Many if not most of the beloved Villagers from past incarnations of Nintendo's favorite town-building franchise are making their return in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. And, since two of them are thrust upon each new player at random, the bigger the pool, the more people will be able to talk about their individual villagers.
We're saying that there are a lot of animal designs in the mix, some bad, but most of them good. And, among the good ones, there are some villagers that have some truly amazing designs that only complement their equally as likable personalities. So, let's use some Nook Miles, book a flight, and fly on into this list.
Updated April 18th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: There are a ton of villagers for players to interact with and invite to their Island getaway in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. With over 400 villagers to interact with, it can be downright difficult for players to find and pick their favorites. Because of this, some may opt to pick the best-looking villagers, or those that stand out amongst the crowd, rather than take the time to learn the unique personalities of all the surrounding creatures. Thankfully, there are some pretty fantastic-looking villagers, especially from a design standpoint. To better showcase some of the available villagers with the best designs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the following list has been updated with even more entries.
13 Astrid The Kangaroo: A Snooty Star
Many of the Snooty personality villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are fairly fashion-forward but some of them stand out amongst the pack. Astrid is a great example, as a Kangaroo that features some rocking makeup and a brash attitude to match. Those that first spot the Kangaroo and her joey may feel like she's pretty rude, and while she does maintain this prickly appearance as a resident, she does eventually get closer to the player through conversation.
Astrid loves makeup and gossip, and she definitely worries about her appearance quite a bit. She doesn't seem to like those that don't take care of their image. Her design is simplistic but flashy, with her most imposing feature being the star surrounding her eye (which matches on her joey).
12 Avery The Eagle: An Avian Aztec
Avery the Eagle is a bit of an enigma in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Upon first glance, it's easy to see the Aztec-style influences present in his design. His pattern features blocky designs and bold lines that look like something from an ancient ruin. Past that, he seems to be pretty American-ized, especially when you hear his catchphrase, "skree-haw." The cowboy-esque Aztec hybrid is cranky, meaning he may come off a bit annoyed at times, and he can usually be found embroiled in his favorite hobby.
Avery is a great addition to a village as he is likely to get along with most villagers, although he will likely struggle with anyone that has a Peppy attitude, as they're likely too overbearing for the Eagle.
11 Bruce: The Urban Deer
Deer villagers are usually aesthetically pleasing. There is something so charming and cool about the lithe creatures, especially the ones that feature horns, like Bruce. From a design standpoint, Bruce is pretty unique, with his vibrant blue color scheme and striped horns. He usually wears a leather-style jacket and his design sense gravitates toward Urban living. He has a very "cool" air about him, although some players and villagers may find it difficult to initiate a conversation with him due to his Cranky personality. Underneath it all is a fairly laid-back villager that is usually engrossed in his hobbies and doesn't cause much mischief.
Bruce should get along with others pretty easily but he'll likely struggle with Peppy personalities that are sure to clash with his sometimes Cranky attitude.
10 Merengue The Rhino: With A Garnish On Top
Merengue is the one we're coming out swinging with. Quite frankly, this might be our favorite design in Animal Crossing! She's just so adorable. Her name obviously comes from the egg-white and cream dessert called Meringue, and her horn is meant to resemble a little strawberry on top.
There's not much to it, she's a Rhino who looks like a strawberry shortcake. Plus, her house is designed to look like a Cafe! She's a villager the falls into the "Normal" personality type, so people will find befriending her quite the easy task. All in all, Merengue is just a well-designed villager with no real reasons to dislike her.
9 Lobo The Wolf: A Loner Who Is Secretly A Gossip
Most of the Wolf Villagers in the Animal Crossing games are well-loved by the community. There's Audie the Peppy Wolf, Vivian The Snooty Woolf, and Lobo The Normal Wolf. Each of them has something to their design that makes them unique, and Lobo looks about the most plain.
He's a dark blue wolf with a darker green jacket who seems a bit too serious for his own good. But, upon further inspection, Lobo is actually a bit of a sneak. The guy likes to keep tabs on everyone in the village, and it adds that little twinge to his personality that makes the best villagers more memorable.
8 Lucky The Dog: Mummy Or Full-Body Cast? You Decide.
Lucky is an adorable tragedy. This dog has shown up in every single game included in the franchise to date, and every single time he's in a full-body cast. His name comes either from the fact that he's "lucky" to still be alive or it could just be an ironic take on the term "lucky" considering his injuries.
This adorable mummy-like dog usually has an Egyptian theme to his home, which is why we call him a mummy-dog. But, in New Horizons it seems like the pup has become a bit more macabre and has gone for a graveyard theme instead.
7 Ankha The Cat: Yep She's A Pharaoh
And, speaking of Egyptian theme, Ankha the Cat is another Villager that has apparently shown up in every game to date. She, of course, is based entirely on the Abyssinian species of felines that were most well-known in ancient Egypt. She also has the gold and navy stripes, the headdress, and the black eyeliner that all scream Egyptian Pharaoh.
She's snooty, just like you'd imagine she would be, and her house, of course, has an Egyptian theme to it, with mini-pyramids and hieroglyphics spread out everywhere. It's a simple design methodology, but it works.
6 Ribbot The "Frog": Does He Eat Robotic Flies?
There are a couple of "machine lifeforms" in the Animal Crossing world who don't seem to be fully aware they're machinations. Ribbot is one of those, being a full machine frog. Ribbot is also a "Jock" type villager, which must mean this is a bit of an ironic joke on Nintendo parts since machines can't really "workout" to build muscle.
Still, While Sprocket's colors clash and look odd, Ribbot just works as a mechanical design. His mouth looks like both a frogs and a trash chute, his headlights are perfect representations of a frogs eyes, and his home is space-themed leading us to believe he might be a machine from far, far away.
5 Stitches The Cub: A Patchwork That Just Works
Can you tell we have a soft spot for the designs that aren't all too "animalistic"? Stitches is the third villager who technically isn't considered an animal, since he's a stuffed bear and all. His home is very child-like and colorful, perfectly matching the idea that he's a worn-out children's toy that now lives on his own.
Every single part of his design works for the aesthetic they were going for, from the cross-stitch eyes to the patches of colored fur spliced throughout. He's a mess, but that's kind of the point.
4 Bob The Cat: The Animal Crossing Veteran
Throughout this list, we've been talking about characters who are "fan favorites" or "long time inclusions", and we weren't lying. But, none of them compare to Bob, who is without a doubt the first Villager the team ever created for the game.
Bob has shown up in every single game, and is even the one to explain things to us on the train in the very first AC game and in the Wii game (which still looks great by the way). Overall Bob is just a cheeky purple cat with a great design and well-written lines. He always ranks among the top in the popularity polls, and here's hoping he never stops appearing in the games.
3 Julian The Unicorn: What A Fabulous Horse
Julian is an actual animal this time, but is still quite unique. For some mysterious reason, this horse was born with a horn on his head, essentially making him a Unicorn. As such, he's smug and acts like he's more elegant than everyone else.
His hair/mane is flowing and in his face like a lot of the "elegant" characters in media, and his eyelashes are equally as long. Most of the time this unicorn has his eyes closed, but when they do open they're all white with no pupils, which is another oddity. Julian apparently shares a lot of qualities with Julius Caesar, who claimed he was related to the gods, so Julian might be claiming the same with his pure white eyes.
2 Marshall The Squirrel: The Angriest Little Squirrel
Initially, Marshall was really confusing, it was hard to tell where this cream-colored Squirrels' longstanding popularity came from. After doing a bit of research, it all makes sense. Marshall is a simple but well designed looking Squirrel with an angry expression as his default.
The guy looks either slightly miffed or angry at all times, which is rare for AC Villagers. But, when you talk to him, he can suddenly smile or look happy, which is such a delight. Seriously, if this list was purely based on cuteness, Marshall might be number 1.
1 Judy The Cub: A Star-Studded Teddy Bear
And lastly, this one is a real beauty for anyone who is a fan of space design aesthetics. Stuff like bright colors blended together, stars, and dark to light contrasts are really striking. And Judy the Cub encompasses this perfectly.
She's one of the things fans were hoping for with this game, which is the fact that she's a brand new Villager. Her fur color is literally a galaxy-themed gradient and her pupils are stars! It can't get any better than that! Judy very obviously fits the standard definition of cute or "girly" and that's great. It's all a bit stereotypical, but not every single character can be a unique take on a trope.