We are inching ever closer to March 20, the long-awaited release date for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. There are many new activities you an do as your character, which are pretty exciting, but what I really care about are the villagers. While we’ve gotten a slight glimpse of who is included in the game through trailers and press kits, there are many animals yet to be discovered.

What’s more, I’ve noticed that some of my absolute favorites have not yet been confirmed for the game. Below you’ll find six of these villagers who had better be included in New Horizons, or I’m boycotting the game forever. Or at least a week. Two days tops.

1. Bessie

The first villager on the list comes straight from my OG AC town: Bessie. Don’t remember her? That’s because she was wrongfully removed from the series for NO REASON. No good one, anyway. Why would you remove the nicest, cutest cow in the game? You tell me, Nintendo.

I still remember her house. I’d chill out in there on rainy days, listening to K.K. Salsa, surrounded by a jungle of indoor plants. There was just something so calming about it.

She always had work for me to do if I asked, and she gave the best gifts: bells and furniture. Plus, she called you “buttercup.” How sweet is that?

Bring her back, Nintendo. Bring. Her. Back.

2. Spork

Now for everyone’s favorite pig: Spork! He’s a lazy villager with a lot of heart, and a love for fish, and rare fish at that. I swear, he’s always asking for a coelacanth. And even though his request is swiftly rejected, I still feel a pang of guilt. Certainly, if I catch the rarest fish in the game, I’m gonna sell it. But that just goes to Tom Nook, and who knows what happens to it next. If I give it to Spork instead, he’ll give it a nice home in his room, where he can take care of it and watch it all day. Sounds like a nicer life for the coelacanth.

Speaking of Spork’s house, is this pig secretly a teacher? He sure has a lot of desks, not to mention a chalkboard. Is this where the villagers take night classes? Wouldn’t that be so cool if they did?

Maybe he could teach crafts on the island or something. Instructor Spork, teach me your ways.

3. Brewster

Is our favorite barista coming to the island? I hope so. With all of the terraforming and crafting, we’re gonna need a blast of caffeine to keep us going throughout the day. The only way to do that is through a scalding hot cup of java from the one and only Brewster.

While not technically a villager, Brewster is still someone we’d like to see again. And in the same vein, I’d love if the special characters like the Able sisters and Blathers had homes we could visit. I realize this is not likely to happen, but a person can dream, ya know.

I’ll settle for a coffee shop. We need a chill concert venue for those K.K. Slider acoustic sets, anyway.

4. Cousteau

Our froggy friend, and #AnimalCrossing Villager of the Day, Cousteau, is finished!! I had so much fun with everyone… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…—
SparklingStrawberryMilk (@MilkSparkling) January 26, 2019

He’s a French frog with a French mustache and a French phrase (“oui oui”). What more could you want?

Upon researching for this post, I learned that in Japan, his name is actually translated to Spring Roll, fitting well with his Exotic-themed decor, which takes inspiration from Asia. So maybe we can surmise that Cousteau is half Asian/half French. Either way, he breaks the mold and brings a fun personality to the town. Or island, I suppose.

5. Vic

Vic is just a cool dude. He’s got a viking helmet and what looks like a full, fluffy beard. He reminds me of an old friend of mine, so maybe I’m biased, but you can’t deny his likability. From the nautical furniture, to the village gossip, Vic is your guy for a fun time — if you like cranky personalities. He can take some getting used to, but it’s definitely worth it.

Is it gross that his catchphrase is “cud”? Yeah, a little. But he’s a bull, so we gotta let it slide. It’s just more motivation to befriend him so you can change it to something nicer, like “beansprout” or “muffin top” or the ever popular “jerk wad.”

6. Wart Jr

Stay with me here, folks.

The year was 2001 and the GameCube was taking the world by storm. My brother purchased the Animal Crossing GC bundle and the rest is history. One of the first villagers I met quickly became my absolute favorite in the series: Wart Jr.

Wart Jr, or Wart Tort as my brother and I call him, is a cranky toad with, you guessed it, lots of warts. The first thing I’d do after logging on is say hi to my favorite amphibian. Imagine how devastated I was when I checked my mail and saw a goodbye letter from the man himself. I took a break from the game for a while. I was that sad (also, I was a child so go easy on me).

Flash forward to adult me, finding out that a majority of players hate Wart Tort. They call him mean. They call him ugly. That’s my best friend you’re talking about! Sure, he’s grumpy at first, but he warms up to ya if you take the time. And he can’t help the warts — that’s just how he was born. The poor guy.

Give him some love, guys. He so dearly needs it.

 

Villagers are easily the greatest part of the Animal Crossing experience. We build this town for them. We pluck the weeds for them. We fill the museum for them. And they love us for it. They make the game a perfect escape from the harsh nature of the real world.

What villagers are you most excited to see in New Horizons? Disagree with the list? Sound off in the comments below.

 

Wart Jr and Vic featured images taken from My Opinion on EVERY Animal Crossing character (villagers + special).