10 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator Easter Eggs

Easter Egg Hunt

Jeep is a brand with a rich history, one that's worth celebrating any chance we get. The iconic brand itself is obviously well aware of this fact, and each passing generation of its legendary Wrangler (along with the pickup version, the Gladiator) offers up plenty of cool Easter eggs worth finding. For your convenience, we've assembled ten of the best right here, courtesy of YouTuber Exodus 4x4.

Sandals

On the cowl in front of the windshield lies one of the easier-to-spot Jeep Easter eggs - a pair of flip flops, or rather sandals, and there's a very cool story behind this little feature. Rick Pewe, a long-time Jeep enthusiast and journalist tends to wear them any time he's out on the trail, and since Pewe has had quite a bit of influence on the Wrangler's design over the years, Jeep decided to pay tribute to him with this cool little Easter egg.

Headlight Front End

Next up, we have an Easter egg that's located inside the halogen headlights of the newest Jeeps, but not ones equipped with LED units - a familiar seven-slot grille and headlights, which is one tiny detail that a lot of folks may not even notice.

Willys

Modern Jeeps have a number of flat fender Willys outlines located all around the vehicle, including the wheels, windshield, shift knob, and slush mats, depending on the model. In total, there will be as many as six of them on the Gladiator (if equipped with slush mats), and eight on the Wrangler. Meanwhile, the pickup version has an outline of the Gladiator on the shift knob, which is an interesting variance.

Morse Code

Back in the rear cargo area, there's a "JL" pressed into the plastic panel below the 12-volt outlet, but what many may not realize is that it has morse code beneath it. That code reads "sand, snow, rivers, and rocks," all of the kinds of conditions/places Jeep owners take their vehicles.

Dirt Bike Tread

In the front of the Gladiator's bed, many have noticed what appears to be a pair of dirt bike tread marks engraved in the metal, and as it turns out, there's a good reason for that. The model's lead designer is a big-time dirt bike fan and wanted to make it easy to load up a pair of them in the bed. Thus, these tread marks are a quick and easy way to visualize where the bikes need to line up to make that happen.

Area Codes

Another Easter egg in the bed of the Gladiator is the number "419" and a heart. There's a simple explanation for this - it all refers to the area code for Toledo, Ohio, which is where the model is built. 

Slush Mats

The slush mats inside the cabin hold a special Easter egg aside from the aforementioned Willys, too - a topographical map with a pickaxe and shovel located on there as well, along with a dinosaur skull on the passenger side mat. There obviously isn't much deep meaning to be found here, but they're cool little touches, regardless.

Tech Package Willys

Up next, we have a special Easter egg for models equipped with the Technology Package - a faint picture of a classic Willys front end that appears on the digital gauge screen. There are a handful of other Willys Easter eggs located on Jeeps with this package as well, including one on the infotainment screen menu.

Subtle Throwback

The steering wheel horn button contains another Easter egg that's quite subtle in nature - three little spokes surrounding the Jeep logo, which is a nod to the original Jeep steering wheel from 1941, which came equipped with a very thin, three-spoke wheel.

Seven Slots

Last but not least, we have yet another little tribute to the Jeep's iconic seven-slot front grille - a matching cowl cover, which mimics that look perfectly with seven slots in the center. Many believe that the seven-slot grille was Jeep's very first Easter egg, one that dates back a number of years to boot.

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