Universal Studios Florida is probably the theme park I spend the most time in, and even though I’ve been here hundreds of times, I’m still finding new things hiding around every corner.
From interactive elements you might’ve missed in the queues, to secrets to spot along the paths and more, here are ten fun Easter Eggs at Universal Studios Florida. Be sure to check out the video version of this article for additional visuals!
1. MiB’s Fake Doors
One of the most underrated attractions in Central Florida in my opinion, Men in Black: Alien Attack features a fairly well-themed, but concise queue. Since everyone is paying attention to the worm guys on their extended break across the hall, there are a couple themed doors that can easily be overlooked.
Next time you’re passing through, try to jiggle the door handles for these rooms before moving on for a fun little Easter egg left here by the designers. The first door, which reads “Oxygen-Free Zone” will play an air-sucking sound, and the second one, which reads “Fingerprint Removal” will vibrate and display an electricity-simulating lighting effect in the window. Every time I try these doors in the queue it becomes clear that no one else had any idea what they did!
2. Fallon’s Central Marker
Often called the center of the Universal Orlando Resort, there is a compass design printed on the tiles of the VIP balcony above Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon. But don’t worry, you don’t have to be a VIP to see it.
Although they may not be doing it during the pandemic era, if they’re not busy, you can try and ask the greeter in front of the attraction entrance for a studio tour. If a Team Member is available, your party may be able to get a secret tour for the attraction, including a trip to the VIP balcony.
While many believe this compass marker is the center of the resort, according to my guide it is not. Maybe it’s supposed to be the center of the two main parks excluding hotels and Volcano Bay? In any case, it can make for an interesting photo op, and hey, now you know which direction North is!
3. Mummy’s Booby Traps
One of my favorite queues at the resort, Revenge of the Mummy is just the right mix of silly and spooky for me. And I love the three interactive elements you can find around the dig site areas. The first one with the surveillance camera monitor is my favorite, as when the touch point lights up blue you can activate a blast of air to scare unsuspecting guests on the bridge up ahead. Time it just right for maximum fright! It takes a couple minutes to reset between uses though.
The next other one requires two people to touch and hold both of the hand-prints at the same time. Don’t let go for 10 seconds though, and then a secret Medjai symbol will light up on the ceiling. Most people stop after they hear the sound effect and miss the ceiling effect. And lastly, trying to grab the hologram artifact in a hole in the wall in the next hallway will get you blasted with air and dim the lights, which for some reason always terrifies me even though I know it’s coming.
Some of you may already know about these elements, so here’s a bonus thing. That giant ancient looking door prop near the attraction entrance was actually used in the filming of The Mummy movie with Brendan Fraser! If you’d like to learn more about things like that, and even get a chance to see behind the scenes for Revenge of the Mummy, you can ask for a Production Tour here just like at Fallon—but again, you might want to wait until after the pandemic safety measures are lifted as they may not be doing them at this time.
4. National Manhole Covers
Getting back outside for a bit, this next one is a theming detail that most people might miss, but I find fascinating. Since many of the areas of Universal Studios Florida are set up as backlots for film and television production, a lot of care goes into even the smallest theming details. In some areas you may even notice that the manhole covers are themed to the city you’re supposed to be in!
That means you’ll be able to spot realistic New York City sewer manhole covers in the New York area of the park. And there’s this really pretty one for Chicago near Transformers, right in front of that spot where they filmed the intro to Nickelodeon’s “All That” back in the 90s. Not all areas have them themed though, like the London area, although the fictional town of Springfield does.
5. Moe’s Love Tester
Speaking of Springfield, if you’ve never been inside, I recommend checking out Moe’s Tavern. Besides being a pretty faithful recreation of the location from The Simpsons, I love that you can find a real-life version of the Love Tester here. It appears just as it has in the show, including in episodes like “Flaming Moe’s,” which is appropriate because you can order that drink here.
Squeezing the handle will give you your love score, and it’s great for couples to do together, (although hopefully you get a high score if you do)! Fans of the show will find plenty of nods to the series around the bar, so it’s worth popping in even if you’re not ordering a Duff beer.
6. Gary’s Disco
SpongeBob StorePants is a great little gem of a store. It’s got lots of silly sayings from Mr. Krabs, and a few fun photo ops, including my favorite, Gary the Snail. When you enter the store, a sign asks if you’ve seen this snail, but he’s easy to find, sitting inside of the pineapple under the sea.
#Snailfie
But what makes Gary’s little hideout so special isn’t just Gary, although he is awesome. There’s also party music and disco lighting inside. It’s great for tiny dance parties, or even better, selfies, or rather, snailfies. During the holidays, Gary even has his own little Christmas tree in there!
7. ET’s Forest Friends
I’ve mentioned this before, but there are some critters in the E.T. Adventure queue, not just on the ride itself. The forest queue is one of my happy places, so I try and admire every little detail as I pass through. You just can’t beat it as far as ambiance goes. And I’ve talked about how there’s a bunny in this queue, but no one seems to believe me!
Not only is there a bunny, but there are actually TWO bunnies. And two owls too! The first rabbit is right after you turn left, before you get to the big rock Botanicus comes out of. You’ll have to turn around to your right to see him. Look for the blue lighting in the bushes for help. The other bunny is at the end of the queue, directly above the cave entry that leads to the furthest load area.
As for the owls, one is in the tree above the Express lane split, and the other is supposedly above ETs phone home machine, but I haven’t been able to find it yet. You let me know if you spot him!
8. Transformers’ Signature
One Easter egg you can spot all over all the theme parks are hidden text with secret meanings. Just like how PIXAR movies always include A113, for the room at Cal Arts where many animators got their start—In fact, there’s even an A113 in Universal Studios Florida too, located near the lagoon in front of Transformers.
One secret signature can be found just to the right of the Transformers ride entrance. “Gr39-0430” can be seen on this wall here against the exterior queue area. Gregory Hall is the art director behind this text, and it stands for GREG-April 30th. Try to find it on the Incredible Hulk Coaster and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures too, as he’s helped design roller coaster trains and more around Universal Orlando!
9. Dial ‘M’ for Magic
In the Wizarding World a telephone box can be used as the visitor’s entrance to the British Ministry of Magic. And wouldn’t you know it, but you can find a phone booth right here in the London section of Universal Studios Florida. Super fans may already be aware of this trick, but next time you’re walking by, if you’ve never popped in, give it a try.
Dial the number 62442 (or MAGIC) using the rotary phone inside of the booth. A polite voice recording will let you know that visiting hours are closed for the day, but it’s a neat little trick.
10. Jaws Bathroom Music
One last thing before we go, and this one is more a bit of trivia than it is something hidden, but I just had to include it since I left it out of my hidden JAWS references piece. The bathrooms located between London and World Expo are leftover from the old Amity Island area before JAWS closed, and since they never changed out the music loop for these old bathrooms, it still plays classic 1970’s hits.
Since the Amity Island area of the park was forever locked into the 1976 Fourth of July celebration, the music loop was filled with party music of the era… Think Guardians of the Galaxy’s Awesome Mix Volume 1 and you’ll get an idea. So, next time you’re using these restrooms and wondering why it has such an odd music selection, now you know!
That’s all for now, but these are just some of the things I thought might be fun to talk about around the park. Click here to see our part two with hidden Easter eggs around Islands of Adventure.
Click here to see more hidden things around the parks. And don’t miss the video version of this article for additional visuals. Subscribe to the news feed or enter your email below to never miss an update. Photos by Alicia Stella
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