History Main / EenieMeenieMinyMoai

You may be looking for one of the following:

* UsefulNotes/RapaNui: The home of the Moai statues, also known as Easter Island.

* UsefulNotes.RapaNui: The home of the Moai statues, also known as Easter Island.

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16759080220.79694200 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.

[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Moai_Heads.png]]
[[caption-width-right:225:"...catch a seagull in the sky, if he hollers, let him fly, my mother said to pick the very best head and you are... IT!"]]

Moai (literally "statue[s]" in the Rapa Nui language) are famous stone statues found on [[UsefulNotes/{{Chile}} Easter Island]] that typically depict a human's head and body and are sometimes seen with a hat called a pukao. For whatever reason, they wind up cropping up in fiction quite a bit. Very frequently their existence or history is treated as a mystery, possibly to be "explained" by some element of the plot, even though in RealLife their significance and means of construction are known and uncontroversial. Many works also tend to describe the moai as ancient, even though they were really built between the [[NewerThanTheyThink 13th and 15th century CE]], which makes sense considering that the people who built them, the Rapa Nui, started inhabiting Easter Island less than three centuries earlier.

For years, the island has been held up as a GreenAesop (with a side-dish of "look at these dumb [[BeliefMakesYouStupid religious]] savages"), since archeological research suggests there was a thriving population, and people were quick to suggest their civilization was apparently so obsessed with creating the statues that they overtaxed the island's resources and made it uninhabitable with an environmental collapse. More recently, this explanation has fallen out of favor due to new evidence suggesting that transporting the moai was not done by rolling them on logs, and the extinction of Easter Island's trees was caused by the [[IntroducedSpeciesCalamity accidental introduction of rats]] that ate their nuts.

More often than not the fictional equivalent is typically just the extremely large moai head and neck, as opposed to a full-body moai; the most widely-known real-life moai are those of Rano Raraku, which are full-bodied statues buried up to their shoulders or necks in the ground. These moai were the most famous (and impressive) largely because they were the only statues that the Easter Islanders were incapable of knocking over when their civilization collapsed, though many moai have since been re-erected. The pukao (a hat- or topknot-like adornment) is rarely seen, as are the coral eyes many of the statues once possessed. [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/AhuTongariki.JPG The statues as a whole are far from proportional, with the heads making up a considerable portion of their overall height, which varies considerably from statue to statue.]]

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!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Advertising]]
* These [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYUi4wOMZVY two]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sip3G03d4Y adverts]] for Copperhead cider feature moai singing "Om, knock it on the head".
* A Dristan commercial from the '90s featured several Moai complaining about sinus colds, save for the one whose nose is broken off.
-->'''Moai:''' Pain, pressure... Runny nose...\\
'''Noseless Moai:''' At least you've got a nose.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Since 1984, the distribution arm of Bandai, "Emotion," had a pair of Moai as [[VanityPlate their]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC7lUVIN_U8 logo]]. At least some anime appearances are nods to this old logo.
* In ''Anime/DigimonUniverseAppMonsters'', the only part of the Deep Web that the heroes visit outside of [[NeonCity Cyber Kowloon]] is a desert where every rock formation, including the floating ones, is embedded with Moai heads. There are also freestanding moai heads in areas of flat land.
* ''Anime/FlintTheTimeDetective'' [[HistoricalInJoke explained the existence]] of Moai as summons for a Moai-like monster's attack.
* In ''Manga/HidamariSketch'', when others build snowmen, [[DitzyGenius Miyako]] builds snow-Moais.
* In the [[Manga/KingdomHeartsII manga version]] of ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' (2013 expanded reissue edition), the reason that Roxas doesn't have enough money to go to the beach is because the other day he bought a Moai tissue dispenser with tissues that come out of its nose. This, by the way, [[http://www.amazon.com/Retro-51-Tiki-Tissue-Holder/dp/B004XZG2UA was a real, existing product]].
* ''Manga/MonsterMusume'' shows some Moai inside an artificial spring (or maybe it's a resting bench), but they just stand around (and Miia uses them as scratching poles to vent off anger).
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' had these appearing in random places during the [[SchoolFestival Mahora Festival]]. The 3D Background Explanation Corner of volume 16 called them Mysterious Stone Sculptures, with the note "Why these things are around is an even bigger mystery."
* The ''Manga/OnePiece'' short "Jiginai Time" (or "No Respect Time") apparently takes place entirely within the dream of an incredibly bored, talking moai, much to the main characters' chagrin.
* One episode of ''Anime/PaniPoniDash'' takes all of Class 1-C into resident {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Himeko's mind. More specifically, her dreams. She has Moai statues decorating the landscape, and all of them have her signature IdiotHair cowlick.
* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' The Pokemon Nosepass and its evolved form Probopass are based on the Moai statues of Easter Island, with its evolved form based on the pukao-wearing versions.
* Known as the Stone Heads of Moi in ''Anime/SaberRiderAndTheStarSheriffs''. [[spoiler:Our heroes find them on an alien planet, implying that aliens had put them on Earth long ago.]]
* ''Manga/SgtFrog'' 'solves' this 'mystery' once and for all -- [[spoiler:the Moai heads are mechanized, able to bob up and down as part of a massive Whack-A-Mole game.]]
** The manga has them as transformed islanders that seal away "Aku Aku". The Aku Aku fought by Fuyuki and co. turns out to be a [[ShoutOut Bacterian]] [[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} invader]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ''ComicBook/BatmanAdventures'' #4 had Batman fighting Ra's al Ghul in a [[ElaborateUndergroundBase secret underground base]] on Easter Island. The base was under a field of head-and-neck moai, and when the action moved underground it was revealed that they had proportionally large bodies which formed the pillars supporting the roof of the secret base.
* ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}: [[Recap/TintinFlight714 Flight 714]]'' has a moai-like idol concealing a hidden passageway.
* One of Creator/MarvelComics' early, pre-''ComicBook/FantasticFour'' monster comics revealed the Moai to be [[SiliconBasedLife silicon-based aliens,]] buried up to their necks. When the Kronans (aka the "Stone Men From Saturn") were later introduced in ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'', they were given the same appearance, with the distinctive elongated heads, despite having no explicit connection to Easter Island. The Kronans still pop up occasionally in Marvel titles (the [[Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]] befriended one during "Planet Hulk"), and their heads still look like Moai. Thor ''did'' eventually get in a fight with the Easter Island aliens, and again, there was no indication that they were Kronans, desite the similarity.
* ''ComicBook/CaptainCarrotAndHisAmazingZooCrew'' featured a story explaining the origin of the (rabbit-shaped) moai heads on Easter Bunny Island (Earth-C's counterpart of Easter Island): centuries ago, an alien rabbit-like being was using Earth to dispose of dangerous glowing eggs from his native world. The being ordered the island's primitive natives to bury the eggs, then construct the giant stone heads to cover them. Unable to return to his native world, the alien put himself into a state of suspended animation, with the memory of the buried eggs/purpose of the giant heads eventually lost to history. The eggs (and the alien) eventually re-emerged in the present, with both threatening the world.
* A European Disney comic strip featured WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse and Eega Beeva trying to stop an invasion from a race of extraterrestrials, who happen to be allergic to chlorophyll. They first landed (you guessed it) on Easter Island [[AncientAstronauts centuries ago]]. [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien The locals considered them as gods]] descending from the sky and [[BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy built the statues to worship them]]. Interstellar transmitters were left inside the statues.
* One Don Martin cartoon for ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' magazine has an archeology expedition revealing that the statues are actually depictions of gigantic hockey players.
* In the French comic ''Anachron'', the statues are actually telepathic aliens called Petramorphs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* In ''ComicStrip/ShermansLagoon'', a moai named Kahuna is a recurring character. He has magical powers that are usually used to [[HumanityEnsues transform Sherman and friends into humans]] for brief land-side adventures.
* ''Crock'' has Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan idol/god who speaks to some of the characters. He looks suspiciously like a Moai, despite being in the African desert and named after a Babylonian king.
* A ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip had Calvin defending his Moai snow sculptures: "What's wrong with Easter Island? I ''like'' Easter Island!"
* A recurring character in ''ComicStrip/ZippyThePinhead'' has a Moai-head.
* There was a one-panel magazine cartoon where one moai said to another: "You're standing on my foot."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Bob Parr very nearly knocks open a huge door with one, but it starts opening before he arrives.
* Because the rabbits are all from [[{{Pun}} Easter Island]] we get to see some in ''Film/{{Hop}}''. They're apparently the secret entrances to the Easter Bunny's whole operation. Some even properly have the pukao.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ElfBowlingTheMovieTheGreatNorthPoleElfStrike'', the moai in Fiji are brought to life by Santa's evil brother, Dingle, using the magic orb. [[spoiler:He uses them as his muscle to bury Santa in the sand, but Santa tells them his story, they sympathize with him, and decide to take his side in the conflict instead.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}''
** ''Film/GodzillaVsMegalon'' had a brief shot of some Easter Island Moai as part of an infodump on the lost continent of Seatopia, home of the evil monster Megalon. Apparently the Seatopians' ancestors built them three million years ago.
** Supplementary material for ''Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019'' has Monarch theorize that the Easter Island moai were built to serve as giant scarecrows to keep the Titan Scylla away from the island.
* In a brief scene in ''Film/MarsAttacks'', an alien saucer uses a large arm-like extension to throw a huge bowling ball at and knock over some Easter Island moai.
* A moai is among the museum exhibits that come to life in ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum''. Voiced by Brad Garrett, he wants dum-dum (Larry) to give him gum-gum.
* ''Film/RapaNui1994'' takes place on Easter Island in the distant past, and is loosely (quite loosely) based on surviving legends of how and why the statues were erected.
* The island in ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'' has Moai-type stone heads. But because the island's native tribespeople are wild boars, so are the heads. They also join in two of the songs. "''Boom''-shakalaka!"
* In ''Film/TheHouseBunny'' the sorority throws an Aztec theme party, complete with a virgin "sacrifice" (the girl slides into a vat of warm gelatin). In a (lampshaded) example of artistic license, several people are seen wearing Moai masks/costumes, and some Moai statues can be seen in the background.
* The mysterious hidden island in ''Film/DakotaHarris'' is full of stone Easter Island heads.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/ArtemisFowl: The Opal Deception'', the [[AmusementParkOfDoom 11 Wonders theme park]] includes replicas of the Moai among the other wonders of human architecture.
* The ''Franchise/{{Doctor Who|Expanded Universe}}'' Literature/PastDoctorAdventures novel ''Eye of Heaven'' reveals that, like most things in the Franchise/{{Whoniverse}}, the moai were put there by AncientAstronauts. They're alien computers that run a [[{{Teleportation}} Transmat]] network.
* ''Kon-Tiki'', as an anthropological text, goes into the details of manufacturing and placing the Moai as part of the author's theory of trans-Pacific migration.
* In one ''Literature/ChooseYourOwnAdventure'' book, you are abducted by aliens and taken into interstellar space. In one path, you can acquire a handheld replica of one of these. If you show it to the aliens in charge of the ship, you can command them. If you make them take you back to Earth, however, they'll only take you to Easter Island.
* In the ''Area 51'' novel series, the moai are statues of the Airlia, [[spoiler:a SufficientlyAdvancedAlien race who created humanity as foot soldiers in their wars.]]
* These appear in ''E. Aster Bunnymund and the Warrior Eggs at the Earth's Core!'', Book 2 of ''Literature/TheGuardiansOfChildhood'', when Katherine and North visit Easter Island. They grow bunny ears.
* Literature/OlogySeries: One of the ''Dragonology'' books has the [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon species]] ''Draco stupidus'', which hunted humans on Easter Island and prefered ones with large heads. In response, the people built the Moai, which the dragon tried to eat. [[TooDumbToLive The species died out shortly afterwards]].
* The Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' makes a forced landing on Easter Island in ''Shuttle Down'' by Lee Correy ([[LifeImitatesArt published 5 years before]] {{UsefulNotes/NASA}} designated the island as an emergency landing site and expanded its airport).
* In ''Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth'', the Pacific islands where Cpt. Obed Marsh first encountered the [[FishPeople Deep Ones]] are said to have had similiar statues to those on Easter Island.
-->Told [[FunetikAksent abaout]] an island east of [[UsefulNotes/FrenchPolynesia Otaheité]] whar they was a lot o’ stone ruins older’n anybody knew anything abaout, kind o’ like them on Ponape, in the Carolines, but with carvin’s of faces that looked like the big statues on Easter Island. They was a little volcanic island near thar, too, whar they was other ruins with diff’rent carvin’s—ruins all wore away like [[UnderwaterCity they’d ben under the sea onct]], an’ with picters of awful monsters all over ’em.
* In ''Literature/TheBoxcarChildren'' novel ''Blue Bay Mystery'', the family is vacationing on an uncharted Pacific island and discover a fallen statue, which they are told is similar to the ones on Easter Island.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/LookAroundYou'', in its "Maths" episode, asks how tall Imhotep is. Of course, in traditional ''Series/LookAroundYou'' fashion, Imhotep is a moai that's been given an Egyptian name. [[spoiler:He is also invisible.]]
* ''Series/ChourikiSentaiOhranger:'' Moa Loader/[[Series/PowerRangersZeo Zeo Zord I]] is a Moai statue crossed with a [[MoreDakka rolling artillery platform.]]
* ''Series/DestinationTruth'': Josh and his team seek out if the Moai are "haunted"
* ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'' states that Easter Island was "a practical joke that got out of hand".
* ''Series/DoctorWho''. Mentioned as a NoodleIncident in "The Impossible Astronaut". The [[Creator/MattSmith Eleventh Doctor]] and River Song are going through their diaries, catching up on what part of the timeline they're in. This of course is a riff on Matt Smith's [[LanternJawOfJustice impressive chin]].
-->'''River:''' Have we done Easter Island yet? They ''worshiped'' you there. Have you seen the statues?
* ''Series/MysteryHunters'': One of Doubting Dave's v-file segments discusses theories that people had for the purpose of the statutes of Easter Island though he mentions it isn't exactly known for sure.
* The pilot episode of ''Series/UltramanTiga'' has the awakening of two kaiju from their hibernation spots, one of them -- Melba the Ultra-Ancient Dragon -- from underneath Easter Island, destroying several Moais in the process.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The Creator/{{Hipgnosis}} cover of the Music/{{Styx}} album ''Pieces of Eight'' contrasts the real moai with middle aged women wearing moai earrings.
* The song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibiS26Tky40 Easter Island Head]]" is about the narrator wanting to be one of these.
* Towards the end of the music video for Music/WeirdAlYankovic's "CNR", there are natives worshipping a moai with glasses that, naturally, looks like Charles Nelson Reilly.
* Music/PinkFloyd's ''The Division Bell'' uses pairs of moai-like impressionist sculptures facing each other as a theme. Several different variations are used in the lyric booklet, and the version included with the CD includes one pair of regular moai.
* The title track of [[Music/GeorgeClinton Parliament]]'s ''Music/MothershipConnection'' mentions Easter Island.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinballs]]
* The "Devil's Island" table of ''VideoGame/BallsOfSteel'' has one in the upper-right corner of the playfield, named "Big Ugly Head".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' supplement ''Shadows of Yog-Sothoth'', adventure "The Watchers of Easter Island". Some of the moai on Easter Island were creations of the Deep Ones with the purpose of channeling magical energy. The others were created by humans in imitation of the originals.
* As part of its {{Shout Out}}s to Konami series, the ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' card game has the cards "Chronomaly Moai", "Statue of Easter Island" and "Moai Interceptor Cannons." The last of these sees some use in Subterror decks, where their ability to flip themselves face-down can get the ball rolling.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* The first design of the Toa's and Matoran's unmasked faces in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' seems to be loosely based off the Moai, in keeping with the various references to Polynesian culture. There is also a Matoran named Hafu who is famous for his stone statues, and a similar large stone head can be seen overlooking the Kini-Nui temple in the story material. Actual Moai heads were hidden in the background of the 2003 Matoran toys' boxes decorating an arena wall, as well as in certain scenes of the ''Mata Nui Online Game'', where Turaga Vakama seems to own a collection of them.
* Giant, ancient stone heads appear again in ''Toys/{{Bionicle 2015}}'''s promo artwork and the ''Journey to One'' animated mini series.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Help Gulliver in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'' and there's a chance he'll mail you a Moai the next day as a reward, which you can't get otherwise.
* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' Nosepass and its evolution Probopass. The latter has painted eyes and a hat, matching the original appearance of the Moai statues.
* ''VideoGame/BrokenReality'': Three of them are in Domo Paradisso, and ask for items from the nearby mall to help deal with the sunshine.
* ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'' includes a game where two moai sing to each other.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fairune}}'' has the Stone Head and Ice Head enemies, which resemble moai with underbite.
* Most Creator/{{Konami}} games have moai, as a staff in-joke -- one of the founding members of the company apparently resembled one:
** A staple enemy of the ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' series, usually featured in their own exclusive level with one or more enormous ones at the end as the boss. They shoot donut-like projectiles and occasionally jump around, chasing your ship. In the latest game, ''Gradius Rebirth'', the requisite moai stage has a massive one as a BackgroundBoss.
*** And by extension, a prominent feature in the ''VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'' series. Again they usually star in their own special stage that usually includes a moai head (that may or may not fire other moai heads) as a boss, as well as a gigantic battleship with moai-themed turrets. Some of them have three eyes, some of them have sunglasses, some of them smoke pipes. Stage 2 of ''Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius'' turns the cast of ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'' into Moai heads.
** From ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'':
*** A secret treasure in the original NES ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania|I}}'' is one of the earliest appearances in a Konami game.
*** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaDawnOfSorrow'' has the [[{{Pun}} Bat Company]], a cluster of bats that think and act like a single entity. This boss has three forms: a bat-shape that moves fast, a hand-shape that will stalk you and grab on to do damage, and a Moai head shape that retreats to one side of the room, bobs up and down and fires the typical Konami Moai Ring Lasers[--[[superscript:TM]]--]. And the nifty part? Since the boss is made of red bats, the moai head only faces to the right -- just like the red moai from the ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' games.
*** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCurseOfDarkness'' has a moai as an OldSaveBonus which is just an inventory item that can either give a moderately large heal or can be sold for a large amount of money. Otherwise, it doesn't do anything special.
*** ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaOrderOfEcclesia'' has the Rusalka boss in Somnus Reef. She herself is not a Moai, but one of her attacks involves raising her arms in a dramatic manner, calling 'Moai!' or 'Go forth, moai!'. Upon this command, three spike pillars shaped like hat-wearing Moai drop down in an attempt to impale you. The aforementioned moai can be used as shelter for two of Rusalka's water-based attacks, including an extremely damaging attack in which a wave encompassing the entire screen gets summoned into the foreground.
** ''VideoGame/MonsterMaulers'' has a BossBattle involving a Moai with two arms and no legs. The music is from ''Gradius II'', and the stage is supposed to be Brazil, of all places.
** In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', they can be found amongst pipes and so on (one of Raiden's Photography missions in ''Substance'' concerns him getting a perfect shot of one).
** In the mission "Intel Operative Rescue" of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVGroundZeroes'', you can find Moai scattered around the base and shoot them.
** In yet ANOTHER Creator/HideoKojima example, in ''VisualNovel/{{Snatcher}}'', Gillian has a choice of wearing a Moai or a Mummy mask to the [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Outer Heaven Nightclub]]
** In the DS game ''VideoGame/MagiciansQuestMysteriousTimes,'' one of the species of fish in the game is the "Human-Faced Fish." It's a swimming Moai head with fins.
** A SuperDeformed Moai was the star of ''Moai-kun'', a PuzzlePlatformer for the Famicom.
** Moai has appeared a playable character in several Creator/{{Konami}} crossover games: ''VideoGame/WaiWaiWorld'', ''Hai no Majutsushi'', ''VideoGame/KonamiKrazyRacers'' and ''VideoGame/DreamMixTVWorldFighters''.
** ''Pippols'' for the UsefulNotes/{{MSX}} has one zone where all the walls are moai statues.
* One of the earlier bosses of ''VideoGame/{{Megablast}}'' is a giant robotic Moai head who attacks by spitting waves and waves of projectiles. He's a relatively easy WarmUpBoss, however, and goes down after less than a minute of firing.
* They appear in the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2: Yuri's Revenge'' expansion pack as giant laser-shooting defensive towers.
** And again in ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3 Red Alert 3]]''. Though this time, in addition to laser-spitting turrets, some function as [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin man-]][[ItsRainingMen cannons]].
* There are a whole series of Internet flash games made by one creator based on Moai. One such game is the "Tower of Moai," where you have to save ambling Moai heads from falling off a shaky tower.
* Some of the surface missions in ''VideoGame/XCOMTerrorFromTheDeep'' took place among moai, as if they were on islands all over the Pacific.
* In the online flash TowerDefense game ''[[http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games8/gameindex/easterislandtd.htm Easter Island TD]]'' the towers are idols based on the moai. Seriously.
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioLand'''s World 3 has Moai not only in the background, but also as enemies. (They're called by other names in the manual, but come ''on''.) Even the boss is a stone-throwing Moai. Not to mention the fact that World 3 is called ''Easton''.
** ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosU'' has them as a recurring element of the levels in World 2 ([[ShiftingSandLand Layer-Cake Desert]]), as well as certain other levels such as stage 5-5. They often tilt forward, move up and down, and the like.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' has Moe-Eyes, living sunglass-wearing Moai statues that dwell in the Tostarena desert. Capturing one with Cappy allows Mario to see invisible paths and barriers.
* ''VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice: Moai Better Blues'' includes three talking Moai.
* Moai appear as occasional [[{{Pun}} Easter]] [[EasterEgg eggs]] in ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' games. [[http://www.ffcompendium.com/h/incross.shtml#moai Here's some examples]].
* ''VideoGame/RiseOfNations'' includes unique resources that give certain benefits for the nation. One resource, called "relics," is depicted as a pair of moss-covered Moai, and it makes Science research cheaper.
* The main villain of the ''VideoGame/{{Arkanoid}}'' series (aside from those accursed gold blocks) is a giant Moai by the name of Doh.
* In the Easter Island segment of ''The Omega Stone'', a moai must be blown up to gain access to some underground tunnels.
* Moai of various sizes are a common feature on the four elemental mountain dungeons in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunTheLostAge'' (and while they are seen in the Weyard equivalent of Polynesia, they're first encountered in Australia). They tend to be involved with the psynergy puzzles in one way or another.
* ''VideoGame/GoldenForce'' have moais as background scenery in most stages, befitting the tropical island settings.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' features walrus-like moai for the Tuskarr, a race of indigenous walrus-people in Northrend, whose culture is a strange mix of Polynesian and Inuit.
* ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'':
** ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} IV'' allows you to build the "Moai Statues" National Wonder, increasing production in sea tiles in that city.
** ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'' makes them the Unique Tile Improvement for the Polynesians, which can only be built on the coastline.
** ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} VI'' includes Rapa Nui as a city-state, and any nation that gains suzerainity of it can build Moai as Tile Improvements. They generate Culture, especially when placed in groups near coasts or on volcanic soil.
* Moai heads somehow end up in [[MysteriousAntarctica Antarctica]] in ''VideoGame/TombRaiderIII'', [[spoiler:built by the Polynesians who lived there before they fled]]. The player is also treated to an assortment of some elaborate heads in the beginning of the second-to-last level of the game.
* ''VideoGame/StarTropics''. While set in the south Pacific, it oddly has only one Moai in the entire game, the Chapter 6 mid-boss "Broken Joe".
* ''Lost Kingdoms 2'' [[spoiler:has a secret mission which features floating, morphing terror-inducing Maoi heads throughout the level. Eventually you place the Rune Stones on pedestals shaped like Maoi heads with their mouths open. This is all so you can take a necklace that alters the storyline, allowing you to get the "good" ending.]]
* Kamehameha Cove in ''[[VideoGame/BackyardSports Backyard Soccer 2004]]'' has Moai in the background.
** You can also see them [[spoiler:during the world tour in ''Baseball'' 's ending.]]
* ''VideoGame/BlastCorps''[='=]s Ebony Coast stage has a conspicuous Moai head sitting by some train tracks. If you put a TNT crate on the train, take the train to where the head is, then have the TNT blow it, it will reveal the J-Bomb jetpack, which you can fly to a hidden island where there are three more Moai heads.
* In ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' there is the Idol structure which looks somewhat like a moai, it gives you luck for the next battle.
* Santa Destroy from ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' contains quite a few of these. Their placement suggests that they're some sort of secret but, no, they're just decoration.
* ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'''s ice world contains a giant Moai. [[spoiler:If you got the Ankh from the BlackMarket, you can die here and you'll be resurrected inside the Moai, where you can get an important item.]]
* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'', one of Lexaeus's joke weapons is a Moai.
* The old Creator/{{Capcom}} platformer/action RPG ''VideoGame/MagicSword'' has some as enemies.
* ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' features Moai fairly prominently, mostly during level 2 (Geeza) where the floor is littered with the things and the boss (Ida) is a dozen or so of them orbiting a rock that shoots fireballs at you.
* One of the enemies in ''Super Bomberman 2'' was a moving Moai Head. It only featured in the later levels of Area 1 and took two hits to kill.
* In ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', there are some enemies called Moais in both name and appearance. ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIX'' features the strongest iteration, Moai Minstrel which wears clown makeup [[AllThereIntheManual painted on them by Boa Bishops]] (Including a big red nose) and has a tendency to stunlock enemies with laughter and Kamikaze you into oblivion. ''VideoGame/DragonQuestX'' has them [[LightIsNotGood breathe light]] pound the ground with Crackerwhack, and send enemies to sleep with Lullab-Eye.
* In ''VideoGame/BlazingLazers'', the Area 5 enemies include moai.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Nintendogs}}'' it is possible but rare to find a Moai on a walk.
* ''[[VideoGame/{{Pitfall}} Super Pitfall]]'' for the NES has InvincibleMinorMinion moais. In the UsefulNotes/PC88 version they are bosses that have to be shot in the mou
* ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'' has one of these as a participant in its [[IrrelevantSidequest plot irrelevant]] Score Piece sidequest, as well as several others who wonder where he's gotten off to.
* In ''VideoGame/AtlantisNoNazo'', moai statues appear in the 20th and 74th Zones. Those of the former level are involved in the infamous [[GoroawaseNumber "Nagoya"]] puzzle.
* In ''Creator/MontyPython's The Meaning of Life'' (the videogame) you have to put a handkerchief on a moai's head, which gives him the ability to talk -- albeit like a Gumby -- and he gives you another clue.
* In ''VideoGame/AtlantisTheLostTales'' the statues are shown to have been made to appease a non-existent god, who was, in fact, another statue.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Darwinia}}'' two islands are decorated with similar statues -- the temple in the "Temple" mission and the central island with the portal to the temple in "Biosphere" mission. Embarrassed Dr Sepulveda explains that Darwinians accidentally saw his image from the web camera and erected a lot of statues of their creator.
* ''VideoGame/GourmetWarriors'' has robotic Moai heads as a recurring enemy type, who attacks by ''sneezing flames'' at you.
* ''Videogame/{{Skullgirls}}'' has Double's level 5 [[LimitBreak Blockbuster]], Megalith Array, where she turns into a BulletHell spewing Moai statue (as a ShoutOut to VideoGame/{{Gradius}}).
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' Moai-based enemies appear as EM viruses in the first two games. They attack by hurling their spherical heads forward, which then bounce erratically towards you.
* In the second ''VideoGame/{{Drawn}}'' game, one of the painted scenes you can enter is a beach with a wrecked ship containing PlotCoupon items and a large moai that talks and weeps crystal tears.
* These can be thrown as weapons on two maps in ''VideoGame/WarOfTheMonsters''.
* Some Moai heads appear on the Eastern Island in ''VideoGame/DungeonSiege''.
* ''VideoGame/IllusionOfGaia'' has a couple of large stone heads in its "Mu" stage (Mu being the mythical lost continent that Easter Island is supposedly a remnant of), though they don't look much like traditional Moai. They are used in a [[SolveTheSoupCans puzzle]] where you have to [[GuideDangIt search the otherwise unremarkable spot where their line of sight intersects]].
* Among the daggers thieves can buy in ''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}'' are two that are shaped like a Moai statue. They seem a little too... ''blunt'' to be daggers, though.
* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/FourHundredYears'' Flash game is such statue. He uprooted himself to prevent a catastrophe bound to happen in 400 years. His greatest power is an ability to wait. The game is set somewhere with warm temperate climate, where water stays frozen 1/4th of a year.
* ''VideoGame/LegacyOfTheWizard'': Golem enemies look like yellow Moai heads with arms and legs.
* ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101'': The [[HumongousMecha Wallgah-Goojin]] boss has a giant mask resembling a Moai's face when flipped down.
* ''VideoGame/{{Ultrakill}}'': Malicious Faces are [[LivingStatue statue-like demons]] resembling floating heads with a stoic expression and prominent brow. While not a straight replica of the moai, the influence is still clear.
* ''{{VideoGame/Morningstar}}'' features menacing Moai heads littered across the alien planet the eponymous ship crashes on. This is especially strange, since it's, you know, an alien planet. [[spoiler:They turn out to be a lot more than statues]]..
* The ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' series has the recurring enemy Kabu, which are spinning Moai.
* ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'': The first island in Alterna has giant 3D-printed Moai heads scattered across it, and the player can find a Moai head item to place in their lobby locker. Naturally, because it's one of the first items that most players will unlock that isn't a generic sticker, weapon, or clothing, it became a [[MemeticMutation meme]] among the game's players to put the Moai head in their lockers while posed in an odd position or "wearing" pieces of gear.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Papa Moai from ''Webcomic/RedMeat'', an all-powerful god who lives at the bottom of Ted's garden.
* Llewellyn figures a different sort of thing should be hidden on Easter in ''WebComic/OzyAndMillie''. His son comments that the hunts generally don't take very long..
* ''Webcomic/EscapeFromTerra'', starting [[http://www.bigheadpress.com/eft?page=324 here]].
* The giants statues were originally Webcomic/KarateBears, [[http://www.karatebears.com/2012/08/no-bear-is-island.html before their ears fell off]].
* From ''{{Webcomic/Erfworld}}'' we have the sentient tower Jed the Head. He's a fairly laid back character with surprisingly insightful advice for his friends, and he likes to give people Polynesian nicknames.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* To help him face a pair of opponents in Memphis, Psycho Gecko of ''Literature/WorldDominationInRetrospect'' has a Moai magically enchanted to serve as his minion. Moai, as it is simply called, has never said a word and it's never been explained how he can hold things. Gecko has become so fond of him, he doesn't seem to mind when Moai's version of a hug breaks his ribs. He even got Moai a pukao for Christmas one year.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
** Squidward Tentacles lives in a house shaped like a moai. In one episode where Squidward wound up trapped in the [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace literal middle of nowhere]], he says "I miss my Easter Island head!"
** In another episode, when he moves to an all-squid community, ''everyone'' lives in a moai house.
** In yet another, he visits his mother's house, which is a moai with curly hair.
* The multinational school in ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' had a boy from Easter Island with a moai head.
* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', the statues are actually based on aliens that have established an observation post here.
* In ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'', moai are based on aliens who were conducting evolutionary experiments in the area.
* In one of the Creator/AardmanAnimations ''WesternAnimation/RexTheRunt'' shorts, three Moai are aliens with large heads.
* In the one of old ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'' episodes, the Moai of Easter Island was once of many treasures a group of SpacePirates came [[MonumentalTheft to steal]] (or rather, [[PirateBooty recover]]) as they were, unbeknownst to earthlings, made of solid gold.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In one episode of set in the past, it is revealed that all the heads are busts of Chief Uglyface. Also a case of HollywoodAtlas, since they were on Tahiti, not Easter Island.
--->'''Chief Uglyface:''' I keep telling you I DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT! Do another!
** Another episode had the following dialogue:
--->'''Moe:''' I've been plannin' this vacation for years. I'm finally gonna see Easter Island.\\
'''Homer:''' Oh, right. With the giant heads.\\
'''Moe:''' (''confused'') With the what now?
* In the AnimatedAdaptation of ''ComicBook/BlakeAndMortimer'', a multi-part episode revealed the Moai to be copies of the original one, an alien beacon allowing its makers to detect emerging civilizations [[spoiler:and come exterminate them]]. Amusingly, the aliens are the Marcab Confederacy from Scientologist mythology.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Histeria}}!'' did a song about Easter Island with the second half consisting the Moai statues singing about themselves (check the quote page for their lyrics).
* One of the challenges of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama World Tour'' was an Easter egg hunt on Easter Island. The Eggs were inside Moai heads of voted off contestants.
* In "Swing Shift" from ''WesternAnimation/TootAndPuddle'', Toot visits Easter Island and takes photos of a number of these. He sends one of them back to Puddle and Opal as a postcard. In "Doors, Drawers and Floors," Puddle is startled to discover one of these in the bathtub, Toot having brought it back from Easter Island. In "Party Pride, one appears in the background as a photograph on a calendar page.
* In "Treasure Hunters" from ''WesternAnimation/EllaTheElephant'', Ella and her friends encounter of a group of stone heads that look generally like moai, except with elephant trunks. They're one of the landmarks on the map to the treasure.
* The ''WesternAnimation/SpiderMan1981'' episode "When Magneto Speaks...People Listen" had Magneto at one point attack Spider-Man with Moai heads that fired missiles.
* Easter Island is the focus of an episode of ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheThreeCaballeros''; the Moai are sentinels protecting the world from deadly lava lizards.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Besides the originals on Easter Island, moai replicas have been built in various other places:
** The Legoland Windsor theme park in the UK has a series of miniature (about two feet tall) moai heads BuiltWithLego on the slope down from the gate to the main park. They also play "We Will [[{{Pun}} Rock]] You" by Music/{{Queen}} as you go past.
** Waterbury, Connecticut has a [[http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2640/4157301593_d20d82f7a6.jpg life-sized replica]] of a moai, for no readily apparent reason, in the parking lot of the Timexpo museum.
* Emotion Music Co. Ltd (a subsidiary of Bandai Visual) has a moai as their logo. It shows up in their VanityPlate.
[[/folder]]
----

* The 1994 film ''Film/RapaNui'' takes place on Easter Island in the distant past, and is loosely (quite loosely) based on surviving legends of how and why the statues were erected.

For years, the island has been held up as a GreenAesop (with a side-dish of "look at these dumb religious savages"), since archeological research suggests there was a thriving population, and people were quick to suggest their civilization was apparently so obsessed with creating the statues that they overtaxed the island's resources and made it uninhabitable with an environmental collapse. More recently, this explanation has fallen out of favor due to new evidence suggesting that transporting the moai was not done by rolling them on logs, and the extinction of Easter Island's trees was caused by the [[IntroducedSpeciesCalamity accidental introduction of rats]] that ate their nuts.

More recently, the island is held up as a GreenAesop, since archeological research suggests there was a thriving population, but it was apparently so obsessed with creating the statues that they overtaxed the island's resources and made it uninhabitable with an environmental collapse. Even more recently, this explanation has fallen out of favor due to new evidence suggesting that transporting the moai was not done by rolling them on logs, and the extinction of Easter Island's trees was caused by the accidental introduction of rats that ate their nuts.

* ''VideoGame/GourmetSentaiBarayaro'' has robotic Moai heads as a recurring enemy type, who attacks by ''sneezing flames'' at you.

* In ''VideoGame/ElfBowling: The Great North Pole Elf Strike'', the moai in Fiji are brought to life by Santa's evil brother, Dingle, using the magic orb. [[spoiler:He uses them as his muscle to bury Santa in the sand, but Santa tells them his story, they sympathize with him, and decide to take his side in the conflict instead.]]

* The first design of the Toa's and Matoran's unmasked faces in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' seems to be loosely based off the Moai, in keeping with the various references to Polynesian culture. There is also a Matoran named Hafu who is famous for his stone statues, and a similar large stone head can be seen overlooking the Kini-Nui temple in the story material. Actual Moai heads were hidden in the background of the 2003 Matoran toys' boxes, decorating an arena wall.

* ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'': [[Recap/TintinFlight714 Flight 714]]'' has a moai-like idol concealing a hidden passageway.