Today we offer further proof that our enthusiast bubble is distinct from, and only slightly overlaps with, the world of the average car consumer. Sometime around early May, Jeep owners — not Jeepers, but consumers who ended up with a Jeep — began flooding TikTok with videos of shock, surprise, and delight about the Easter Eggs on their vehicles. A lot of owners had no idea about the hidden treats, and even when they saw them, didn’t realize they were intentional. A commenter on a Buzzfeed article about the TikTok trend called the Easter Egg on her Compass “a little snake on the back window,” the next commenter saying she has “a little squiggle” on her Compass and she “thought it was just some weird piece of plastic or something.” That snake and squiggle is the Loch Ness Monster. And her name is Nessie. And not even this Jeep dealer knows why she’s there.

The Buzzfeed writer called the silhouette on the back of a Renegade “some kind of primate.” Understandable to someone who doesn’t dabble in these things. But… ahem. That primate is Sasquatch. And his name is Darryl.

A site called Hot Cars wrote about the “17 Clever Easter Eggs in Jeeps we didn’t even Notice” in April 2019. Yet after the vids started going nuts on TikTok, some clips getting more than four million views, the treats have been written up in Car and Driver, Insider (the general interest umbrella over Business Insider), and USA Today. So imagine the coincidence that Jeep has just announced a contest called The Next Jeep Easter Egg to create a graphic bauble for a future Jeep. 

The contest is open now and runs until 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time July 2. During the month, a panel of Jeep designers and execs will judge the entries, the winner to be announced on July 31. Entries will be evaluated by four criteria: Originality, compelling message, clarity and ease-of-use, and adherence to the Jeep brand. For a primer on the goof that began with the 2011 Grand Cherokee, C/D assembled a gallery of 17 Easter Eggs found just on the Renegade. 

The only necessary qualifications to enter are being over 18 and a resident of the 50 states or Washington, D.C. The winner gets a brand new Jeep of their choice with a value of up to $50,000, and the chance to have their creation appear someday on some Jeep. Get thinking, and submit your ideas at The Next Jeep Easter Egg.

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