The iconic GameCube start-up sound is a fond memory of many gamers’ childhoods, but for the last 23 years, the beloved Nintendo console has been harboring a little-known secret: There’s an alternate version of the well-known xylophone jingle that plays when the console is turned on, and it sounds absolutely hilarious.
Recently shared online by an employee at Secret Castle Toys–a local game shop based in Owensboro, Kentucky–the secret Easter egg start-up noise has taken the internet by storm, with many gamers wondering how so few knew about it for so long. According to the employee who shared the hidden sound with the world via a TikTok video, all one needs to do to access the Easter egg is hold down the Z button on their controller when booting up the console.
When done correctly, the Easter egg causes the GameCube’s familiar xylophone jingle to be replaced by a series of amusing squeaks, similar to the sound of a squeaky dog toy being repeatedly stepped on as the console’s animated G-shaped logo unfurls across the screen. The secret start-up sound then ends with an audio clip of a child laughing.
As reported (and tested) by Kotaku, the secret intro sound is indeed legit, and has somehow managed to go mostly undiscovered since the GameCube’s launch in 2001. The comments section under the TikTok video is full of viewers wondering how they missed out on this easy-to-activate secret, though some claim they’ve known about the secret for years.
“Knowing this was my biggest flex back in the day,” said one commenter.
