Tim Burton is the director and artist entrusted by Death to introduce the horrors of the world through children's eyes. His dark fantasies are a regular Wednesday for him. He has made kids privy to the unfortunate events that befall not just adults, but anyone at any age. Among the macabre and sense of black comedy, moments of wonder and light exist. Long enough to brace for impact with life's unpredictable and preventable messes. Burton embraces the dark and the light equally, never too rose-colored nor too cynical.

Films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands, and Sweeney Todd celebrate the weird and other, the stranger-than-fiction realities people are capable of. An exploration into childhood innocence and creativity shows a likeness to children's authors Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl, who were influences to Burton. His short films of stop animation started his dark descent and heavenly ascent, most notably with Vincent (1982), a love letter to Vincent Price. Burton's calling card has fashioned and re-fashioned itself more times than Beetlejuice has shape-shifted. When it becomes Easter eggs, they shine in the dark and hide in plain sight.

Black and White Clothing

Tim Burton Easter Egg Black and White Clothing
Warner Bros.

It's no secret that Tim Burton likes all shades of black and white. The definition of yin and yang can be seen in and on some of his characters. Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, wears a black and white bathing suit to take a deep dive into (customer's close-shaved necks) what's left of his conscience. Beetlejuice wears his signature black and white suit for grave robbing and soul-freeing bio-exorcisms. Burton wears German Expressionism on his sleeve!

Edward Scissorhand's Topiaries

Edward Scissorhands Topiaries
20th Century Fox

The humanoid with scissors for hands was made without a heart. However, he learns the humanities before his creator passes away and discovers his life's purpose: to create. Before becoming a hairdresser, Edward began his ki as a topiary artist. His first creation was a stomping Tyrannosaurus Rex. In Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016), the same dinosaur and similar topiaries are seen outside with the kids at play.

Edward Scissorhand's Suit

A scene from Tim Burton's fantasy film, Big Fish
Sony Pictures Releasing

Puberty can be an uncomfortable time. A growth spurt is probably the most painful thing about growing up. Growing pains need company, and what better friend than Edward Scissorhand's jet-black jumpsuit and machinery. Big Fish (2006) has Edward Bloom put into a device that facilitates his increase in height, but he is bedridden for three years. Scissorhands was a recluse for years as well. Edwards must think and dress alike.

Related: Why Tim Burton's Post-Disney Career Looks Promising

Captain Jack

James and the Giant Peach (1996) - Captain Jack
Buena Vista Pictures

Before the charming, swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow pirated our hearts, there was simply Captain Jack. A surplus figurine of Jack Skellington was featured in James and the Giant Peach (1996) as a mythologized sea captain. The sideshow villain is addressed as "Skellington" followed by the exclamation, "Jackpot!" It's possible that Jack Skellington was a pirate when he was alive before being brought back from the dead as the Pumpkin King. He has no remorse for stealing Christmas and his head does roll after all.

Jack Skellington Beetlejuice Easter Egg
Warner Bros.

Beetlejuice (1988) is home to the Netherworld where lost souls and creatures abound. The supernatural, cantankerous cretin does his best to scare the living daylights out of those still alive. One of his many forms is a carnival carousel, and at its top is the head of Jack Skellington. Adorned above his head is a bat about the same size as Jack's bat-shaped bow tie, also foreshadowing Michael Keaton's future role as the Dark Knight one year later.

Send in the Clown

Mars Attacks Batman Returns Easter Egg
Warner Bros.

Mars Attacks! (1996) is a parody of B-movie alien invasion films. The stereotypes are front and center: stubborn military personnel, dimwitted farm folk, and scientists too smart for their own good. In the background of it all, a lone sad clown behind a glass bell jar. The circus performer is reminiscent of Batman Returns (1992) with the clowns working for the Penguin.

Related: Edward Scissorhands: Why it Could be Tim Burton’s Best Film

Smylex and Smilex

Smilex Smylex Charlie Chocolate Factory Batman Easter Egg
Warner Bros.

Jack Napier fell into a vat of Smylex, transforming him into the Clown Prince of Crime, the Joker. He concocts a scheme in Batman (1989) to imbue the chemical into everyday household products and toiletries, forcing people to die laughing with a permanent smile on their faces. Later, in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie Bucket's father is seen working the conveyor belt of a toothpaste factory, featuring the product Smilex. If you have to die smiling, at least go out with a fresh set of chompers.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Tie

Big Fish Field of Daffodils (2003)
Sony Pictures Releasing

Edward Bloom didn't quite grow out of his Goth phase after dressing up as Edward Scissorhands. He took a dapper approach, sporting a necktie with the famous hill of Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Anyone who beats up a guy wearing this tie doesn't deserve to get married.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Masks

The Nightmare Before Christmas Masks Easter Egg
Buena Vista Pictures

Trick-or-treating trio Lock, Shock, and Barrel bear a haunting resemblance to the masked kids in Woman Who Came Back (1945). Both groups of children terrorize an adult. The first group kidnaps Santa Claus, and the latter, with the rest of their town, harasses a woman believed to be a witch.

Willy Wonka is in Edward Scissorhands

Willy Wonka and Edward Scissorhands Easter Egg
Warner Bros.

A flashback to when Willy Wonka opened his Chocolate Factory seems expected. After the ribbon cutting, however, the chocolatier turns to the crowd with the scissors still in hand. This is a nod to Edward Scissorhands (1990), one of many characters played by Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's films. His futuristic glasses are also similar to those worn by Depp in Sleepy Hollow (1999). A possible fan theory is that Willy Wonka became the inventor in Edward Scissorhands after his retirement. Burton knows no bounds!