Tom Nook is one of the more popular characters in the Animal Crossing franchise. He operates the village store or the Resident Services building in New Horizons.
Tom Nook sells a house to the players in each title in the series except New Leaf and New Horizons, where he sells a tent to the players with a mortgage value. Nook offers the players' island upgrades as soon as they pay the mortgage off.
Basic Information
| Gender | Male |
| Species | Tanuki (Japan) Raccoon (International) |
| Service | Real estate agent Resident services building |
| Birthday | May 30th (Gemini) |
| Coffee | Killmanjaro Lots of Milk One spoonful of Sugar |
| Other appearances | SUper Smash Bros. Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Monopoly, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate |
Behavior of Tom Nook in Animal Crossing
When the players first arrive on the island, Tom Nook greets them with a quote they have to pay for the house/tent he offers. To pay off the debt, he appoints the players to work on his shop. However, he eventually runs out of tasks and allows the players to partake in other activities to earn bells.
In New Leaf, however, he took on the role of a real estate agent, leaving the responsibility of his store with his nephews, Timmy and Tommy. In return, Isabelle takes over the task of welcoming new players and also makes morning announcements.
Tom Nook is a travel agent in New Horizons and it is through his company that the players get access to a deserted island, where they start the events of the game.
Appearance of Tom Nook
Tom Nook is a tanuki with brown fur. He has half-closed, blue-colored eyes with dark brown mask-like patches of fur around them. The tip of his nose, paws, his tail, and ears are dark brown.
He wears a blue apron with a leaf on it for Nook’s Cranny. In New Horizons, he wears a white and teal Hawaiin-style shirt and khaki shorts. He will wear a dark teal jacket from late fall to just before Spring.
Role in New Leaf
He appears as a real estate agent in New Leaf, leaving the management of the store to his nephews, Timmy and Tommy. Tom Nook takes charge of the construction of the player’s house and also looks after the debt that the players have to pay off for further upgrades.
Nook’s homes also provide house customization and renovation services. Tom Nook is extremely work-driven. He has a varied reputation among other villagers in the game. He has a rather disturbing history with Redd who considers Tom Nook as his competition.
Role in New Horizons
Tom Nook is the founder and owner of Nook Inc. Apart from that, he runs the Resident Services building and acts as the head of construction and development of the island.
Timmy and Tommy are seen as their employees. We can find them roaming around the island during the early stages. However, as the game progresses, they will be spotted inside the store managing it on behalf of Tom Nook.
Amiibo cards
One of the major functions of the Amiibo Cards in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is to invite villagers to visit your islands. The players, however, will need to construct the campground on the island for the villagers to visit. The players can convince the villagers to stay on their islands for a while and with some special characters, they can also convince them to become permanent members.
To use these Amiibo cards, the players need to head to Resident Services once the Townhall is unlocked.
The players will be able to spot an ATM-like machine that will allow them to use their cards.
Tom Nook has 7 Amiibo cards in the game. They are:
Nook’s Cranny
Nook ‘n’ Go:
Nookway:
Monthly raffle:
Nookington’s:
Regular:
Jacket:
Explainer Video
Trivia
- Tom Nook has a voice of a lazy villager in New Leaf and New Horizons
- He shares his birthday with Hamlet (May 30th)
- His name could be derived from his species, Tanuki which comes close to Tom Nook
- In New Horizons, Tom Nook reveals that his favorite K.K. Slider song is K.K. Lament
- When the players wake him up in the cranny, he mentions that Timmy and Tommy aren’t his kids and that he never got married
FAQs
Q. Is Tom Nook a villain?
No, he isn’t. The developers have given his character a pretty dynamic personality. He is most aggressive when players don’t pay him, insinuating that players won’t be able to escape his boundless greed.
Q. Can Tom Nook be trusted?
He like Isabelle is the face of Animal Crossing. He gets work done and makes sure that the island is in excellent condition. The players, however, don’t really trust him and feel that he runs on money.
Q. Can Tom Nook kill you?
This is a question that has appeared on several occasions. Tom Nook informs the players of the mortgage they need to pay off in order to survive on the island. If the players fail to pay, he actually kills them, forcing the players to start the game from the beginning.
