The HBO Max series is brimming with references to King's vast literary universe. Every Stephen King Easter egg you may have missed in IT: Welcome to Derry The HBO Max series is brimming with references to King's vast literary universe. By Randall Colburn :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/RandallColburnauthorphotoe7e8b48d9f8645588439077e721a5f48.jpg) Randall Colburn Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at . His work has previously appeared on The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer, and many other publications. EW's editorial guidelines on November 23, 2025 10:01 p.m.

The HBO Max series is brimming with references to King's vast literary universe.

Every Stephen King Easter egg you may have missed in IT: Welcome to Derry

The HBO Max series is brimming with references to King's vast literary universe.

By Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on *The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer*, and many other publications.

EW's editorial guidelines

on November 23, 2025 10:01 p.m. ET

Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann on 'IT: Welcome to Derry'. Credit:

Brooke Palmer/HBO

Like the malevolent clown dancing in its dark heart, *IT: Welcome to Derry* is a strange creature.

The series is technically a prequel to 2017's *IT* and 2019's *IT Chapter Two, *which were adapted from Stephen King's 1986 epic novel about Derry, Maine, a small town being terrorized by an ancient, child-devouring evil that surfaces every 27 years. According to co-creator Andy Muschietti, who also directed the films, *Welcome to Derry* will adapt the book's various interludes, which dig deep into Derry's violent history and how its namesake creature factors into it.

And while that's true, the show is also its own beast, deviating greatly from King's story by weaving in military intrigue, spycraft, and Native American mythology. That gives the creative team ample freedom to flesh out their vision of Derry, all while paying tribute to the breadth of King's vast oeuvre, which, by virtue of the author's penchant for cross-pollination, lends itself to Easter eggs.

What an Easter egg *is*, exactly, is up for interpretation. But for the purposes of this piece, we're focusing on direct and oblique references to the book *IT* and King's work in general. Also, for the sake of clarity, we'll be calling the story's nameless shapeshifter Pennywise, the leering clown that often serves as its painted face.

Below are all of the Stephen King Easter eggs in *Welcome to Derry. *Be sure to bookmark this piece, as we'll be updating it after each new episode.

Episode 1: 'The Pilot'

Bert the Turtle in 'IT: Welcome to Derry' episode 1.

- The surname of Leroy Hanlon (Jovan Adepo) will be familiar to fans of both the novel and its adaptations, as it's shared by Mike, a key member of the Losers' Club who goes on to become the town's librarian (and the researcher of the interludes on which *Welcome to Derry* is based). An older version of Leroy (played by Steven Williams) is seen in Muschietti's *IT* films showing Mike (Chosen Jacobs) the ropes at his abattoir.****

- Fans may also recognize the surname of Teddy Uris (Mikkal Karim-Fidler), the broccoli-haired pre-teen who features heavily in episode 1. Stan Uris (played by Wyatt Oleff and Andy Bean in the films) is among the most ill-fated members of the Losers' Club. Considering what happens to Teddy at the end of episode 1, it's likely his brother, not him, who is Stan's father.

'It: Welcome to Derry' star Chris Chalk explains Dick Hallorann's unexpected role

'It: Welcome to Derry' star Stephen Rider initially lost out on Mike Hanlon movie role

- We don't spend much time with him in episode 1, but the Black soldier seen with Leroy at the Derry military base is Dick Hallorann (Chris Chalk). Hallorann is best known from *The Shining*, in which he teaches a young Danny Torrance to use his psychic gift. The character also appears briefly in *IT*'s first interlude, though it's clear his role will be expanded on in this series.****

- One of the more curious elements of *IT* is Maturin the turtle, a cosmic being that essentially serves as a benevolent counterpart to the evil in Derry. Maturin hasn't been portrayed in any adaptations yet — it would be very difficult to pull off — but is often referenced. *Welcome to Derry* is no exception, with the school's mascot being Bert the Turtle. We also see Matty (Miles Ekhardt) give Lilly (Clara Stack) a toy turtle, and she responds by saying, "Turtles are lucky."

A bloody finger rising from the drain on 'IT: Welcome to Derry'.

- After Lilly hears the voice of missing Matty coming up through her bathtub drain, she shrieks when one of his bloody fingers reaches up through it. This may or may not be a reference to "The Moving Finger," a short story collected in King's 1993 book *Nightmares & Dreamscapes*. In that story, a man is haunted by a long, multi-jointed finger rising from his bathroom sink.****

- Eagle-eyed viewers will see a *Creature From the Black Lagoon* poster in Phil's (Jack Molloy Legault) room. In the book, the scaly Creature is among the many forms Pennywise takes when terrorizing its victims.

"Alvin Marsh," reads bathroom graffiti in 'IT: Welcome to Derry'.

- During a scene between Lilly and Marge (Matilda Lawler) in the school bathroom, the name "Alvin Marsh" is seen written inside a heart on the wall. Alvin Marsh is the name of the abusive father of the Losers' Club's Beverly Marsh (played by Sophia Lillis and Jessica Chastain in the films).****

- This one might be pushing it, but Teddy is notably seen reading a Clayface comic book. For one, Clayface is, like Pennywise, a shapeshifter. Secondly, DC Studios' upcoming Clayface film was written by Mike Flanagan, who has directed multiple Stephen King adaptations, including *Gerald's Game*, *Doctor Sleep*, and the upcoming *Carrie* series for Amazon.**

Episode 2: 'The Thing in the Dark'

Peter Outerbridge as Clint Bowers in 'IT: Welcome to Derry' episode 2.

- This episode offers a look at how the U.S. military is attempting to leverage Hallorann's "gifts," a.k.a. the shining, to help track down Pennywise's lair.****

- Juniper Hill, the mental hospital where Lilly is taken at episode's end, appears in numerous King books, including *IT*. (In the book, one of the guards is named John Koontz, a potential dig at author Dean Koontz, one of King's contemporaries.)**cha**

- Derry's police chief is named Clint Bowers (Peter Outerbridge), another name that should ring a bell with Constant Readers. Henry Bowers is the local punk who relentlessly bullies the Losers' Club and later falls under the spell of Pennywise. Henry's dad, Butch, was portrayed as a cop in Muschietti's films, and we're guessing Clint is his father.****

- A portrait of actress Rita Hayworth can be seen behind Clint in the bar. The King novella that inspired *The Shawshank Redemption* is called *Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption*. A poster featuring the actress plays prominently into the plot.

A sign announcing the building of a Paul Bunyan statue on 'IT: Welcome to Derry'.

- A great deal of hubbub is being made over the installation of a Paul Bunyan statue in Derry. That statue, as fans of both the book and *IT Chapter Two* know, will be used to terrifying effect by Pennywise.****

- Lilly is seen drinking a Fizz-A-La soda. A fictional soda brand in King's work is Nozz-A-La.****

- This episode marks the first appearance of Secondhand Rose, Secondhand Clothes, a thrift store featured in several King stories. In *IT Chapter Two*, King himself played the store's proprietor.****

- Is this an Easter egg? Maybe? Well, the man Charlotte (Taylour Paige) sees outside the drugstore in downtown Derry looks very much like a younger Norbert Keene, the creepy pharmacist the Losers encounter in the films.

Larry Day as Stan Kersh on 'IT: Welcome to Derry'.

- The butcher Charlotte meets is named Stan Kersh (Larry Day). Kersh is also the name of the elderly woman (?) Beverly finds living in her old home when she returns to Derry as an adult.****

- In detention, "Mike loves Christine" is written on the chalkboard. How can we not think of the 1958 Plymouth Fury at the center of King's 1983 novel *Christine*?**

Episode 3: 'Now You See It'

Kids gathered in a graveyard in 'IT: Welcome to Derry' episode 3.

Brooke Palmer/HBO

- The episode begins at a circus in 1908. One of the games has players trying to knock down turtle carvings. As we established previously, a turtle appears in King's book as a cosmic representation of order. Turtles are all over this show.****

- Muschietti, who directed the *IT* films and is a co-creator of *Welcome to Derry*, cameos as the creepy piano player inside the circus tent.

Andy Muschietti as the piano player in 'Welcome to Derry' episode 3.

- Clint offers Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider) a Pall Mall cigarette. King often has his characters smoke Pall Malls, most notably in his 1989 book *The Dark Half*.****

- Clint also threatens Hank with a prison sentence in Shawshank, a penitentiary that appears in numerous King stories and adaptations, but is best known as the setting for *The Shawshank Redemption*. "You know what they do to kiddie killers at Shawshank?" Clint asks. Anyone who's read the novella or seen the film will have an idea.****

- During Hallorann's vision of Pennywise's lair, he sees a woman floating above him that he calls "grandma." In King's work, we learn that Hallorann's grandma was also gifted with the Shining, and that she was the one who taught him how to use it.****

- When the ghosts of the dead kids from episode 1 swarm our heroes during the climactic scene in the cemetery, Susie can be heard singing the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons," which you can also hear in Muschietti's *IT* movies.**

Episode 4: 'The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet's Function'

Bert the Turtle on 'IT: Welcome to Derry'.

- The episode begins with our teenage heroes riding through downtown Derry. Look close and you'll see Jade of the Orient, the Chinese restaurant that serves the Losers' Club some monstrous plates in King's story.****

- Also spotted downtown? Nan's Luncheonette, a diner that's featured in both *IT* and a few of his stories set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. We're guessing it's a chain.****

- There's a hotel in downtown Derry called the Arrowhead. A few King stories — *The Mist*, in particular — make mention of a secretive government program (not too unlike the one in *Welcome to Derry*) called the Arrowhead Project.****

- Bert the Turtle rears his green head once again in a classroom reel about how to "duck and cover" in the event of a nuclear catastrophe.**

Chris Chalk as Dick Hallorann on 'IT: Welcome to Derry'.

- When Hallorann enters the mind of Taniel (*The Long Walk*'s Joshua Odjick), he finds himself in a black expanse filled with standalone doorways. In King's *Dark Tower* series (and in other works), these types of inter-dimensional doors often serve as gateways between worlds.****

- This one's silly, but when Hallorann infiltrates one of Taniel's childhood memories, he sees the boy playing with little toy soldiers. In "Battleground," a short story collected in 1978's *Night Shift*, an assassin finds himself attacked by toy soldiers come to life.**

Episode 5: 'Neibolt Street'

Arian S. Cartaya, Matilda Lawler, Clara Stack, Blake Cameron James, and Amanda Christine on 'IT: Welcome to Derry'.

Brooke Palmer/HBO

- In episode 2, we met a butcher named Stan Kersh, who shares a surname with the monstrous woman an adult Beverly finds living in her old home in the book and in *IT Chapter Two*. Here, we learn that Stan is married to Ingrid Kersh (Madeleine Stowe), the Juniper Hill housekeeper befriended by Lilly. Seems like a character to keep an eye on.****

- When Hank is in custody and being loaded onto a bus to Shawshank Prison, he's nearly shot by an anguished parent. Not only is the moment evocative of Jack Ruby's murder of alleged John. F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, but the would-be assassin's outfit is curiously similar to Oswald's when he was arrested. King's 2011 novel *11/22/63* is about a man who travels back in time to prevent the murder of Kennedy, and Oswald is a major character.

An assassin emerges from the crowd on 'IT: Welcome to Derry'.

- During the sewer sequence, Hallorann is transported to a memory in which he and his grandma are terrorized by his grandpa (Andrew Moodie), who is implied to have molested Hallorann as a child. This detail is taken from King's 2013 novel *Doctor Sleep*, a sequel to *The Shining*. In that book, we also learn how Hallorann could use his power to lock away evil spirits in a mental lockbox, including his grandpa. Here, we see his grandfather carrying a lockbox that he claims to have found in the "sphincter" of Hallorann's soul. By episode's end, his demand that Hallorann open it has been fulfilled.**

Where can I watch IT: Welcome to Derry?

*IT: Welcome to Derry *streams on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max.

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Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Horror"

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Source: Horror

Published: November 29, 2025 at 07:38PM on Source: MARIO MAG

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