up with other tourists, though, as the images are taken from the Warner Bros Studio Tour location in London. 

You can also type in 'Fantastic Beasts, New York City' and drop Pegman onto the map and you'll be transported to MACUSA the Headquarters of the Magical Congress of the USA, the governing body of wizarding in America. You can have a good look around the magical building that features in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, visit The Blind Pig and more.

12. Doctor Who

There's a bunch more Google Maps action, such as the option to travel by dragon (from Snowdon to Breacon Beacons) or the Loch Ness Monster (from Urquhart Castle to Fort Augustus). But we are obsessed with this Doctor Who-themed Easter Egg. 

Type in 'Earls Court Road Police Box' into Google Maps and drag Pegman to the location that appears. Suddenly you're inside the TARDIS with 360-degree internal view. Fittingly, it's actually trickier than it sounds to gain access – probably something to do with the calibration of the dynamorphic generators. If you can't find your way in, aim for slightly to the left of the Police box drop pin, and make sure Pegman's feet are floating to the left too otherwise you'll be rudely dropped onto the boring old road. If that happens, zoom back and forth a bit in street view to see if you can get into the blue box.

Talking of Pegman (the little guy you drop into Google Maps to see the streets up close), he loves to be involved in Google Easter Egg surprises. Turns out, he isn't always always dressed in yellow. Some places, and special days, will bring him to life and give him a bit of personality. 

Drop him onto Buckingham Palace to see him turn into Peg Ma'am, or try Groom Lake, Nevada or Area 51 to transform him into a UFO, or near to the ocean in Hawaii to see him shape-shift into a mermaid.

14. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

There is a whole host of number-based Google Easter Eggs that are calculator-related. And this one, based on Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is said to be the very first Easter Egg ever embedded into the system, predating the calculator on which the answer is now revealed.

Type in 'the answer to the ultimate question of life the universe and everything' to see the famous digits appear. 

15. Do a barrel roll

Enter 'do a barrel roll' into the search bar and enjoy the somewhat geeky (but awesome) reference to Nintendo's Star Fox as the screen rotates 360 degrees.

The retro game that kept us awake all night on our Nokia 3310s, is still with us. We can't believe we didn't know. Type 'Snake' into Google and fill your boots. Use the arrow keys to control the little guy, this is possibly slightly easier on the thumbs than the little keyboard of those old Nokias. It is in technicolour, which was a slight disappointment, but it still provides (almost) the same levels of fun. You can also play Tic Tac Toe, just FYI.

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Georgia is lucky enough to be Creative Bloq's Editor. She has been working for Creative Bloq since 2018, starting out as a freelancer writing about all things branding, design, art, tech and creativity – as well as sniffing out genuinely good deals on creative technology. Since becoming Editor, she has been managing the site on a day-to-day basis, helping to shape the diverse content streams CB is known for and leading the team in their own creativity. 

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55+ Hidden Google Easter Eggs You Should See

Latest Google Easter Eggs

Dart mission.

Batman Easter Egg

Friends easter eggs.

• Phoebe Buffay  – Smelly Cat song
• Chandler Bing  – ducks scream
• Ross Geller  – screen pivots
• Joey Tribbiani  – pizza, hot dog, and sandwiches appear
• Rachel Green  – Rachel’s haircut
• Monica Geller  – cleaning OCD

Google Search Easter Eggs

Majority of Google’s Easter eggs are hidden in its most popular product (i.e. Google Search), and can be accessed simply by using a specific word or phrase as the search string. Here are a few of them:

1. Do a barrel roll

2. Pacman/Solitaire/ Tic Tac Toe/ Snake

3. What sound does a cow make?

4. Error 418 (I’m a teapot)!?

5. Loneliest number = 1

Well, apart from spewing out numbers in reference to popular works of fiction, Google is also hiding another calculator-based Easter egg under its belt. It refers to “One” as the loneliest number , which could be a reference to Harry Nilson’s popular song under the same name.

7. Bubble Level

8. Metronome

9. Random Number Generator

10. Super Mario Bros / Sonic the Hedgehog

If you spent your childhood with Super Mario Bros or Sonic the Hedgehog, then you will love this Google Easter egg. When you search for either of the two games, the information card available on the right shows a notable entity from the game. An animated question mark and the signature Mario points sound for the former whereas the Hedgehog rolls into the picture for the latter.

11. Atari breakout

12. Zerg rush

14. Google in 1998

15. Flip a coin

No matter how big or small a dispute is, it can always be sorted out by flipping (or tossing) a coin. And thanks to this Easter egg, you don’t even need to have one in your pocket to toss. Search for Flip a coin , and see whether you get Heads or Tails.

16. Roll a die

17. Google gravity

• Google Gravity
• Google Reverse Gravity
• Google Underwater Gravity
• Google Guitar
• Google Gravity Sphere
• Google Space
• Google Tilt
• Google Gravity Mirror
• Google Flat Fall

18. Once in a blue moon

19. Blink HTML

20. Anagram

They might not seem much, but Anagrams (words that are formed by re-arranging the letters of existing words) can be a lot of fun. So much, that Google has an Easter egg dedicated to them. Search for Anagram , and apart from the relevant search results, Google will also question whether you meant Nag a ram (which is an anagram formed by re-arranging the letters of the word anagram itself).

21. Recursion

22. (sqrt(cos(x))*cos(500*x)+sqrt(abs(x))-0.4)*(3-x*x)^0.1

23. Answer to life the universe and everything

24. Bletchley park

25. Hacker, Pirate, and Pig Latin interfaces

We generally use Google in our native tongue, but the search engine offers you the option to choose from a variety of different languages. And some of them can be really fun, such as Pirate, Hacker, Klingon, or even Pig Latin, if you understand the lingo. You can activate any of these languages by heading to ‘Settings -> Languages’ from the bottom right on Google’s homepage.

26. Text Adventure

27. Festivus

28. Hanukkah/Christmas

29. DVD Screensaver

If you are a fan of famous American sitcom ‘The Office’, you will definitely like Google Search easter egg. Type in ‘DVD Screensaver’ right away in Google Search and you will see the Google logo hovering on your screen. Will it ever touch a corner? Well, that’s a mystery.

30. Green Hill Zone

31. War In Ba Sing Se

Google Docs Easter Eggs

33. (lgbtq) pride.

The LGBT community has faced discrimination for a really long time, and even though things are steadily improving, there’s much work left to be done. And thanks to this Google Docs Easter egg, showing off your LGBT pride is easier than ever. Simply open up a blank Google Spreadsheet, and type in the five letters of the word PRIDE in five adjacent cells, one letter in each cell . As soon as you do that, the columns will be highlighted in the different rainbow colors, symbolic of the LGBT community.

34. Conway’s Game of Life

Google Maps Easter Eggs

35. loch ness monster.

36. Diagon Alley

37. UFO on Google Maps

This is another easter egg on Google Maps that turns the pegman into a UFO. Type in ‘Area 51’ or ‘Groom Lake, Nevada’ in Google Maps and pickup the yellow-colored pegman to see it turn into a cool UFO. Similarly, search results for ‘Hawaii’ on Google Maps changes the pegman into a mermaid.

38. Snake Game on Google Maps

A Cool Assortment of a Variety of Easter Eggs

39. the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

40. Is Google Down?

41. Nutrition Info

Whether you are a fitness freak or a health-conscious person, this Easter egg is specifically designed for you. Simply, write the name of any food followed by nutrition (i.e walnut nutrition) and carry out a Google Search of nutrition to find out all the nutrition info.

42. Google Sky

43. 3D Easter Egg

44. What Sound Does a Dog Make?

45. Find Webpage Fonts

46. Converter

While many of you would be aware of this Google Easter egg, I think there are quite a few people who might not have come across it. That’s why I thought it’s worth mentioning it in this extensive roundup of the top Easter eggs. As for functionality, it allows you to quickly convert currency and mass. So, whether you want to convert kilograms to pounds or Euro to USD, it can get the job done for you.

47. Pac-Man

48. Marquee HTML

49. Find the Age or Height of Celebrities

50. Dinosaur Game

51. Spelling Numbers

Do you often seem to get stuck with spelling or reading a big number? If yes, this cool Easter egg can be the right answer to your needs. Simply, bring in the big G and then type in the number=English. Then, leave the rest to the search engine.

52. Carmen Sandiego Google Earth

53. google mars.

55. Valentine’s Day

56. Fun Facts

This one is primed for curious minds or someone who always wants to learn something out-of-the-box. So, the next time you want to learn something unique, head over to Google Search and type in “Fun Facts”. Voila! Google Will amaze you with an interesting fact.

57. Google Moon

58. Baker’s Dozen

59. Deep Breathing

Beebom Staff

Bringing the latest in technology, gaming, and entertainment is our superhero team of staff writers. They have a keen eye for latest stories, happenings, and even memes for tech enthusiasts.

I like google

Go to elooG and type ¨infinity gauntlet¨ and touch the gauntlet, then see what happens.

carmen sandiego is so fun

Type Dog or Cat in the search bar and click on the paw.

tottally legit bro, but some EE are trippin’

IT WORKS! YAY!

also, if you say “up up down down left right left right” on google’s voice search, something interesting happens

It did not work

didnt work for me>:(

That is so cool

então onde devemos escrever?nas teclas mesmo?pelo visto acho que sim,vou tentar

WHOA,THAT REALLY WORKED!

Search for “Wizard of Oz”, click on the red shoes and see what happens!!

where do you type the word awesome

Also, if you type the word “Awesome” while watching a Youtube video the bar goes rainbow colours.

Haha, yeah I knew that, too. It’s pretty cool how fast the colors go.

What??? Can you tell me how to do that???i really wanna try!!!

Just watch a youtube video and just type awesome. ( not in the comments )

Basically, just type “awesome” not in the search bar or the comments. Just straight up type it.

it dosent work

Its awesome

Add new comment

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List of 90+ Google Easter Eggs to Try in 2024

• by Rakesh Shukla
• April 21, 2024

Google has hidden numerous amusing surprises in their products and services known as Easter eggs. These delightful surprises are cleverly woven into popular Google products, such as search results, Google Maps, and even YouTube. If you are tech-savvy and want to explore all the Google Easter eggs, check out our handpicked list of 90 of them. The Easter eggs range from playful animations and interactive games to witty references.

If you want to make the most of Google Search by using the search engine like a pro, you must not miss these Google Search tips, tricks, and hacks .

Table of Contents

1. Do a barrel roll

2. Blink HTML

3. askew / tilt / dutch angle.

If you Google the word “ askew ” “ dutch angle “, or “ tilt ” you’ll notice that the search results are slightly tilted to the right. If you search for “askew,” the results will be displayed askew. So next time you’re feeling down, or just need a good laugh, try Googling “askew” or one of the fun Easter eggs listed below.

You can change it back to normal using “ Change it ba-aaack! ”

4. Flip a Coin

This Google Easter egg can help you resolve dilemmas or make choices. As quirky as it may sound, users need to type “ flip a coin ” or “ heads or tails ” into the search bar, and voila! As the coin starts flipping, anticipation builds until, the coin lands either on heads or tails.

5. Google in 1998

In 1998, Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University in California. It has come a long way since its humble beginnings as a search engine created by two graduate students in a Silicon Valley garage. From self-driving cars to artificial intelligence, Google is at the forefront of some of the most exciting technological advances. But do you know how the Google search home page looked back in 1998?

Just type “ Google in 1998 ” in the search box and hit the Enter key to know!

6. Answer to life the universe and everything

7. Heart Equation

8. Dart Mission

The DART or Double Asteroid Redirection Test Mission Easter egg is a fascinating and clever addition to the realm of Google Easter eggs. In 2021+2022, NASA launched a space mission named Double Asteroid Redirection Test which aimed at testing a planetary defense technology. It involved hitting near-Earth objects like asteroids with a spacecraft to change its direction so it doesn’t collide with the Earth.

Don’t Miss: List of 20 Important Google URLs You Must Know About

9. 418. I’m a teapot

10. Bubble Level

11. Roll dice

12. Google breathing exercise

13. Last of Us

14. New Year’s Eve

15. Google tuner

16. Meteorite or Chicxulub crater

Read Also: List of All Google Search Operators with Examples

17. Pac-Man

18. Bacon Number

19. Fidget Spinner

20. Animal Sound

21. Random Number Generator

22. Hanukkah

24. Christmas

26. Halloween

Must Read: 100+ Funny Websites to Cure Boredom and Kill Time

27. Meteor Shower

28. Katamari

29. Cha Cha Slide

30. LGBT pride

31. Drop Bear

32. Friends

To experience the surprise, you need to click on the icon next to the name of the following characters from ‘Friends’ in the search results header.

• Phoebe Buffay
• Chandler Bing
• Joey Tribbiani
• Monica Geller
• Ross Geller
• Rachel Green

33. Friends Glossary

34. DVD Screensaver

35. Festivus

36. Juneteenth

37. Googly Eyes

38. Is Google down?

Editor’s Pick for You: 60 Useful Chrome Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows & Mac

39. Marquee HTML

40. ‘Cat’ and ‘Dog’

41. Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit

43. Webdriver Torso

44. Wubba lubba dub dub

45. Doctor Who

When you search for “ doctor who “, Google will show a spinning 3D TARDIS. Click on it to see an interactive doodle of Dr Who. The real fun starts when you click on the play icon in the doodle.

46. Google Birthday Surprise Spinner

This Easter egg is a doodle that was released to celebrate Google’s 19th Birthday. Search for “Google Birthday Surprise Spinner” and you will see a colorful spinner on the screen with 20 stripes featuring 20 games listed below:

• Animal sounds
• Breathing exercise
• Celebrate Clara Rockmore’s theremin
• Fischinger composition
• Earth day quiz
• Explore the Galapagos Islands
• Halloween game
• Valentine’s Day
• History of hip-hop
• Hit the Pinata
• Play like Beethoven
• Pony Express
• Tic tac toe
• Wilbur Scoville’s 151st birthday

47. Earth Day

48. Cherry blossom

49. Legally Blonde

50. ‘Mars 2020’ and ‘Ingenuity’

51. Jerry Lawson

52. Splatoon

53. Google Logo History

54. Metronome

55. Interactive Fiction

Search for “interactive fiction”, right-click on the page, and select Inspect . Then click on the Console tab to play a text-based interactive game.

57. Isaac Newton

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58. Google Doodles

Google releases doodles and fun games to celebrate special occasions. Search for “ Google Doodles ” or check all Google doodles ever released from their library .

59. LGBTQ Pride in Google Sheets

60. Solar Eclipse

Type “solar eclipse” in the Google search bar and hit enter to watch a live simulation of the moon obscuring the view of the Sun causing a total solar eclipse.

61. I’m Feeling Lucky Easter Eggs

Type the keywords listed below in the Google search bar and click on the ‘ I’m Feeling Lucky ‘ button to view and enjoy the Easter egg. Please note that some of the results may take you to a 3rd-party website. Have fun!

• Epic Google
• Google Sphere
• Google Gravity
• Google Loco
• Who is the cutest?
• Find Chuck Norris
• Google Flight Simulator
• Google Gothic
• Google Variations
• Google Piglatin
• Translate for Animals
• Google Gulp
• Google Bork
• Pigeon Rank
• Google Klingon
• Google Church
• Google TiSP
• Mental Plex
• Google Guitar
• Atari Breakout

15 More Google Easter Eggs

The following 15 Google Easter eggs don’t require extra effort like clicking an icon. Just type their name in the search bar and hit Enterto enjoy them.

• Memory Game
• Spin a dreidel
• Minesweeper
• Color picker
• Sonic the Hedgehog Game
• Forrest Gump
• Anagram  or  Define anagram
• Super Mario Bros.
• Bletchley Park
• Periodic table

With so many Google Easter Eggs to explore and enjoy, it’s easy to see why they are such a popular pastime. Whether you’re looking for fun or a way to test your knowledge of the internet, these Easter Eggs provide hours of entertainment to keep you busy.

Rakesh Shukla

Rakesh is a geek by heart with an ardent passion for all things tech. From a young age, he was drawn to the world of technology and found himself constantly tinkering with gadgets and devices. He enjoys learning and discovering the newest trends in the world of Android, iOS, and Windows. View Author posts

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The 10 best Google Easter eggs you need to try

These features can only be activated if you know the magic words..

Amy-Mae Turner

Posted on Jul 29, 2015   Updated on May 28, 2021, 6:40 am CDT

True to Google ‘s playful image, the search engine has a few fun tricks up its sleeve. There are various secret-sauce Easter eggs that can be activated if you know the right words or phrase to enter.

From time travel to retro games, these are the 10 best Google search Easter eggs that you can currently enjoy in 2015.

It’s worth noting some of these only work on Google.com, so be sure to head directly to that domain if you want to test them out.

1) Roll a die

Google can roll a die for you. Just type “roll a die” and you’ll get a randomly generated result, complete with a graphical depiction.

2) Time travel back to 1998

You can go old school and see what Google search results looked like back in the year the company launched. Simply look up “Google in 1998.”

3) Create a zerg rush

Generate an army of Google “o’s” to destroy with a mouse click by typing “zerg rush” into the search box. If you’re not quick enough, your search results will be annihilated.

Look up the word “anagram” and Google will give you an amusing “Did you mean?” suggestion. Well played, Google.

5) Slant your screen

Typing either “askew” or “tilt” will give you appropriately wonky results.

6) Atari Breakout

Doing an image search for “Atari Breakout” will invoke Google’s “Image Breakout” for some vintage-style gameplay.

Game of Thrones fans will enjoy this Easter egg. Enter “hodor” and you’ll see a generated sentence that looks like it would be spoken by the aphasia-afflicted character. Keep clicking to generate more.

8) Blink HTML

If you type “<blink>” into Google, all instances of the word in the results will demonstrate just what it is the blink element does.

9) Flip a coin

Got a decision to make? Feeling lucky? You can trust your fate to Google by getting the search engine to “flip a coin” for you.

10) Do a barrel roll

Follow Peppy Hare’s invaluable advice and make your screen do a Star Fox-style barrel roll. Typing “z or r twice” (how you’d carry out the maneuver on the console game) has the same effect.

Screengrab via Amy-Mae Turner

Amy-Mae Turner is a tech reporter who focuses on gadgets, streaming entertainment, social media, and internet lingo. She previously served as a senior features writer for Mashable.

Mandalorian

Google Easter Egg

Description:

The adorable Mandalorian egg Easter egg is back! This interactive page lets you reclaim that delightful surprise and bring a smile to your Star Wars-loving heart. Discover how to unlock the egg on desktop or mobile, relive the press frenzy that surrounded its mysterious disappearance, and dive deeper into Grogu's undeniable cuteness. So, channel your inner Mando, grab your lightsaber of curiosity, and let's rediscover the wonder of The Mandalorian Easter egg!

More Google Easter eggs on elgooG

Play the enthralling 2048 game online - elgoog.

əๅɓoo⅁: Experience Google Upside Down - elgooG

Bing's Mirrored Reflection - gniB

Play the T-Rex Dinosaur Game Online - elgooG

IP Address Geolocation Lookup

Unveil the Google Zipper - elgooG

Bing daily wallpaper.

Strum the Strings of Google Guitar - elgooG

Immersive google tetris effect - elgoog.

Introduced in March 2023, the Mandalorian/Grogu Easter egg was a special feature on Google's search page that celebrated the character Grogu (Baby Yoda) from The Mandalorian. It originally featured an interactive element related to the Star Wars universe.

When you search with the keyword "baby yoda", "grogu", "the child", "the mandalorian" or "Din Grogu", Google will bring up a Grogu (baby yoda) image button on the bottom right corner of the screen; when pressed, Grogu will use the force to pull off a result and throw it to the bottom of the screen. It is possible to press the button multiple times to remove more results.

Unfortunately Google retired the Easter egg about six months following its debut, enthusiasts can still relish this beloved feature by visiting: https://elgoog.im/mandalorian/.

Clicking on the Grogu Easter egg animation causes him to raise his tiny hand and use the Force to move the search results around, once at a time. It's a delightful surprise that brings a smile to your face.

To halt Grogu's antics and recover the obliterated search results, just press the large 'X' located at the screen's base. This will dismiss Grogu from the scene.

日本語がご希望のようですね。当サイトの日本語版をご覧になりますか？

The Great Big List of 50+ Google Easter Eggs & How to Access Them

Aside from the tasty chocolate candy many of us enjoy eating in the springtime, ‘Easter eggs’ have an entirely different meaning when they come from Google.

An Easter Egg is an unexpected feature in games, movies — and in this case, Google Search or another of its products.

These secret goodies are usually discovered through word of mouth or entirely by accident.

In this column, you’ll learn how to activate a ton of different Google Easter Eggs. See how many you already knew, and have fun activating those that are new to you.

But first, where did this fun tradition of hiding tricks and games in code begin?

Long Before Google’s Easter Eggs Came Atari

Steve Wright, former Director of Software Development at Atari, has been credited with coining the term “Easter egg” for this particular use.

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He did this after disgruntled employee Warren Robinett snuck his name into a game he programmed but didn’t get credited for.

A delighted player discovered this secret communication tucked away in a hidden chamber of the game and wrote in to express how much they had enjoyed finding it.

Initially, the higher-ups at Atari were furious and considered reworking the game, but Wright was able to convince them otherwise.

He suggested turning this boo-boo into a boon by making it company policy to include concealed features in future games.

After all, what kid wouldn’t love hunting out these little ‘Easter eggs’?

He was proven correct, but no one could have predicted just how much of a cultural phenomenon Easter eggs would become.

Today concealed links, messages and features can be found anywhere and everywhere – including Google Search.

Special thanks to Abby Villarica , editorial assistant here at Search Engine Journal, for helping to test these out and capture the Easter Egg videos below.

Grab a beverage, get comfortable, and check out these Google Easter Eggs. See which ones are new to you!

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [anagram] or [define anagram] into Google.

What happens: Google displays, Did you mean: Nag A Ram.

2. Super Mario Bros

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [super mario brothers] into Google.

What happens: Google Easter Eggs can really bring the nostalgia.

Case in point: searching [super mario brothers] triggers the appearance of a glittering coin block in the knowledge panel. Click it to get your 200 points and be rewarded with that delightful Super Mario Bros coin sound.

It seems you can click this infinitely… I kept going until I heard a One-Up sound, then clicked some more. Eventually, the dogs barking at my desk made me quit.

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [askew] into Google.

What happens: The Google SERP slightly tilts; it goes askew.

4. Bletchley Park Secret Code

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [bletchley park] into Google.

What happens: The local panel at right gives a nod to World War II codebreakers in the name of this historical landmark.

5. The Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [the answer to life the universe and everything] into Google.

What happens: In science fiction novelist Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, the supercomputer states that 42 is the answer to everything. Some really smart people have put an awful lot of time into figuring out just what Adams meant.

6. Breathing Exercise

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [breathing exercise] into Google.

What happens: Take a minute (literally) and reset with a quick mindful breathing exercise at the top of the SERP.

7. War in Ba Sing Se

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [War in Ba Sing Se] into Google.

What happens: Here’s one from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Query [war in ba sing se] and Google will try to correct you. “Did you mean: THERE IS NO War in Ba Sing Se” links to search results for that phrase.

8. Cha-cha Slide

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [cha-cha slide] into Google.

What happens: Simply the best thing ever, that’s what happens. Check it out, click the icons to keep it going, and make sure your sound is on .

9. A Love Letter to Pluto

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [pluto] into Google.

What happens: This may not technically be an Easter Egg as it’s not gamified in any way, but it’s a fun little bit of someone’s personality in the otherwise informational search results space.

If you’re Gen X or a crossover Xennial like me, you might remember when Pluto was downgraded from planetary status and we were forced to question everything we ever learned in elementary school.

Google pays homage to “our favorite” dwarf planet in the knowledge panel in this fun Easter Egg.

10. Conway’s Game of Life

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [Conway’s Game of Life] into Google.

What happens: Look to the right and you will see an animation that demonstrates how the population multiplies and how all life began.

Bonus Easter Egg: Conway’s Game of Life also auto-populates in Google Docs using [Ctrl+Alt+Shift+E] [Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C] on Windows, or [⌘+Option+Shift+E] [⌘+Option+Shift+C] on Mac.

11. Dinosaur Game (Chrome only)

How to trigger this Easter Egg: This will trigger if you open your Chrome browser and you have zero internet connection available.

What happens: A dinosaur runs across your screen above tips to help repair your internet connection. Use your space bar to make him jump over the bumps in the road.

12. Text Adventure or Interactive Fiction

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [text adventure] or [interactive fiction] into Google.

What happens: Text adventures use text commands to move your player around and achieve objectives throughout the game. This Easter Egg appears in the Developers Console, which you can access by:

• Typing [text adventure] in Google Search.
• Right-clicking and choosing Inspect.
• Navigating to Console in the Inspect window.

Once there, you’re asked, “Would you like to play a game? (yes/no).” Click yes and you’re off and running on your text-based adventure.

13. Do a Barrel Roll

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [do a barrel roll] into Google.

What happens: Google follows your order and the entire SERP does a barrel roll.

14. The Funniest Joke in the World

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [Wenn ist das Nunstück git und Slotermeyer? Ja! Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!] into Google Translate.

What happens: The funniest joke in the world or the killer joke comes from Monty Python, and as legend has it, anyone who hears the joke will promptly die of laughter.

Searching this in Google Translate brings back [FATAL ERROR] in English.

15. Festivus

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [festivus] into Google.

What happens: It’s a holiday for the rest of us! George’s father Frank’s obsession with the alternative to Christmas was a running gag on the TV show “Seinfeld”.

With this Easter Egg, the occasion makes its way to the SERPs with a Festivus Pole spanning the page, top to bottom, on the left.

16. Fidget Spinner

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [fidget spinner] into Google.

What happens: The trendy toy appears at the top of the search results page where you can click or use your mouse to hold and spin.

17. Spinner

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [spinner] into Google.

What happens: A numbered spinner appears at the top of the search results page (you can toggle between this and the fidget spinner). Click to play, and adjust the size of the wheel in the top left of the game.

18. Once in a Blue Moon

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [once in a blue moon] (all lowercase) into Google.

What happens: When you search “once in a Blue Moon”, Google guides you to the mathematical equation for the occurrence of a blue moon.

The calculator shows the result of “once in a blue moon = 1.16699016 × 10-8 hertz.”

19. Green Hill Zone

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [green hill zone] into Google.

What happens: In yet another throwback to the glorious 90s, this Google Easter Egg features Sonic the Hedgehog. His game came out on Sega Genesis in 1991, introducing us all to the Green Hill Zone — the first level.

Searching [green hill zone] makes Sonic appear in the knowledge panel where you can click to make him roll. Stop clicking and he’ll roll his eyes and tap his foot at you. Click him enough and he’ll level up to Super Sonic.

20. Flip a coin

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [flip a coin] into Google.

What happens: A coin-flipping game appears at the top of the search results page, where you can click to keep flipping.

21. Fun Facts

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [fun facts] into Google.

What happens: When you type it in, a random fact will appear in the top panel of the results. You can continue down the wormhole by clicking “Ask Another Question.”

22. I’m Feeling Curious

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [im feeling curious] into Google.

What happens: Much in the same way as the “Fun Facts” Easter Egg above, Google randomly displays factoids you can flip through to satisfy your curiosity (and boredom, let’s be honest).

23. Google in 1998

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [Google in 1998] into Google Search.

What happens: Check it out… this was your Google Search experience in 1998! Clicking a result will take you into the Wayback Machine. I’m digging the logo.

Click “Take me back to the present” to restore regular, everyday Google.

24. Google Logo History

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [Google logo history] into Google.

What happens: Travel back in time through a series of seven Google logos dating all the way back to 1998 in this animated rich snippet.

25. Kerning

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [kerning] into Google.

What happens: Each instance of the word “kerning” on the Google results page has letters spaced evenly apart to demonstrate the meaning of the word.

26. Marquee HTML

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [marquee HTML] or [marquee tag] into Google.

What happens: The text showing the number of results will scroll from right to left like a real marquee.

27. Blink HTML

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [blink HTML] into Google.

What happens: All instances of “Blink” and “HTML” in the SERPs blink as long as you’re on-page.

28. Pirate, Hacker or Bork Bork Language

How to trigger these Easter Eggs: Change the language settings ( Settings > Search Settings > Languages > Show More ) to get the Google Search experience in Pirate, Hacker, or Bork Bork.

What happens: Hacker language or Leet Speak (1337 5p34k) replaces the normal letters of the alphabet with different ASCII characters.

You might remember Bork! Bork! as a common refrain of The Swedish Chef on “The Muppets”. Note the menu options for “Imeges” and “Shoeppeeng” — bet you just read that in Chef’s voice!

Pirate speak is self-explanatory, Matey:

29. Metronome

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [metronome] into Google.

What happens: A metronome appears, enabling you to keep a beat from 40 to 218 BPM at the top of the search results.

30. PAC-MAN Google Doodle

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [pac-man] into Google.

What happens: The classic PAC-MAN appears in a featured snippet. On clicking play, it opens as an interactive Google Doodle you can play using your arrow keys.

Careful… it’s loud! We left the sound off our video in case you’re supposed to be working, but if you play online you’ll get the full experience.

31. Play Snake

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [play snake] into Google.

What happens: A snake game appears at the top of the search results page. Click Play and it expands; use your arrow keys to get the apples without smashing into the walls.

32. Random Number Generator

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [random number generator] into Google.

What happens: Google’s random number generator tool appears at the top of the search results. By default, it’ll generate a number between 1 and 10 but you can adjust the range to suit your needs.

Don’t get carried away, though. Tack on too many zeros and you’ll kill the poor emoji man.

33. Recursion

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [recursion] into Google.

What happens: This one is cute. In programming, recursion is defined as “the process of defining a problem (or the solution to a problem) in terms of (a simpler version of) itself. For example, we can define the operation ‘find your way home’ as: If you are at home, stop moving.”

Searching [recursion] on Google displays, Did you mean: recursion? Clicking it reloads the same set of results.

34. Roll a Die

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [roll a die] or [roll dice] into Google.

What happens: An interactive featured snippet appears at the top of the search results. Choose 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, or even 20-sided die and click to add more to the game. Click Roll to shake them up; your total is displayed in the box.

35. Solitaire

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [solitaire] into Google.

What happens: A preview of Google’s Solitaire game appears at the top of the search results. Click Play to pop the game open overlaying the SERPs and choose your level of difficulty: Easy or Hard.

36. Dreidel

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [dreidel] into Google.

What happens: A spinning dreidel appears at the top of the search results page in an interactive display you can keep playing.

37. Tic-tac-toe

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [tic-tac-toe] into Google.

What happens: Here’s another time-suck fun, hidden game in Google Search. Tic-Tac-toe allows you to play against the machine or a friend (on the same device), and choose Easy, Medium, or Impossible levels of play.

38. Webdriver Torso

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [webdriver torso] into Google.

What happens: In 2013, a YouTube channel popped up and published thousands of 11-second videos consisting of red and blue rectangles with beeping noises. Mystified, the internet did its magic and conjured up everything from aliens to foreign spies in explanation for the channel.

By the time Google finally revealed it was a testing channel, the legend of Webdriver Torso had taken on a life of its own. Even the BBC reported on it . Today, activate this Google Easter Egg and you’ll see an animated series of the iconic colored shapes to the left of the search box (on desktop).

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [timer] into Google.

What happens: Trying to cook the perfect egg? Maybe you’re doing a writing sprint to get that blog post out the door. Either way, querying [timer] brings Google’s handy timer tool to the top of the SERPs.

40. What Sound Does That Animal Make?

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [what sound does a dog make] (without a question mark) into Google.

What happens: An interactive panel of animal cards appears at the top of the search results page. Scroll through and click on the dog, penguin, bat, tiger, or other creature to hear the sound it makes. The downward-facing arrow on the panel opens more Google games, toys, and tools (many of which are featured in this article).

Clicking “More Sounds” opens a panel with over 50 animals you can hear on the SERP.

41. Wubba Lubba Dub Dub

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [wubba lubba dub dub] into Google.

What happens: “Rick and Morty” fans will love this one. Searching this seemingly nonsensical query causes Google to question, “Did you mean: i am in great pain please help me,” from Birdman’s explanation of the term.

42. 3D Easter Egg

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Click here

What happens: This most meta of Google Easter Eggs activates… an actual Easter egg. Searching the formula [1.2+(sqrt(1-(sqrt(x^2+y^2))^2) + 1 – x^2-y^2) * (sin (10000 * (x*3+y/5+7))+1/4) from -1.6 to 1.6] displays a 3D animated Easter egg. Use your mouse or touchpad to zoom in and out.

43. Server Status 418: I’m a Teapot

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Click here .

What happens: The teapot page is a 418 response code. Mozilla explains:

“The HTTP 418 I’m a teapot client error response code indicates that the server refuses to brew coffee because it is, permanently, a teapot. A combined coffee/tea pot that is temporarily out of coffee should instead return 503. This error is a reference to Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol defined in April Fools’ jokes in 1998 and 2014.”

44. The Number of Horns on a Unicorn

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [the number of horns on a unicorn] into Google.

What happens: Similar to the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” joke, look for “the number of horns on a unicorn” and the search engine will show you the calculator with the answer “1.”

45. Bubble Level (mobile only)

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [bubble level] into Google on your smartphone.

What happens: Simply search for “bubble level” on your smartphone and you will instantly have an interactive leveler on your mobile phone.

46. Loneliest Number

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [loneliest number] (all lowercase) into Google.

What happens: Look for the “loneliest number” in the search box and the Google calculator will show you the answer “1”.

47. Bacon Number

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [bacon number] + any famous person’s name into Google.

What happens: Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a game that shows we’re all connected somehow — and it all leads back to the famous actor. Where a result is triggered, a featured snippet appears at the top of the SERP explaining the person’s Bacon number and linking to the source of that information.

48. Spelling Out Numbers

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [any number=english] in Google Search.

What happens: Google helpfully spells out the number for you.

Note: The maximum volume of numbers is 13. You cannot go higher; believe me, I tried.

49. Play Minesweeper

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Search [minesweeper] on Google.

What happens: A preview appears at the top of the SERPs. Clicking on it opens a minesweeper game (with far lower quality graphics, I have to say)

50. Valentine’s Day Easter Egg

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Click here to search [sqrt(cos(x))*cos(300x)+sqrt(abs(x))-0.7)*(4-x*x)^0.01, sqrt(6-x^2), -sqrt(6-x^2) from -4.5 to 4.5] on Google.

What happens: Similar to the 3D egg, inputting a mathematical formula triggers a graph. Like the 3D egg, this does not appear on a search results page but on its own.

51. Earth Day Quiz

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [earth day quiz] on Google.

What happens: Work through the illustrated multiple-choice questions in this fun, simple Google game to find out which animal you are (I’m a mantis shrimp, for those dying to know).

52. Friends + Character

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [friends + ross, phoebe, monica, etc.] on Google.

What happens: Look to the knowledge panel for each Friends character. There’s a different icon for each that triggers an action unique to that character. Clicking on the sponge on Monica’s knowledge panel, for example, animates the sponge which scrubs up the listing (a nod to Monica’s compulsive housecleaning).

Clicking the guitar on the Phoebe panel turns the SERPs into a backdrop for a cat leaping and strutting across the screen to Phoebe’s iconic song “Smelly Cat.”

53. PRIDE In Google Sheets

How to trigger this Easter Egg: In Google Sheets, type “PRIDE” with each letter in a separate spreadsheet column.

What happens: Trigger rainbow columns and pay homage to LGTBQ2S rights by putting P-R-I-D-E as your headers.

How to trigger this Easter Egg: Type [pi] on Google Search.

What happens: A calculator appears with the value of Pi.

Retired Easter Eggs

Easter Eggs such as Zerg Rush, Atari Breakout, Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet don’t seem to work on Google Search anymore — at least, not consistently enough for me to make them happen.

Some can still be found in various archives (using Google, of course).

Who Hides Easter Eggs Besides Google?

Disney frequently inserts characters or iconic items into their movies for eagle-eyed viewers to spot.

Two such examples of this are the Genie in Aladdin pulling The Little Mermaid’s Sebastian from a cookery book and Rapunzel from Tangled attending Elsa’s coronation in Frozen.

Stephen Spielberg’s recent offering “Ready Player One” crammed in the Easter eggs referencing everything from “Back to the Future” to “Star Wars” and even giving the nod to the Atari game Adventure that popularized the whole concept in the first place.

That’s not to say that Robinett was the first person to include secret eggs in his media.

Programmers who worked on The Fairchild Channel F console, which predated the game by four years, added their names in the demo game, and film legend Alfred Hitchcock was known to make brief cameos in his own movies.

The list goes on…

What’s clear is giving people the opportunity to turn up interesting things in unexpected places adds another dimension to an already enjoyable activity or can help perk up someone’s day.

And I don’t know about you, but my days could sure use some perking up with Easter Egg goodness lately.

Diehard gamers and TV junkies especially take great delight in uncovering these eggs, often spending hours, weeks, months doing so.

However, while some hidden items in software and games should perhaps be left to the more technically minded, or just those with a little more time on their hands, there are quick and easy eggs to be spotted all around.

Have You Spotted a New Google Easter Egg?

Or have we missed any? Share your favorite or any new Google Easter Eggs in the comments and you may see it added to this article!

Image credits: All screenshots and video by authors, April 2021

Atrium, which help sales managers more easily see who is (or isn’t) crushing it, just raised $13.5 million – TechCrunch

Billy Eichner Foresaw Colton Underwood Becoming ‘First Gay Bachelor’ In 2019

It's Time for the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Franchise to Move Off-Planet

Why limit yourself to just Earth?

The Big Picture

• Sonic the Hedgehog characters have the means to travel to alternate worlds with their rings.
• The Sonic film franchise is hindered by staying on Earth, meaning it lacks narrative diversity.
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will stay Earthbound, missing the potential to explore the vast universe.

The Sonic the Hedgehog movies have been fun and well-received by the franchise's passionate fanbase. However, the multimedia franchise, which recently transitioned to streaming television with the Knuckles miniseries, appears noticeably hampered by a growing obstacle. The central events of Sonic the Hedgehog , Sonic the Hedgehog 2 , and Knuckles remain anchored on planet Earth, even though Earth is not the home planet of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. The experience is dulled because the writers refuse to explore more vibrant worlds . The films tease glimpses of other planets, such as Sonic and Knuckles' unnamed homeworld, and the Mushroom Planet, where Dr. Robotnik ( Jim Carrey ) was stranded for a while. Although it doesn't look like the Sonic film franchise will leave Earth later this year with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 , it's time for the franchise to escape the safe confines of Earth and explore the vast universe at its disposal.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

The characters in 'sonic the hedgehog' have the means to easily travel to alternate worlds.

One striking element of Sonic the Hedgehog is Sonic's connection to Green Hills and how he views the town as his new home. Sonic was offended when he realized that Tom Wachowski ( James Marsden ) wanted to relocate to San Francisco, leaving his hometown in the middle of nowhere in Montana. While Sonic grew fond of the small town, it seemed such a far cry from previous iterations of Sonic , who never seemed like the type of person who would want to settle down and put down roots, especially in his wild, rebellious teens. But this is a different version of Sonic, who was orphaned at a young age and raised by Longclaw . The two are later separated after an attack by the elders of Knuckles' Echidna tribe , leaving Sonic alone on Earth. However, with his rings, Sonic could travel anywhere on Earth or even go to other worlds .

The rings are still out there in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie universe. The rogue G.U.N. agents, Willoughby ( Ellie Taylor ) and Mason ( Scott Mescudi ) have access to Sonic's recovered rings in the Knuckles miniseries. They are used as ammo in a fancy portal gun. Tails also uses rings to travel to other worlds and Earth in Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill comic tie-in. Since the ability for quick and easy travel to other worlds across the universe already exists within the franchise, it should not be difficult from a narrative standpoint.

The 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Franchise Is Held Back by Staying Earthbound

In all fairness, the Knuckles miniseries was likely extremely limited from a budgetary standpoint. That means the series could not do much exploration beyond giving Knuckles and Wade Whipple ( Adam Pally ) a road trip across rural America, with the final act taking place in Reno, Nevada. That said, with the two theatrical features and Knuckles mainly taking place on Earth, it would be nice if later entries shook things up with a new setting. The Sonic the Hedgehog video games are defined by striking, exotic, and unique locations .

The movies do feature scenes and settings that pay homage to the video games, but it feels like a copout that they all primarily have to stay on planet Earth when other alien worlds exist . Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails primarily have to interact with each other or other human characters. And unfortunately, the human characters are the franchise’s weak link. Therefore, an easy solution is to expand the scope of the film franchise by taking the main characters to other worlds and planets .

If future Sonic the Hedgehog movies take their adventures off-world, the main characters could encounter new, colorful characters. Tom and Maddie ( Tika Sumpter ) can join Sonic and his friends to maintain the human element for narrative purposes. It would be nice to have the shoe on the other foot, seeing the humans as the proverbial fish out of water, contrasting the previous two movies and Knuckles , which largely showcase the aliens learning more about human and Earth culture . Future films could feature Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails returning to their respective home worlds.

Imagine if films could visit Little Planet, which would be a great way to introduce characters such as Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, who first appear in the Sonic CD video game. The fanbase avidly anticipates Amy Rose's arrival, and a new female character would provide a refreshing addition to the cast. If the main characters embark on new adventures, rather than passively waiting for others to arrive, the experience will be more exciting. This would stimulate more character development for the main cast, and it would provide the perfect opportunity to introduce other anthropomorphic alien characters. The potential for new characters is vast, with fans anxiously awaiting the big-screen debuts of Amy, Rouge the Bat, the Chaotix, and Big the Cat . There's no reason to stop at Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic 3 . Arguably, Shadow might only be the tip of the iceberg for introducing new characters to the film series.

Sonic Leaving Earth Offers Poignant Thematic Material

The Sonic the Hedgehog movies depict Sonic creating a found family with the Wachowskis, Tails, and Knuckles. Tom and Maddie now view the trio as their "kids," and Sonic views the Wachowskis as his adopted parents. Considering Sonic begins the franchise as a young orphan separated from his owl guardian, it makes sense thematically that he would yearn for a home. Therefore, Sonic should eventually answer the call to leave Green Hills, Montana for a new adventure.

Much like the films present the metaphor for the found family, future adventures that take Sonic off-world could provide a metaphor about children growing up and leaving the nest, going off on their own. The material suggests that Sonic has a greater destiny, and he will likely travel to other worlds to help other people and face other villains and threats. If Sonic does part ways with his adopted family, that would provide future film installments with some bittersweet, poignant material , as well as an opportunity for tremendous character development for Sonic, who accepts his calling as a hero to liberate or protect his animal brethren across the universe.

'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' Is Likely Staying on Earth

Although the Sonic the Hedgehog film series should consider moving things off-world sooner rather than later, it doesn’t seem like that's happening anytime soon. It looks like the next big-screen installment of the franchise, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 , is keeping things Earthbound. The mid-credits scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 indicates that coordinates were discovered on an old government black site dating back over 50 years, teasing the appearance of Shadow the Hedgehog . However, the stinger scene didn't indicate anything about the black site being off-planet or off-world.

An early teaser trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was recently shown at CinemaCon in Las Vegas earlier in April . Nothing from the footage indicated that Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Shadow, and Dr. Robotnik would be taking their fight away from planet Earth. For now, it appears Sonic and his friends are stuck on Earth and Green Hills . It remains to be seen if future sequels or other spinoffs will consider shifting the characters away from planet Earth. Keeping events perpetually on Earth seems rather mundane for a franchise such as Sonic the Hedgehog , especially since the film series has already revealed the existence of other planets. It's time the franchise explores its universe beyond the confines of Earth and Green Hills.

The recent Knuckles spinoff is streaming now on Paramount+, along with Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be sprinting into theaters on December 20.

WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

Money blog: 'Extremely worrying' mortgage trend revealed in new report; a third of people make this mistake when booking their holiday - and how to avoid it

A third of travellers are making the same mistake when going on holiday, figures show. Read about this and all the latest consumer and personal finance news in the Money blog - and leave a comment or your money problem in the box below.

Thursday 16 May 2024 14:33, UK

• 'Extremely worrying' mortgage trend revealed by new government data
• Almost a third of travellers make this insurance mistake - here's what you need to know
• How much the price of packed lunches has soared - and the cheapest supermarkets to buy a healthy one
• Major firms release financial updates
• UK economy in safe hands 'whoever wins' election, top bank chief tells Sky News

Essential reads

• How much do buskers actually make - and what's it like?
• The best bank accounts for your kids
• Basically...  What is PIP - and what could government changes mean?
• How to make sure your car passes its MOT
• Cheap Eats:  Michelin-star chef reveals his top steals in London - including an unbeatable sub sandwich
• Money Problem: My workplace wants to pay us by the minute - what can I do?
• Best of the Money blog - an archive

Ask a question or make a comment

With the new 15 hours a week free childcare funding coming into effect this week for children aged between 9-23 months, research shows grandparents still play a key role in helping with costs.

In April, all two-year-olds from eligible working families became entitled to 15 hours free childcare each week. 

And as of this week, eligible working parents of children aged between 9-23 months are also able to apply to claim the same from September.

The government plans to increase this to 30 hours a week from September 2025.

However, grandparents still play a key role and therefore are still likely to be called upon for help from parents, according to data from the finance firm SunLife .

Data shows that half of the UK's 14 million grandparents provide childcare for their grandchildren during the working week and this rises to 55% of those with grandchildren under the age of one.

On average, the UK's grandparents spend between 22-24 hours a week providing free childcare for grandchildren under three-years-old.

So how much are grandparents saving their families and what if they were paid?

Research suggests grandparents are saving parents around £250 a week in childcare costs on average - this means that collectively, grandparents are saving their families £96bn in equivalent childcare costs every year. 

SunLife's grandparent salary calculator, which uses the average pay for the many roles grandparents are taking to calculate what their "grandparent salary" would be, has also found that if grandparents were paid for the 22 hours a week they would receive an annual salary of £13,188.

Victoria Heath, chief marketing officer at SunLife, said it was   "no wonder" one in five grandparents felt their children would struggle financially without their help.

She said research showed that 13% of grandparents felt they were relied on too much for childcare, and 14% loved doing it but felt it was too much at their age.

"Having said that, most (59%) grandparents who do provide childcare say they love helping out, so it is likely they will still play a key role, because whether they are still 'needed' or not, they are certainly still wanted, and most are more than happy to do it," Ms Heath added.

How can you apply for the 15 hours free childcare?

To apply for the funding you'll need the following: 

• National Insurance number;
• Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR), if you're self-employed;
• the UK birth certificate reference number of any children you're applying for;
• the date you started or are due to start work.

Then, you'll need to go onto the gov.uk website and start an application.

It usually takes 20 minutes to apply and once your application has been approved, you'll get a code for free childcare to give to your childcare provider.

Mortgage possession actions have continued to rise and are currently above the previous year's levels, according to data from the Ministry of Justice .

The latest data shows mortgage claims, orders, warrants and repossessions have continued their gradual upward trend and claims are at their highest since 2019.

When compared to the same quarter in 2023, mortgage possession claims increased from 4,035 to 5,182 - this is a rise of 28%.

Meanwhile, mortgage orders increased from 2,532 to 3,019, warrants from 2,636 to 2,881 and repossessions by county court bailiffs from 729 to 759.

Landlord possession claims also increased from 23,389 to 24,874 when compared to the same quarter last year.

Craig Fish, director at Lodestone mortgages and protection, told Newspage things "need to change and quickly before it's too late".

"Though this data makes hard reading and is extremely worrying, it's not unexpected due to the significantly higher interest rate environment in which borrowers now find themselves," he said.

And Ben Perks, managing director at Orchard Financial Advisers, said he was "concerned these figures will continue to rise". 

He told Newspage: "The Bank of England seems totally oblivious to the plight of the average mortgage borrower, but hopefully this data will kick their hesitancy to drop the base rate firmly into touch. The time to act is now."

Tesco has recalled its sandwich pickle over fears it may contain glass.

The supermarket has pulled its 295g jars of Tesco Sandwich Pickle with the batch code 3254 and best before date of 11 September 2025 due to the concerns of glass traces.

The Food Standards Agency has said on its website: "This product may contain pieces of glass which makes it unsafe to eat."

Last year, the supermarket chain had to recall pastry products, including sausage rolls and steak and ale pies, over fears they contained pieces of metal and plastic.

A Tesco spokesperson told Sky News: "We've been made aware that a specific date/batch code of Tesco Sandwich Pickle may contain small pieces of glass. Therefore, this product could pose a safety risk if consumed.

"Please do not consume this product and instead return any affected product to store where a full refund will be given. No receipt is required.

"Tesco apologises to our customers for any inconvenience caused."

By Ed Clowes, news reporter

The FTSE 100 has remained stable out of the gate this morning after hitting a record high on Wednesday as better-than-expected inflation data in the US raised hopes of an interest rate cut in September.

It's been a busy start to the day with financial updates from BT Group, Premier Foods, Sage Group, and easyJet.

We'll start with easyJet, after the airline announced that its chief executive officer, Johan Lundgren, would step down in January 2025.

Mr Lundgren, who has served as CEO since 2017, will be replaced by the carrier's finance boss Kenton Jarvis.

In a financial update on its performance throughout the first half of the year, easyJet reported slightly higher revenues than anticipated, while cutting its losses compared to the same period last year.

The airline's share price fell by 6% in early trading this morning.

Elsewhere, telecoms giant BT said it had completed a £3bn cost-cutting programme ahead of schedule, and announced a further £3bn in planned savings by 2029.

The company told Sky News that the planned reductions in spending would not lead to more job losses, after BT announced last year that it would eliminate 55,000 roles.

Incoming boss Allison Kirkby said she wanted the business to prioritise the UK, with some analysts expecting BT to look at the futures of its Italian, Irish, and American divisions.

And last but not least, one of Europe's largest sellers of Rolex watches has said that sales in the UK are still down because some tourists don't want to buy here "due to the lack of VAT free shopping".

Nice for some.

The price of a healthy packed lunch has soared by around 45%, according to new research.

A lunch of wholemeal bread and fruit is more expensive for parents to put together than less nutritious versions with chocolate spread and crisps, The Food Foundation charity has found.

Unhealthy lunches for the research were made up of white bread with chocolate spread instead of wholemeal with cheese, flavoured yoghurt rather than a plain, unsweetened version and snacks such as crisps as opposed to the four portions of fruit and vegetables incorporated into the healthy lunch.

And when it came to the cheapest supermarket to buy a healthy packed lunch, Tesco topped the list with a weekly cost of £8.56 as of this month.

Morrisons was the most expensive retailer, with the price of a healthy packed lunch per week coming in at £11.72, although this was down slightly from £11.80 in October.

The equivalent cost at Sainsbury's was £10.47, Aldi was £10.08 and Asda was £9.18.

Research also showed the largest price rise in recent months was at Sainsbury's, where customers have to spend 9% more than they did at the start of the academic year in September (£9.61) for the same packed lunch.

Shona Goudie, policy and advocacy manager at The Food Foundation, said, the government's stringent eligibility criteria to qualify for free school meals was "leaving hundreds of thousands of children" who are living in poverty "at risk of malnutrition".

"No one should be priced out of being able to provide healthy food for their children and retailers need to do more to support families to afford the food they need," she said.

By Bhvishya Patel , Money team

We spoke to three buskers to find out what it's like performing on the street in the UK.

Amir, 29, came to UK from Pakistan with passion for music

Amir Hashmi moved to the UK in 2022 to study, said he began busking in central London 10 months ago because "music was his passion".

"In Pakistan there are many problems so I decided to leave and move to London. I feel I can do better in London than my country," he said.

He said busking was now his primary income but at times he did jobs at warehouses to get by.

"I never started this for money, I started because it is my passion but now this is my main job as well," he said.

Amir, who often performs in the capital's Piccadilly Circus or along Oxford Street, said often he returned home with just £10-15 in his pocket after a day's busking.

He said: "Many times I sleep without food and sometimes I sleep on the floor of the road when I have no shelter.

"I don't have my own place to live but I have friends who often let me stay with them. They don't charge me any rent - they look after me.

"Sometimes I do private shows for income but it's very hard because the cost of living is increasing. If I go somewhere then most of the time I prefer to walk. I walk with my speakers and carry my gear."

Despite his financial struggles, Amir said he wanted to continue performing on the street as his "goal was to make people happy".

He said: "With busking, there is no stage and you can just start performing. Whenever I am performing, I connect with the people who have come to listen. If I feel people are not enjoying it, I change the song and try and make them happy."

Earlier this year, Amir recorded a song with Neha Nazneen Shakil, a Malayalam actress from India, who approached the singer three months ago in Oxford Street.

"I wrote that song 12 years ago and after all these years my song has been recorded now in London," he added.

Jade, 24, quit retail to busk

Jade Thornton, from Amersham, started busking in 2017 with a friend after leaving college at the age of 17 and quickly realised it was something she enjoyed doing and could make a living from.

She began doing it full-time at the end of 2018 but when the pandemic hit she described becoming "unemployed overnight" and having to take up retail jobs to support herself.

"I chose not to go to university - I just thought it wasn't for me so I went straight into some part-time retail jobs," she said.

"I take my cap off to anyone who does retail - it is one of the most gruelling jobs. People who do retail don't get nearly as much respect as they deserve. 

"Some of the customers I was facing were not that kind and I thought this is making me miserable, so I just thought 'if I don't leave now then when?'"

As the global economy slowly began to recover, she decided to leave retail and pursue music full-time in 2022.

"It is hard to switch off - I do busking but I am constantly messaging clients, writing set lists and learning songs," she said.

When it came to finances, Jade said there was no average to how much she could earn but it could fluctuate from £15-100 day-to-day depending on a number of factors.

"It relies on the time of month, whether the sun is out, if people have been paid, if Christmas is on the way or if Christmas has just passed," she explained.

The musician said she did struggle initially when she began busking but her parents were always supportive.

She said: "You obviously get a few questions from people asking 'are you sure you want to quit your job and sing on the street?'

"I lived at home for a long time and I'm grateful my parents could support me in that way because I know not everyone has that opportunity."

While performing outdoors is now Jade's full-time job, she said some months were more difficult to make money than others.

"If I'm being brutally honest in months like January and February it would be super difficult. This year I had enough gigs in December to cover me for January," she said.

"Last year from June-July and December I did not have to go busking because I got so many gigs through busking. I'm part of a lot of online agencies and I also do lots of pub gigs, weddings, birthdays and other events."

Jade noted though that the cost of living crisis had made things harder.

She said: "A few pub gigs I've had have been cancelled because they've had to rethink their strategies but if somebody cancels then I can just go out busking. There has been a slight dent when it comes to finances but that's from COVID as well - with COVID I was unemployed overnight."

The young musician went on to say she was "very grateful" when somebody did tip her and even small gestures like sitting, listening or just a smile were "currencies in themselves".

"It's escapism for me as a singer and then it's escapism for the audience as well," she added.

"Children also have such a great time listening to buskers and some may not have an opportunity for many reasons to go and see live music so if they can come across it in the street and that can spark something that's a wonderful thing to think I'm a little part of that."

Charlotte, 34, long-time busker

Charlotte Campbell, 34, who usually busks along the Southbank or in the London Underground, said she started busking during the 2012 London Olympics and while "busking used to be enough", more recently she has had to take on more gigs in the evening.

"A typical day is usually busking until around 6pm and then a gig in the evening - 8pm onwards," she said.

"I could still probably make a living from busking but I've taken on more paid gigs since the pandemic because everything became so uncertain. I think that uncertainty has just carried through now - that seems to be the way of life now."

The musician said tips for her CDs, which she puts on display during her performances, ranged between £5-10 and in the current cashless climate a card reader was "essential".

She said she pre-sets her card reader to £3 when playing on the Southbank and £2 when busking inside the London Underground "because people are rushing".

While she described her earnings as a "trade secret", she said the busker income had "definitely gone down" but this was due to a few factors - the pandemic, people carrying less cash and the cost of living crisis.

"Also, a lots of pitches have closed which means there are a lot more buskers trying to compete for one spot so all of those things have impacted my living as a busker," she said.

"I would say even though my income is primarily from busking I have had to subsidise it with more paid gigs than before. I just haven't felt as secure in my living from busking in the last couple of years.

"Most of the gigs I have are booked by people who have seen me busking so indirectly busking is my entire career- if I don't busk I wouldn't get the gigs I play in the evening. So directly and indirectly busking is my entire income."

In spite of uncertainty, she said it was freeing to be able to go out and perform for people in an intimate way.

"You are not up on a stage and there is no separation between you and them.  It's a really great connection you can make - I want to be able to hold onto that," she added.

Every Thursday  Savings Champion founder Anna Bowes  gives us an insight into the savings market and how to make the most of your money. Today she's focusing on children's accounts...

While the rates on adult savings accounts have risen and fallen over the course of 2024, the top rates on accounts for children have remained stable - but are pretty competitive once again, as other account rates have started to fall. 

And there are plenty of different types of savings accounts to choose from, from the tax free Junior ISA, to children's regular savings accounts, fixed term bonds and easy access accounts.

Those who are able to start saving for their children early, could significantly improve their financial health in the future – especially when taking compounding interest into consideration.

If you were to save £50 a month from birth, you could give them a gift of more than £17,250 at age 18, assuming a tax-free interest rate of 4.95% - which is currently the top Junior ISA rate available.

If you, your friends and family were able to gift a total of £9,000 a year to a child (the current Junior ISA allowance), at the same rate, you could give them almost £265,000 when they reach 18. 

Now that's a gift worth having!

Children have their own personal allowance, so for the majority there will be no tax to pay on their savings interest. 

However, parents should be aware that there may be a tax liability to themselves on the interest earned on any money they gift to their children, until they reach the age of 18. 

If the gross interest earned is less than £100 for each parent's gift, it will be treated as the child’s under a 'de minimis' rule. 

This means that provided the interest earned does not make the child a taxpayer, they will be able to offset this against their personal tax allowance, so it will often be free of tax. 

But if the interest is more than £100 for each parent's gift, then it will be treated as that parent’s interest for tax purposes and therefore they may need to pay tax at their marginal rate - if it takes them above their Personal Allowance and/or Personal Savings Allowance.

Gifts from any other family members or friends will not be viewed in the same way. Instead, any interest earned will be treated as belonging to the child themselves and therefore can be earned tax free if they are non-taxpayers.

The exception to this rule is on funds deposited into a JISA, Child Trust Fund or NS&I Premium Bonds.  The returns from these are tax free for all.

Almost a third of people are making the mistake of buying their travel insurance on the day of their trip, data from Go Compare has shown.

The figures found that just 17% of people took out their policy within six months of their holiday.

While you can buy travel insurance right up until the moment you leave the UK, doing so risks some key areas being missed off your cover.

Go Compare's Rhys Jones says it can result in cancellation cover not being included, and this is one of the main reasons people claim on their insurance policy. 

Pre-existing conditions might be missed off as well. 

"If you have a pre-existing condition that could flare up and cause complications, a last-minute travel insurance policy may not cover it," he said. 

"So while you can buy insurance right up until the moment you travel, it's often best to get it earlier so that you have more options and more cover available." 

If you are looking to buy travel insurance while you're already abroad, you may have to purchase a specialist post-departure travel insurance policy instead. 

This type of cover is only available from a few companies, so there are fewer options available, and they are generally more expensive. 

It's also worth noting that if you do buy this policy, you may have to wait 24, 48 or 72 hours before it begins. 

Rhys recommends organising your insurance as soon as you have booked your trip, saying it "could save you considerable money and stress". 

A record 3.1 million emergency food parcels have been handed out in just a year, according to a charity.

The Trussell Trust says 3,121,404 were distributed by its network of 1,300 food banks in the year to the end of March.

Some 1,144,096 were for children and nearly two million for adults. The total is nearly double that of five years ago.

The number of parcels given out during the 12 months to March 2023 was just under three million.

You can read more here...

Nearly 40% of money laundering around the world is flowing through London, overseas territories and crown dependencies, the deputy foreign minister has said.

In a speech at the Bright Blue thinktank, Andrew Mitchell said the dirty money was passing through the capital and that "crown dependencies and the overseas territories have not yet done as much as they must do", The Guardian reports.

"If these overseas territories and crown dependencies want to have our king and our flag, then they must also accept our values, which is why we are so intent on ensuring dirty money cannot flow in and from there," he said.

The comments come a month after Mr Mitchell promised to work with the international community to tackle illicit flows of money "through increased transparency of company ownership".   

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