Easter egg: Difference between revisions
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[[ | [[File:Devcon empty.jpg|thumb|"Don't look at me, I'm irrelevant!"]] | ||
An '''Easter egg''' is a special treat hidden in something, (a comic book, a web site, a DVD) as a reward for the person who finds it. Since an Easter egg presumably requires extra effort to find or recognize, it represents a reward for the more 'hardcore' fan. The term has been in use for decades, while the practice of hiding information in artwork goes back millennia. | |||
Naturally, ''Transformers'' fiction, and the occasional toy, is replete with them. The very earliest egg is a mention of "that big green, fire-snortin' lizard" in [[Prisoner of War!|''The Transformers'' #3]], a jokey reference to [[Godzilla]], {{w|Godzilla, King of the Monsters (comic book)|an earlier licensed title}}. The cartoon, meanwhile, merrily sneaked in connections to the ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' cartoon. | |||
Sometimes [[Hasbro]] itself gets in on the act, making slight nods to past fiction ([[Sky Shadow (Cybertron)|''Beast Wars'' nods]] in ''Cybertron'' toy bios) or specific fandom memes ([[JaAm|Hot Shot's pro-jaAAAaaam! vanity plate]]). | Easter eggs are especially present in stories drawn or written by fans turned pro, or where key creators have reached out to fandom. [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] was particularly fond of including Easter eggs in their comics. Both ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'' and [[Fun Publications]]' [[Axiom Nexus]] stories uses them to fill out the crowd scenes. ''Beast Wars'' and ''Animated'' would both throw in little eggs in their dialogue, with the former making references to then-prominent online fans and websites, and the latter making little nods to other continuities (and sometimes other Hasbro properties). | ||
Sometimes [[Hasbro]] itself gets in on the act, making slight nods to past fiction ([[Sky Shadow (Cybertron)|''Beast Wars'' nods]] in ''Cybertron'' toy bios) or specific fandom memes ([[JaAm|Hot Shot's pro-jaAAAaaam! vanity plate]]). | |||
Sometimes these led to quite a bit of confusion as to whether such inclusions should be taken literally or not; for example, is that ''really'' [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] the bounty hunter, hanging out in the slums of Cybertron, or is it just a little winking extra for fans of the Generation 1 cartoon? Did [[Starscream (Movie)|movie Starscream]] ''really'' have an F-15 form at some point like he says? ''Are'' the [[Visionaries]] in the same continuity as ''Animated''? | Sometimes these led to quite a bit of confusion as to whether such inclusions should be taken literally or not; for example, is that ''really'' [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] the bounty hunter, hanging out in the slums of Cybertron, or is it just a little winking extra for fans of the Generation 1 cartoon? Did [[Starscream (Movie)|movie Starscream]] ''really'' have an F-15 form at some point like he says? ''Are'' the [[Visionaries]] in the same continuity as ''Animated''? | ||
[[ | [[File:HydraMartyCancer.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Look at the smug face. He just ''knows'' one of us is going to break down and make a page about him.]] | ||
A notable example of this confusion was in [[Skyfire (issue)| | A notable example of this confusion was in [[Skyfire (issue)|''Generation One'' #3]], where several Japanese and ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' Transformers are used as crowdfiller. Most of the Transformers in attendance can be assumed to "be" themselves — but there is a problem with one of the ''Generation 2'' [[Cyberjet]]s. Specifically, the character this toy represents ([[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]]) is both on [[Earth]] and ''[[Death|dead]]'' at this point in the ongoing story. You either have to assume this (and perhaps the other characters) aren't meant to ''really'' be these characters, the artist is just throwing in the likeness of obscure characters to thrill readers; that in this continuity, G2 Air Raid is a different character from G1 Air Raid; or that this is [[Aero Raid]], an obscure Japanese character that shares the same toy. | ||
The latter option is very geeky indeed, and is naturally the path that this wiki takes. Easter eggs are treated at face value unless it makes no sense to do so. | The latter option is very geeky indeed, and is naturally the path that this wiki takes. Easter eggs are treated at face value unless it makes no sense to do so. | ||
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==Sample Easter eggs== | ==Sample Easter eggs== | ||
<!-- Note to editors: we do NOT need a list of every Easter egg ever. Seriously, we don't. Think long and hard before adding one. --> | <!-- Note to editors: we do NOT need a list of every Easter egg ever. Seriously, we don't. Think long and hard before adding one. --> | ||
*The [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] often included humorous messages in [[Cybertronix]] writing, and [[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)#Transformers references|other gags]] hidden in the background. | * The [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]] often included humorous messages in [[Cybertronix]] writing, and [[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)#Transformers references|other gags]] hidden in the background. | ||
*''[[The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin]]'' features a large number of Easter eggs. | * ''[[The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin]]'' features a large number of Easter eggs. | ||
*[[Starscream (Movie)#Star Screams|The | * [[Starscream (Movie)#Star Screams|The Star Screams letters page]] would routinely drop in little eggs for the older fans, mainly G1 references. | ||
*The ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' ultra-class toy of [[Onslaught (G1)#Uni08Ultra|Onslaught]] features a nod to uber-fan [[User:Monzo|Monzo]]. | * The ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' ultra-class toy of [[Onslaught (G1)#Uni08Ultra|Onslaught]] features a nod to uber-fan [[User:Monzo|Monzo]]. | ||
*All stories set in [[Axiom Nexus]] are ''awash'' with | * All stories set in [[Axiom Nexus]] are ''awash'' with Easter eggs. | ||
*''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac]]'', ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|II]]'', and ''[[The AllSpark Almanac Addendum|Addendum]]'' are the undisputed kings of the Easter egg.[ | * ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac]]'', ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|II]]'', and ''[[The AllSpark Almanac Addendum|Addendum]]'' are the undisputed kings of the Easter egg.<ref>[https://www.angelfire.com/anime2/digipedia/annotated_almanac.html The Annotated Allspark Almanac]</ref> | ||
<!-- Note to editors: seriously, DON'T turn this into an enormous list. Only add something if it's so packed with Easter eggs as to make not including it absurd. --> | <!-- Note to editors: seriously, DON'T turn this into an enormous list. Only add something if it's so packed with Easter eggs as to make not including it absurd. --> | ||
* Cars that look like [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] appear in ''[[Transformers (2023 comic)|Transformers]]''. | |||
==Layers of eggs== | ==Layers of eggs== | ||
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* [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] | * [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] | ||
* [[Adam Patyk]] and [[James McDonough]] | * [[Adam Patyk]] and [[James McDonough]] | ||
* [[Jim Sorenson]] | |||
* [[Hayato Sakamoto]] | |||
* [[Daniel Warren Johnson]] | |||
==References== | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
==External links== | |||
* {{w|Easter egg (media)|Easter egg}} at Wikipedia | |||
[[Category: Fandom]] | [[Category:Fandom]] | ||
Latest revision as of 15:37, 29 June 2025
An Easter egg is a special treat hidden in something, (a comic book, a web site, a DVD) as a reward for the person who finds it. Since an Easter egg presumably requires extra effort to find or recognize, it represents a reward for the more 'hardcore' fan. The term has been in use for decades, while the practice of hiding information in artwork goes back millennia.
Naturally, Transformers fiction, and the occasional toy, is replete with them. The very earliest egg is a mention of "that big green, fire-snortin' lizard" in The Transformers #3, a jokey reference to Godzilla, [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Godzilla, King of the Monsters (comic book)|{{#if:an earlier licensed title|an earlier licensed title|Godzilla, King of the Monsters (comic book)}}]]. The cartoon, meanwhile, merrily sneaked in connections to the G.I. Joe cartoon.
Easter eggs are especially present in stories drawn or written by fans turned pro, or where key creators have reached out to fandom. Dreamwave was particularly fond of including Easter eggs in their comics. Both Transformers Animated and Fun Publications' Axiom Nexus stories uses them to fill out the crowd scenes. Beast Wars and Animated would both throw in little eggs in their dialogue, with the former making references to then-prominent online fans and websites, and the latter making little nods to other continuities (and sometimes other Hasbro properties).
Sometimes Hasbro itself gets in on the act, making slight nods to past fiction (Beast Wars nods in Cybertron toy bios) or specific fandom memes (Hot Shot's pro-jaAAAaaam! vanity plate).
Sometimes these led to quite a bit of confusion as to whether such inclusions should be taken literally or not; for example, is that really Devcon the bounty hunter, hanging out in the slums of Cybertron, or is it just a little winking extra for fans of the Generation 1 cartoon? Did movie Starscream really have an F-15 form at some point like he says? Are the Visionaries in the same continuity as Animated?
A notable example of this confusion was in Generation One #3, where several Japanese and Generation 2 Transformers are used as crowdfiller. Most of the Transformers in attendance can be assumed to "be" themselves — but there is a problem with one of the Generation 2 Cyberjets. Specifically, the character this toy represents (Air Raid) is both on Earth and dead at this point in the ongoing story. You either have to assume this (and perhaps the other characters) aren't meant to really be these characters, the artist is just throwing in the likeness of obscure characters to thrill readers; that in this continuity, G2 Air Raid is a different character from G1 Air Raid; or that this is Aero Raid, an obscure Japanese character that shares the same toy.
The latter option is very geeky indeed, and is naturally the path that this wiki takes. Easter eggs are treated at face value unless it makes no sense to do so.
Sample Easter eggs
[edit]- The Beast Wars cartoon often included humorous messages in Cybertronix writing, and other gags hidden in the background.
- Megatron Origin features a large number of Easter eggs.
- The Star Screams letters page would routinely drop in little eggs for the older fans, mainly G1 references.
- The Universe ultra-class toy of Onslaught features a nod to uber-fan Monzo.
- All stories set in Axiom Nexus are awash with Easter eggs.
- The AllSpark Almanac, II, and Addendum are the undisputed kings of the Easter egg.<ref>The Annotated Allspark Almanac</ref>
- Cars that look like Prowl appear in Transformers.
Layers of eggs
[edit]While large numbers of Transformers creators and designers have snuck in eggs, some have made it a hallmark:
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Easter egg (media)|{{#if:Easter egg|Easter egg|Easter egg (media)}}]] at Wikipedia
