Easter eggs, Cameos, and other Curiosities

The rich LOTRO environment is not only filled with quests, deeds, and battles, but for the observant player there are also many curiosities - based on lore, the real world, or even other fantasy literature. This page figures the most notable ones. Obviously, this mandates a SPOILER ALERT - proceed at your own risk!

Easter eggs

Easter eggs are normally hidden and require a certain action or specific route to become apparent. Characters or objects that can relatively simply be found in-landscape are therefore in one of the other sections below.

Reaching the apex of the Hollin Ridge, which isn't easy, will recognize you as a Ridge-racer.
In Deep Beneath Gundabad, there is a very interesting easter egg. If you need a guide, Farstrike has a video.
There is a secret area near the throne in the Halls of Memory.
During the spring festival, bringing more and more spring wine to the party-goers continuously increase their merriness. Can you get them to dance on top of the table?
In another festival, during the autumn, Postmaster Proudfoot will appreciate if you return to him already before having studied all five forgotten letters.
Somewhere in the epic quest line in Wildermore (Vol. III, Book 10), Horn falls down and asks you to "give him a hand". Be different, and /clap at him.
Náin the Slakeless, Lord of the Iron Hills, has a basket of Easter eggs very near his throne in Járnfast. If you have trouble finding it, watch Scenario's casual stroll through the area (June 2023).

Cameos

In-game cameo appearances of non-LOTRO characters - disguised or not.

J.R.R. Tolkien. It is generally accepted that prof. Tolkien is being represented by Ronald Dwale, and likewise Tolkien's literary friends (the Inklings) can be found in some of the quests Dwale is associated with.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In the fairy tale, Goldilocks finds a cabin with three bowls of porridge, three chairs, and three beds - and later it becomes clear that three bears were living there. In LOTRO, this cabin can be found in Rohan, with the bears outside. Goldylocks was one of the daughters of Samwise Gamgee, who lived in Rohan for a while at a time after the main storey, making this a humorous reference to her.
The Killer Rabbit. Based on the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where a rabbit is lethal towards anything approaching it. In LOTRO, a suspiciously viciously-looking rabbit in a cave can be found in Enedwaith, just west outside the gate of Ost Dunhoth, and a number of rabbits in the vicinity seem to have killed bears, and can be found sitting on their prey. Also in other places in Middle-Earth can you see rabbits sitting on bear rugs, such as on Ravenhill, and in the Wildermore forest - while there is a huge amount of rabbits in the "Hidden Burrow" in the Great River region. Curiously, the icon for the now obsolete skill Improved Sign of the Wild: Rage features a rabbit, and may therefore have been inspired by this epic movie character.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The protagonist cast of these stories, along with their respective signature weaponry, are hiding somewhere in Bree...
Let's go ahead and say that a Standing Stone is also a character - and yes, it appears in-game. It isn't even disguised, but you'll have to do something resembling 10 years of work to track its location. If that is too much work, then here is a little help and spoiler!
The lumber camp in the Ringlo valley (King's Gondor) has this first use of the their/they pronoun in the game, used by NPCs in female outfits in the quest dialogs. This is likely another Monty Python reference, this time to the "Ï'm a Lumberjack" song.

Curiosities

From the rich fantasy of the developers.

Imprints of white hands can be found many places where Saruman's defilers have been, but there is also a white hand on a rock very close to Bree.
Have you noticed that the clouds over Echad Uial very briefly form the shape of a skull when you approach? Look for it! You can for example stand on the path near the entrance.^{[65.3S, 4.4E]}
The people in Middle-Earth also love ice skating when it is possible. And you can push them over! Go visit Sûri-kylä.
As we know, the elven-king's folk at Felegoth traded with the Lake-people by sending barrels down the river - containing for example apples, or in Bilbo's case, dwarves. Those barrels ended in the Long Lake, and you will occasionally catch one if fishing there. Alternatively you can also barter for an apple barrel if you want one in your home.
Fishing is definitely a theme in the developers' creativity. In a certain harbour in Eriador, you can find enemy invading soldiers sitting on a quay and trying to catch some fish.
There is a village of snowmen somewhere - seek out Dunland's coldest area!
Many animals can swim, but particularly the rabbits and frogs near Beorninghus are good at it.
Building sandcastles is also a favorite pastime in Evendim. Can you find the one on a small island southwest of Tyl Ruinen?

Notes: The Party Tree offers every year (during the Anniversary event) a series of "curiosities" deeds. Following these will naturally make you visit many of LOTRO's interesting places - and so will completing Bingo Boffin's quest line and the two Dewitt & Floid deeds. Checking out the hidden deeds page may also be of inspiration!