The tropical islands of Animal Crossing: New Horizons are nestled far from the arctic reaches of the North Pole. Despite this, Tutu the polar bear finds a way to keep her smile. The Animal Crossing series is known for its various wacky characters, including the ever-important villagers. Villagers are integral to the series’ gameplay by offering daily tasks and friendship. Follow this guide for everything you should know about one of these villagers, Tutu.
Tutu in Animal Crossing
Tutu is a cream-colored bear villager introduced in Doubutsu no Mori for the Nintendo 64, the first title in the Animal Crossing franchise. She has appeared in almost every game in the series, being notably absent in Wild World for the Nintendo DS. Her lack of inclusion in the DS title was likely an attempt to limit the number of overlapping personalities amongst the different species. Prior to Wild World, there were four bear villagers with the peppy personality, Tutu being one of them. Peppy villagers are known for their bubbly personalities and are the archetypal valley girls with grand aspirations of stardom. Tutu’s birthday is on September 15, making her a Virgo.
The peppy bear’s design is meant to resemble a cutesy depiction of a polar bear. Beyond this surface-level understanding of her design, she has clear connections to shaved ice desserts. This linkage is less apparent in the English games. For example, in the Japanese games, her name is Rennyū. Rennyū translates to condensed milk, a component often used when making shaved ice. A further, subtle connection is that shirokuma, a popular shaved ice dessert in Japan, translates to “white bear” but more specifically is a reference to polar bears, like Tutu. Her e-Reader card mentions her fondness for frozen snacks while also revealing that she originates from the North Pole.
How to Get Tutu
While this bear is nice, finding her might be cold as ice. She could potentially show up as a random campsite visitor; if so, you can interact with her by playing minigames and earn the opportunity for her to join your island. Due to the vast number of villagers in the game, the odds of this are unfavorable. Should you have access to her Amiibo card, you can also invite her directly to the campsite using the Nook Stop kiosk inside Resident Services. Once at the campsite, the polar bear will request that you craft different items for her. You must do this on three separate days before she finally asks to join your island.
Another way to uncover our polar gal is via the airport’s Mystery Islands Tours, which requires using Nook Miles Tickets. While the islands on these Tours offer resources, you can also find random villagers wandering them if you have an open slot on your island. Bear in mind that the villager you will encounter is randomized, so you might burn through many Tickets before ever finding Tutu. Your best bet to acquire her is from another player using New Horizon‘s online capabilities. Villagers in the game will sometimes declare their intentions to leave. If the player accepts, they will begin packing the next day. This allows another player to speak with them and request they move to their island.
Ice, Ice Baby
Tutu is a sweet villager who showers players with warmth, even in a cold world. Peppy villagers like her may seem like airheads, but they will become beloved friends when given the chance. Bears are generally not the most sought-after characters, with some even being widely despised. The cute polar bear somewhat bucks this trend as she ranks rather highly, sometimes even breaking into the top 100 villagers in popularity polls. Your mileage may vary on whether she can be easily haggled over. She may not be the most memorable of the game’s assorted characters, but she could be a perfect fit for your island community. All you must do is find her and break the ice.
