Any self-respecting Animal Crossing: New Horizons player knows that balloons hold bounties. If you want a gift from the game, then keeping an ear out for that familiar whoosh, or scanning for the telltale shadow, is the best way to find one. However, many of us don’t want yet another recipe from the Easter Bunny. So, is there a way to obtain specific items? We’ve been investigating rumors that balloons are in fact color-coded and testing those claims. Here’s what we discovered.

There are currently several theories going around about how best to get the gift you want from a balloon. Some sources suggest that different color balloons indicate different gifts, with yellow equaling bells, blue - crafting materials, green - clothing, and red - DIY recipes. It’s also said that rainbow balloons give Easter related items.

We’ve been playing since launch, and after our own testing and research, we believe that only one of these statements is completely accurate.

Rainbow balloons will always give Easter items. These may be DIY recipes for yet another weird-looking, wonky egg fence, or they may be sky eggs, but we have never received anything else from these. They also spawn in addition to the regular balloons, so if you’ve had your fill of the Easter event, you can safely ignore them.

However, regular balloons do not always drop specific items. While we haven’t been able to confirm fully if there is a slight preference for specific things in certain colors, it has not been our experience. For example, we’ve very rarely gotten either crafting items or bells from balloons, regardless of color. Generally, all balloons drop recipes or furniture for us the vast majority of the time. Research from other players’ experiences suggests the color guidelines are merely slightly raised chances of gaining gifts that spawn less regularly.

However, for those interested in balloon hunting or trying desperately to get their hands on the Sakura recipes, which only drop from regular balloons, there is a pattern to the spawns. In most recorded cases, they spawn in the East (or right-hand side of the island) in the daytime and in the West (left-hand side) during the evening and night. Daytime hours occur between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Balloons will spawn approximately every 5 to 10 minutes and you’ll usually start to see them in view around the hour (and each 5 to 10 minute interval after.) Don’t forget – the Easter balloons are separate and do not affect the regular ones!

Good luck with your balloon hunt and may the odds (on the gift spawning lottery) be ever in your favor.

NEXT: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Leak Hints At Big Summer Update With Returning Fan-Favorite Activities

Sources: Polygon Reddit