Some of the best Easter eggs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are also incredibly well-hidden, like a delightful reference to a certain Nintendo princess. The cozy island living game has hundreds of items to discover and decorate with, but some, it turns out, hide mysteries behind their cute exteriors.

A Reddit thread started by chant_garden revealed one of these secret Easter eggs: a small red key taped to the back of the fake version of the "Academic Painting," the ACNH rendition of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. According to the comments, the key is likely a reference to the 2003 book The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

This discovery prompted a discussion about other hidden Easter eggs in ACNH, like the messages on the backs of villager photos, which many players don't know about. One of the most surprising secrets, though, can be found in the red, yellow, and white tulip surprise boxes. According to Reddit abcdlaney, these surprise boxes contain adorable small figurines when opened, which resemble two princesses "you might recognize from another Nintendo property": Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina from the Super Mario Bros. franchise.

How To Craft The Tulip Surprise Boxes

The Recipe Is Easy, But Finding It Is Tough

The tulip surprise box is a decorative item that can be placed as decoration and interacted with. When players interact with the flower, it opens, revealing a miniature version of a certain Nintendo princess, depending on the variant. The tulip-shaped "box" comes in red, yellow, and white, each containing a different princess from the Nintendo Super Mario Bros. franchise: red for Rosalina, yellow for Peach, and white for Daisy.

The tulip box is easy to craft, only requiring five red tulips and three softwood. Players can change the item's color by using two customization kits or by using the services of Cyrus or Harv for 1,700 Bells. However, getting hold of the recipe is trickier, requiring quite a bit of luck. The recipe can sometimes be found from a message in a bottle or gifted to players by Jock villagers when they're crafting inside their houses.

Animal Crossing Somehow Still Has Secrets

Fans Are Still Discovering New Things About The Beloved Title

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released in 2020, at a time when the entire world welcomed the cozy game as an escape from the difficulties of that year. But the five-year-old game continues to have a large fanbase, with many players returning to its wholesome interactions and cute aesthetics again and again.

And yet, despite having an active community of players, the title continues to surprise its players. Redditor animatedash writes: "Amazing how 5 years later I’m still learning about little secrets like this!" As fans eagerly await any news of the sequel to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it seems that the game still has several tricks hidden up its sleeves.

Source: chant_garden/Reddit, abcdlaney/Reddit, animatedash/Reddit