The video game community has been blessed over the past decade with the advent of indie developers, and it’s these indie developers that have taken classic easter eggs - a video game staple made specially for attentive players - to a whole new level. From references to other video games to secret items and character interactions, Stardew Valley is jam-packed with hidden goodies for those who go looking. Here are my top fifteen easter eggs in the indie classic Stardew Valley - share yours in the comments below!
15. The Junimo Plush
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After hundreds of YouTube videos showing exactly how to get ahold of this cute plush of the forest spirits throughout Stardew Valley’s world, this Easter egg has become pretty well known, but that doesn’t make it any less adorable! It’s most people’s first Easter egg, and a classic. Here’s how to get it:
Wait until the 28th day of any season.
Go to the play park adjacent to the community centre and stand by the bush placed inside the middle alcove of the cliff (pictured above).
At exactly 12pm, shake the bush. You should see the junimo plush in your inventory!
14. Dust Sprites
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The first of many Studio Ghibli references in Stardew Valley, these little guys can be found as enemies on floors 41-79 of the mines often dropping coal - which, as you can see, is what they are seen carrying in the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away! In both Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro, soot sprites can be seen as mischievous little spirits who inhabit dark spaces, much like Stardew’s dust sprites, who can be found on certain levels of the mines!
13. Giant Crops
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Another well-known secret that I personally discovered embarrassingly late into the game is giant crops. When planting pumpkins, cauliflowers, and melons, if placed in a 3x3 grid and the centre crop is fully grown and watered, there is a 1% chance each day that it’ll grow into a giant crop, as pictured below, yielding double the amount of produce when destroyed.
Source: Dangerously Funny’s YouTube channel
12. The Old Man in the Cave
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Although this one’s a little looser of a reference that hasn’t been confirmed by ConcernedApe, it certainly fits with the theme of video game references that can be found in Stardew Valley. At the beginning of the game upon your first venture into the mines (once the boulder has been cleared by JojaCorp on day 5 of year 1) you are stopped by an old man named Marlon who gives you a sword and tells you to ‘take this.’ Now, this is where the similarities stop, but many players have pointed out that this scene mirrors the beginning of the original ‘Legend of Zelda’ game where you are told in the infamous words of the old man that it is ‘dangerous to go alone! Take this,’ before being given your first sword of the game. Coincidence, or reference? Knowing ConcernedApe, it’s the latter…
11. Trash Bear
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Now, Trash Bear doesn’t technically count as an Easter egg or a Secret, but he can be difficult to spot if you don’t spend much time in Cindersnap Forest and if you don’t play your farms past year 3! Trash Bear, an oversized animal that resembles a racoon, can be found in Cindersnap Forest on non-rainy days after you reach year 3. He will request various items from you that, once fulfilled, will trigger him to Mary Poppins out of the forest and clean up all the trash in Stardew Valley! Not only is the event incredibly cute and whimsical, but it adds an extra sense of completion to your Pelican Town, a lovely cherry on top of a gorgeous game.
How to find:
Following year 3 on your farm, you can find Trash Bear next to the entrance to the Sewers at the bottom of Cindersnap Forest, near the Spring Onion patch.
Interacting with Trash Bear will trigger a dialogue bubble with a seasonal fish or forest item inside of it. You must give Trash Bear two different items before he will ask for two cooked dishes, although there is no time limit in completing the request!
Once you have given Trash Bear his 4 items, he will tidy all of Stardew Valley!
10. Iridium Krobus
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Much like the Junimo Plush, the Iridium Krobus statue is an item attainable under a very specific set of circumstances by the player and can only be attained once, although this item takes a lot more time and work to obtain than our cuddly friend, once you do, you can count on this adorable recreation of our sewer creature to keep you in good company!
How to find:
Reach level 10 Fishing. You must have level 15 (min.) fishing to attain the Iridium Krobus statue, which can only be achieved through consuming certain items, so it’s important to start with your base level of 10!
Consume either
Gold-quality Seafoam Pudding cooked with Qi Seasoning
Regular-quality Seafoam Pudding/a gold-quality item that gives +3 fishing and use a rod that has been enchanted with the ‘Master’ enchantment at the forge
Go fishing at the southernmost point of Cindersnap Forest, casting with a maximum cast into the ocean area just past the sewer exit. You will if at level 15 fishing attain the Iridium Krobus statue on your first cast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q4nzPS1y98
9. Shane’s Mega-Station
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Another gaming easter egg, most likely placed as a result of ConcernedApe’s own nostalgia, is Shane’s ‘Mega-Station’, an obvious nod to the popular 80s SEGA console the Mega Drive (known as the Genesis in North America). Even the in-game sprite looks similar to the console itself!
8. The Man in the Moon
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A reference to the famous 1902 Georges Méliès short film, A Trip to the Moon, the ‘man in the moon’ can be revealed if a full moon appears on your shipping screen (of which there is a small chance if it is not the 27th of the season and it has not rained) and you click on the moon 11 times.
7. Abigail’s Poster
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Referencing the video game series from the 90s Chrono Trigger, Abigail appears to have a poster of Crono in her room, just above her TV! This isn’t the only Chrono Trigger reference players have picked up on in the game either, with some players commenting on the similarities in character design between Maru and Lucca from CT.
6. Rarecrow #4
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Rarecrows are special scarecrows you can purchase at certain events and attain through museum donation milestones in-game, but not all the rarecrows are generic figures. Rarecrow number four, purchasable at the Stardew Valley Fair, may be recognisable to fans of the Studio Ghibli classic, ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ - it’s Turniphead!
How to find:
Wait until the 16th of Fall.
Play fairground games to attain 800 star-tokens.
Purchase the rarecrow from Pierre at his stand.
5. “Call me granny.”
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Following on from the above reference is another, more niche Studio Ghibli reference that might not actually be a reference, but would certainly be nice if it was. It seems given the other SG references in Stardew Valley that it’s more likely that this is a specific reference than not, but that’s very much up for interpretation.
In both the films Howl’s Moving Castle and My Neighbour Totoro, Sophie and Granny both tell child characters (Markl, and Mei and Satsuke, respectively) that they can call them ‘granny’. This is the exact same sentiment that Evelyn puts forward to the player upon first meeting her during introductions around Pelican Town. Sure, it could just be a cute reflection of Evelyn’s comforting character, but it’s not unlikely that this is a reference to the beloved Studio Ghibli maternal characters.
4. ConcernedApe Self-Inserts
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Whilst self-inserts can sometimes come across as a little cheesy, Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe’s are surprisingly wholesome! Although there are a few different ones, the best ones come from entering certain inputs into your game.
If you put ‘ConcernedApe’ as your favourite thing, you will receive this humble message when you consume one of the seven Stardrops in the game:
Even sweeter, if you enter ‘/concernedape’ into the chat box, you get a message from ConcernedApe once again stating “Hello. I hope you’re enjoying your new life here. Take care!” Even better, he doesn’t milk it - if you enter it again, you get told that ConcernedApe is “hard at work!”
3. Dove Children Easter Eggs
One of the more understated parts of Stardew Valley is the ability to start a family. However, if you decide after having children that you want to get rid of your kids, that is an option! (You can find out how here.)
There is a cost (besides the prismatic shard), of course… Here are the Easter eggs that you may encounter if you dismiss your children:
A mysterious phone call, stating “you have forsaken us” in a creepy voice.
If you watch TV on Fall 26 and choose the ‘???’ option, an Ancient Doll will pop out of the TV and trigger the spawn of a cursed Ancient Doll flying around the Dark Shrine of Selfishness in the Witches Hut, right where you sacrificed your children. You can kill this doll, but it will continue to respawn every time you re-enter the hut.
There is a 15% chance that your children will fly past The Summit in formation as doves, but only if you have dismissed multiple children.
2. The Greyhound Bus
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Although this is the least likely of the references on this list, I think it’s worth mentioning, especially given the importance of EarthBound as an influence on many current indie game giants (*ahem*, Undertale), not to mention it is my personal favourite video game.
u/Whaleduck points out in this post that it’s surprising that the bus isn’t the greyhound bus from EarthBound… but why couldn’t it be? Looking at them side by side, they’re not exact replicas, but they’re certainly similar enough in shape, size, and colour given the artistic liberties taken in other references between different video games. There are other EarthBound references to be found in the game, too (I mean, come on, small bug-like creatures delivering you cosmic prophecies?) and the use of the bus when the Stardew Valley train is already right there is, again, quite a deliberate choice. Although this one isn’t the most concrete reference, it’s certainly nice to imagine, right?
1. Sebastian’s Favourite Game Protagonist
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Another example of a video game character poster in a character’s room is the poster of Pete, of Harvest Moon classics such as Friends of Mineral Town, in Sebastian’s bedroom. This one’s a reference for sure - it’s clear to anyone who has played Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon that the similarities between the two games are tenfold, offering an updated nostalgia trip to anyone who is a fan of the Nintendo classic, with ConcernedApe himself acknowledging that there is a large amount of inspiration for the game coming from Harvest Moon.
Equipped with potion bottles of coffee and a notebook that's seen better days, Henry can often be found making friends with local animals (when he's not taming them in-game...)
