▲
2
▼
Within the game is a series of hidden developer messages. The first one, which reads "PRESS CTRL-Z DURING THE CARTOONS," is accessible by enabling joystick mode and pressing button 1 after navigating the joystick cursor to the bottom-left of the title screen. If the player complies with the message and presses Ctrl-Z during the game's cutscenes, they'll be given different fragments of a cipher message; piecing them together and decoding them reveals the sentence "ENTER THREE LETTER CODE WHEN YOU RETIRE." Likewise, pressing Ctrl-Z while the game displays the cipher fragments brings up the phrase "DOUBLE HELIX," alluding to the shape of a DNA molecule. Accordingly, if the player types "DNA" on the retirement screen that appears after beating the game, they will receive a congratulatory message from programmer Robert Cook.
The complicated nature of this Easter egg resulted in it going undiscovered until 2016, when game preservationist 4a.m. tried cracking the ROM's atypically complex antipiracy protections while attempting to preserve as many Apple II games online as possible. Cook sent 4a.m. a congratulatory message on Twitter after discovering the secret, jokingly stating that "I assumed it would take a thousand, but you solved it in a mere 33 years."
The complicated nature of this Easter egg resulted in it going undiscovered until 2016, when game preservationist 4a.m. tried cracking the ROM's atypically complex antipiracy protections while attempting to preserve as many Apple II games online as possible. Cook sent 4a.m. a congratulatory message on Twitter after discovering the secret, jokingly stating that "I assumed it would take a thousand, but you solved it in a mere 33 years."
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Gumball_(Apple_II)
Vice article:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/d7ydz7/it-took-33-years-for-someone-to-find-the-easter-egg-in-this-apple-ii-game-gumball
Robert Cook's congratulations:
https://twitter.com/robert_a_cook/status/741357633966219264
https://tcrf.net/Gumball_(Apple_II)
Vice article:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/d7ydz7/it-took-33-years-for-someone-to-find-the-easter-egg-in-this-apple-ii-game-gumball
Robert Cook's congratulations:
https://twitter.com/robert_a_cook/status/741357633966219264
Related Games
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
Midnight Magic
Spelunker
Living Books: Dr. Seuss's ABC
Myst
Lode Runner
Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame
Prince of Persia
Karateka
Living Books: Green Eggs and Ham
First Samurai
Solar Fox
Worms?
Yes Prime Minister: The Computer Game
Popeye
Space Harrier
Ms. Pac-Man
Castlevania
James Bond 007
Congo Bongo
The Simpsons Arcade Game
Dragon's Lair: Escape from Singe's Castle
Forgotten Worlds
Back to the Future Part III
Sqij!
Murder on the Mississippi
Horace Goes Skiing
Ghouls 'n Ghosts
King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne
The Three Stooges
Mappy
How to Be a Complete Bastard
Wanted!: Monty Mole
Sid Meier's Pirates!
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
The Great Giana Sisters
The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Space Mutants
Back to the Future
Dalek Attack
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Defender of the Crown
SimCity
Golden Axe
Xenon
Strider
Hang-On
Asterix and the Magic Cauldron
Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter
Rampart
Zaxxon