While digging for fossils after a rainy day in Animal Crossing, you will have likely stumbled across gyroids, the unsettling musical statues that seem to serve little purpose beyond acting as a peculiar choice of décor. However, the origin of the quirky figurines that have cemented themselves as a staple across the series is much darker than their playful dance moves would suggest.
Gyroids are based on Haniwa, ancient Japanese terracotta figurines that were traditionally made to be buried with the dead for protection. And with over 100 different gyroids appearing in New Leaf alone, it’s no surprise that several supernatural fan theories have emerged about them.
Some players believe that digging up gyroids is akin to grave-robbing, while others think that they might harbour the souls of deceased – or even moved-away – villagers. So whether you find them charming or chilling, one thing’s for sure: you might want to think twice before placing one next to your bed.
One of the most well-known pieces of Animal Crossing lore is the tragic backstory of the Able Sisters, the beloved seamstresses who supply the player with clothing in every instalment of the series. Their story is hidden in quiet conversations with Sable, the eldest sister, who can often be found hunched over a sewing machine in a small corner of the Able Sisters store.
As Sable opens up throughout the series, she confides stories of her childhood to the player. She reveals that after losing their parents, she had no choice but to put her own ambitions aside to take care of her sisters alone, and a fallout with Label, the middle sister, left the trio estranged through the early instalments of the game.
With Mabel, the youngest, and Sable running their family business alone while Label left to pursue fashion under the alias ‘Labelle’, Sable expressed her fear of Mabel leaving her, too, despite the sisters being reunited from New Leaf onwards.
If you’ve played Animal Crossing during its annual Bunny Day event, you’ll be familiar with the unsettling feeling of coming across Zipper. T. Bunny, the eerie easter rabbit who skips joyfully around town and tries his very best to prevent the player from spotting the thick metal zipper lining his back.
It’s no secret that Zipper is wearing a costume; villagers around town don’t neglect to express their suspicion of the poseur when he comes to visit, and he even acknowledges his loathing for his role posing as Nintendo’s cosy-game rendition of a Five Night’s at Freddys character. But who is the poor villager inside the suit?
The popular takes are that the “T” in his name might stand for Tortimer, the retired elderly mayor of the towns from older games, or Tom Nook. It would certainly explain why Zipper breaks character as soon as the player escapes his line of sight and sighs with exhaustion, although prancing around town in a sweaty bunny costume seems particularly out of character for them both.
The most unsettling theory is that Zipper might not be wearing a costume at all. Much like Hopkins, the almost cartoonish rabbit villager with a closed air hole hidden at the back of his head, he might have been born with the zip and questioned his existence since. But whatever the case, there’s certainly something not quite right about Zipper T. Bunny.
The release of New Horizons brought with it the unfortunate removal of the post office, and thus the loss of three of the franchise’s most interesting and realistic characters – Pete, Pelly, and Phyllis. While Pete was the postboy who’d wander the town delivering letters, Pelly was the sweet and optimistic pelican who worked the post office by day, and Phyllis, her bitter and sarcastic sister, worked the night shift.
Playing older games in the series, particularly Wild World, will allow the player to slowly uncover the secret love triangle between the postal pelicans; Pelly likes Pete, who, as much as she’d love for him to return her admiration, is instead infatuated with Phyllis, who certainly doesn’t like him back.
New Horizons is notorious for stripping away the depth of the series and reverting the game’s characters to little more than flat lines of code – however, the complete removal of the post office pelicans took away an integral part of the game’s storyline. For older players, especially those who grew up with Wild World, looking back on the realistic and relatable love triangle remains a nostalgic reminder of Animal Crossing’s richer storytelling days.