Community:Fallout 76 Easter Eggs

"A sense of pride and accomplishment"
"A sense of pride and accomplishment" being one of the workplace benefits at the Mount Blair Trainyard is a reference to the most downvoted Reddit comment in history. In response to criticism against steep requirements for unlocking iconic characters in the 2017 game Star Wars Battlefront II, a corporate account for Electronic Arts replied by saying that "the intent is to provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different heroes." The comment was widely mocked and seen as disconnected from the playerbase.

Alien
At the AVR Medical Center, in the "Employees Only" area on the first floor, one can find a Jangles the Moon Monkey doll lying on a stretcher with a toy alien attached to its face. This is a reference to the "facehuggers" from the Alien franchise.

Alice in Wonderland

 * Behind the counter at the Giant Teapot, there is a series of wooden blocks that spell out "LATE" next to a scrap of paper with "10/6" written on it. These are references to the Lewis Carroll novel Alice in Wonderland.
 * Another Alice in Wonderland reference can be found east of the Tyler County Fairgrounds, at the unmarked location known as party time diners. There is a table at the top of the mountain reminiscent of the Mad Hatter's tea party, and several hats and board games are found around the table in-game.

Back to the Future
Inside the doghouse of the isolated cabin is a mathematical formula written in chalk: R_{\mu \nu} – \tfrac{1}{2} R g_{\mu \nu} + \Lambda g_{\mu \nu}  = \frac{8 \pi G} {c^4} T_{\mu \nu}. This is an Einstein field equation, first published by Albert Einstein in 1915. However, this does not directly reference Albert Einstein but more so Einstein the dog from Back to the Future.

Big Brother
The Insult Bot was inspired by The Zingbot from the reality TV series Big Brother. The Zingbot and Insult Bot both say "Zing!" after their one-liners.

Biggest Ball of Twine
According to Giles Sweetwater, the world's Biggest Ball of Twine is located in the state of Kansas, though he notes that there is some controversy over this subject. The real-life world-record holding biggest twine ball in terms of circumference is located in Cawker City, Kansas, and there have been multiple other contenders for this title across various U.S. states.

Breaking Bad
Just north of Sugar Grove is an unmarked location called the barrel burial site. There, an individual was given pre-War money to bury some containment barrels. The scene of their skeleton (in a lab coat), the partially buried barrels, a Pick-R-Up, several stacks of cash and a gas mask all reference a scene from Breaking Bad in which Walter White buries barrels full of money in the desert.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Willie is a deceased ghoul in Appalachia whose body holds The Golden Holotape, a reference to the Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Willie's name is similar to that of Willy Wonka, the owner of the chocolate factory, and the "Golden Holotape" replaces the "Golden Ticket" needed to enter the factory.

Colossal Cave Adventure
In the glassed cavern, there is a small area full of ultracite ores and a series of wooden blocks that spell out the word "PLUGH." This is a reference to Colossal Cave Adventure, a text adventure game from the 1970s. One scenario from the game involves the player character hearing the word "plugh" coming from a hollow voice in a dark pit.

Developers

 * The words "Todd Howard is amazing in everything his hands touch - no kidding" appears to be written in the lower two lines of the text in the top middle of the Periodic Table of Elements poster, though the word "is" does not appear as clearly as the surrounding text and may not be the correct word.
 * Vault-Tec University professors J. Hollar and G. Espino, whose names appear on a sign for an office in the university interior, are references to world artists Jarrod Hollar and Gabriel Espino.
 * Watoga High School contains several references to Fallout 76 developers, through the signs displayed outside of certain classrooms. Teachers Mr. Dobert and Ms. Gudkina are references to David Dobert and Katya Gudkina respectively. Professor Duvall is a reference to Jon Paul Duvall.
 * Trevor, from the chem and hoop shack, is a reference to level designer Trevor Swafford.
 * Holotape for Rose contains a binary file, which, when translated, includes "corrie.treadway" and "CTREADWAY1z" in the transcript. Corrie Treadway is a developer at Bethesda Softworks who worked on Fallout 76 as a quest designer and writer.
 * Several pre-War prisoners and guards at Eastern Regional Penitentiary reference Bethesda Softworks employees. Guard Kurt Coolman is a reference to quest designer Kurt Kuhlmann, while the names of William Shen and Ryan Jenkins are direct references to quest designer William Shen and former Bethesda level designer Ryan Jenkins, respectively. David "Zeb" Kook is a reference to designer David "Zeb" Cook, who worked on Fallout 2 and currently serves as a designer on The Elder Scrolls Online.
 * J. Schram, a cat killer who lived in a house near Morgantown, is a reference to former Bethesda level designer Justin Schram, credited with special thanks on Fallout 76.
 * Z. Wilson, whose name appears on a mailbox in Welch, is a reference to level designer Zachary Wilson.
 * Joon, a resident of Vault 51 whose name is found on chalkboards in Nuclear Winter, is a reference to concept artist Joon Choi.
 * The initials "RDM" are etched in chalk on top of the water tower at The Whitespring Station. These are the initials of Steve Massey's brother.

Devil May Cry
As a part of the Fallout Worlds update, a world type Vault Dweller Must Die is in reference to the Devil May Cry series and its hardest unlockable difficulty Dante Must Die that has appeared in all games. Additionally, both the Dweller and Dante Must Die difficulty modes generally achieve the same effect of difficulty by making enemies tougher/more resistant and do increased damage to the player.

Dog Day Afternoon
Pre-War bank robber Al Wortzik's name is a reference to the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon, a movie inspired by a real-life bank robbery. The character Sonny Wortzik is played by actor Al Pacino, and Al Wortzik's name is a combination of these two.

Doom
A set of wooden blocks in the apartment building with the Nuka-Cola billboard on the east side of Morgantown spells out "BFG," a reference to the weapon first appearing in the Doom franchise, published by Bethesda Softworks since 2010.

Dril
The final line of the note Skeleton extraction guide is a reference to a well-known tweet from popular Twitter user @dril, stating that "if your grave doesnt say "rest in peace" on it you are automatically drafted into the skeleton war."

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

 * The raid decals used by the raiders are strikingly similar to the Shadow marks used by the Thieves Guild in Skyrim, down to sharing the "loot" and "empty" marks.
 * At the Mount Blair Trainyard, there is a series of wooden blocks that spell out "WE KNO" next to a framed picture with a bloody handprint on it. This is a reference to the Dark Brotherhood's mysterious note in Skyrim.
 * On a path west of Vault 96, there is a carriage carrying three dead settlers that resembles the intro scene of Skyrim. It is a possible location to wake up at after drinking Nukashine, referencing Skyrim's player character waking up in the carriage during the opening cinematic.
 * One question in the Medic Pioneer Scout exam involves a patient that has been shot in the knee. One incorrect answer is to "advise Ricky to give up on adventuring," a reference to the memetic line "I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee..."
 * Rudy Fernandez will occasionally say "Rudy has wares, if you have caps." This is a reference to a similar line spoken by the Khajiit in Skyrim ("Khajiit has wares, if you have coin.").
 * Sara Matthews voices her distaste for the name of the Brotherhood of Steel and floats the "Dark Brotherhood" as a potential different name for them. This references the Dark Brotherhood, an order of assassins which appears in The Elder Scrolls series.

Friends in Low Places
The achievement trophy Friends in Low Places references the Garth Brooks song of the same name.

Futurama
The terminal entry "Good news, everyone!" found at the RobCo Research Center is a reference to the animated series Futurama. Professor Farnsworth's catchphrase in the show is "Good news, everyone!" which appears on the immobile weapons research terminal. "Bite My Rusty Metal Ass" can be found in the Metal Dome, a reference to Bender's catchphrase.

Game of Thrones
In the Fallout 76 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide, an unmarked location north of the Sunshine Meadows industrial farm, consisting of two skeletons on toilets, is named Game of Thrones. This is a reference to the HBO fantasy drama series Game of Thrones.

Google Home argument
The random encounter with two Mr. Handies talking back and forth in an endless loop is a reference to a January 2017 video stream of two Google Home devices (also named Mia and Vlad) stuck in a loop asking each other questions.

Hackers
The last sentence of the note My advice, "It's in that place where I put that thing that time," is a reference to the 1995 film Hackers. The character Ramόn Sánchez says the same thing while making a phone call from prison.

Hamlet
Squires R. Rosen and Gilden, the last known survivors of the original Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel, are a reference to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, characters who always appear as a pair in Shakespeare's play Hamlet.

Harry Potter
TestZach, a test cell in the game's files, has the display name of "Snape Kills Dumbledore." This is a reference to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This crucial event in the plot was widely spoiled before the book's release, turning the phrase into a meme relating to spoilers as a whole.

Headlight fluid
Headlight fluid, a trolling bait and meme used to send someone on a search for something that doesn't exist, is referenced in the R&G Processing Services terminal entries, when Manager Jarrett Delgado suggests giving a job to Pat Rhodes involving the nonexistent item. Headlight fluid was popularized through its appearances on radio shows and the Rooster Teeth series Red vs. Blue.

It
Inside of a fridge at the Whitespring Golf Club, there is a clown holding a red balloon in reference to Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King's It, who is often menacingly portrayed with a red balloon.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
During the quest Mother of Invention, when extracting the mysterious component from the machine core at Fort Atlas, the player character is given the option to quickly swap it out with a heavy sack of dirt. This is a reference to what Indiana Jones does in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, while stealing a golden idol from a temple in Peru.

James Bond
The name of the quest From Russia With Lev is a reference to the 1957 James Bond novel, and later the 1963 movie From Russia, with Love.

Jesco White
Jesse "The Dancin' Bandit" White, a pre-War country singer who had a set list for a concert at The Rusty Pick, is a reference to Jesco "The Dancing Outlaw" White, a folk dancer from West Virginia. The set list also contains a number of real-life country songs, including ones by Jason Isbell and Jamey Johnson, among others.

Jim Croce
Leroy Brown, a guard at Eastern Regional Penitentiary, shares a name with a character in the song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce.

The Kids in the Hall
The Garrahan Mining Headquarters terminal entries mention a Family Fun Day event featuring the band Rod Torfulson's Armada. This is a reference to the Canadian sketch comedy show The Kids in the Hall, which featured a rock band with the same name.

Killing Them Softly
The perk card design for Enforcer parodies a poster for the 2012 film Killing Them Softly, in which Brad Pitt plays a mafia enforcer named Jackie Cogan.

The Legend of Zelda
Vendor bot Raiders reference a famous line in The Legend of Zelda, saying "it's dangerous to go alone."

Little Miss Muffet
The title of the quest Who Sat Down Beside Her is a reference to a line of the nursery rhyme Little Miss Muffet.

Lone Ranger
During the quest Strength in Numbers, Polly requests the player to carry her, saying "You heard the man, Silver. Hi-ho." This is a reference to the Lone Ranger's catchphrase upon getting on his horse, Silver.

Loss.jpg
There is a picnic table at the glamping site west of the Pumpkin House with seven beer bottles on it that are positioned in reference to "Loss," an infamous comic that often takes a minimalist form in Internet memes, using just seven lines in a sequence.

The Magic School Bus
In the parking lot outside of Camden Park, there is a school bus with a series of wooden blocks spelling out "MAGIC" lying on the dashboard. In the driver's seat is an orange tie Mr. Fuzzy with a clipboard and a clown hat, a reference to Ms. Frizzle from the educational cartoon The Magic School Bus.

The Man Who Fell to Earth
The title of the quest The Woman Who Fell to Earth, is a reference to the title of the novel "The Man Who Fell to Earth" and its 1976 film adaption.

Mary Had a Little Lamb
The name of the operation «MARY'S LITTLE LAMB» in the Calvin's security code is a reference to an English language nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb.

The Mist
The fog crawlers could be an allusion to the arachni-lobster creature from Stephen King's novella The Mist. The similarities include a mysterious crustacean, which dwells in an unnatural fog.

Monster Factory
Near the Kanawha Nuka-Cola plant, there is an unmarked riverside cottage that references the webseries Monster Factory by Justin and Griffin McElroy. Characters from their Fallout 4 series are mentioned at the house. The name "PAM" is spelled out in wooden blocks on top of the TV and there is a dapper, wedding-ready radroach in the bathroom, a reference to the character Roachie. In the series, Pam claims that her real son is a coffee tin, and the same item can be found in a crib in the cottage. The destroyed Mister Handy is a reference to Codsworth, whom Pam calls her "metal husband."

Monty Python
The lumberjack Protectrons at Gilman lumber mill will occasionally say "Lumberjack Protectron works all night and also works all day," a variation on a line from "The Lumberjack Song."

The Most Dangerous Game
The holotape The Addington's Dangerous Game references "The Most Dangerous Game," a short story by Richard Connell in which the protagonist is stranded on a Caribbean island, where he is hunted by an aristocratic big game hunter, a similar situation to the proposal Westley Addington makes.

Murderhobo
Johnny Weston will refer to the player as "Captain Murder-hobo" in conversation during the setup of the quest The Ol' Weston Shuffle should the player character ask "Why don't we just go there, kill everyone and save Hal?" "Murder hobo" is a term related to role-playing games (usually in table-top games) to describe players that are unattached to the context and events being presented and solve all problems with wanton violence.

Murdoch Mysteries
At the Top of the World, there is a customer comment terminal. One of the entries contains references to the Canadian mystery TV show Murdoch Mysteries on CBC. The heading reads "W. Murdock & J. Ogdin," which are references to the titular character of the television show (William Murdoch) and his wife, Dr. Julia Ogden. The text also refers to a "Crabtree Burger," which is a reference to another character on the show, George Crabtree. Finally, one of the burger ingredients is listed as "Canadian Bacon," which is a nod to the show's origin and shooting location.

Neil Armstrong
The name of the quest One Small Step is a reference to the first words spoken on the Moon, said by Neil Armstrong: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

The Office
In the Camden Park terminal entries, Marty Porkins is promoted to the position of Assistant to the Park Manager, before the title is changed to Assistant Park Manager. This is a reference to a running gag from The Office, in which Dwight Schrute (in the U.S. version) or Gareth Keenan (in the U.K. version) repeatedly claims that he is the Assistant Regional Manager, forcing others to correct him with his actual position, the Assistant to the Regional Manager, a much less valuable title.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
At Fort Defiance, there is a room on the first floor, in the southern non-Brotherhood wing, with a skeleton lying in bed, wearing a nightcap and a pillow over its face. This is a reference to the ending of the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, where McMurphy is smothered with a pillow while in an asylum.

Peanuts
In the woods near Vault 76, there is a doghouse with a skeleton sprawled on its roof, baseball items lying on the ground outside and a birdhouse on a nearby tree. These are references to Snoopy, Woodstock and other characters from the comic strip Peanuts.

Pied Piper
The Eyebot Pied Piper random encounter is a reference to the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who leads rodents by playing music to clear out a town's rat infestation.

Rebel Wilson
Pre-War prisoner "Rebel" Wilson shares a name with Rebel Wilson, an Australian actress and writer best known for her portrayal of the character Fat Amy in the Pitch Perfect film series.

Record scratch - freeze frame
The note My story, found at the Tyler County Fairgrounds, is a reference to an Internet meme about a movie cliché in which a record scratch is played while the film freezes on a particular frame, followed by a character explaining how they got themselves in a particular situation. It was first popularized on 4chan's /TV/ board in 2015.

Robin Hood
The perk images for the Archer, Expert Archer, and Master Archer reference the English folk hero Robin Hood. Hood was a legendary archer who in most pop culture depictions wears a green cap with a feather in it and facial hair similar to the Master Archer perk card.

Rodney Dangerfield
The note Rodney's poem, added to Clancy Manor in Wastelanders, is a reference to stand-up comedian Rodney Dangerfield. Each line of the poem is a punchline to one of Dangerfield's famous one-liners.

The Shining

 * Torrance House contains multiple references to The Shining, including the "redrum" scene, the fire axe and the hedge maze. The name itself is also a reference to the main characters of the film.
 * On the second floor of the former Allegheny Asylum, there are wooden blocks that spell out "redrum" on the floor.

The Simpsons
Dick Shale's audio tour of Uncanny Caverns references a running gag in The Simpsons, where character Troy McClure greets his viewers with "Hi, I'm Troy McClure. You may remember me from such [films, educational videos, voiceovers, etc.] as..."

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Tanagra Town and the "Darmok + Jalad" graffiti in the bus stop there are references to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Darmok." In the episode, an alien ambassador from a race that communicates using metaphors constantly makes reference to "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra."

Thomas & Friends
The train-version of Vault Boy seen on the Ordnance Express perk card looks like Thomas the Tank Engine, the protagonist of the children's television series Thomas & Friends.

Throw Momma from the Train
The note Untitled is a reference to the opening scene of Throw Momma from the Train, in which character Larry Donner suffers from writer's block and can only come up with "The night was" on his typewriter.

Titanic
In the middle of the dry Summersville Lake, east of the Lakeside Cabins and near a red boat, there is a female skeleton lying on a door, reaching out to a partially-sunken arm from another skeleton. The scene mimics the characters Rose and Jack from the 1997 film Titanic.

Toy Story
East of Bleeding Kate's Grindhouse, there is a Comrade Chubs teddy bear sitting on the front of a truck on the highway. This is a reference to the ending of Toy Story 3, where the antagonist, teddy bear Lotso, is found by a trucker and tied to the front of his vehicle.

True Detective
The mycology notes found at the abandoned Bog Town directly quote Rust Cohle from the first season of the TV series True Detective, stating that "time is a flat circle."

Videodrome
The first line of the holotape Cultist - Mind's Eye - The cathode ray tube is the retina to the mind's eye - is a direct reference to the 1983 film Videodrome, wherein the character Dr. Brian O'Blivion states "The television screen is the retina of the mind's eye" and further posits depictions on television are as a real as raw experience for the viewer.

Wasteland
The name and gameplay of the video game Wastelad is a reference to Fallout's spiritual predecessor Wasteland.

We Bare Bears
In a tower at the Palace of the Winding Path, where the child's note is found, there is a stack of three teddy bear variants that resembles the main characters of We Bare Bears, an animated television series that began airing in 2015.

Willow
In the 1988 film Willow, a character named Madmartigan is found in a crow's cage - a single occupant suspended cage. This is similar to how Hank Madigan dies at Top of the World.

The Wizard of Oz
In a cut terminal entry from her bunker, Ella Ames writes that "We're not in Kansas anymore!" which is Dorothy's first line upon arriving in Oz.

Zero Wing
In the unused quest Extreme Measures, one of the lines used by the Interrogatron in the event of the player character's death is "Assessment - all your secrets are belong to us." This is a modification of one of the lines from the poorly translated introduction to the European console port of the arcade game Zero Wing, "All your base are belong to us", which has since become an internet meme.