Neil Druckmann reveals the origins behind The Last of Us' piano frog

Sing us a song, you're the piano frog
(Image credit: HBO)

The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann took to Twitter to explain the cute little frog playing piano in episode 2.

In the episode, Joel (Pedro Pascal), Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and Tess (Anna Torv) journey through post-apocalyptic Boston and encounter clickers aka terrifying beings who have reached the third stage of the cordyceps fungal infection. In the beginning of the episode, an abandoned hotel has been turned into a swamp, and there's a tiny frog sitting on top of a piano. He hops across the keys, playing a creepy little song, before hopping away.

It was a small touch, but one that made a big impact on viewers.

"Piano frog wouldn’t be a thing… if piano bird did its job! I guess everything happens for a reason," Druckmann tweeted along with a behind-the-scenes photo of a bird being placed on the piano. "And before anyone jumps to the wrong conclusion… that’s a fake frog for the bird to eat - which it never did!!!"

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Created by Druckmann and Craig Mazin and based on the 2013 video game, the series is set 20 years after a fungal infection started a global pandemic and sees Joel, a smuggler, tasked with escorting a teenager named Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by disease, gore, and zombies.

The Last of Us continues on Sunday, January 29 on HBO and HBO Max in the US, and Sky and NOW the following day. To make sure you never miss an episode, keep an eye on our The Last of Us release schedule as the first season rolls out. For more, check out our list of upcoming video game movies and TV shows.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.