Honestly, if you told a Fortnite player three years ago that they’d eventually be able to hit the "Bird is the Word" dance while wearing a tuxedo-clad Peter Griffin skin, they would have called you crazy. It was the ultimate "internet urban legend." For years, we saw those blurry "leak" images that looked like they were made in MS Paint, and most of us just laughed them off. But then Chapter 5, Season 1 actually happened. Epic Games didn't just add a skin; they baked a decade of Family Guy history into the game’s DNA through some of the most specific references we've ever seen in a collaboration.
The Peter Griffin reference emotes Fortnite players use today aren't just random dances. They are snapshots of specific TV moments that defined 2000s comedy.
The Surfin' Bird obsession
You can't talk about Peter Griffin without mentioning the "Bird is the Word" gag. It’s arguably the most famous emote in the Family Guy set, officially titled Surfin' Bird. If you’ve watched the show, you know the episode "I Dream of Jesus" where Peter rediscovers his love for the 1963 hit by The Trashmen.
In Fortnite, this isn't just a generic dance. The developers actually gave Peter a unique animation. Most skins do the dance facing forward or slightly to the left. But when you use Peter Griffin, he faces to the right, mimicking the exact camera angle from the show. It’s a tiny detail, but for fans, it’s everything. The emote was originally tucked away in the Chapter 5 Season 1 Battle Pass Bonus Rewards, requiring 15 Battle Stars. If you missed it then, you’ve likely seen it in your lobbies since—it’s loud, it’s annoying, and it’s perfectly Peter.
That one wincing animation (The Knee Gag)
This is where the collaboration gets really "nerdy" for lack of a better word. Most bosses in Fortnite just kind of... dissolve when you beat them. Peter was different. When he was an NPC boss at Snooty Steppes back in late 2023 and early 2024, he had a custom defeat animation.
Instead of just dying, he would fall to the ground, grab his knee, and go "Sss... ahhh... Sss... ahhh..." for a solid thirty seconds. This is a direct pull from the "Wasted Talent" episode (Season 2, Episode 20) where Peter trips and spends an eternity wincing in pain. It’s one of the most iconic "anti-humor" bits in TV history. While it wasn't a "buyable" emote in the shop for your locker, it remains one of the most shared clips of Peter in the game. It showed that Epic wasn't just doing a cash grab; they knew the source material.
The weirdness of the "Buff Peter" lore
A lot of people were confused why Peter looked like he’d been spending 18 hours a day at the gym. Seth MacFarlane actually joked about this in interviews, saying they "didn't have the budget" for his actual body.
In reality, it was a hitbox thing. You can’t have a massive, round Peter Griffin running around or he’d be a bullet magnet. The "buff" look is actually a reference to the episode "He's Too Sexy for His Fat," where Peter gets plastic surgery. This gave Epic a lore-friendly way to make him fit the standard Fortnite character model.
Every emote you might have missed
Beyond the big ones, the Family Guy set is surprisingly deep.
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- The Speed Bag: A Rare emote that often pops up in the Item Shop. It’s a nod to Peter’s various boxing stints and general physical incompetence.
- Mailman’s Stroll: This one is a bit more obscure, referencing the "Mailbox Madness" shorts. It’s simple, but it fits the "chaotic dad" energy Peter brings to the island.
- Hehehehehehe!: You can't have Peter without the laugh. This was a Quest Reward emoticon. It’s not a full dance, but it’s the ultimate "toxic" move to throw up after a sniper shot.
How to get these emotes in 2026
Since most of the core Peter Griffin gear was part of a Battle Pass, there is a lot of "FOMO" (fear of missing out) surrounding these items. However, since 2024, Epic has been much more open about bringing "exclusive" items back in different ways or releasing "remix" versions.
If you didn't grab the original Surfin' Bird, keep an eye on the Item Shop for the Giant Chicken or Cleveland Brown bundles. Often, the emotes associated with the Family Guy set will rotate back in alongside the shop-based characters. Just last year, in late 2025, the Speed Bag emote made a surprise reappearance after a long hiatus.
Why this collab changed things
The Peter Griffin reference emotes Fortnite introduced set a new bar for how much detail goes into Icon and Crossover skins. We moved past just "putting a mask on a character" and moved into "custom animations that only work for one specific guy."
When you see a Peter Griffin doing the "Shake it Up" emote (the maracas gag from the episode "JOLO"), you aren't just seeing a skin; you're seeing a decade of TV history. It’s a testament to how much Epic cares about the "meme-ability" of their game.
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What you should do now
If you’re a collector, check your locker for the Family Guy set tags. Many players forget they have the emoticons or the "Scratcher" pickaxe (the butt-scratcher from "No Chris Left Behind").
- Check the Item Shop daily for the "Giant Chicken" or "Cleveland" bundles, as these often bring back the non-Battle Pass emotes.
- If you have the Peter skin, try out different emotes like "Dill With It"—Epic occasionally updates his facial expressions to match certain older emotes.
- Keep an eye on the "Bonus Rewards" sections of current Battle Passes; Epic has a habit of dropping "legacy" style rewards for players who missed earlier seasons.
The "Bird is the Word" isn't going anywhere. Whether you love it or find it incredibly grating, it’s a permanent part of the Fortnite landscape now. Just try not to get sniped while you're doing the dance in the middle of a field.