Every great game franchise has their face, and Nintendo's Animal Crossing isn't any different. Since New Horizons was released earlier in the spring, the game has grown to be one of the most popular titles of 2020. Even those who have yet to pick up Animal Crossing will have heard of the series by now.

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Many will have also seen some of the familiar faces associated to the game, from villager Raymond to Isabelle and Tom Nook. However, between the latter two, who's actually the more iconic mascot to the series? Here's a few facts about both of these characters who have helped shape the franchise into what it is today.

10 Tom: Completely Unique Species

Tom Nook's species has often been misunderstood by fans. In the English version of the game it's made very evident that he's some type of a raccoon. However, Tom isn't just any old raccoon: he's a Japanese tanuki raccoon, a special sub species of the animal.

No other villager is of the same species as Tom and his two nephews, making him a highly unique character and easily recognized.

9 Isabelle: She's A Unique Dog

Although Isabelle's species isn't unique like Tom Nook's is, that doesn't mean there isn't something to be said about it. There are regular villagers which are qualified as dog villagers, but none of them quite have the appearance of Isabelle, who's a bit more detailed.

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Isabelle specifically is a Shih Tzu dog. She has a yellow coloring, and a very simplistic design compared to some of the regular dog villagers in the game. That alone makes her easy to recognize and distinguish from the rest.

8 Tom: Owns The Island Getaway

Throughout the years, Tom's role in Animal Crossing has been pretty clear. He's basically the money bag for everyone else, but as a result he also has everyone indebted to him in some way, shape or form. In New Horizons, he's the one who makes the Island Getaway package.

This is important because without the package, there would be no way or reason for anyone to move to these paradise islands and populate them. He's the condition for everything to exist.

7 Isabelle: Does All The Dirty Work

Has anyone ever seen Tom do anything for the island? While it's true that he can just sit back with his money, it's a bit unfair how everyone else has to work hard. That includes Isabelle, who's always been known to do most of the heavy lifting around the island.

Most importantly, she has to deal with the uncomfortable issue of talking to the villagers when the player flags them for inappropriate or unwanted behavior, and that's no easy task.

6 Tom: Gets Everyone A House

Not only does Tom provide for the island by actually creating the Island Getaway package, he also provides housing for everyone. When people first arrive to the island, everyone's given a tent by him, and is able to set up camp wherever they please.

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Moreover, as the player upgrades their house, Tom is there to take care of the building process. The same goes for regular villagers who have their living spaces upgraded from tents to regular villager houses.

5 Isabelle: Not Controversial (Like Tom)

One of the biggest advantages that Isabelle has over Tom is the fact that she's not a controversial figure in the Animal Crossing community. Most fans agree that she's a very likable character, with nothing worthy of complaint.

The same couldn't be said for Tom, who's often criticized for extorting players for money. Although his loans are without interest, many feel that he's just taking advantage of the player and the villagers.

4 Tom: Provides Most Items

Animal Crossing wouldn't be the amazing popular game it is without all the furniture and other items it comes with. Of course, getting all these things is impossible without actually having a store or at least some form of business on the island.

That's why Tom's so important to the game, because of all the goods he provides to help the player furnish their house and turn the island into something beautiful.

3 Isabelle: Is Immensely Smart

One could argue that Tom is incredibly smart for being able to maintain such a profitable business for so long. However, he's not quite as decorated as Isabelle is when it comes academic achievements, which might mean that he was just born into a good family.

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Isabelle on the other hand is very intelligent, as illustrated by his brother Digby who says she graduated from nineteen different universities with an engineering degree. That alone proves that she's a powerhouse.

2 Tom: Has Been Around Longer

Tom Nook is a character that's been introduced in just about every single Animal Crossing game. Since the beginning, he's always been there and played some form of role, either as a shopkeeper or as a construction and infrastructure manager.

This alone solidifies him as the ultimate mascot to the series, proven by the fact that his company's logo is often seen on a ton of Animal Crossing merchandise as well.

1 Isabelle: Made It To Other Games

Isabelle is not actually as old to the franchise as one would think. She's appeared in fewer games than Tom Nook, only making her debut in New Leaf. After that, she's been a staple of the franchise, but she wasn't there during its founding days.

That being said, Isabelle has achieved something Tom Nook can only dream of: she's made it into other games. Namely, she makes an appearance in Mario Kart 8's DLC and Super Smash Bros.

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