Animal Crossing New Horizons has been out for a while and let me say it has been a well worth the wait, as well the pill of sanity we’ve been taking since this quarantine. It features new mechanics like building you town up from the ground up and crafting everything from tools and furniture, but we're not here for that. One of the qualities that make us love Animal Crossing aside from all the building and collecting are its characters. While we see most of the villagers moving in and living on our islands, a big hole is missing, its core NCP characters. We see plenty of new characters like Orville and Wilbur our airport running dodos and new characters replacing old ones, like CJ and Daisie May replacing Chip and Joan. There isn’t that many characters that are long staples of the series, like fashion icon Gracie and psychic panther Katrina. Even greedy con man, I mean con fox, and rival to Tom Nook, Crazy Redd seems to be M.I.A. It does seem plausible that most of these characters are not completely gone and will show up as updates, future events, and probably DLC. But what will they do? Time to do some DIY speculations.
Digby
When we were introduced to Digby in New Leaf, Isabelle's younger less popular brother, he was running the Happy Home Showcase where you could view the homes of other players and order item and furniture via Streetpass. Digby later worked for Nook Homes in Happy Home Designer where he, obviously help you design homes. The Nintendo Switch does't have the Streetpass functionality so, where does that leave Digby? Well, they can an online island version where you can visit, and order furniture, pretty much like Luna, another NPC character introduced in New Leaf. We can do that OR have Digby host a front lawn event where the villagers and the player will do a contest to see who can decorate their lawn the best where, if the player wins you can get exclusive items and furniture.
Gracie
Gracie is you noted fashion maven and has been a staple of the series since the first game, Animal Forest. From cleaning her car to owning her own store in New Leaf. Gracie has been a high fashion angel helping towns in need of a makeover and upscale designer clothes. even having her on furniture line. It is kinda weird not seeing her in New Horizons, so far. Gracie can make her fashion debut on the Nintendo Switch by showing up on your island by giving you fashion DIY challenges to win even better clothes and even get her own shop if you win enough where Gracie can even sell Nintendo themed items. Mario/Luigi themed sofas? Actual shirt with a DK tie? High fashion.
Crazy Redd
Crazy Redd is another staple that is oddly missing in New Horizons. Redd would set up his shop in your town and sell items, paintings, and furniture. Beware as some of the paintings would be found to be fake when donating them to Blathers in his museum. Redd would have the same role in most games. except in New Leaf where he would also set up to sell items during a festival. Redd's return can herald the return of paintings, which are also missing in New Horizons. Also Redd can also events where he can host festivals where you can play minigames in order to win exclusive Nintendo items and furniture or paintings, not counterfeit either. Maybe minigames where you spot the fakes?
Phyllis, Pete, and Pelly
Phyllis, Pete. and Pelly used to work in the Post Office in the Animal Crossing games, with Pelly working mornings, Phyllis working evenings, and Pete delivering the mail. Their roles have been minimalized with only Pete appearing in New Leaf as the games stopped featuring a Post Office, New Horizons included. Where does that leave these characters? Running a speedy delivery service of course! Mail usually takes 24 hours to be delivered in the game. Don't have time for that? Well, unlocking Pete, Pelly, and Phyllis' delivery service could get your mail in a few hours. Just pay them a small fee. Pay them enough and you can get furniture, clothing, and items.
Brewster
Brewster is the owner of The Roost, a coffee shop, in your town. Residents and special characters would come from all around to drink his famous coffee. So, how can they incorporate Brewster in New Horizons? They can have him be an unlockable and set up shop on your island after you order enough of his coffee. But that would be boring, so they can spruce things up by having you help him out by doing coffee deliveries for him and he can either pay you in beans which you can plant and sell back like turnips, receive exclusive furniture and items, or he can give you Gyroids as they are missing from the game as well.
Booker and Copper (and Blanca)
Booker and Copper are police dogs in your town. In most games they would run the police station where they would be in charge of a lost and found, where things would be “lost” and you find them to claim. There’s already a lost and found/recycling bin in the in Tom Nook and Isabelle’s office so there doesn’t seem to be a purpose for Booker and Copper, right? Wrong! We can have an event where Booker and Cooper can be promoted to detectives a la Sherlock Holmes and Watson and they’ve come to your town to solve a capper where a person (animal) is trying to steal a valuable item and you have to help them out. Who’s the culprit? None other than our resident copycat Blanca who will be disguised as villagers in order to steal the item. Just like in New Leaf Blanca would leave clues, facts about the villager in your town, that you can use to decipher who’s Blanca and who’s the real villager. You win the item when you guess correctly with all the villagers.
Tortimer
Tortimer has been the residential mayor of the towns you moved in in the earlier Animal Crossing games. That role has been diminished in the recent games in the series as in New Leaf you were the mayor and now in New Horizons, you’re basically building the town island from the ground up. That didn’t stop Tortimer from not showing up in games as he had his own island where you could get currency and points by winning mini games which you could use to purchase items and furniture. We can still have that in New Horizons where you fly to his island, by getting Tortimer miles, and play mini games. But why stop there with just winning furniture, maybe have a special Tortimer event where it could be the long awaited return of demo NES games you could win when he visits your town or you go to his island.
Katrina
Katrina is a black panther fortune teller where she would set up her tent in your town and she would see into your future. She would tell if you had good luck or bad luck for the week and she would either cleanse you for a set number of bells or give you an exclusive item for protection. We could see her being an unlockable when she comes to your island and she reads your fortune a set number of times. Her good luck can range from trees and bell rocks giving you more money than usual and regular rocks giving you better ore, maybe gems like ruby, emerald, and sapphire nuggets. Not just gold nuggets in which you can craft better furniture. Bad luck could be bell rocks giving you less money and more wasp trees than usual. She can give out exclusive items like crystal balls, rabbit foot, or maybe a four leaf clover DIY tutorial. In October she can even have an event where she gives out the Spooky series, instead of Jack.
Harriet
Harriet is a poodle uses her noodle to create the most amazing hairstyles in her own boutique Shampoodle. New Horizons already does this for you with their new customization mechanic which you can already unlock early in the game. So, what is Harriet to do? Well I guess this means that Shampoodle is in need of a new makeover. Shampoodle can be a boutique/wig and hat shop where adding to the hairstyles that you’ve already unlocked, you can choose to add two tones, or highlights. You can even have rainbow hair if that is possible. As for the wigs and hats, of course you can purchase extravagant and out of this world ones that aren’t already available at the Able Sisters’ Shop. Maybe exclusive Nintendo hats and wigs. A Big bro, Lil’ bro, Wario, and Waluigi hat? Maybe a Princess Peach or a Princess Daisy wig and crown? Bowser Mohawk? Maybe a Link cap. Fashion varies.
Cyrus and Reese
Cyrus and Reese debuted in New Leaf where they ran a thrift shop/repostering shop ReTail. It would be a shame that we would only get one game appearance from them, considering that they laid the ground for New Horizons’ biggest mechanic. So, what they can do in New Horizons is that they can probably come to town and offer new DIY items.
Don and Mr. Resetti
Mr Resetti's omission from New Horizons is probably the biggest shock to us. For most of the series Mr. Resetti has been talking off the ear of players, giving us long long loooooonnnnng lecture about the ethics of saving and not “cheating” by resetting the game. We’ve kinda seen it coming where in New Leaf, having Mr. Resetti, and his more laid back brother Don, actually be optional meaning you could reset the game. But I know some of us with morals and integrity chose him anyway. So, what could New Horizons due with one of its most popular characters? With his absence I’m sure this leave a lot of residents thinking that they can cheat and go unpunished. Which leaves Mr. Resetti and Don to form a task force: Hyper Super Surveillance Force Five (two other villagers can join)! It’s up to you to go patrol the island and stop people from doing not so nice things. You may get a few exclusive items and furniture for your heroic deeds. Hyper Super Surveillance Force Five Mecha? Maybe a Mr. Resetti suit and overalls.
What are your thoughts? What do you think New Horizons can do with these charaters?
