Easter Eggs

Well, it’s not exactly Easter, but it is always fun to reminisce about the so-called Easter Eggs that have been hidden in Excel. Virtual Easter Eggs are hidden games or messages that are built into software by crafty developers who have a Sense of Humor and enjoy building in a bit of intrigue for the “Insiders” who wish to search for the cryptic content.

The term, Easter Egg, was coined in the late 1970s at Atari by the renowned computer game designer, Warren Robinett. Since at that time designers were not given credit for the games they created, the clever Robinett included a hidden screen which said “Created by Warren Robinett”.

The Excel 97 version had a very ambitious Flight Simulator hidden within the application. Using a rather simple combination of keyboard commands brought you to this remarkable simulator.

Although more difficult to access, Excel 2000 included a Car Racing Easter Egg which resembled Spy Hunter.

Excel 2003 included an Office Quiz featuring the Crabby Office Lady. If you still have this version and you are connected to the internet, you can access this egg by typing in “Tortured Soul” in the search box.

Although there have been rumors to the contrary, there are no widely-known hidden gems (or germs, depending on your view…) in Excel 2007 or Excel 2010. The general consensus is that Easter Eggs have been eliminated from Excel due to potential security concerns. The inclusion of these eggs have also come to be considered Unprofessional (some people just don’t like to have any fun…)

If, however, you know of any eggs in these later Excel versions, please write to me at ExcelEnthusiast@gmail.com. I would love to share them with our merry group! Cheers!