Easter Egg Spoiler Alert!

If you haven’t seen the Guardians of the Galaxy movie and don’t want to know any spoilers – including easter eggs – bookmark this page and save until after you’ve seen the movie.

What’s an easter egg you say? It’s an intentional inside joke or hidden message within a work such as a video game, movie or book.There are many blogs out there right now about the easter eggs in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie but we wanted to specifically talk about one. At one point in the movie, Peter Quill aka Star Lord jokingly refers to Rocket Raccoon as “Ranger Rick” – which is where we come in.

Who is Ranger Rick?

To this day, Ranger Rick magazine is still one of the most popular children’s nature magazine, which instills a passion for nature and to promote activities outdoors. The magazine tells the story about Ranger Rick, who is the leader of a small group of animals living in Deep Green wood, as he and his friends—Scarlett Fox and Boomer Badger—encounter many problems for wildlife and the environment in their travels.

We all know that many of these easter eggs in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie were about the 1980s, so it would make sense for a young boy to recognize a raccoon with Ranger Rick (I know I did). We decided to tell you more about Ranger Rick and Rocket Raccoon.

Check out this fun comparison of Ranger Rick and Rocket Raccoon
Check out this fun comparison of Ranger Rick and Rocket Raccoon.

And this Rocket Raccoon guy?

But what is interesting is Rocket Raccoon’s life story and current personality are nowhere near what Ranger Rick is.

Rocket Raccoon’s background is an interesting one even though it is not mentioned in the movie. He is a bounty hunger and mercenary and then he teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy team. He comes from the planet Halfworld where there is colony is for the mentally ill, and the animal companions were genetically manipulated so they could become caretakers. During his story, it is also revealed that he was a laboratory subject on the Stranger’s planet and escaped his captivity there. He is a master tactician and field commander, an expert marksman and also an accomplished starship pilot.

Too much geek for you?

I loved that James Gunn decided to give Ranger Rick a shout out in the movie because most people think geeks or sci-fi nerds like me couldn’t also like nature and being outside. Yes, there are some but there are those like me who can enjoy both. It doesn’t have to be either or, and that’s what I love about the National Wildlife Federation and Ranger Rick. When it comes to conservation and being outdoors, it doesn’t matter who you are or what your hobbies are… the more the merrier.