Stephen King Easter Eggs in Episode 1 of IT: Welcome to Derry

Highlights

• Connections: The show features connections to Stephen King’s multiverse.
• Character: Major Hanlon is likely related to Mike Hanlon from King’s works.
• Statue: Derry is attempting to erect a Paul Bunyan statue, a notable element in the franchise.
• Graffiti: References to characters like Alvin Marsh appear in the show.

As any dedicated Stephen King fan will know, the horror master’s body of work is peppered with sneaky connections and recurring characters.

Unsurprisingly, HBO Max‘s new IT prequel, IT: Welcome to Derry, is no exception. We already know from the trailer that Pennywise (Bill Skarsgård) is making a reappearance, and we know that the show is largely based on certain historical interlude chapters from the book — but now, one episode in, we have a sense of just how much it’ll also be dialled in to King’s multiverse.

We’ve broken down the Easter eggs we found in the first episode below.

Who is Major Hanlon?

As well as introducing some local Derry High schoolers, a key character in episode one is new town resident Major Hanlon (Jovan Adepo). The name is clearly no accident. In King’s novel, and in the movies, Mike Hanlon is a member of the Losers’ Club. He’s the only character who remains in Derry after the kids defeat IT the first time around, opting to stay back in the town and write a kind of diary/history of the local area.

Given that executive producer Andy Muscietti has confirmed that IT: Welcome to Derry is based on Hanlon’s interludes in the novel, it seems only right that one of his relations should be a core character in the show.

The question is, how is Major Hanlon related to Mike Hanlon? The show hasn’t made this explicit yet, but it’s worth noting that — based on the fact the show takes place in 1962, and the first movie takes place in the late 1980s — Major Hanlon is the right age to be Mike’s grandfather.

What is the significance of the Paul Bunyan statue?

Despite protests from residents, Derry is in the process of trying to erect a statue of Paul Bunyan in episode 1. There are billboards for it around town, and an article about it in a local paper.

This is the same statue that has been constructed by the time the cycle depicted in the book/movies has rolled round, and which famously comes to life to chase Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard/Bill Hader).

What does the graffiti in the school toilet say?

When Margie (Matilda Lawler) drags Lilly (Clara Stack) into the school toilets for a private chat, there’s some graffiti on the door that will ring a bell with King fans: The name “Alvin Marsh“, scrawled inside a love heart.

Alvin Marsh (Stephen Bogaert) will grow up to become the horrible and abusive father of Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis/Jessica Chastain), a core member of the Losers’ club in the books and movies.

How are turtles relevant in the series?

Without going too much into spoiler territory, turtles play a big part not only in IT, but also in King’s larger multiverse (hello, Dark Tower fans). So it’s only fitting that turtles feature heavily in episode 1 of IT: Welcome to Derry too, from a sign outside Derry High School that reads “BERT THE TURTLE SAYS: DUCK AND COVER” to the school’s turtle mascot handing out flyers warning students about the Cold War nuclear threat.

That’s not all, either. When Matty (Miles Ekhardt) takes Lilly to the abandoned tower where some of the boys have a base, they trade Cracker Jack cereal toys, with Matty giving Lilly his turtle in exchange for a rocket ship.

Her response? “Turtles are lucky.”

IT: Welcome to Derry debuts on Sunday, October 26 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO, and will be available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes air weekly.