Ribby Wibbs!
The Sims is one of the highest-selling, most successful, and most well-known games around the world. There are four main games in the series, but over two dozen games are stretched across PC, mobile, and console. The franchise has a dedicated fanbase that works tirelessly to discover all its little Easter eggs, some of which we’ve included below. Today, you can learn everything you want (or don’t want) to know about this popular life simulator.
1. Jack-O-Lanterns
This spooky Easter egg appeared in the very first Sims game. If you put 5 Jack-O-Lanters on your plot, the Grim Reaper would visit you and even ring the doorbell.
2. Simlish
Simlish actually has real-world inspiration. The franchise’s developer, Will Wright, incorporated Ukrainian, French, Latin, Finnish, English, Fijian, Cebuano, and Tagalog into the famous virtual language we know and love today.
3. Founded By Fire
Will Wright actually started his idea of creating The Sims after he lost his home during the Oakland firestorm in 1991. His original idea was to create a virtual dollhouse game that allowed players to build or rebuild their lives.
4. Movie Plans
Due to The Sims' explosion of the early 2000s, there was talk of a Sims movie back in 2007. The idea was for Brian Lynch and John Davies to be attached to the project. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), nothing came of this announcement, and Fox announced the movie idea was permanently shelved in 2019.
5. Nessie?
In the first Sims game, there was a cheat code that allowed for some cryptid fun. By typing “Nessie” into the neighbourhood selection screen, you can force the Loch Ness monster to appear in the river.
6. Sociological Perspectives
It’s probably not surprising that The Sims' physical and emotional requirements are based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. You have your basic needs of food, water, warmth, and rest, which are represented by your needs bars. But the Sims also has a social bar, and the game often gives you buffs if you meet your character’s psychological and self-fulfillment needs.
7. Potty Training
When the game was in its prototype stage, Will Wight decided that the toilet would be the first item in the game that your Sims could interact with. It sets up your understanding of game mechanics, and the toilet is one of the base needs your sim needs to deal with regularly.
8. Sims IRL
This powerhouse of a franchise actually created a reality television series called The Sims Spark’d. It premiered on TBS in 2020, and it challenged popular gaming influencers to create simulations in The Sims 4.
9. LGBTQ+ Relationships
The Sims is well-known for being incredibly forward-thinking, as it has featured same-sex relationships in some capacity since the first game. Same-sex relationships almost didn’t make it into the original Sims game, but a developer added them when they accidentally used an old design doc.
10. Game Within A Game
If you get your sim on their computer, pay close attention to the Easter eggs under the video game option. EA included references to Tetris, The Sims, The Elder Scrolls, SimCity, Spore, and Mass Effect.
11. More Fire
Will Wight seems to be haunted by fire. The Sims 2, which was released in 2004, was meant to have many more features than what was released to the public. This was apparently due to a server room fire that destroyed large amounts of work, although many folks believe this story to be untrue.
12. Trash Plant
In the world of The Sims, littering can sometimes be okay. This odd Easter egg requires players to leave their trash outside for a certain amount of time. Eventually, the garbage will turn into a trash plant that bears edible fruit.
13. World Record Winners
The Sims has been awarded two Guinness World Records over its years. In 2017, the franchise beat two records: the most expansion packs for a video game series and the best-selling PC game series. Fair enough, we suppose, as their PC sales alone are almost at $37 million.
14. Filling A Country
Since we’re talking about the numbers, The Sims franchise is one of the highest-selling franchises of all time, with over two hundred million copies sold. This is equivalent to almost everyone in Pakistan, Brazil, Nigeria, or Bangladesh having a copy of the game.
15. Fast-Track Pregnancy
In the first Sims game, you can get a baby just by kissing. If you have a high relationship level and your sim is in a good mood, spamming the kiss option will eventually lead to a pop-up that asks your Sims if they want to try for a baby. This works for same-sex couples too, just switching out the “try for” with “adopt.”
16. SimsVille
The Sims actually had a spinoff series in the works in the early years of its existence. SimsVille, which was canceled in 2001, allowed users to control multiple houses within a neighborhood. While SimsVille didn’t come to fruition, developers did make use of its downtown area in The Sims' third expansion pack.
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17. Making Headlines
The Sims is the first and only video game franchise that has made it to the cover of Newsweek. The issue was released on November 25, 2002, and was used as a highly recognizable franchise for the magazine’s internet gaming feature.
18. The Money
The famous currency used in The Sims is called simoleons, and they actually stem from two real-world currencies. Eighteenth-century Britain used a sixpence, which was referred to as a simon in slang. This word was combined with French gold coins, known as Napoleans, and that’s how we have simoleans today.
19. Curses!
A silly little Easter egg in the Sims 4 allows you to curse other Sims through the power of kitting. After achieving a high knitting skill, players will have access to ‘The Forbidden Sweater,’ a clothing item that gives the wearer a negative moodlet due to the itchy sensation.
20. Vacuuming Toddlers
A hilarious option in the Bust the Dust expansion pack, players can purchase a handheld vacuum cleaner and clean their toddler with it. This action will up the toddlers' hygiene bar by a tiny amount, and will usually make them laugh.
