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The story behind Android’s most iconic hidden Easter egg

Published Oct 5th, 2015 6:00PM EDT
Google Android Easter Eggs Video

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If you open up your Android phone’s settings, click on About and then click on the listed software version a bunch of times, an Easter egg will pop up that gives you a picture or animation that’s unique for each version of Android. So for Gingerbread, for instance, tapping on the Android version in settings will eventually bring up a picture of a zombie gingerbread man.

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This Gingerbread Easter egg was actually the first one Google made, as a new video from Googlers Nat and Lo explains. Googler Dianne Hackborn, head of the Android framework team, recruited a painter named Jack Larson who specialized in zombie paintings to make a painting of a zombie gingerbread man standing next to the classic Android logo. She loved the painting to much that she decided to hide it within Android.

Ever since then, Google has come up with new Easter eggs for every major version of Android that it’s released: Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop and now Marshmallow. Googler Dan Sandler has since taken over designing new Easter eggs for each Android version — he says that most Easter eggs are just “test code that, with a little spit and polish, I can turn into an Easter egg.”

Check out the whole video yourself below.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.