Jeep Easter Eggs: We reveal the hidden design surprises

Jeep does two things well: it makes some great off-roaders (e.g. the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon) … and it hides a stack of Easter eggs (subtle design features, not chocolate) in its vehicles.

Talk about cheeky.

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And it’s also obvious that those same designers have a lively sense of humour.

Jeep owners in Australia have cottoned onto the fact that there are myriad Jeep Easter Eggs hidden in vehicles here, so everyone’s been getting in on the act of finding them and making an online note of them.

What are Easter eggs?

You thought Easter eggs were just something you scoffed at Easter time, didn’t you? Give yourself an uppercut because the Easter eggs we’re referring to in this yarn originated in video games a few decades ago when game developers decided to include subtle concealed features in their games and called them “Easter eggs”, because those features were intentionally hidden as you’d hide actual Easter eggs for an Easter egg hunt.

 

 

 

 

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Have Jeep vehicles always included Easter eggs?

The 1997 redesigned Wrangler TJ was reportedly the first Jeep to feature an Easter egg: a seven-bar grille design in the windscreen cowl. The then-lead Wrangler designer Michael Santoro wanted to make a mini scavenger hunt one of his signature design moves with the release of the TJ.

It was then the Jeep Easter eggs years started and, from that moment on, Easter eggs have been incorporated into most Jeep models, with design elements that pay homage to past Jeep models and the carmaker’s history.

The most famous examples of Jeep Easter eggs include the iconic seven-slot grille which has been incorporated, albeit in mini form, into Jeep wheels, bumpers, headlights and more.

What types of Easter Eggs are in Jeeps?

Jeep hidden Easter eggs include an original Willy’s Jeep on a hill, a pair of thongs (the footwear, not the underwear), a silhouette of a little boy (in the bottom left-hand corner of the windscreen, from the driver’s point of view) looking through a telescope at a constellation of stars (in the shape of the original WWII Willys Jeep, positioned in the top right-hand corner of the windscreen), and there’s even basic topographic-style maps of Moab on rubber floor mats or on the underside of flip-up seats.

Start with the front and rear windshields. Almost every model has a Jeep Easter egg hidden around the edges in the form of a decal. For example, you can find a silhouette of the 1940s Willys MB driving up from the corner of the rear windshield on a Jeep Wrangler. Similarly, Jeep Compass drivers will notice the Loch Ness Monster swimming along the base of the rear windshield.

Jeep animal Easter Eggs include a Sasquatch scaling a hill, a gecko, a T-Rex skull, and a spider (saying “Ciao Baby”) near the fuel cap are among the design elements that feature Jeep hidden animals.

Take note: almost every model of Jeep has a Jeep Easter egg (in the form of a decal) hidden around the edges of the front and/or rear windscreens: the Loch Ness Monster is swimming along the bottom edge of the rear windscreen in the Jeep Compass.

Do all Jeeps have Easter eggs?

That, my over-eager friend, remains a delicious mystery because no one is 100 percent sure. What is sure is that newer models (post-1997) are more likely to have them than older models.

Most contemporary Jeeps, including the Avenger, Cherokee, Compass, Gladiator, Grand Cherokee, Renegade and the Wrangler, include some form of Easter eggs onboard … so start looking.

Jeep Avenger Easter eggs include the aforementioned silhouette of a little boy (in the bottom left-hand corner of the windscreen, from the driver’s point of view) looking through a telescope at a constellation of stars (in the shape of the original WWII Willys Jeep, positioned in the top right-hand corner of the windscreen), a mini seven-slot grille design at the front below the actual grille, a wheel-based mini seven-slot grille design, and a moulded lady bug on the roof.

Jeep Wrangler Easter eggs include the seven-slot grille design in its windscreen cowl; in the cabin there’s likely the message “Since 1941” and a Willys silhouette on the multimedia screen; maybe Morse code for "Sand, Snow, Rivers, Rocks" near the brake pedal; and a silhouette of the 1940s Willys Jeep driving up from the corner of the rear windscreen.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Easter eggs include a mini seven-slot grille design etched into the windscreen glass; “Since 1941” message may be on the dash or steering wheel; when parking assist is engaged a Willys Jeep might be displayed on the multimedia screen; and look for a silhouette of the Willys Jeep on side-window glass.