Top 10 Details You Missed in Wallace & Gromit Movies

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at our favorite subtle easter eggs and jokes hidden throughout the Wallace and Gromit franchise. Beware, there may be spoilers ahead.

#10: Director Portraits

“Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005)

Reverend Clement Hedges is one of many hilarious side characters in Wallace & Gromit’s feature-length debut. He’s the first to encounter the Were-Rabbit, and is hilariously revealed to read “Pro Nun Wrestling” magazine. Perhaps his most important contribution to the plot is providing Quartermaine with “24-carrot” gold bullets. At the end of one particular scene, we get an ominous zoom-out shot of the Vicar in his home. Here, we get a brief glimpse of directors Nick Park and Steve Box. The pair are dressed as priests, with their portraits subtly hung up on the walls. They’re only shown for a few frames, so only a keen eye will spot them.

#9: The Yorkshire / Lancashire Border

“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” (2024)

We’ve known since the opening shot of “The Wrong Trousers” that Wallace & Gromit call Wigan their home. For those unfamiliar with English geography, it’s a small town in the historic county of Lancashire. The northern county borders the magnificent Yorkshire, which is also a historic county of England. The two counties have had a rivalry for centuries, originating in the 1400s. In the 2024 film, while Feathers McGraw is making his escape, we see a sign for the Yorkshire border, with bold letters saying “keep out”. On the other side, the Lancastrians have hilariously written “no, you keep out!”

#8: Peter Sallis’ Hat

“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” (2024)

People from outside the UK will know Peter Sallis primarily as the voice of Wallace. Long before he was Wallace, he was Norman “Cleggy” Clegg in “Last of the Summer Wine”. This was a relatively popular sitcom, set in Yorkshire. This also explains why Wallace has a Yorkshire accent, because Sallis had practiced it extensively, making it easier than a Lancashire one. Cleggy was always spotted wearing his iconic tweed flat cap. Sallis passed away in 2017, and was unable to play Wallace in the 2024 installment. Aardman subtly paid tribute to Sallis by having Cleggy’s flat cap hung up on Wallace’s coat rack.

#7: Bob’s Buns

“A Close Shave” (1995) & “Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death” (2008)

In 2008, the duo dipped their toes into baking, becoming Wigan’s most famous bakers. The opening scene shows us a frightening murder, with Baker Bob the victim. He’s the 12th victim claimed by the villainous Piella before she meets Wallace. Fascinatingly, this wasn’t his first mention in the series. In “A Close Shave”, a billboard of Baker Bob is hiding the entrance to Preston’s secret lair. The character is a reference to Bob Baker, co-writer of numerous Wallace & Gromit films. Baker also worked on the original series of “Doctor Who” and goes way back in the British TV and film industry.

#6: Rosebud

“A Grand Day Out” (1989)

“Citizen Kane” is one of the most widely loved older movies. Originally released in 1941, countless people will argue it’s the best film ever. It’s quite surprising to find out that this old, and rather mature, film is referenced not once, but twice in “Wallace & Gromit”. First in “A Grand Day Out”, we can see a red sled called “Rose Bud” in Wallace’s basement. This is what Citizen Kane named his own sled, and these were also his final words. The second reference happens in “A Matter of Loaf and Death”, where we see a poster for “Citizen Canine” in Gromit’s room.

#5: Moon Cheese Shares Soar

“The Wrong Trousers” (1993)

Building a rocket in a night and flying to the moon simply because you’ve run out of cheese, is an extreme flex. It makes Elon Musk's space ventures look like child’s play. Wallace and Gromit’s hilarious adventure in “A Grand Day Out” is referenced loads throughout the following films. The most hilarious example is in a newspaper in “The Wrong Trousers”. Gromit is casually reading his morning paper, with a headline saying “Moon Cheese Shares Soar”. Subtle jokes like this are littered in newspapers throughout the franchise. It makes you wonder: why did the pair embark on so many business ventures when their first was such a gold mine?

#4: “Creature Comforts” Cameos

“A Close Shave” (1995) & “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005)

If you grew up in the UK, you might have watched Aardman Animation’s “Creature Comforts” as a child. For those unaware, it’s a stop-motion mockumentary that hilariously interviews animals. A couple of these comical characters were subtly placed into “Wallace & Gromit” movies. Frank the tortoise is hiding in the pair’s garden in “A Close Shave”. His likeness is also used for an Anti-Pesto surveillance device in “Were-Rabbit”. During the delightfully creative museum burglary in “The Wrong Trousers”, we can spot the “Creature Comforts” lion. (xref) He’s kept in a small glass box, which is unfortunate, because the character hates a lack of space.

#3: Newspaper Chicken Story

“A Grand Day Out” (1989)

This reference is so bizarre only hardcore fans will understand it, and most were probably told about it by someone else. While ascending toward the moon, Wallace reads a newspaper with the headline “chicken saved by bantom”. There’s a lot to unpack in this tabloid eye catcher. When director Nick Park was a child, his family had pet chickens. Once a hen fell into a pond and nearly drowned. Thankfully, her poultry pals struck into action, alerted the family, and the chicken was saved. The headline is referencing this incident as the word bantam (with 2 As) is used to describe a small variety of fowl. Using the word “bantom” can also be seen as a subtle Batman reference. The paper also has an article titled “Peter Goes to Lords”, which seems to be alluding to Peter Lord, Aardman Animations’ co-founder.

#2: Prison Scene

“A Close Shave” (1995)

Gromit going to jail is one of the series’ lowest moments, as it’s rock bottom for our beloved canine. Seeing Wallace struggle while his house gets flooded with sheep is as sad as it is hilarious. We get a short scene of Gromit’s cell, which is subtly hinted at being the ex-cell of Feathers McGraw, Earth’s most dangerous penguin. Behind Gromit, you can spot “Feathers was ‘ere” scratched into the brick. Gromit’s also reading “A Penguin Classic” - “Crime and Punishment” by “Dogstoyevsky”, one of the more droll jokes in the series.

#1: Feathers McGraw Slipped into the Background

“A Close Shave” (1995), “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005), & “Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death” (2008)

Feathers McGraw returns in “Vengeance Most Fowl”, seeking to steal the Blue Diamond once again. Surprisingly, he’s appeared in multiple “Wallace & Gromit” movies and a few other Aardman Animation pictures. In “A Close Shave”, we already mentioned the references to him in Gromit’s cell, but Feathers is also physically perched upon a rock during the final chase. In “Were-Rabbit”, we see him hanging out on top of Tottington Hall. Finally, the zoo from “A Matter of Loaf and Death” has a missing poster for McGraw. Maybe this explains how he became an expert hacker in “Vengeance Most Fowl” - he was plotting the robbery for decades, and wasn’t as confined as we’d like to think. But then why did he have to so carefully calculate an escape plan if escaping was actually so easy? This may forever remain a mystery.

Were there any subtle easter eggs we missed but you noticed? Drop them in the comments!