Google Easter Eggs: Fun Hidden Quirks in Google Search
Google is just one of many websites and software titles to contain Easter eggs. An Easter egg is a hidden joke, program, or game that runs when a specific command is given by the user. Much like an Easter egg hunt in real life, virtual Easter eggs are hidden with the explicit intention of being found.
Google delights in hiding eggs others can find, as evidenced by the many eggs they’ve hidden. Here are a few of the fun Easter eggs hidden within Google search.
Google Search Easter Eggs
Let It Snow
This year, Google is giving the gift of fun with the Let it Snow Easter egg. To activate, go to the main Google search page, and type in let it snow. Snowflakes fall from the top of the browser, and the cold eventually fogs everything up. Hold down your mouse button and “wipe” the cold away, or click the defrost button to clear everything right up. Defrosting the screen does not stop the snow, it only removes the frosty screen (permanently).
Santa or Christmas
Another way Google is keeping it fun is with Christmas lights. Just type in Santa, or Christmas, and you will see a lovely string of multi-colored Christmas lights at the top of your browser.
Do A Barrel Roll
Return to the search home page, type in do a barrel roll, hit enter, and hold onto your chair as the screen does a complete 360 degree barrel roll.
Askew & Tilt
Typing in askew or tilt into Google will cause the screen to tilt to one side. Both commands cause the same thing to happen.
Google Search in Different Languages
You can change the “language” (term used loosely) of your browser by typing in the following commands, and pressing the I'm Feeling Lucky button. If your auto-complete feature is on, you can find this by hovering over the correct suggested term. To the right you should have a blue link that says I'm Feeling Lucky.
- Type in: Google l33t -- to change your search to "leet" (elite) speak.
- Type in: ewmew fudd -- to change your search to Elmer Fudd speak.
- Type in: xx-klingon -- to change your search to Klingon.
- Type in: xx-piglatin -- to change your search to piglatin.
Remember to press the I'm Feeling Lucky button to achieve the desired results.
Other I'm Feeling Lucky Tricks
With each of these commands, you will have to press the I’m Feeling Lucky button to activate the Easter egg.
Find Chuck Norris OR Where is Chuck Norris
Typing in either command returns the response, “Google won’t search for Chuck Norris because it knows you don’t find Chuck Norris, he finds you.”
Gravity
The Gravity command causes Google to come crashing down. You can still use it to search, even when it’s bouncing around the bottom of the page, but your search will come crashing down as well.
Pacman
The Pacman command takes you to a page where the Google Logo is a level in Pacman, classic sound effects and all. And, you can play the game too.
Anwser to Life, the Universe, and Everything
If you’re a Hitchhiker’s Guide fan, you will delight in knowing that if you type in the answer to life, the universe, and everything into Google, the first response you will see is a picture of a calculator, with = 42 immediately following.
These are just a few of the fun objects hidden around Google. There are Easter eggs in just about every major Google product, including Google Maps, and Google Earth. So next time you are using a Google product, take a look around. You’ll be amazed at what you might find.
