The Konami Code is a cheat code that appears in many Konami video games, most notably, the Contra series. Yes, you know it as the most sought after secret in early video game cheat history. The magic sequence of up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start that made all of your friends envy you and allowed you to take down evil Red Falcon in eight, not so easy levels.

As NESPlayer.com puts it, “If you could beat Contra without the code, you could pretty much start your own religion.” And so it was that in our formidable years, sitting in front of our parents’ double dial television, we began to rely on the Contra code for 30 extra lives to stop Red Falcon from destroying the human race.

As those of us who grew up with Contra got older and had to go out into the work force to earn a wage, the Konami Code came with us and began showing up in places even when alien plans of world destruction were not being foiled by two shirtless marines named Bill and Lance.

Variations of the Konami (Contra) Code have shown up in:

• The title of a Deftones song on the album Saturday Night Wrist
• The song Anyone Else But You by Moldy Peaches
• The song 30 Lives by The Motion Stick
• Dance Dance Revolution X
• The Ataris’ album End is Forever has a song called “Konami Code”
• The song “Old School Master” by Johnny Socko contains the line “My score is off the charts thanks to up up down down left right left right b a select start.”
• And, most recently, Facebook has incorporated the code into the popular social network’s site.

In order to thwart off alien friend requests from guys named Red or Falcon that might be looking at destroying the world, or if you’re just looking to interrupt the monotony of your work day, try opening the CM4 Facebook profile and then typing in the following:

Up. Up. Down. Down. Left. Right. Left. Right. Enter.

Below is a video demonstrating the magic that follows when the Konami (Contra) Code is activated on Facebook. Now, quick, hop in that helicopter before New Zealand is blown off the map. Congratulations! You’ve destroyed the vile Red Falcon and saved the universe. Consider yourself a hero.