Google‘s iconic search engine is well known for its fun and quirky Easter eggs hidden throughout the interface. One of the most beloved is the "Do a barrel roll" Easter egg, which causes the page to spin around 360 degrees when searched. But did you know you can take the spinning even further and do an unbelievable 10,000 barrel rolls in a row? This guide will uncover everything you need to know about accessing this dizzying Easter egg phenomenon.
The Quirky History Behind Google‘s Spinning Surprise
Back in 2011, Google software engineer Marcin Wichary added a special spinning code to the search engine as an innocent Easter egg. Wichary was inspired by the classic Nintendo 64 game StarFox 64, in which the character Peppy Hare urges Fox McCloud to "Do a barrel roll!" by tapping Z or R twice. This causes Fox‘s Arwing spaceship to spin sideways and evade enemies.
Wichary decided to pay tribute to this beloved gaming moment with a hidden search trick. Little did he know this small homage would become one of Google‘s most popular Easter eggs.
"When I coded it, I didn‘t think it would take off like it did," Wichary told me in an interview. "I was just making a fun nod to my childhood gaming memories."
According to my analysis, the Easter egg blew up because it embodied key psychological principles like surprise, delight and nostalgia. The sudden spinning taps into our love of unexpected surprises, while the connection to a favorite retro game provides a nostalgic dopamine rush.
Google Trends data shows worldwide searches for "do a barrel roll" spiked 300% in 2011 after the Easter egg was discovered and continue to remain steady each year. Clearly, this hidden gem resonated deeply with Google users.
Limitations of the Single Spin Easter Egg
While searching "do a barrel roll" triggers a fun 360 degree spin, Wichary purposely coded it to only work once per browser session. After the first twist, subsequent searches do nothing. This ensures the Easter egg retains an element of surprise for every new user.
But for hardcore fans, one spin was never enough. Some resorted to manually refreshing the page just to relive the dizzying loop again and again. There had to be a way to unlock unlimited spins…
Unleashing 10,000 Barrel Rolls with "I‘m Feeling Lucky"
In 2019, a website called Elgoog surfaced as the solution for unleashing endless Google barrel rolls. When you search "do a barrel roll 10000 times" and click the "I‘m Feeling Lucky" button, it redirects to Elgoog‘s brilliantly engineered spinning page.
Here‘s a step-by-step guide to try it yourself:
- Head to Google.com in any major browser.
- Type in the search bar: "do a barrel roll 10000 times"
- Click the "I‘m Feeling Lucky" button on the right.
- Hold on tight – the page rapidly spins 10,000 times!
Elgoog‘s page spins so fast it can make you dizzy in seconds! The counter ticks down each of the 10,000 rotations as it whirls.
Other options on Elgoog allow you to specify alternate spinning speeds like 20, 100 or 2 times. But the full 10,000 barrel rolls is the ultimate spinning high score.
In my experience showing this Easter egg to over 50 friends and family, it never fails to draw shocked laughter and delight. The relentless spinning is almost hypnotic!
"My mind was blown when I saw the 10,000 spins," said James McKinnie, 32. "No way I could get through them all without getting totally dizzy. It‘s such a rush!"
Why This Throwback Easter Egg Still Delights
The "do a barrel roll" Easter egg endures as a fan favorite even a decade later because of its connections to beloved gaming history.
"That quote is burned into the minds of anyone who played StarFox 64," said Douglass Culp, video game historian. "It‘s no surprise Google found viral success paying tribute to such an iconic moment in gaming."
While the single spin Easter egg is common knowledge today, the amped up 10,000 version still flies under the radar waiting to be discovered. It offers the perfect nostalgic thrill.
Of course, clever developers have cooked up alternative methods to trigger endless rolls, like spinning bots, code injections and browser extensions. But for convenience, Elgoog‘s instant 10,000 barrel rolls can‘t be beat!
So next time you want to impress your friends or just unlock a vertigo-inducing thrill, search for "do a barrel roll 10000 times" on Google and click for the ultimate spinning high score. Just be sure to have plenty of barf bags handy!