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If you own a Roku Smart TV or Roku Express streaming device, you’ve probably seen the screensaver hundreds of times. When you’re ready to watch some TV, you’ll be greeted by the rolling landscape of a stylized city. Did you know that Roku sneaks easter eggs into the skyline for eagle-eyed viewers to spot?
If you’re curious about the new crop of easter eggs, you’re not alone. Many Roku users want to know what all the little images in their screensaver are referencing. Let’s take a closer look at the home screen to identify all the hidden nods on display in the screensaver!
Look in the water near the middle of your screen and you might see a boat with a nearby shark fin. It’s slightly to the right of the ship being attacked by the Kraken! This is a reference to the 1975 film Jaws. If you ask me, they’re going to need a bigger boat.
The iconic Emerald City is visible far in the background of the screensaver. It’s just to the right of the volcano, to the left of the giant robot. This mythical location is a pivotal city in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
A small island with a palm tree is visible in the water in front of the Emerald City. If you squint, you can see a ball on the island. This easter egg calls back to the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away. The ball’s name is Wilson, in case you didn’t catch it during the movie.
You can make out a small figure swinging from the top of the Chrysler Building to the right of the Emerald City. Naturally, this is Spider-Man!
The Addams Family’s recognizable home is visible between the bistro and the movie theater in the foreground. You can practically hear the iconic double-snap theme song just by looking at it!
The Daily Planet’s globe is prominent on a building in the background, to the right of the giant robot. That’s where Superman works while he’s in his Clark Kent alter-ego. Who would have guessed the world’s foremost superhuman wants to work as a reporter when he isn’t saving the world?
There are plenty of pirate-themed movies, but the ship in the bay in the Roku screensaver is likely a reference to Pirates of the Caribbean. That film franchise features a notable showdown with the terrifying Kraken!
That’s no moon–it’s a space station! You can faintly make out the silhouette of a round space station above the Hollywood sign in the background of the image. This is probably the Death Star, the Empire’s super-weapon from the 1977 film Star Wars.
One of the most noticeable easter eggs is the clock tower, with its hands frozen at 10:00. That’s almost the time the Hill Valley clock tower is struck by lightning in the 1985 film Back to the Future. The clock tower and lightning strike play a prominent role in the film’s climax.
You might notice a phone booth resting on the street in front of the clock tower. This is probably a reference to Dr. Who, the long-running BBC sci-fi series. In the show, the title character adventures using a time machine shaped like a phone booth. The 1989 film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure spoofs this concept by having its protagonists use a phone booth for their time-traveling hijinks.
There’s a submarine partially submerged in the water in the middle of the screensaver. This is probably a reference to the 1990 Sean Connery film The Hunt for Red October. It could also be a reference to the 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
The distinctive art deco theater in the foreground is a reference to the 2001 historical romance The Majestic. Who doesn’t love Jim Carrey in serious roles?
The Space Needle is an iconic part of the Seattle skyline. It’s also an important location in the plot of the 1993 movie Sleepless in Seattle. It’s on the far-left side of the background island in the screensaver.
You can see a plane flying near the volcano in the background. This is a reference to Joe vs. the Volcano, a 1990 romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks.
The iconic barbershop from the film of the same name is visible in the foreground of the screen saver. Fans of this riotous film will recognize the location immediately.
Tony Stark’s crowning achievement (aside from making that awesome suit of armor) was constructing Stark Tower. After the events of the 2012 film The Avengers, the tower becomes Avengers Tower and houses the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. You can see the tower in the background of the screen saver.
Four recognizable reptiles can be seen poking their heads out from various hiding spots around the dojo in the foreground. These are the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Raphael, Michaelangelo, Donatello, and Leonardo.
Alcatraz prison is visible in the bay between the two cityscapes. This is probably a reference to the 1979 film Escape from Alcatraz. The prison has been featured in several other movies, though, including The Rock with Nicolas Cage!
In the distance, you can see a dragon flying over a volcano. Plenty of films feature dragons and volcanoes, but this is probably a reference to Smaug from Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit.
You can’t miss this giant beast! Godzilla is crawling out of the ocean in the background, to the right of Stark Tower. He’s the star of dozens of monster movies and one of the most recognizable characters in cinematic history.
Godzilla’s biggest rival from across the Pacific Ocean, King Kong, is readily visible in the background. He’s climbing up a building and swatting at biplanes here just like he does in the 1933 original film.
It’s easy to notice the UFO hovering over Big Ben. This is a reference to the 1996 movie Mars Attacks when a spaceship appears above the House of Parliament.
You can’t miss the ship sinking in the bay between the two cities. This is the Titanic, of course! It’s an ill-fated luxury liner that sank in the North Atlantic in 1912. The 1997 James Cameron film immortalized the tragic tale for new generations.
There are plenty of science fiction movies about giant robots, but the big guy rampaging in the background of the Roku screensaver is probably the Iron Giant from the 1999 film of the same name. He’s not much for rampaging, though, so this one is an odd fit.
There’s a table set for a romantic dinner for two in the foreground. This is a reference to the 1955 animated film The Lady and the Tramp. In that film, the title characters share a plate of spaghetti and inadvertently kiss when they both try to eat the same noodle.
Eagle-eyed viewers might notice the silhouette of a distinctive lamp in one of the buildings in the foreground of the image. This is the leg lamp, a recurring sight gag from the 1983 movie A Christmas Story. Be careful with it, it’s fragile!
An umbrella rests by a streetlamp in the foreground. This is a reference to the showstopping musical number from 1952’s Singin’ in the Rain. The song Gene Kelly sings in this famous scene was originally written in 1929 by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown.
Read More: How to Start Watching Classic Hollywood Musicals
A distinctive flying machine zips through the background of the screen saver. This is the Hyperion Airship from the 1974 film Island at the Top of the World. The airship doesn’t show up on the screen for very long in the classic adventure film, but it plays a major role in the storyline.
A sneaky figure can be seen in the window above the barbershop. This is a reference to Rear Window, a 1954 thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The figure is LB Jefferies, an injured professional photographer, who suspects his neighbor is up to something nefarious.
The title character from the 1964 film Mary Poppins is faintly visible in the background, flying on her umbrella above the Hollywood sign. No, Marvel fans, this isn’t a reference to Star-Lord’s adoptive father, Yondu.
The diner from the 1992 sports film The Mighty Ducks is visible in the foreground. We don’t see Emilio Estevez or his lovable band of misfit hockey players, though.
The three smokestacks on the warehouse in the foreground are a reference to the 1997 film Conspiracy Theory. In that film, a mural depicting the smokestacks plays a role in the mind-bending plot.
If you look carefully between Stark Tower and Godzilla, you’ll see the Devil’s Tower landscape feature. This might seem innocuous, but it’s a reference to the 1977 sci-fi thriller Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Who are you going to call when ghosts show up in your house? The guys that live in the distinctive building you can see in the foreground of the Roku screensaver. That’s the Ghostbusters firehouse!
A bench and a box of chocolates are visible in the foreground. This is a reference to the 1994 Tom Hanks film Forrest Gump. His mother always told him that life is like a box of chocolates, after all. For those keeping track, that’s the fourth Tom Hanks easter egg in the screensaver!
The Bates Motel is visible in the screensaver, giving Hitchcock fans the creeps. This is a pivotal location in the 1960 horror film Psycho.
A woman’s leg and a person’s silhouette can be seen in the background. Savvy fans might recognize this as a reference to the iconic poster for the 1967 film The Graduate.
Finally, those distinctive fire escapes in the foreground might just be an artistic touch. However, the iron features are reminiscent of the 1961 musical romance film West Side Story. I’ll call that an easter egg!
