Throughout the years, Google has been universally known as a mainstream search engine that virtually everyone uses. Many utilize the engine in various ways, whether it is researching new topics or completing their homework assignments. But what some may not know is that Google has additionally added an entertaining aspect to its product with its notable Easter eggs hidden in the search engine. 

“Easter eggs” is a technological term used to describe hidden features or messages, inside jokes, and references inserted into media, as defined by Dictionary.com. They are often hidden acutely, and discovering these is not the easiest task, much similar to the task of finding Easter eggs in the celebration of the holiday, Easter. Often, these Easter eggs help form bonds between their creators and finders across the screen. Here’s a list of five hidden Easter eggs to try out on Google during your free time! 

1. Super Mario Bros 

Just a month ago, in April of 2023, a new The Super Mario Bros. Movie arrived, and Google celebrated it with a fitting Easter egg. Type the movie’s name on the search bar and you’ll see a small coin block to the side of the movie name. Keep clicking and earn coins! 

2. Friends 

In 2019, the widely-renowned American show Friends celebrated its 25th anniversary, and Google gave its tribute by adding a number of Easter eggs. Type in any of the main characters in the show, and you will see a small image next to their names. Each of these images features the respective character’s unique persona. Click on this image for a short trip of nostalgia!

3. Play on Numbers

There are many phrases you can type into Google Search to receive a special numerical result. Try searching some of these phrases to uncover some clever Easter eggs with the calculator!

• Type “The loneliest number” (shows a calculator showing the number 1)
• Type “The answer to the life, the universe, and everything” (shows a calculator showing the number 42, a reference to Douglas Adam’s Book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe)
• Type “One in a blue moon” (shows the mathematical equation for how often a blue moon actually occurs.

4. Play on Words

In the past, Google has added multiple Easter eggs with a play on words. Simply typing a word in the search bar results in an animation. For example, a classic example is shown when you search the word recursion, which means a repeated and recursive procedure. The engine will ask you “did you mean: recursion?” and no matter how many times you click it, you will end up on the same page, like a recursion itself. Recently, Google has also added a new clever trick with the word askew, which portrays the screen to be slightly crooked, much like its definition. 

 5. Some Additional Animations

To finalize this list of Easter eggs, here are some additional animations to discover on your own!

• Typing “blink html” into Google will make all bolded words blink 
• Typing “Do a barrel roll” will make the search results make a 360 degree rotation–a classic!
• Typing “Google in 1998” depicts the search results in the style of Google search results back in the year 1998 
• Typing “Baby Yoda” will show an animated image of Baby Yoda on the bottom-right
• Typing “RRR”, a popular movie from 2022, will present an Easter egg from the movie, where a horse chases a motorcycle under the search bar 

As you can see, Google is oftentimes much more than just a ‘regular’ search engine, and is highly dynamic, as its engineers try to maintain a sense of humor through short surprises like these Easter eggs. For the full experience of enjoying these Easter eggs, make sure to try each of these with a quick search, and always be willing to look for new discoveries. Keep on hunting!