SATURDAY SIX: Our Favorite Details and Easter Eggs in EPIC UNIVERSE

I’ve found that over the years the more trips I take to Disney and Universal, the more I appreciate all the little details throughout the parks. I love the little details, secret references, and Easter Eggs that are “hidden in plain sight.” So this week’s SATURDAY SIX takes a look at our favorite details and Easter Eggs at Universal’s Epic Universe starting with…

# 6 – Flux Capacitor from Back to the Future

In a theme park world in which Piston Peak from the Cars Universe is going to replace the Rivers of America in Frontierland of all places, it seemed like there is very little chance that either Disney or Universal was going to make a major investment into a theme park that didn’t directly tie into an established Intellectual Property. Lo and behold, Celestial Park – the hub of Epic Universe and home to multiple attractions, restaurants, and stores – was created with completely original concepts…with the exception of one thing.

The dueling coaster Stardust Racers is a signature element of Epic Universe, with its silhouette already being used in marketing material. The coaster has been providing guests tons of thrill and photographers plenty of great shots!

However, on the back of each of Stardust Racers trains is something pretty amazing.

A closer look reveals a FLUX CAPACITOR from the Back to the Future movies!

In the Back to the Future (BTTF) Universe, the Flux Capacitor is what gave Doc Brown and Marty McFly the ability to travel through time.

We have seen the Flux Capacitor referenced several times over the years in Universal Studios Florida, the former home of Back to the Future – The Ride (which was replaced by The Simpsons Ride.)

Interestingly enough, there is a contingency of people online who say that there is a Flux Capacitor reference in the very first How to Train Your Dragon film. This is a fan theory that has been in repeated in articles such as This One from Ranker.com. Below is a screen shot of the movie and you can see the drawing in question (it is directly left to the candle.)

This particular drawing can be seen in the Hiccup’s Winged Gliders queue in the Isle of Berk. Now I can see some wanting it to be a reference to the Flux Capacitor, but in the context of the movie this is most likely just Hiccup diagraming how he changed the traditional nets that the Vikings used to capture dragons to the bolo design he used to capture Toothless. More wishful thinking than an actual Easter Egg.

# 5 – Make sure to Look Down

Over the years we have seen Disney Imagineering and Universal Creative put interesting prints into the ground at the parks and resorts. These include critter markings on the floor of Country Bears…

…bear tracks from the Wilderness Lodge parking lot to the main hotel…

…deer tracks at the Wilderness Lodge Cascade Cabins…

…and even Shrek footprints in DreamWorks Land.

In Darkmoor village in Dark Universe,  we have a transition of prints in the ground going from human feet to werewolf paws!

Pretty great reference for a land which is home of Curse of the Werewolf.

# 4 – What’s in a Number?

We’ll stay in Darkmoor Village for our next detail. One of the favorite surprises in the land are the appearances of a violinist, who tells stories of the monsters who dwell in Darkmoor through their haunted music.

Let’s take a closer look at the area where these violinists perform.

A closer look reveals the number 428 engraved in a stone at the base of the violinist’s stage.

Storyline wise, the number 428 references the year that Darkmoor Village was founded. However, it has a second – more meaningful – reference as well. April 28th (4/28) is the birthday of Carl Laemmle Jr.

Carl’s father founded Universal Studios Hollywood in 1915. At the time, it was the largest movie production facility in the world. Carl Jr. was head of production at Universal from 1928-1936. During this period is when the world saw the release of “Dracula” (1931), “Frankenstein” (1931), “The Mummy” (1932), “The Invisible Man” (1933), and “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935.) Carl Jr. is the spiritual father of Universal Classic Monsters that we know and love today.

For our next number related reference, we are going to head into the queue for Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment. This is hands down one of the all time greatest queues ever built for a theme park attraction and is LOADED with incredible references for fans of the Universal Classic Monsters. Among the many items you’ll see are some fascinating blueprints, one of which references an “early” version of the KUKA ride vehicle itself (the Catacomb Navigation Unit.)

One diagram in the queue is the following and is labeled 902-E. Ok, so now we are going to get into some Rumors and Innuendo here, because none of this is actually confirmed by Universal, but I’m pretty confident that this is one of those details that is hidden in plain sight. Internally at Universal, every part of Epic Universe is given a project number. Invariably, these project numbers are sleuthed out by people such as the Permit Princess Alicia Stella and the Scooby Gang over at the Inside Universal forums. The project number for Dark Universe was 902. I believe the E in 902-E is a clever reference to Monsters Unchained being an E-Ticket attraction.

While there are a whole bunch of project numbers for various things in Epic Universe, the numbers for all the “worlds” are pretty similar. We have 901 for Celestial Park, the previously mentioned 902 for Dark Universe, 903 for Isle of Berk,  904 for Super Nintendo World and 905 for Ministry of Magic. If those numbers seem subconsciously familiar to you who have visited the park, its because those are the very same numbers used for the Metrofloo entrances that guests use in the Battle of the Ministry attraction.

Let’s end this section by heading over to the Atlantic Restaurant in Celestial Park. On the host stand that is wonderfully themed to an old timey diving helmet, you’ll find a plaque which features several numbers.

P304 is a reference to the overall project number for Epic Universe the theme park, while the B1220 is a reference to the building number for the Atlantic.

We know this because on one of blogger-in-the-sky @bioreconstruct‘s many flights documenting the construction of Epic Universe, he saw this number posted on the Atlantic while they were building it.

# 3 – Reference to other Universal attractions

One of our favorite type of Easter Eggs in any theme park are those in current attractions that reference other attractions. Usually these are used when an attraction is paying an homage to something that it replaced, such as the Jaws references in Diagon Alley, or the next level Alfred Hitchcock Presents references in Villain-Con: Minion Madness. Even though Epic Universe didn’t replace anything, it does have references to things from other Universal parks.

Anyone who has ridden The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man in Islands of Adventure probably remembers the moment when Doc Ock says the line “Things Are Just Starting To Heat Up” and guests in the Scoop ride vehicle feel the sensation of heat as he threatens them with fire. You can find a reference to this iconic line in Isle of Berk, on a banner seen in the Fyre Drill attraction!

While in Isle of Berk you’ll also see this fun piece of artwork at the Spit Fyre Grill that features a Viking and a dragon battling over a fish.

Also in Berk, you’ll find these two young dragons pulling at ends of a fish.

To us, these bear more than a passing reference to dinosaurs pulling at a slice of pizza in the Islands of Adventure counter service restaurant, Pizza Predattoria.

In the Ministry of Magic section of Epic Universe, in Le Goblet Noir, you’ll see one of my favorite references in any theme park. Look up in one section of the restaurant and you’ll see three puppets.

These puppets are referencing some of the puppets used in the Tales of Beedle the Bard show that we see performed in Diagon Alley!

One of the shows featured in Tales of Beedle the Bard performances is Tales of the Three Brothers.

For those who don’t know, these puppets were created by Michael Curry Design. These are the same people responsible for pretty much every single great “puppet” we’ve seen in theme parks around the world including the Velociraptor Encounter at Islands of Adventure, the Maleficent float in Disney’s Festival of Fantasy, and the Transformers meet-and-greet characters at Universal Studios Florida.

# 2 – Themed Coke Freestyle Machines AND Exclusive Flavors

I think one of the best values you can get at any Universal park is to get the Coke Freestyle refillable cup. With 20 ounce bottles of Coke costing $5 at the parks and single serve fountain cups not being much cheaper, you can get your money’s worth pretty fast (plus you get a souvenir that you can actually use back at home.) So my Pro Tip is purchase a refillable cup immediately once you get inside the park (you can also fill them up with cold water easily from the Freestyle machines rather than have to beg quick service restaurants like Oliver Twist just to get a thimble sized cup of “free” water.)

Turns out, not only does Epic Universe have plenty of Coke Freestyle machines throughout the park, it has them themed to each world. But that’s not all….

Several of the worlds have their own exclusive flavor you can only get in that world.

For example, Screaming Berry is an option you will only find when in Dark Universe.

Love these Coke Freestyle machines in the Isle of Berk.

Isle of Berk is home to the exclusive flavor Dragon Splash.

Celestial Park has several options for Coke Freestyle machine designs, depending on which venue you are at.

But they all share the exclusive Celestial Spritz option.

Epic Universe could have just put in two dozen basic Coke Freestyle machines throughout the park and that would have been perfectly acceptable. That’s pretty much how it has always been done at the Universal and Disney parks and resorts (with some exceptions.) But instead the extra effort was put in not just for design, but also for the added flavors, and that is something we can certainly appreciate!

# 1 – Themed Napkins, Swizzle Sticks, and Utility Covers OH MY!

Turns out, it wasn’t just Coke Freestyle machines that got the extra TLC at Epic Universe. All the things we’ve taken for granted over the years at Universal and Disney that have slowly been budget cut away are back in full force at Epic Universe including my beloved themed napkins.

The Atlantic Restaurant also features two other of my favorite “little things” you’ll see at theme park bars, themed coasters and swizzle sticks.

Speaking of swizzle sticks, how great is this for the Blue Dragon Restaurant?!

This drink at Celestiki features two great things. One is an awesome swizzle stick, but the drink itself is named “Waturi Punch.” This is referencing the Waturi, the “citizens” of Volcano Bay!

Let’s check out a couple more themed coasters from bars in Celestial Park, including Meteor Astropub…

…and the Plastered Owl (inside Oak & Star Tavern.)

We’ve seen some pretty cool beer tap handles in the theme parks over the years, but usually you’ll just see one or two mixed in with normal beer taps (like what in Pandora: the World of Avatar or Diagon Alley.) However, check out these beer tap handles in Isle of Berk. Not only are they all themed, but they are a deep cut for fans of the How To Train Your Dragon films!

Turns out these beer tap handles are designed after Maces and Talons game pieces. Don’t remember characters in How To Train Your Dragon playing this game in the film? Don’t feel bad, the sequence was cut from the third movie (although it was brought back for a HTTYD tv show  years later.)

Just because the sequence never made it in to the final film, there was still a ton of work in designing everything for it. Here’s a look at all the Maces and Talons game pieces that were designed for How To Train Your Dragon 3.

Below is a look at all the themed taps inside the Isle of Berk!

How many guests actually look down while they are walking through the parks and notice the lands which have themed utility hole covers? Probably not many, so this particular detail is for the true sickos like myself who love stuff like this.

HONORABLE MENTION – Pikmin in Super Nintendo World

In the video game world, Pikmin are bug sized species that are half-plant and half-animal. In the Pikman game series, you raise and control your army of Pikmin to complete tasks for you. Standing at about an inch in height, Pikmin are tiny and adorable. They can also be found throughout Super Nintendo World (if you look closely!)

How tiny are the Pikmin in Epic Universe? Well, focus your eyes on the red block in the center of the photo below.

Here’s a closeup photo of the Pikmin on top of that red block.

Disney fans love looking for their Hidden Mickeys throughout the parks, and Nintendo fans can do they same as they search for Pikmin.

There are even some Pikmin in the Nintendo store located directly outside Super Nintendo World.

My personal favorite Pikmin are located in the Donkey Kong Country section of Super Nintendo World, and specifically in the queue for Minecart Madness. Take a look at this incredible hieroglyphic version of a Donkey Kong game…

…in which a “barrel” is shown to be rolling down the ramp and about to squish two Pikmin. In fact, the picture also features two Pikmin ghosts representing Pikmin who already got run over. That level of detail is straight up E-Ticket!

DOUBLE SECRET HONORABLE MENTION – Darkmoor Restrooms

Okay, we can’t close out any list of great details in Epic Universe without spending a moment on the incredible restrooms in Dark Universe. First, lets give some flowers for the people in Universe Creative who okayed the use of Frankenstein’s Monster and The Bride to represent the “Men” and “Women” restrooms.

I love when the parks and resorts get creative with their restroom signage, and this may be my new all time favorite example.

However, that’s not the best part about restrooms inside Dark Universe. Once you walk into a restroom, you’ll notice right away something is different…

…as all the toilets and urinals are black!

The sinks and soap dispensers are also black, but be sure to notice the lack of mirrors when you are washing your hands. Why? Because vampires don’t reflect themselves in mirrors. This is a level of detail so insanely great that I think it’s going to be replaced within weeks when the average guest complains about Universal “forgetting to put the mirrors in the bathrooms.” Like when Pandora – The World of Avatar opened with almost no traditional theme park signage to stay on theme, and then days later we had signs popping up in the land showing people where to go.

We don’t deserve the greatness that are the Dark Universe restrooms, but we can savor every minute of them while we have ’em.

So there you have it: Our Favorite Details and Easter Eggs in EPIC UNIVERSE! See you next weekend for the latest installment of the SATURDAY SIX, where we’ll look at something fun from the world of Disney and Universal. If you enjoyed yourself, be sure to check out the THEME PARK ENJOYMENT INDEX, giving a monthly recap of all the theme park news you need to know (and a lot more you don’t need to know, but we’re gonna tell you anyway). You can also follow Your Humble Author on BlueSky (@derekburgan).

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Special Thanks to The Elite Brandon Glover, Digital Maestro Scott Walker, the bio-est of all reconstructs @bioreconstruct, Captain Cruiseline Scott Sanders of the world famous Disney Cruise Line Blog, my personal protege Hunter “Elvey” Underwood, artist @SonderQuest, the mighty maven of merchandise Hedgehog’s Corner, the SAT SIX Fun Squad of Parkscope Joe and “the Dadalorian” Nick, hot shot Michael Carelli, charter member of the Universal Four @Nitro230, the permit princess Alicia Stella, master cartographer Tommy Hawkins, and Hermione Granger’s tutor Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Absolutely no help was added by SeaWorld Influencer @SuperWeenieHtJr. The SAT SIX is inspired each week by goofballs Aengus Mackenzie and LitemAndHide and you Potterheads will enjoy Meg’s other blog work over at the Central Florida Slug Club.