Here is a complete compilation of all the Easter eggs in the classic Easter eggs to Family Guy cutaway gags, Back to the Future continues to reverberate through pop culture.
Despite Back to the Future being quintessentially '80s, the trilogy has managed to become timeless in its own right. Fitting, considering that the trilogy explores a 130-year period. The first film focuses on how to get Marty back to the year 1985 while avoiding an Oedipal bond with his mother and getting his reclusive, nerdy father out of his shell. Part two follows a similar formula by revisiting events from the first film and exploring different aspects of time travel. Finally, part three takes the main characters to the Wild West as they try to once again return to 1985 in the face of technology that's yet to be invented.
Back to the Future's numerous Easter eggs have engaged audiences in finding them for the past three decades. References remain after Back to the Future lowered their budget in lieu of their original nuclear bomb-based storyline. There are in-universe references such as the well-known Twin Pines/Lone Pines Mall Easter egg and the evolving Statler trade. Behind-the-scenes references to Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, and executive producer Steven Spielberg also pop up throughout the trilogy. Easter eggs include anything that the audience can point out as a behind-the-scenes gag or in-movie reference. Callbacks like Biff's manure truck bit, line repeats from earlier, or the bedside "you're safe and sound in good old..." gag won't be considered, as they're meant to be formulaic to the film. If something's popping in the background or hints at the filmmakers being clever and fun, then it's on the list. Regardless, whatever the reference relates to, here are all of the Easter eggs to be found in the entire Back to the Future trilogy.
The Clocks in the Opening (2 References)
Back to the Future's time travel accuracy bases a lot of itself on existing sci-fi classics because, well, time travel isn't scientifically feasible. Still, right at the first shot are two references. First off, the synchronized clock opening is one of the few homages to the movie Time Machine (1960). Secondly, the clock with the man hanging from the minute hand references actor Harold Lloyd's famous scene in Safety Last! (1923) and also alludes to Back to the Future's climax of Doc at the clock tower.
JVC Video Camera
On the bed during the opening shot, there's the JVC video camera that Marty later uses to film the DeLorean footage. It's a good allusion to the eagle-eyed viewer for what's to come later, and it's a good clue into how much time Marty spends at Doc's place. The Burger King wrappers are also a pretty good indicator.
CRM 114 on the Amp
CRM 114 on the giant guitar amp that Marty plugs into alludes to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
1646 John F. Kennedy Drive
As Marty is rushing to school to Huey Lewis and the News' sweet "Power of Love" tune, "1646" is on the gate as he's leaving Doc's place. This implies that Doc is living out of his garage, no longer the massive mansion from 1955. Doc does say that his time-traveling dream cost him his family fortune, after all.
Huey Lewis Cameo
See that guy yelling that the music's too loud? Ironically, that's Huey Lewis himself. He's referring, no less, to his own song.
Michael J. Fox's Guitar Instructor
Back to the Future in many ways after replacing the original Marty, Eric Stoltz. While there's no hate on Stotz, Fox brought a funnier, more charismatic quality to the character. His guitar skills also heightened the cool factor of the role and brought forth some of the franchise's most iconic moments. During his talent show audition with his band "The Pinheads," the mulleted blond guy with the army hat and red guitar is actually Fox's real-life guitar instructor, Paul Hanson.
Statler Toyota
The Statler family in Hill Valley go way back. They're referenced throughout the trilogy, from selling horse-and-buggies in Back to the Future: Part III and being a Studebaker dealership in the '50s. Their first on-screen mention was the film's opening radio commercial.
"Orgy American Style" At the Movies
Look in the back, and you'll see "Orgy American Style" on the Essex theater marquee. Marty and his girlfriend Jennifer, played by Claudia Wells before Back to the Future: Part II, an adult store not long before this shot. So, a pornography theater in the middle of downtown Hill Valley? Not unusual. But, the theater playing a porno from 1973, 12 years prior? This is because that film stars George "Buck" Flower, the guy playing the "bum" in Back to the Future.
The Honeymooners Episode
The Honeymooners' episode "The Man from Space" is referenced throughout the first movie. Its first instance on screen is in 1985 with the McFlys eating dinner and George (Crispin Glover) watching it on television, laughing while Lorraine (Lea Thompson) is recalling the night they met at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. The next instance is in 1955 when Marty is watching television with his mother's family at the dinner table. "Hey, hey, I've seen this one!" remarks Marty. "What do you mean you've seen this? It's brand new," says his young uncle Milton.
Twin Pines/Lone Pines Mall
How did Back to the Future? An old scientist and a high school kid is kind of a weird friendship, but it's strong enough for Doc to make Marty the first person alive to witness time travel with him. And what better place to showcase your time machine than a mall parking lot after midnight? In one of Back to the Future's most famous Easter eggs, Twin Pines Mall (really Puente Hills Mall in Industry, California) becomes Lone Pine Mall at the end of the film, calling back to the moment that Marty crashes down one of Farmer Peabody's pines with the DeLorean in 1955.
