Debuting in 2018, the Roku screensaver depicts a slowly looping city street in the foreground, composed of businesses, a diner, a movie theater, and a city hall. Across a body of water in the background sits a silhouette of skyscrapers and buildings, with unusual amounts of chaos: volcanoes, a spaceship, a robot monster, and more. The complementary color scheme is prominently composed of pink and purple hues. The scene changes with the seasons; in the autumn months, trees change colors. The illustration contains easter eggs of various films and TV shows and pop culture references. It is arguably the most popular offering on Roku, reaching 90 million American households as of February 2025.
Easter Eggs from the “2022 Fall Stroll Through the Park” Roku City screensaver
Easter Eggs from the “2022 Winter Stroll Through the Park” Roku City screensaver
Easter Eggs from the “2023 Spring Stroll Through the Park” Roku City screensaver
Easter Eggs from the “2023 Summer Stroll Through the Park” Roku City screensaver
Easter Eggs from the 2025 Wicked remake of Roku City (11/13 – 11/16 2025)
Easter Eggs from Wal-Mart WhoKnewVille (11/22-26/2025)
The illustrations were created by Kyle Jones, a freelance graphic artist, who took inspiration from Art Deco architecture to design the city. The name of the background is known internally at Roku as City Scroll: Movie Magic, and it debuted in 2018. My family and friends have tried to find all the Easter Eggs. Here’s our list.
Massive Update on 9/12/2025, Matt, Morgyn, Brandi, Marissa, Desiree, Faith C., Kevin, and Erin have all had their input all ready. Brand New Buildings added to the front. Updates to buildings already in the neighborhood will be noted at the building. Thank you to Faith C. for her help with images. Alas the update is gone. It was a massive shout out for the 2025 Emmys.
The Far Side of the Bay
The Golden Gate Bridge with the Northern Lights flickering overhead
The Black Pearl being attacked by a Kraken from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Headquarters of the Tyrell Corporation from Blade Runner
King Kong on the Empire State Building being attacked by airplanes
The Orca being trailed by the shark from Jaws
The London Eye Ferris Wheel
The Elizabeth Tower (home of Big Ben) being attacked by a UFO (similar to Mars Attacks!)
Mary Poppins flying over Roku City’s take on the Hollywood Sign
A Mississippi Riverboat similar to the Mark Twain at Disney World. Though Miguel G. thinks it could also be a reference to Showboat. Angela N. thinks it could be the Lauren Belle from Maverick. Denise M. suggests the river boat from Death on the Nile. BJ S. suggests it’s from Mark Twain & Me.
I’m told that the heart on the building is from Sleepless in Seattle
The Death Star (Star Wars) hovers overhead.
Miguel G. speculates the five spiked building is from Metropolis
Smaug the Dragon flies around Mt. Doom (Lord of the Rings)
The Radio Tower in front of Mount Doom looks familiar…
A nuclear power plant that looks like Three Mile Island, though Solidussabre thinks it could be the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant from the Simpsons
That blimp flying overhead, had stumped me, Miguel G. thinks it’s from Island at the Top of the World.
Not sure what the building with the target at the top is. This one is driving me crazy. Mads thinks it’s OCP Headquarters from Robocop.
Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz.
A deserted island with Wilson the Volleyball (Castaway). Though Daniel M. suggests it’s a treasure chest in honor of Treasure Island
Spider-Man swings from the Chrysler Building.
Next to the Chrysler Building is a building that looks familiar… Anyone know what it is? Angelique thinks it might be Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated from Phineas and Ferb. (I’m not seeing the resemblance)
The Mecha is most likely an homage to Pacific Rim. His chestplate is remarkably similar to a first generation Nintendo controller or the Roku controller.
The Red October from The Hunt for Red October surfaces in the water.
The Roku Remote signal is an homage to the Bat Signal.
What is the building in front of the Roku Signal? Jason S. thinks it looks like Wayne Tower from Batman Begins.
The Daily Planet Building from Superman
Stark Tower.. I mean Avengers Tower.. Wait, Watchtower from Thunderbolts.
Alcatraz Island seems to be back in operating mode. It could reference The Rock, Escape from Alcatraz, or The Birdman of Alcatraz. Mark B. offers the possibility that it is in fact Shutter Island.
Devil’s Tower from Close Encounters of Third Kind is there on the coast.
A Godzilla-like Kaiju is attacking.
Which brings us back to the Golden Gate Bridge.
After a week of WhoKnewVille, Macy’s shows up on the street, just in time for Thanksgiving. 11/26/2025
11/17/2025 – Zootopia sees the addition of
Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps out front of the Zootopia central Station, the front billboard takes you to the trailer. A ZPD Cruiser is parked out front of Donut Shop and Marsh Market
10/12/2025 – A hot air balloon appears in the neighborhood. Three buildings got some changes. The marquee on the theater, the billboard over Anthony’s Barbershop, and graffiti was added to the water tower at Forest Gump’s Apartment.
A bit of research on our part (Thank you Morgyn W.) we found out it’s Demi Lovato, she had a Roku channel show in 2021. Starting 9/14, Live from Roku City (I haven’t watched it yet.), Demi Lovato is preforming on the rooftop.
On September 19, 2025, the “Times Square Billboards” featured a tribute to Robert Redford (1936-2025) who passed away on 9/16/2025.
The center square declares his star status and reminds us of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.” Jim also correctly points out, that is a director’s chair and Mr. Redford was an accomplished director as well. On top of the Hollywood Chair are the Giza Pyramids, those COULD be a reference to “Out of Africa” 1985 (but I’m not sure). Clockwise from lower left we are reminded of his films “All the President’s Men” 1976, “The Natural” 1984, “The Candidate” 1972, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” 1969, “The Sting” 1973 (note the peel away revealing Mr. Redford’s silhouette), and “The Great Gatsby” 1974. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the top center could also be referencing “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” 2014.
The Emmy Tribute from 9/25
Castaway Island has been replaced with Survivor Island from the CBS hit series.
The building to the right of the Chrysler Building has yet to be positively ID’ed
I still haven’t identified the building in front of the Roku Signal next to the Daily planet.
Flying over the Golden Gate Bridge is a U-Wing fighter from Star Wars Rogue One and Andor.
Desiree thinks that is the the Lumon water tower on the right side of the bridge.
The “7” Building has either someone jumping off or jumping onto the building. Caro thinks this is the Varo Tower from The Boys
New Buildings from Emmy Tribute Update 9/12/2025 (now removed)
Two new buildings and updates to existing ones. Updates to existing buildings will be added to each building’s listing. Keep those comments coming.
There’s a new fancy castle with large deer with antlers sculptures out front. Kevin is wondering if it’s the Addams’ house from Wednesday. John H. speculates it’s from Stanger Things. Kendall and Dan H. are 100% positive that this is Andoss Castle, filming location of Traitors.
Morgyn thinks the van in the park could be in correlation to John Wayne Gacy? Researching it, in 2018, a resident of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, named William Hodson painted a van with an image of Gacy’s Pogo the Clown persona. But that clown looks nothing like this clown. Kendall wonders if it is a reference to It: Welcome to Derry. Bobby S. found a much closer reference from the “Injured Clown” episode of The Rehearsal
A sofa was added to the third floor middle window of the Apartment building
Look at all the apartment lights go on as folks stay in to watch howdy
This promotion seems to have left as of 9/1/2025
The Apartment Building:
In front is Forrest Gump’s park bench with his box of chocolates.
That’s the streetlamp and umbrella from Singing in the Rain.
Salem the Cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch is sitting on the garbage. Though Kendall suspects it’s the cat from Pet Semetary. Brian M. suggests it’s the cat from 2024’s A Quiet Place: Day One.
Is that Garfield the cat silhouetted in the second floor window?
That’s the Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story on the Third floor.
Nick B-C wonders if the water tower on top of the apartment complex is the Warner Bros. Studio Water Tower. Gary N. thinks it looks like the water tower in Wakita, OK from Twister. To me it looks like the ubiquitous water towers that dot nearly every New York city building. Are there any prominent movie scenes featuring a New York City water tower?
The Apartment Update 9/2025:
Salem the Cat has wandered off. Garfield’s window now has a ham hock hanging in the window. And the Christmas Story lamp has been replaced by a hat hanging on a hat rack. The hat looks like Chuck Mangione’s hat from the Thrift Shop that appeared on the street in July 2025. Desiree wonders if the new items are Only Murders in the Building. Kendall confirms the building is now an homage to Only Murders in the Building. “The apartment color windows I think is almost certainly Only Murders since those colors are used in the opening theme to correspond to the 3 main character’s apartment windows. Also, Steve Martin’s character wears a similar hat.” So my question now is, Why is there a ham hock hanging in the blue window? Desiree S. points out that some of the characters from the fourth season have a ham hock hanging in their bathroom.
Anthony’s Barbershop from the 2002 film Barbershop
A Peeping Tom ala Jimmy Stewart’s character in Rear Window is on the second floor.
Mecha and King Kong Movers advertises on the billboard.
Update Sept. 2025 That’s a sandwich of some sort on the billboard. Faith C. thinks it’s meatball sub. Bobby S. thinks it’s McRib. Kendall thinks it could be referencing The Bear. Now I’m hungry.
Hill Valley’s Courthouse from Back to the Future
Doc Brown’s plug and wires are hanging from the lightning rod. (notice the time on the clock)
Marty’s hoverboard from Back to the Future part 2 is on the steps.
Dr. Who’s TARDIS is parked out front.
The Diner reminds me of the Moondance Diner as seen in the first Tobey Maguire Spider-Man film. Though it could also be Mickey’s Diner from Jingle All the Way and The Mighty Ducks series.
Parked out front are Danny’s Greased Lightning from Grease and the Wagon Queen Family Truckster from National Lampoon’s Vacation is next to it.
Prince’s Purple Rain motorcycle is also out front.
That’s the Last Starfighter video game from The Last Starfighter on the left. Mark B. sees Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still
What I thought was Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. is on the right. Though Veronica proposes that it is a Raptor from Jurassic Park instead. (now I see both). Kirisimp thinks it looks like Derpy from K-Pop Demon Hunters. All that said, Dan H. points out that a raptor appeared in the 2023 Summer Stroll and looks exactly like our friend in the window. Mark B. thinks it might be either Kang or Kodos from The Simpson’s
The Firehouse HQ of the Ghostbusters
Ecto-1 is getting ready to leave on a call to catch ghosts. Jan thinks she spotted a Jack O’ Lantern in the update. The Firehouse hasn’t changed with the update. The figure in the arch looks like a representation of The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Though I can see Jack-o-Lantern.
The Haunted House, my family is torn on this one. Is it the Addams family mansion? Is it the Bates Motel from Psycho? Is it Disney’s Haunted Mansion? In the comments Ladyjanis provides compelling evidence that this is indeed the Bates Motel from Psycho, BJ S. agrees with her. Rick wonders if it’s the house from the Amityville Horror.
The Wicked Witch’s hat is floating in the puddle of water that Dorothy threw on her from The Wizard of Oz. Veronica thinks that is instead Georgie’s paper boat from It. Though wouldn’t it be white in front of storm sewer grate to be that reference?
I thought that could be the Tree Monster from A Monster Calls, Bills Fan and BJ S. have rightly pointed out that Poltergeist is the more likely reference.
My son thinks that’s Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast on the second floor, I disagree, I think it’s floating candelabra from Disney’s Haunted Mansion.
Alfred Hitchcock’s silhouette is on the third floor. Naomi H. suggests that it’s Nanny McPhee’s silhouette. Temporarily removed in the 9/2025 update, D. V. Damsel was VERY upset about it missing.
The Power Plant, reminds me of the Ravenswood Generating Station as seen prominently in Conspiracy Theory.
Three of the four Ninja Turtles peek out of the shadows. The open man hole cover to their dojo is on the street.
Elliot’s bike from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is parked out front.
The guard shack looks like the entrance to Springfield’s Nuclear Power Plant in The Simpsons.
Willy Wonka has left his hat and cane on the steps to the door.
Dan S. wonders if the block and tackle hanging inside across two stories is a call back to the block and tackle Judge Doom hung Roger and Jessica Rabbit from in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Kendall is convinced that the chain and hook are from Terminator 2.
Vo5 wonders if the TV set in the guard shack is tuned to The Truman Show
Marissa points out the fungus growing on the building are Cordyceps from The Last of Us. Marissa, Matt and Becca have each identified the Fireflies logo spraypainted on the open warehouse door.
The Restaurant.
In the alley is Lady and the Tramp’s spaghetti dinner.
The fire escape looks like the iconic one used in West Side Story.
I think that’s Coco’s guitar from the Pixar film on the third floor, though JennO has a better suggestion. She thinks that is Holly Golightly’s (Audrey Hepburn) guitar from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Michelle adds it could possibly be Elliot’s guitar from “The Goodbye Girl”.
The silhouette on the fourth floor is from The Graduate.
Parnia points out that the restaurant’s logo is a direct riff on the logo for the 1972 film The Godfather.
The Movie Theater looks like the theater Marty McFly crashed the DeLorean into. Though Nick B-C thinks it more closely resembles The Majestic from Jim Carey’s 2001 film.
Cameron’s Ferrari from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is jacked up out front trying to remove the milage.
One of the first six Star Trek movies is playing at the theater as evidenced by the USS Enterprise movie poster.
Coming soon is a Star Wars film as evidenced by the lightsaber.
Matt’s hypothesis is that the poster on the left is reference to White Lotus. Morgyn wonders if the golf cart is a reference to Happy Gilmore. I’m thinking the right poster is a reference to Siskel and Ebert, from their various movie review shows. Kathryn M. is convinced the right post is referencing The Shrinking. Dan H. reminded me that the 77th Emmys are being held tonight (9/14/2025) at the Peacock Theater and the White Lotus has the most nominations. So the poster on the left could be a reference to both. And the Emmys would tie the golf cart to The Studio.
Times Square Advertisements.
The old TV set ad is reminiscent of the vintage MTV logo and ads.
That’s Adam’s hand from Leonardo Da Vinci’s Creation of Adam painting in the Sistine Chapel. Sarah thinks the hand is referencing E.T. while Cesar M points out the similarities to the holographic ad from Blade Runner 2049.
My grandson is convinced that bottom middle ad is a reference to the Need for Speed video game franchise.
Update 9/2025
Erin has identified The Thronglets from the Black Mirror episode “Plaything” on the sign. Matt and I both want to know who the woman is, Dan H. thinks it’s RuPaul. Riley S. has evidence in the comments that it is Trixie Mattel.
The Train Station
Miguel G. wants to know if that’s Del Griffith’s trunk from Planes, Trains and Automobiles? BJ S. thinks it might be Uncle Fester’s trunk.
Harry Potter has left his luggage trolley (and Hedwig) on the platform.
That means the Hogwart’s Express has pulled into the station.
The clock hanging from the ceiling reminds me of something… Guild member Ki reminded me in the comments that the hanging clock was featured prominently in the 2011 film Hugo.
Hedwig is missing as well as the steamer trunk from out front. Where did they go? Check the automobiles.
The Thrift Shop
The Thrift Shop has the tagline “The Classics Live Forever” on the side of the building. The three window displays are tributes to three celebrities we lost in July.
The torn shirt represents WWF legend Hulk Hogan (Terry Gene Bollea aka Hulk Hogan: August 11, 1953 – July 24, 2025). Though Andrew T. thinks it could be a reference for Malcolm-Jamal Warner (August 18, 1970 – July 20, 2025) from a specific episode of The Cosby Show
The poster with the bat represents Ozzy Osbourne (John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne: December 3, 1948 – July 22, 2025).
The hat resting on top of the Flugelhorn represents Chuck Mangione (Charles Frank Mangione: November 29, 1940 – July 22, 2025)
Driving on the main street we find.
(it’s hard to make out in this sceenshot but Hedwig is in the back seat)
Interesting bit of trivia, the LeBaron was purposefully decorated to look like the Truckster Station Wagon from Vacation (seen behind parked at the diner).
The advertiser buildings are unobtrusive (IMHO) and provide some fresh things to find. Here are some that we’ve found, but I know we’re missing quite a few. If you’ve got one we don’t have, drop us a comment.
The NWSL has a Roku portal.
Exxon/Mobil gas station made its debut on 7/17/2025. Christie M. noted that the Experian BFF seems to have been replaced by the Exxon/Mobil station.
Leslie asked about this new addition to the Neighborhood. After some digging we discovered it is the new Experian Ad on Roku. The guy sitting on the park bench is your BFF (Big Financial Friend)
The Titanic was still sinking at the time.
Are the any we missed? Drop a comment with the ones you’ve found.
(Updated 12/9/2025)
All images are TV screencaps and are copyright Roku. These are fair use. I make no claim on any of the images.
Vulcan Stev's Database 
the clock in the train station reminds me Hugo, from 2011.
I also think the mansion is the haunted mansion
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That’s it. I’ll update the article accordingly.
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water tower from stand by me? Or Warner bros studios?
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also, the movie theater looks a lot like the Majestic (with Jim Carrey) ✌🏻😊
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Nick, Good suggestions.
I’ll look into them.
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what’s the big guy on the bench in the park seems like that just popped up yesterday ?
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Honestly, I just noticed it last night. I’m not sure. It looks like a paid placement.
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@Leslie, after researching it is an Ad for Experian. That’s their BFF sitting on a park bench.
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I don’t think it’s a witch hat in front of the mansion, I think it’s the paper boat from “It”. In the diner is a dinosaur from Jurassic Park, not Mike from Monster’s Inc
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Ok, I can see the possibility of that being a Raptor from Jurassic Park in the Diner.
Agree to disagree on the Hat / Boat in front of the haunted house, Wouldn’t the the object be white in front of a storm drain if it was Georgie’s boat?
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Definitely Georgie’s boat and it’s white. The dark spots are just shadows to further outline the folds in the paper boat. It’s heading for the storm drain just not there yet. Doesn’t resemble a witches hat…artist would have made it taller with a little bend at the top
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Italian restaurant window sign is The Godfather logo
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Good catch. I’ll update the article.
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The creepy house is not the Disney haunted mansion. We are looking for a movie reference here. It’s the house from Psycho. That’s Alfred Hitchcock in the window. Most of the shape of the house is there. See it here: https://www.thestudiotour.com/wp/studios/universal-studios-hollywood/backlot/current-backlot-sets/psycho-house/
See Disney Haunted mansion here:
https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/haunted-mansion/gallery/25apr2023-haunted-mansion-overview.htm
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After looking at your links, I agree with you. I’m updating the article accordingly.
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ok the movie theatre has mask logos that give “Phantom of the Opera” vibes, maybe a small Easter egg?
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Possible, but the tragedy and comedy masks have been symbols of theater since Ancient Greece.
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I always thought the guitar was from Breakfast at Tiffany’s-Audrey Hepburn signing Moon river on the fire escape.
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Good one. I’ll add it to the article.
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tree is from Poltergeist
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Oh that makes more sense. I’ll update the article.
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I always assumed the large hand in the Times Square section was referencing ET.
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Possible since the ET finger is itself a reference to the painting.
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The ad you say your son is referencing Need for Speed is actually Christine from Steven King’s Christine. Need for Speed isn’t a movie and would be the only video game reference if it was for that.
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Agree to disagree, that sure doesn’t look like a 1958 Plymouth Fury and Need for Speed was a 2014 movie.
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The 2 cooling towers looks like the ones on The Simpsons. Left tower has an isotope on it.
The 2 masks on the theater are happy and tragedy.
Anyone see the 3 X’s on the lower left ad board under the soccer player?
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Thank you for the suggestions. We’ll update the article.
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We believe that the guitar in the window is from “The good bye girl” that Elliot left to be restrung by Paula.
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That is entirely possible, I’ll add it to the article.
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That open area where the Big Financial Friend is located, is gone. I think it was replaced by the Exxon/ Mobil gas station.
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Yeah, the advertising buildings don’t last long. We’ll do some searching and see if we can find other ad buildings.
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In front of the train station is a trunk. Probably a reference to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
Slightly above the Sleepless in Seattle Building is the Death Star.
The building with the five spikes might be a reference to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis
Somebody mentioned on another platform the blimp might be a reference to Island at the Top of the World
The symbols on the chest of the mech are a reference to the Roku controller
The riverboat could be a reference to Showboat
Alcatraz could be a reference to The Rock, Escape From Alcatraz, or Birdman of Alcatraz
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Miguel, all good suggestions. I’ll update the article accordingly.
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There’s a new building on there next to the Ghostbusters firehouse that has a neon coat hanger on the front and a saying on the wall outside: “the classics live forever”
Not sure what that’s from but there are 3 windows with different objects in each of them that I am sure are symbolic of something. It’s driving me crazy!
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I haven’t seen it as yet. Thanks for the heads-up
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@Amanda – The Thrift Shop looks like a tribute to Hulk Hogan, Ozzy Osbourne, and Chuck Mangione.
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@Miguel, your suggestions nave been added to the article.
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The shirt in the window of Classics Live Forever is for Malcom Jamal-Warner from an episode of Cosby Show, “A Shirt Story”
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@Andrew T. Equally plausible. I’ll adjust the article.
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new soccer league cup apple tv season pass stadium added
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Thanks for the heads-up. Need to get a picture.
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I think the hand is a reference to the hologram billboard scene in blade runner 2049
https://nappertime.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/blade-runner-2049.jpg
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It certainly could be. I’ll add that to the article.
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The TV in the guard booth immediately makes me think of Truman Show.
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Interesting notion. I’ll add the observation to the article.
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In the three story building next to Anthony’s, on the second floor, right window, is the silhouette of the old man from Up.
At least, that’s what I see.
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@Synett Since the buildings randomly appear, I’m not sure which three story building you mean.
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where is the 4th ninja turtle?
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Good question.
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Ive spent ages looking for the 4th turtle 🥷
why would they stop at 3?!
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@Hannah My best guess is to avoid potential copyright infringement. Watch the screen saver closely, although you definitely get the intent of what each thing represents, nothing is so spot on that it’s a definitive match. Roku is able to make the screen saver based on fair use for “parody” or “homage”. By having only three ninjas, Paramount can’t sue for copyright infringement.
Why homage and parody are treated differently
The “fair use” defense in intellectual property law is more easily applied to parody than to homage, though neither has a numerical rule.
Parody is a critical commentary on the original work. A successful parody must mimic the original well enough to be recognizable, but alter it enough to be humorous or satirical. Courts recognize that a parody must reference the original to be effective, and this is generally protected by free speech.
Homage, by contrast, is not a critique but a tribute. Since it honors the original, it lacks the critical and transformative purpose that strengthens a parody’s fair use claim. A tribute is more likely to be mistaken for an official product or a sponsored collaboration, which is the core concern of trademark law.
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the blimp is the ship from Futurama.
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just to add on to the car ad debate, I think the logo above the car is a reference to the piston cup from the movie cars:
https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Piston_Cup?file=Piston_cup.png
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ok. So the house with the child and two men next to a pond with a seagull?
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That’s a new one I haven’t seen yet. I’ll look into it.
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Paddle riverboat is from Death On The Nile.
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I’m thought what you said was Alfred Hitchcock’s silhouette looked like Nanny McPhee. She’s even standing how she does in the doorway – but that’s just my opinion:)
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I thought the island is from treasure Island look like a treasure chest not a ball.
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The Thronglets from the Black Mirror episode “Plaything” are on the RC screens!
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there’s this new mansion, is it from Wednesday?, a sub sandwich billboard now on top of Anthony’s barbers shop, and a broken down clown van in front of the field, the theater is now holding an awards ceremony, and I think this is the last one but the ❤ rc building with all the neon signs has a bunch of bears all over it
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oh but wait there more, some new sports car has been seen driving around on the streets of Roku city
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2:00am ET, 9/12/25, SO many changes!!! Park near diner with clown van getting tire changed. New fancy castle with large deer with antlers sculptures out front. Roku City Theater features “AND THE AWARD GOES TO…” with golf cart out front and something circular on the back. Anthony’s Barbershop features new billboard of some type of sandwich (meatball or rib?), colored windows on building with Forrest Gump bench out front, weird appendages on warehouse building and some winged like creature spray painted on garage door. I have pictures I can send!!!
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It looks like they’ve added a few new things: a castle, a new castaway island, the Lumon water tower, a golf cart in front of the movie theater, the Twisted Metal van, some weird stuff on the factory, a new building with what looks like a 7 lit up in window lights, something flying over the Golden Gate Bridge, the windows in the apartment bulidng before the barber shop have new items (maybe for Murders in the Building?)
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the new spray painting on the factory is from The Last of Us, there’s also what looks like the cordyceps from the show/game growing up the side.
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There is also a new flying object in the sky by Godzilla.
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There’s two new cars driving the street, one has its trunk open and the other one looks to appear as a Tesla, but unsure what they’re from. Curious about the flying object above the bridge though, alongside the bowl shaped structure next to the bridge. I think the van in the park could be in correlation to John Wayne Gacy, maybe? There’s also an update to the little island in the center. There’s a man figure holding a torch surrounded by a few other torches.
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I want to say the golf cart in front of the theater is for Happy Gilmore and maybe in reference to all the awards he’s won for movies?
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The movie poster on the left could be White Lotus reference. The TMNturtle is peering out of the bottom of the opened garage with a Firefly painting on it. Is the Castaway Island now the Survivor island? Also who is the glamorously dressed woman on the Times Square signs?
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A Google search led me to, maybe, the Tesla could be from “Leave the World Behind”?
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The van reminds me of a scene from The Rehearsal…… Episode called Injured Clown. Google led me there.
https://youtu.be/3AQm0B2oDc0?si=tzS2fmCRNXuZ5QuN
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The sandwich above the Barbershop looks like a McRib….. Now I want a McRib. I actually want 2 of them.
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I think the 7 tower is a reference to the Prime Show “The Boys” and the Vought Tower/Seven Tower. The design is very similar if not the same.
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”winged like creature spray painted on garage door” is the Fireflies logo from The Last of Us.
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the haunted house isn’t the bates motel or from Disney, it’s the stranger things house!!💯✌️
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I’m enjoying the new Kinetic Sand billboard, speaking of, could the sandwich billboard be a McRib reference? It is getting close to that time of year!
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i think there’s also a jack-o-lantern above the ghost busters car in the garage. getting ready for the spooky season ig?
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the purple astion Martin is definitely DC penguins car for the new show on HBO max, same colores and it references the body in the trunk when open.
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Thank you, Bobby, for The Rehearsal reference for the van…I don’t know why I thought it was the Twisted Metal one…they’re so very different!
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I’m new here and here are my thoughts:
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came here to whine and cry about the haunted house being gone and replaced with castle. The French Second Empire Italianate complete with mansard roof was my comfort zone. Everything changes ….but why! Boohoo. Even tried finding complaints form on Roku forums. Alas, I could advertise and pay to have it reinstalled.
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Given that all these new additions are TV rather than movie references, and the Emmys tonight, they are likely all nominees. That would link the U-wing to Andor and the woman’s silhouette on the electronic billboard building is probably RuPaul.
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Also, sticking with Emmy nominees, golf cart would link to “The Studio”
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One more… Mansion with deer sculptures is “Traitors”. I don’t know this show, but I knew it didn’t look like the Addams house so I checked other nominees.
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The new poster on the right of the theater is definitely for the show Shrinking.
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The billboard with the blonde in the pink dress is not RuPaul, but Trixie Mattel! She is the second most popular and influencial drag queen, RuPaul reigning #1 of course. I even found a promo photo of her that matches almost perfectly from a competition show she judge on called Queens of the Universe. I am 100% percent certain that it is her. Prior to finding this picture, the silhouette and style had her essence.https://share.google/images/tEmhxU9TiETZj77uH
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All changes from 9/12 are gone — everything’s back to normal on my tv. Except, there’s a new van riding around with “AGZzz” on it, with a moon and clouds on top! I guess everything changed for the Emmy’s (thanks to whoever’s comment that was that pulled everything together). Boooo! I want new buildings and cars and references!
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It seems the changes were for the Emmys.
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Just woke up and everything is back to normal! I liked the Emmy’s changes. Booo! There’s a new van riding around that say “AGZzz”
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The reason I went with RuPaul is because I know Drag Race was a nominee. Trixie was a presenter at the Creative Arts Emmys, but not nominated. I don’t know if that counts. As far as I could see, all 9/12 eggs were Emmy nominees.
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It could be both.
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The park and clown van have been replaced by Nani/Lilo’s house with Stitch and his crashed stolen spaceship in front. Most everything else has been returned to “standard” settings. Movie posters, NY billboards, Gates/Addams/Munster house, etc are all back to “normal”.
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Anna beat me to it! Woke up this morning to Stitch crashed landed in front of Nani and Lilo’s house! Everything went back to normal a few days ago, but definitely enjoying Stitch while he’s there. My absolute favorite Disney character of all time!
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Anna, Morgyn, I just got the screen shots off my TV. Article update coming.
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I got a really good photo of Stitch, but it won’t let me attach it to the forum. I can send it over via email if needed!
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Just saw your comment! Nevermind 😀
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I just realized that the ham hock in the window for the Only Murders nod was from the fourth season, where some of the characters have this giant ham hanging in their bathroom
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the building that the roku bat signal is in front of could be Wayne Tower from Batman, furthering the reference
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I believe the haunted house is the house from Amityville Horror.
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I’ll add that as a possibility.
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Abbott elementary school added to advertise the new season
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I saw the schoolbus this morning. I’ll get some images and update. Thank you for the head’s up.
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I think the starred chair in the Robert Redford tribute represents his career as a director (and he was a great one!)
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I’ll add that observation. Thank you for pointing it out.
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the Haunted looking house is 💯 unequivocally the Bates Motel from Psycho. The trunk in front of the train station is Uncle Fester’s from the 90’s Addams Family movie. The spooky tree is from Poltergeist. The paddleboat, for lack of a better guess, is from Mark Twain and Me
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I’ve added your observations to the article.
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I bet there are only three ninja turtles at the factory because Rafeal the hot head got angry, stormed off, went to fight the bad guys himself and got in trouble, and now the rest of the team has to go dig him out of his proverbial hole.
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I believe the tuxedo cat to be a parody representation of the cat from 2024’s A Quiet Place: Day One. Thoughts?
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The cat I identified as Salem from Sabrina the Teenaged Witch? It’s certainly possible. I’ll add the observation.
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My mom and I were looking at it today (10/10/25) and I noticed something that wasn’t on your list. Inside the diner in the far right window there is what looks like Derpy from K-Pop Demon Hunters to be staring out at you. I didn’t get a very good look cause one of the ad screens kept blocking it just as it appeared on the screen but I recognized the eyes. Plus it makes sense for them to add something from K-Pop Demon Hunters after all the records it’s been making.
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After looking at a picture of Derpy, I agree it’s just as likely as Mike from Monsters Inc. or a raptor from Jurassic Park. I’ll add your observation.
I did delete your identical comment.
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The dinosaur is a carryover from the Summer Stroll screensaver, where it is seen poking it’s head above the wall on the Jurassic Park island. In addition, the image in the diner predates the release of KPDH. I used to think it was Mike W until I looked at the seasonals. – Dan H (just in case the site gives another random gibberish name)
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Dan, it’s nice to know that your folks didn’t name you Mentality Instant Lye. 😎
I’ve updated the article.
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Yea, not sure how that happened . The first time I joined the conversation my name was right. When I came to make a comment on 9/15 it renamed me. Not a WordPress guy, so not sure how to fix it.
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Fixed it.
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I came to comment Arby’s, but I see you’re on top of it! Always so quick haha! I love this! It’s like a little game that we’re all apart of!
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I do enjoy reading the comments and seeing what other folks see in the neighborhood.
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The theater says “Guess who’s coming to Roku City” with DL posters on it. There’s also a hot air balloon and a new billboard in regards to DL. The date says October 14, but I’m not exactly sure what DL stands for or represents. I’m going to do some research and see if I can find it!
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It stands for Demi Lovato!!
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I actually JUST caught that and snapped pics. Sunday is my day off. Images will be up tomorrow (10/13) morning.
THANK YOU for the heads up.
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The hot air balloon changes between “DL” and Demi in spaced out lettering, as if it’s rotating!
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Of course! I got excited and immediately ran to the site! Thank you for creating this space for all of us! It’s so fun!
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Sitting here watching it, the red lips are also on the water tower on top of the building! I want to know what Demi is doing! I can’t find anything about October 14th for her!
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Found this blog when I was trying find out what the DL on the hot air balloon and the billboard was about. Still haven’t found anything, but I did notice that if you look closely at the basket of the air balloon it looks like there is a woman singing into a microphone!!
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I just found this site, thanks for all the info! My daughter was telling abt all the references recently, then today I saw the DL and was trying to figure out what it meant, somehow I completely missed the D e m i , on the hot air balloon!
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The theater is a close match to the North Bend movie theater (perhaps from Twin Peaks).
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I am so sad one of the Ninja Turtles got left out 😦 I wonder why they didn’t put four.
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Dino, copyright issues?
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Luddite, I’ll look into it. Thank you.
Ginger and Sholm, I believe it’s for Demi Lovato. Article will be revised today.
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Dino – As Steve said, there are things that can’t be exactly represented due to copyright. Personally, I like to think Mikey went back home for some pizza, down the open manhole.
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Building with target (Octogon) OCP headquarters from Robocop.
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what is the cloud with the kite tail attached to it from??
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Possibly, I’ll add the observation.
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Ginger, I’m not sure what you’re referring to, can you attach a screen shot?
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The image on the right hand side of the diner is The Blob from the same named movie.
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as i’m laying here, watching the quiet city ( aka no updates ) while listing all the easter eggs in my head, it occurred to me… who decides to put which movie or show in the city? most of them are classics, legendary even, but some i’ve never even heard of. is it based on popularity? high ratings? and how do they decide on what object or person that will represent said movie/show. not really looking for a real answer just super curious. anyways that’s my 3am thought at 10pm 💭
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According to a Google search…
The original design work for Roku City was done by freelance graphic artist Kyle Jones, who was commissioned by Roku to create the screensaver. He drew inspiration from Art Deco architecture and incorporated numerous film and TV references into the design, which is known internally as “City Scroll: Movie Magic”. A visual quality design team at Roku now continues to work on the city’s integrations and updates.
Original designer: Kyle Jones created the initial concept and illustrations for the screensaver, which was later nicknamed Roku City by users.
Inspiration: Jones was inspired by Art Deco architecture, film noir, and pulp cartoons, and he embedded dozens of references to movies and TV shows within the cityscape.
Current work: Roku’s in-house visual quality design team now manages brand integrations within Roku City, working with partners to incorporate new elements organically into the cityscape, as noted in The Hollywood Reporter.
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the giant robot in the background could possibly be a Pacific rim reference but I believe it to be the iron giant
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i think that the fancy castle with the deer statues out front is elsa and Anna’s castle from disney and the deer represent the familys connection to rain deer because of Christ off and Sven the rain deer
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the ppuddle with the thing you thought is a wictches hat is actually the puddle and georgeys paper boat and I noticed you said you couldn’t see a storm drain so you brushed it off as a hat but if you look closely the storm drain is there ismts just a little hidden on the left of the puddle a ways it just looks like a shadow cuz it a small rectangular shape but it’s not a shadow it is the storm drain it’s just not very detailed but it is there it’s on the curb
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wondering what they will use for Christmas…..Nakatomi Plaza, house from home alone, uncle Eddies RV, St Louis arch, ballon’s from thanksgiving day parade, gremlins,elf, grinch, polar express,
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2022 had a full-on Christmas/winter theme. I hoping to see some new content for Christmas this year and was surprised nothing for Halloween seemed to be on the street.
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I have always thought the sailboat in the puddle was from Stewart Little. Also, the island that seems like Alcatraz I believe is from the movie Shutter Island.
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Nice observations. I’ll add those to the list.
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is it just me or did roku city just become invaded by oz
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Yup, I need to get some serious photos a/o video. I’ve never seen Wicked, so I’m going to need help.
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Just woke up to Wicked taking over Roku City!
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well Roku city is pretty much back to normal with just a few elements from Zootopia 2 thrown in, the Zootopia central station, marsh market, and a donut shop
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Kevin, you dropped your comment as I was formatting the images. Article has been updated.
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There’s a new vehicle in Roku city, I believe it’s for Landman on Paramount+
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The “Godzilla kaiju” looks to be specifically Anguirus, Godzilla’s first ever opponent from 1955’s Godzilla Raids Again. He’s designed after the ankylosaurus dinosaur species, with a spiky turtle-like shell on his back.
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The Weasley’s car from Chamber of Secrets is definitely my new favorite item. Love how one way it’s beaten by the womping willow, then the other direction is good condition with Hedwig in her cage in the back seat. Also they removed her cage from the train station.
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hello! The building next to the Chrysler is avengers tower from Marvel 🙂
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There is a big donut on top of a little building now too. That is from an iron man movie.
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I think the Ferris Wheel might be from “The Third Man.” There’s an important confrontation on a Ferris Wheel between Joseph Cotten and someone else (I won’t tell you who with, in case you haven’t seen it).
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I am wondering what the new van is. It has a goat on top with a bunch of small circles going around the outside of a larger circle with a design in the middle. Does anyone know what it is from?
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There is a van with a goat atop. What’s the reference?
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There’s a van with a goat on top. Please tell me what this is referenced with. I’ve gone reddit rabbit holes and no one can figure it out.
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This is a bit long-winded because it started as a rant to my Facebook page. I left it intact as I think it might be appreciated here.
Thursday, for the first time in a while, they added some holiday related Easter eggs that weren’t (or don’t appear to be) paid advertising. We got Ron Weasley’s flying Anglia (pre and post Whomp), and the Le Baron from Planes,Trains, & Automobiles (would have been great if they had included the fried version), each loaded with items previously at the train station. We also got an RV with a goat on the roof that I THINK is from a movie called Half Brothers. We had to do some searching on that one and it is billed as a holiday movie.
This lasted one day, because tonight the screensaver kicks in and what do I see? Wally World (not the good one with the moose out front) has taken over the whole thing with what they’re trying to pass off as Whoville. They weren’t content with maybe putting a Walmart delivery van on the street among the other vehicles or even replacing the movie theater with a Supercenter. No, they had to obliterate the whole darned city and tear down the Whos at the same time. And I won’t even get into the whole “It’s not even Thanksgiving yet” argument because that’s just beating a dead turkey.
Paid content as part of the City Scroll is understandable and necessary. Destroying the city and replacing it with one big ad is not. Walmart and Roku need to read the freakin’ story!
“What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
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They removed Iron Man and used the donut for the Zootopia Donut Shop.
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I’m still formatting the photos of the Anglia and Le Baron from PTaA. I hadn’t seen the Goat RV. I’ll be working on documenting the WhoMart. I actually didn’t mind the Wicked Week.
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@Kay, Rose, and Amanda. Alas, I haven’t seen the Goat RV. WhoMart replaced the neighborhood this morning. If anyone has a good screenshot of the Goat RV, I’ll see what I can find.
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it is now whoville
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Working on photos.
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Wicked didn’t bother me as much because it was still for a movie. Turning our city into a Walmart add was a bit too much.
Here’s a link to a pic of the “Goat van”.
https://photo.bgw.myds.me/mo/sharing/YK2IySRqP
I’ve never shared this way from my NAS so I hope you can retrieve it. The driver looks like he’s wearing a turban, and the guy in Half Brothers is wearing a headband which could look pretty much the same in profile.
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Got it, Thank you.
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What is this new Walmart Whoville knock off? I kind of like it, but they could have waited another week or two for it!
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Agreed, working on photos for Whomart Black Friday saver.
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I just woke up to a Macy’s store on screen in Roku City, in reference to today’s, Thanksgiving Day Parade! There’s also two new vehicles driving in the city, but I haven’t pinpointed where they are from yet!
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I just noticed that the Barbie van is driving around in the city as well! Still researching the two older vehicles. One has a suitcase box on the back and the other is a plain vehicle.
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One of the cars is the flying car from Harry Potter! When it’s drive back from right to left, it’s all dented up as if they crashed into the tree. The suitcase car looks identical to the new John Candy documentary “John Candy: I like me”. I could be wrong, but it’s very similar! There’s a new Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade float that has been appearing every once in a while as well! Winner Winner Turkey Dinner!
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The car with the suitcase on the back is from Planes Trains and Automobiles.
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@Morgyn – There aren’t all that many great Thanksgiving movies. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is right up there at the top. And I think it’s in Featured Free.
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I didn’t see the parade today. Does anyone know if there is a Barbie tie-in for the van? It doesn’t seem to fit the other Thanksgiving-ish items. The goat van made more sense.
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There’s a new vehicle in Roku City, a little Chewy ad, with ChewyClaus riding in his sleigh down the streets of RC!
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Roku City has brought Sephora in for some seasonal makeup shopping!
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Thank you for the head’s up
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The trunk and Harry Potters Owl have disappeared from the train station. I think the left image at the diner is the robot from The Day The Earth Stood Still, and the right is the alien from The Simpsons.
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I think the Alcatraz island is The asylum from Shutter Island
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Both Hedwig and the trunk have moved to cars on the road. Interesting observations.
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The trunk on the car, a Chysler LeBaron woodie, I’m pretty certain was a referencewooden, car on Planes Trains and Automobiles a Thanksgiving day movie.
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Nailed it.
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The building near the Roku “bat signal” is the doctors building on Phineas and Ferb.
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THAT’s where I’ve seen it. I’ll update the article.
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dude the guy jumping off 7″ building is john mclane and that’s the nakatomi building from diehard I’m positive
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oh and the monster in diner I think is attack of the killer tomatoes not sure bout the game cabinet on right though
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