Paper Money

Type a Konami Code at Bank of Canada’s $10 page

What does a video game “Easter Egg” code and the Bank of Canada’s new commemorative $10 note have in common?

Screenshot from the Bank of Canada website.

What does a Konami Code have to do with the Canada 150th anniversary $10 commemorative bank note just introduced? Or more specifically, some readers may ask, what is a Konami Code in the first place? Wikipedia calls it a “cheat code” for video games that affects the game’s settings. It works by typing “????????ba” and hitting the Enter key.

It has also come to be used to access hidden messages called “Easter Eggs” inserted on websites and in computer programs. And that’s where numismatics and gaming, usually worlds apart, united as the Bank of Canada came up with its latest gimmick.

Considering that Montreal is a center for the video gaming industry, it should not surprise that its influence may have rubbed off on the bank, where some enterprising programmers have inserted a bit of Konami Code accessible programming onto the website introducing the new note. Bank of Canada spokeswoman Josianne Menard said that “The Bank of Canada’s web team thought the Konami Code was a fun way to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.”

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Here’s how it works: Go here. While there, type in the code and press Enter. Shortly, the Canadian national anthem will begin to play, accompanied by a downpour of miniature $10 bills cascading down the screen.


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Comments ranged from MSN.com’s “Canada might be one of the geekiest countries ever” to Endgadget.com saying “The Konami code is in keeping with Canada’s tradition of doing cute, pop-culture things with its history” such as asking Twitter users to pick the “most Canadian” Pokemon character.


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