The video game Among Us has become something of a cultural phenomenon with seemingly everyone playing. Part of this is because of how approachable the game is for all ages, but it could also be how deeply ingrained it is in internet culture.
In fact, seemingly every inch of this game is crawling with references, callbacks, and easter eggs to various cultural elements. Even if the average player has noticed a few of the easter eggs there are some that might have flown under the radar.
19 Hiding White Crewmate
InnerSloth surprised many fans when they revealed that there’s an NPC tucked away in the Polus map. It’s hard to see but in the laboratory bathroom, there is a white crewmate hiding in the center bathroom stall. The outline of the body is just barely visible in the crack in the door.
Whether it’s a crewmate hiding from the imposters or an imposter lurking in the shadows is unclear. Speculation from fans is running rampant as players try to determine if there is a deeper reason to why an NPC is hiding there.
18 Smell Ya Later
This is one of those easter eggs that’s hiding in plain sight but most fans don’t take the time to puzzle it out. Which is understandable given all the chores and killings that need to be done. One of the chores on the Polus map is the boarding pass scanner which has a QR code underneath.
Fans who’ve taken the time to scan the QR code have been taken to a webpage with the phrase “Yo holmes smell ya later”. It’s unclear if this is alluding to something in-game or just a pop culture reference to Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air. Either way, it’s a fun nostalgic easter egg that many will appreciate.
17 DVD Screensaver
This easter egg will likely be lost on the newer generations, but anyone around before streaming became a thing will recognize this instantly. In the Admin room on the Polus map is a large screen with the iconic DVD screensaver.
The logo will bounce around the screen changing colors with each impact. It’s a throwback to older technology and a fun bit of nostalgia from many childhoods. There’s a rumor that if you wait long enough it will eventually touch one of the corners, call it an easter egg within an easter egg.
16 Bedcrab Pet
There are a number of video game culture references in Among Us, but one of the best has to be the nod to the Half-Life series. One of the pets players can obtain to accompany their character is the Bedcrab Pet.
The appearance and name strongly suggest this is inspired by the iconic Headcrabs from the thrilling FPS series. Whether it’s a nostalgic meme of Half-Life: 2, a note to Valve that Half-Life: 3 would be appreciated, or that Half-Life: Alyx was a great game is unclear.
15 Dead Cat Head Hat
This is one of the few dark humor easter eggs InnerSloth has included in their game. Players can customize their character with an item known as the Cat Head Hat. What many players may not have realized is that this item may very well be alive, sort of.
The easter egg appears whenever a player wearing the Cat Head Hat is killed by an imposter. Shortly after being stabbed, shot, or strangled the Cat Head Hat will have its eyes crossed out indicating it died too. It’s an amusing bit of morbid humor that’s a blink and you miss it kind of easter egg.
14 Halo Energy Sword
With the new Airship map has come a ton of interesting Easter eggs. One that has caught many player’s attentions is the Energy Sword from the Halo franchise. This fierce weapon is located inn the vault which contains many other easter eggs as well. This particular easter egg is located in the bottom left quadrant and is resting on a gray pedestal.
An interesting deviation from the iconic energy swords is that this one is entirely pink instead of the familiar blue. This likely means it’s either a knock-off or it’s based on the Blood Sword found in the Infected game mode in Halo 2.
13 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Weapons
On the Airship map is an armory located in the southern quadrant of the vessel. The cases display familiar weapons like the pistols the Imposters sometimes use to take out the crew members. But there are a set of easter egg weapons tucked away in an outer display case.
There is a katana, bo staff, set of sai, and a set of nunchucks on display. These weapons were all wielded by the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. How on earth the crewmembers got a hold of them is unclear, especially considering none of them use the other weapons anyway.
12 Wall-E Pet
Given that Among Us takes place in space, it only makes sense that other space-based characters would find their way in as Easter eggs. Wall-E makes an appearance as one of the custom pet options that can follow the character around the map.
Like the other pets it’s really just for show and doesn’t provide any in-game benefit. Still having the little trash compactor around is a fun nod to the iconic character and suggests that like in his world, not all is well in this one.
11 Dead Snowmen
There is a dark secret located on the Polus map if players are willing to explore outside the facility a bit. Hidden in a patch of snow outside are four snowmen resembling the crew members who’ve encountered a dead body. The detail is so precise on the dead body that the bone sticking out looks genuinely real.
It’s unnerving to think that someone took the time to make it seem lifelike or that an imposter stashed a real body this way. An even more terrifying possibility is that a crewmate used a real bone to make the scene.
10 Super Mario Bros.
Among the many Easter eggs hidden in Mira HQ, there is a fun one for gamers. In the Office, one of the computers has the game Super Mario Bros. pulled up.
It’s likely an homage to one of the early games that made the world of video games mainstream. It’s also a fun bit of lore to think that even several years in the future when humanity is exploring the stars, colonizing planets, and facing aliens that people still play Super Mario Bros. Perhaps in the real world future humanity will be playing Among Us.
9 Simsong Monitor
On the Polus map is a device that allows players to check the vitals of everyone in the round. This is a great way to see who’s alive, dead, or may have been disconnected from the game. It can also be used to see who’s an imposter as their heartrate will change when performing kills.
What many players may not have noticed is the brand of the monitor they’re using. At the bottom of the screen in gray letters is Simsong. It’s a clear reference to Samsung and a fun little easter egg hiding in plain sight.
8 Brain Slug Key Chain
At the beginning of the Polus map, players are tasked with inserting keys before entering the rest of the facility. Most players will quickly turn the key and run off to complete tasks or murder each other. After all it’s a very common location for Imposters to do stack kills. But in that panic some players may have overlooked the small keychain bauble.
It’s a Brain Slug from the Futurama tv show. In that universe these are parasitic creatures that attach to a person’s brain, hijack control of their body, and get them engaged in politics. It’s an appropriate easter egg given the true nature of the Imposters.
7 Terminator Thumbs Up
A major component to the game is voting out players who seem suspicious. It’s the primary method of winning for Crewmates and as such a lot of players will be thrown to the proverbial wolves every round.
On Polus players will drop the chosen player into a pool of lava. Most of the time the player’s body will quickly sink into the magma. But every once in a while they’ll give a thumbs up as they sink. It’s a nod to the ending of Terminator 2 when the T-800 kills itself by lowering itself in lava.
6 Henry Stickmin Diamond
Another task players perform is to empty the garbage chute. Normally the chute is full of meaningless scraps of junk, but every now and then a large blue diamond can be seen amongst the leaves. For most players it’s probably odd that the Crewmates would throw away a valuable diamond, but it’s a subtle reference.
The developers of the game, InnerSloth, are also known for another online gaming franchise, the Henry Stickmin series. In one of the episodes of this comedic choose your own adventure series players were tasked with stealing a large blue diamond.
5 Don Dew
One of the tasks in Cafeteria is to order an item from the vending machine. It’s a potentially risky task as the vending machine takes up most of the screen and selecting the correct item can take a second. As a result most players will probably glance over the items without really paying attention to what they are.
Among the various items is a familiar green bottle of soda labeled Don Dew. It’s clearly a reference to perhaps the most meme’d drink on the internet, Mountain Dew. It’s also a nod to the Don Dew that appears in the Henry Stickmin series.
4 Water The Korok
In MIRA HQ, players will receive the task to water the plants in storage. After fetching the watering can from Storage they can go to the Greenhouse and water the four plants.
While the plants bear little resemblance to any real plants, the third one on the left stands out. Some players will recognize it as an homage to the Koroks in The Legend of Zelda series. In fact, some players probably saw a lot of these if they hunted down all 900 Korok Seeds in Breath of the Wild.
3 Henry Stickman Posters
Another reference to InnerSloth’s other works are posters scattered throughout the facilities. These posters shows various stick figures who might seem unimportant to average players. In reality they are the characters from the Henry Stickmin series.
Henry Stickmin makes multiple appearances along with Ellie Rose, Charles Calvin, and others. These little photos and posters are scattered everywhere in each of the maps.
2 Elmer’s Hat
One of the skins players can acquire is a strange looking hunter’s hat. At first glance many players may not have recognized it, but the hat actually belongs to Elmer Fudd the iconic Loony Tunes character.
What’s entertaining about this easter egg is that it’s appropriate for players who struggle at the game. Often times running around as a Crewmate trying to catch an Imposter in the act can feel like Elmer Fudd trying to catch that “wascawwy wabbit”.
1 Reginald Copperbottom Hats
Another choice in skins players can have are the two top hats stacked on top of each other. For the average players it’s a quirky hat among the multiple options in the game. In reality it’s another reference to the Henry Stikmin series.
One of the primary antagonists or ally depending on the player’s choices in the games is Reginald Copperbottom. Reginald is the leader of the Toppat Clan a wealthy crime syndicate. The bottom hat is his and the top top hat belongs to the former leader of the Clan.
NEXT: Among Us: Ways It’s The Bests Imposter Game Ever
