42 Hidden Details You’re Missing in Universal Orlando!

You thought you already loved Universal Orlando a whole lot?

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Well, you’re about to fall in love with the parks even more after you read 42 of the coolest details you can find hidden away throughout the parks! (And, yes, you might want to bring this guide with you the next time you’re in Universal so you can spot them for yourself!)

1. You can hold down the logo on the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit screen for about 5 to 10 seconds to access a secret playlist where you can enter a random 3-digit code to be surprised by the song. You can also find the full list of song codes here, thanks to the Amy Fillinger!

2. Since the Minions’ favorite food is bananas, you can find actual banana trees planted outside of the entrance to the attraction.

3. If you look up at the Metropolis Tribune windows outside of Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, you’ll find names of people who have helped contribute to the development of Universal Studios Florida over the years.

4. In the alley between Transformers: The Ride – 3D and Revenge of the Mummy, you’ll find a poster for The Blind Pig, which is the name of the speakeasy in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

5. The ride-through for the Revenge of the Mummy has a golden ape statue in the treasure room as a nod to the Kongfrontation attraction that was there previously.

6. In the queue for the ride, though, you can actually decipher some of the hieroglyphics on the wall that warn you of your impending doom!

7. Outside of the Kwik-E-Mart in Springfield, you can pick up the phone when it rings to hear Simpsons characters on the other line! They switch out, so you can catch different voices when you visit.

8. If you remember the episode of The Simpsons when Moe steals Homer’s idea for a drink and renames it “Flaming Moe” to sell at his tavern, you can actually get it at Flaming Moe’s in the Fast-Food Boulevard.

Flaming Moe’s

9. Steven Spielberg makes a cameo as a Simpsons character on the Simpsons Ride, where he is in line for a restaurant at the very beginning of the show.

10. But, you can also find him hidden on Men in Black: Alien Attack! If you find the “alien” reading a newspaper in a baseball cap after the training session, he’ll lower his newspaper to reveal he’s Steven Spielberg, if you zap him!

11. The facade in front of the Men in Black attraction actually is modeled after the St. Louis Gateway Arch in Missouri and Flushing Meadows Park in New York.

12. The handles for the door in the Men in Black queue actually trigger noises, like a suction sound for the Oxygen-Free Zone and an electricity effect at the “Fingerprint Removal” door.

Men in Black: Alien Attack

13. When you stop by the bridge near Mythos in the Lost Continent, you can hear the groans of a troll by the water behind the restaurant.

14. On the ground floor of the Jurassic Park Discovery Center near The Burger Digs, you can spot Dennis Nedry’s Barbasol Can in one of the display cases. (And we all know what he was ACTUALLY hiding in there!)

15. The Jurassic Park Explorer you can spot in the parks is actually the one used in the real film!

16. And, the DeLorean and train from Back to the Future and Back to the Future 3 in Universal Orlando are also the actual props featured in the films!

Back to the Future Delorean and Train

17. On the giant cutouts of Marvel characters on Marvel Super Hero Island, you can find Adam Kubert’s signature (the artist who created them)

18. Stan Lee pops up four times during the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride with the very first time as the truck driver that almost crashes into your car at the beginning

19. There’s a hidden Iron Man poster on the wall at the start of the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride as homage to Disney’s Marvel

20. The arching tracks that Hulk is holding outside of the Incredible Hulk Coaster are from the original track before the attraction was refurbished

The Incredible Hulk Coaster

21. The palm trees in Seuss Landing are actually trees that “survived” Hurricane Andrew and were then placed the land because they were bent and curved, making a more whimsical effect

22. In the photo-op area on Mulberry Street in Seuss Landing, you can find actually find Dr. Seuss himself! In the area above the police officer, he is the dignitary on the left with glasses

23. At King’s Cross Station, you’ll find the same perfume advertisement used in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie

24. Dial MAGIC (62442) in the phone booth outside of Diagon Alley and you’ll be connected to the Ministry of Magic

King’s Cross Station

25. You can spot Kreacher in the window at 12 Grimmauld Place if you look closely

26. There are SO MANY nods to Jaws in Diagon Alley, which replaced the classic attraction in Universal Studios Florida:

  • The window display for Mr. Mulpepper’s Apothecary next to Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour has a large shark jawbone
  • The shrunken heads in Knockturn Alley are singing “Show Me the Way to Go Home,” which was a song featured in Jaws
  • The telescope in Wiseacre’s Wizarding Equipment is made from parts of the Jaws queue
  • The record store facade on the waterfront that hides Diagon Alley has a cover for the album “Here’s to Swimming with Bow Legged Women” by The Quint Trio, which is a reference to a line said by Quint in the Jaws movie

27. The bookstore at the London Waterfront references two Disney World attractions with nods to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride! The books at Screen and Sons have 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Wind in the Willows, which inspired Disney’s attractions, featured on the shelves.

28. When you’re in line for the Forbidden Journey in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter — Hogsmeade, a professor is lecturing behind the Potions classroom door so you can listen into the lesson!

Hogwarts

29. Moaning Myrtle can be heard complaining and crying in the Hogsmeade bathrooms.

30. At the Hog’s Head pub inside the Three Broomsticks, the talking heads from the Prisoner of Azkaban are hanging on the wall.

31. When you take the train from Hogsmeade side to the Diagon Alley side of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, you can catch a glimpse of Voldemort when the lightning strikes near Malfoy Manor!

32. The Scribbulus Writing Implements, Slug and Jigger’s Apothecary, and more have secret spells in Diagon Alley where you can reveal hidden messages or unleash an earthy “dragon dung” fragrance

All Aboard!

33. You can talk to the head hanging in the Knight Bus, and he’ll have a full conversation with you!

34. The sign outside the Leaky Cauldron actually leaks! Pay attention to the crack in the witch’s cauldron to watch some drips of water leak out.

35. Dolores Umbridge has her own moving doll inside the Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes store.

36. At the back of the Magical Menagerie, you can hear the snake speaking Parseltongue.

Umbridge Doll

37. Underneath Borgin and Bourkes in Knockturn Alley, you can see green flashes as a reference to the fact that the only spell that casts green light is Avada Kedavra.

38. The Gringotts money actually works as real currency throughout Universal Orlando, not just in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

39. If you ask the Team Members at King’s Cross Station, they’ll respond that they don’t know what you’re talking about because they’re Muggles.

40. The manhole covers throughout Universal Orlando are themed to whatever land you’re currently standing in.

Gringotts Money

41. You can party with Gary the Snail to hits like the “Jellyfish Jam” inside the pineapple house at the Spongebob store!

42. The Pharos Lighthouse at the Port of Entry serving as the Universal’s Islands of Adventure icon is actually modeled after the Lighthouse of Alexandria, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Spongebob Store

PHEW! Universal Orlando doesn’t seem to miss a thing, now does it? While we continue to make our way around the parks, we’ll give you a look at all the other details you’ll want to see! Stay tuned with All Ears for more Universal news!

These are the best hidden secrets in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

What’s your favorite hidden detail in Universal Orlando? Let us know in the comments below!

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Rachel Franko has been going to Disney Parks since she was a baby, and her love of Disney has only grown into a SLIGHT obsession since! She's been writing for AllEars since 2019 and loves sharing the magic with all the readers. When she's not writing, you can catch her heading to Disney and Universal Studios with a heart full of dreams and a backpack full of themed ears!

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