# Konami Code

The Konami Code is a ten-button cheat sequence (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A) first buried in the 1986 NES port of Gradius by programmer Kazuhisa Hashimoto[1]. It jumped from arcade lore into wider web culture in the late 2000s, when sites like Facebook and ESPN.com wired it into their pages as a hidden trigger, spawning one of the internet's longest-running easter egg traditions[2].

## Origin
The code first appeared in the 1986 NES release of the shooter Gradius, published by Konami[1]. Programmer Kazuhisa Hashimoto added it as a dev tool because he could not clear parts of the game during testing, later explaining that he built it to be easy to remember since he was the one who would use it[1].

Hashimoto's shortcut was left in the shipped code and spread by word of mouth. Its most famous appearance came in the 1988 NES version of Contra, where entering the sequence on the title screen gave the player thirty extra lives, earning it the nickname the '30 lives code'[1].

- **Platform:** Nintendo Entertainment System (Gradius) / web (viral spread)
- **Creator:** Kazuhisa Hashimoto
- **Date:** 1986

## Overview
The Konami Code is the button string Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, sometimes followed by Start or Select depending on the game[3]. It works as a shorthand for old-school gaming itself, referenced in songs, TV shows and merch, and treated as a kind of secret handshake between people who grew up with 8-bit consoles[3].

On the web, the format is simple: type the sequence on your keyboard while a page is loaded and something silly happens. ESPN.com covered the page in unicorns and rainbows, Facebook triggered lens flares on every click, and Digg used it to auto-expand nested comment threads[2]. The joke is that the payoff is never useful, only a wink at people who recognize the input[2].

## How It Spread
Konami reused the input across dozens of its own titles through the late 1980s and 1990s, and outside developers began slipping it in as a nod to players[1]. Urban Dictionary entries from the 2000s treat it as shorthand for arcade nostalgia, and note that punk band The Ataris named a track after the code on their album End Is Forever[3].

The web easter egg era kicked off in the late 2000s. On April 26, 2009, an ESPN.com designer wired the code to 'Cornify' the site with unicorns and rainbows[4]. Facebook followed the same year with a lens flare effect triggered by the sequence plus Enter, and Google Reader, Digg and GameSpot added their own variations[2]. A tracking site, Konami Code Sites, popped up to catalogue pages using the trick, and required visitors to enter the code to view the list[2].

On YTMND, users spun the code itself into site jokes, with pages parodying its use and its Contra association[1]. In 2010, Newsweek.com joined the trend by swapping every headline for zombie-invasion versions when the sequence was entered[1].

## How to Use
The typical execution on a controller is Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, often finished with Start on a second player pad or on the title screen[3]. On websites, users usually press the arrow keys in the same order followed by the letters B and A on the keyboard, and sometimes Enter, while a page is focused[2]. Developers commonly hide small visual gags behind it rather than functional features, keeping with the wink-to-gamers spirit of the original[2].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Konami Code?
It is the button sequence Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, a cheat input from Konami games that later became a common web easter egg trigger[3].

### Where did Konami Code come from?
Programmer Kazuhisa Hashimoto added it to the 1986 NES release of Gradius as a debug shortcut because he could not beat parts of the game himself[1].

### What does Konami Code mean?
It works as shorthand for classic 8-bit and arcade gaming culture, and as an inside joke between players who recognize the input[3].

### How do you use Konami Code?
On a page or game screen, press Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, sometimes followed by Start or Enter, to trigger a hidden effect[2].

### Is Konami Code still popular?
It is a classic reference in gaming culture, cited in Urban Dictionary entries and remembered for its Contra 'thirty lives' use and 2000s web easter eggs on sites like Facebook and ESPN[2].

## References
1. [https://www.cnet.com/news/konami-code-triggers-easter-egg-on-facebook-too/](<https://www.cnet.com/news/konami-code-triggers-easter-egg-on-facebook-too/>)
2. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Konami%20Code](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Konami%20Code>)
3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/konami-code](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/konami-code>)
4. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-yFRjqn9Tc](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-yFRjqn9Tc>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/konami-code
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