How this villager represents me: She's a sand cat since I lived in desert regions for most of my childhood, her markings make her look angry even when she's not since I have rbf, her top's design is of henna since that's a common tradition in my family, she's got dark circles under her eyes since I don't sleep enough, and she's holding a mocha and a lemon flavored donut, two of my favorite treats.
How this villager represents me: Thedore is a lazy rabbit villager who likes to wander the forest alone foraging for wild flowers. He doesn't mind a new friend tagging along for the adventure if you can get past his slightly off-putting face. Theodore is known for growing rainbow flowers in his garden to pass around to the other villagers. "They represent our diversity!", he would tell his friends.
Theodore represents me because I have a hard time befriending people at work. I've been told I have a hard look to my face, making me less approachable. In reality I'm a pretty soft person who just likes to tend to my flowers & pet rabbits. The different colour flowers represent some current flags from the LGBTQ+ community (bisexual, trans & pansexual).
How this villager represents me: The plant themed name "Basil" and catchphrase "sprout!" are reference to my enjoyment of nature and my favourite colour green. My villager is a monkey to me a monkey represents the pure simple basics of what life should be: hanging out in a tree, playing with friends, eating fruit, and sleeping. I am currently in my life trying to just focus the simple things and my villager is meant to represent that.
Basil is the quiet type who doesn't stand out too much or draw attention to herself. She is insecure and unsure of who she is but one day hopes to discover her true self, her passions, and tap in to her inner confidence. Day by day she slowly works towards her goals, trying her best to stay happy and motivated along the way. She enjoys spending time alone but that doesn't mean she isn't also very friendly! If she isn't at home you can probably find her at the Roost, she enjoys a cup of coffee every single day.
Villager name: LuLu Villager Species: Caterpillar Villager Personality: Normal Villager Catchphrase: "dream big" Photo Quote: "Never let anyone take your joy" Goal: Veterinarian Coffee: Iced and sweet Birthday: July 6th Favorite Song: "I believe I can fly"
How this villager represents me: LuLu is a caterpillar who hopes to turn into a beautiful and successful moth. One day, LuLu will mature into a cute little moth and one day I hope to mature into a wonderful vet (I already have a BS in Biology and hopefully I'll get into vet school sometime next year). Like a caterpillar, I am striving toward bettering myself for my future. LuLu is a fluffy moth caterpillar because I prefer the night life and often stay up late. We joke in my family that I'm "nocturnal." Her circular pattern is inspired by my favorite Pokémon, Umbreon (though colors slightly inspired by Caterpie). She even glows at night! She wears a bandana with my favorite flower on it, daisies. Like a caterpillar, I love to snack! I also love plants and have quite a few of my own that I enjoy tending to. LuLu has the normal personality. A lot of people find the normal villagers to be boring, but I enjoy them. Like those with the normal personality, I always enjoy a good book and try to show kindness to all that I meet. Her picture quote is something my mom (and her father before her) always told me. I remember that quote often and it's the reason I have the Korean word for joy tattooed on me. I thought the caterpillar was also a good choice for celebrating diversity as caterpillars come in all shapes, sizes, and textures~
Chase your dreams, never give up, and always keep growing/improving
Villager Name: Kylie and Kodie
Villager Species: Kangaroo
Villager Personality: Sisterly (Motherly should be an option for kangaroos )
Villager catchphrase: You go you!
How this villager represents me:
I honestly struggled and my beautiful son suggested a kangaroo and little joey as we have such a special bond
Before I had my son I honestly am embarrassed at how weak I was. I took so much rubbish and didn’t think I should expect anything else. I could never stand up for myself. I had to be his voice and be strong for him. He needed me and I had to be strong. I don’t know how I can take any credit but all I can say is that I am so proud of my son. He is kind, intelligent and an amazing person. I learn so much from him and I do honestly believe that you get from life what you give out. Young people are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way
Spent far too many hours on this but it has been a lovely challenge.
Villager Name: Nayola Villager Species: Goat Villager Personality: Normal Villager Catchphrase: "huh" Birthday: December 29th (Capricorn) Photo quote: "If you couldn't fix something with duct tape, you probably haven't used enough duct tape." Favorite song: Steep Hill
How this villager represents me:
Nayola is an introverted and shy goat, who really struggles to talk to people she doesn't know. She often thinks of herself as boring and uninteresting friend to have, so she wonders how she ended up having friends in the first place. Nayola has troubles sharing her hobbies, worries, basically anything with anyone, because she thinks that nobody really cares about stuff like that(and she's always wrong). But she's really passionate about stuff she likes, even if Nayola can't express her emotions properly. Collecting small figurines of different kinds always was her hobby, which is represented by her holding a little amiibo figurine in her hands hooves.
Her overall look is just a combination of different zodiac things(goat because capricorn, turquoise horns because turquoise is a december birthstone). Lavender(and purple in general) is my favorite color, so it would be a crime for me to make her fur any other color. Her eye color is dusty green, just like mine. Meme shirt is just because I love this thing. I want to have one in real life :'D
How this villager represents me: Josie is a pink peppy cub who loves fashion. It’s her dream to create inclusive and adaptive fashion designs many folks both with and without disabilities can enjoy wearing! Josie uses a mobility aid to access her beautiful island and can be often seen zooming down its many ramps to play with her friends at the beach. I chose to portray Josie using a wheelchair because I am also disabled and use one. I personally was so disappointed when I found out the wheelchairs in the game were nonfunctional, but I hope Josie could help show everyone out there that mobility aids are essential and can allow everyone to have equal access to all of what island life and beyond has to offer!
Villager Name: Maven (Hebrew for “one who understands”)
Villager Species: Bear Cub
Villager Personality: Sisterly
Villager Catchphrase: “Bears”
Favourite Song: K.K. Mambo
Picture Quote: “Don’t be afraid to be yourself and to respect others.”
How this villager represents me:
To start off I am a big supporter to those with Autism. I may not be on the spectrum myself, but many of my friends over the years have been a part of the spectrum who have meant a lot to me. My older brother is also on the spectrum and it’s made for several unique challenges for my family. While I am almost 3 years younger than my brother my childhood was more akin to being an older sibling as I was often helping out my brother when I could. This is why I designed my villager wearing an Autism awareness shirt. I believe that it’s important for people to accept each other for who they are regardless of what kinds of challenges they may face.
I chose to make my villager a bear cub with the catchphrase “Bears” as it was an endearing nickname that my parents liked to call me. I consider myself fairly close with both my parents so I felt that it was an important detail in her design.
I chose K.K. Mambo as her favourite song cause back in Wild World I loved that song to death. I definitely had it playing in every single room of my house at one point haha. Even today I still like that song. It’s very upbeat and positive and fits with the theme I’m going for with Maven.
Finally I want to talk about the colour scheme I chose. Yes I really like these colours together, but no I didn’t pick them because of that. Grey, white, black and purple are the colours of demisexuality. Only about a year ago I came upon the realization that I am a demisexual. It’s one of the lesser known sexualities and it isn’t really noticeable by the average person but that’s ok. I always knew I was different and having a term to relate to made me realize that I wasn’t broken and that there are others out there like me too.
Villager Name: Loulou
Villager Species: Otter
Villager Personality: Sisterly
Villager Catchphrase: Love so sweet~
How this villager represents me:
I've been told by a few friends that my spirit animal is an otter and that in the world of Harry Potter, my patronus would definitely be an otter. If only because of the quizzical sound effects they make when they confront something, their restless curiosity, and for their love of swimming. I drew her holding a rainbow for two main reasons. The first is the diversity the rainbow represents. The second is the symbolism of hope that everything will be alright during the pandemic. Her ears have hearts to represents the love she has for everyone. You know the expression of putting your hearts on your sleeves? Well hers is in her ears!
Villager Name: Pag-asa (Means “Hope” in Tagalog) Villager Species: Eagle (more specifically, the Philippine Eagle) Villager Personality: Normal Villager Catchphrase: Neeeeeeeeum! Clothing: Starry tank and blue Pineapple Aloha Shorts Interests: Drawing, driving, listening to music, playing video games Coffee order: Mocha, a lot of milk, and three spoonfuls of sugar Favourite songs: Drivin', K.K. Bashment Dream car:Honda S2000
Get ready for my Shellzilla style of having a huge wall of text lol.
How this villager represents me:
Eagles are my favourite animals. Pag-asa is a Philippine Eagle which is endemic to well, the Philippines. If it’s not obvious enough, he has a Filipino background like me. And Pag-asa means “Hope” in Tagalog. I chose this name because of hoping that people (or animal villagers in this case) will get along better regardless of our differences and struggles.
How else does Pag-asa represent me? Well, one thing for sure, he’s quite the car enthusiast! He loves talking about it, driving a variety of them in video games, and learning their history about them. Heck, he even tries to draw them, albeit in an okayish state. Pag-asa gets really happy whenever he sees a car in real life on a road that is present in a video game. Whether it’s a classic American car like a Chevrolet Corvette C3, a regular everyday car like a Honda Element, a car that’s featured in a show like a classic Mini Cooper from Mr. Bean, an Italian car like an Alfa Romeo 4C, or some obscure car like a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, it’s sure to bring him lots of joy. I could list more, but I’ll leave it at that. What car you see behind Pag-asa is a Honda S2000 which is his dream car. He likes how it looks, drives, and of course, the sound! He obviously doesn’t have one in real life, but at least he can drive it in games that have them to have a good time. At times, he’d stop inside a tunnel and just rev the engine for the smiles. He also happens to have a Hotwheels toy of it lol. Staying on the topic of cars, Pag-asa likes to watch Formula 1 and other motorsports hence why he is holding a racing helmet on his side. You can see the flag of The Philippines on top of the helmet if you pay close attention enough.
Aside from being a car nut that one of his friends calls him, Pag-asa does have other interests. He likes to go for walks as a small exercise not only to keep his physical health in check but to feel good mentally as well. He also likes to draw and while his skills are not great compared to other talented villagers, Pag-asa is really happy with the progress he’s made over the years. You can even see a Wacom pen hanging on the side of his head. He also likes listening to music… Even though 80% of the songs in his playlist originated from video games. Speaking of video games, he loves playing them, even more when he revisits one to bring back nostalgic memories.
Pag-asa’s favourite snacks are Taho and Pandesal, in which he’s holding the latter. He’s thinking about spreading some Nutella on it, but a cheese spread wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Since he was born in Canada and spent 95% of his life in the country, he isn’t too familiar with the cultural differences in The Philippines but has had a small experience with it. Pag-asa still understands and speaks in Tagalog despite slipping up at least half of the time. Hey, at least he’s trying!
When you think of eagles, how would you describe them? Are words such as tough, superior, and emotionless come to your mind, especially in males? Well, you wouldn’t find that in Pag Asa. He has a kind heart and wants to comfort villagers in their times of hardship. And when Pag-asa is able to make them feel better, it warms his heart greatly. Who says that eagles can’t have a heart and be caring to others? We’re all living beings. Not robots. It’s frustrating to hear that having feelings is being “too sensitive” or “vulnerable”, making an individual question whether their emotions are valid or not. I personally struggle with this one a bit as I had to hold back my feelings quite a few times and if possible, cry in secret which rarely happens to begin with. It absolutely hurts on the inside, and I wouldn’t want others to go through it as I did, even if it’s not severe.
Pag-asa’s clothing is nothing special. He just likes clothes that are comfy to wear and not have to worry about looks. Though, you may have already noticed that he’s wearing a heart pin showing the pride flag. While Pag-asa is a straight male, he still wants to support the LGBTQ+ community as he’s met people who identify themselves as such within the community. He admits that he doesn’t know absolutely everything about them, but is willing to learn more and gain a better perspective. Simply put, he doesn’t want hatred to exist purely because of one singular trait of a person. They’re much more than their sexual orientation and gender identity and it’s true, especially since Pag-asa has a couple of friends who are also a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and will stand up for them when they face discrimination. He firmly believes that we should love one another and not have hate.
To bring some awareness, Philippine Eagles are critically endangered with sources saying that there are only 700 breeding pairs left. This is because of deforestation and the fact that they lay only one egg every two to three years, meaning they are very slow to reproduce in numbers. It doesn't help when there are a few people who are mad enough to hunt one down, which killing one is against the law in The Philippines and will be punished for up to 12 years in prison and heavy fines. It made me sad to learn these facts last year because they’re such beautiful eagles to the world. There’s another reason why I named my villager Pag-asa. A Philippine Eagle in real life with the same name sadly passed away in early 2021 due to infections that were resistant to treatment, so I thought I’d give him a small tribute. And what’s special about him is that he’s the first of the species to be bred and hatched in captivity. If Pag-asa was still alive today, he would’ve been 29 years old. To end it off on a lighter note, The Philippine Eagle Foundation, a non-profit organization, aims to increase the population of these eagles. Not only that, but they also treat their injuries that have been found in the wild. It’s nice knowing that efforts are being made to help the Philippine Eagles become numerous again.
I had a great time putting all of this together. Thank you staff for organizing another event like this event! And thank you for putting up with a bazillion words in my post lol.
Most entries submitted up until this point have been accepted!
After discussion amongst several members of the team, the following entries have not been accepted due to being based on existing characters and not having a villager-like style, which we feel doesn't fit the spirit of the event.
How this villager represents me: I decided to stick with the aquatic theme of my avatar, so I drew Dory the fish who is celebrating diversity! This villager represents me because no matter what happens, I just keep swimming! Never giving up. I may be lazy because all I do is swim all day, but I have fun doing it! If Octavian can walk around the island all day, so can I. I can do anything that I try my hardest with.
How this villager represents me: I drew a snail with pride colors! This villager represents me because of how easy going I am. Not letting anyone bother me about who I am, just carrying on with my life and proud of it!
My entry took me longer to make than I had hoped. I'm having laptop troubles and couldn't create a digital entry so I had to do a traditional one. My problem was trying to remember where I had stored my colored pencils. lol! Thankfully I found them and was able to participate. Here's my villager:
(I'm sorry this is so dark. I don't know why.)
Villager Name: Tallulah Villager Species: Great White Shark Villager Personality: Sisterly Villager Catchphrase: Jawsome Villager Birthday: June 20th Villager Photo Phrase: "Take a bite out of life." Favorite Song: K.K. Dirge
How this villager represents me: Tallulah represents me in a few ways. I've felt like "a fish out of water" many times in my life - especially when I became disabled. I had to learn a whole new type of "normal". I had to figure out new ways to do every day things. I also had to come to grips with the fact that there were some things I'd never do again - like drive. I had to learn to walk again and accept the fact that I could only walk short distances. Just like Tallulah, I use an electric mobility chair whenever I leave my apartment. I also feel like a fish out of water on internet forums. I tend to be older than most forum members and that makes me feel like I don't really fit in. I tend to be shy on forums and not post much. I do try to help others when I can but mostly hide in the background. When I do feel comfortable with another member or group of members then I can be more chatty.
Being a Great White shark Tallulah is often misunderstood. She may seem scary but she's really nice. Sometimes people mistake her smile for a bite action which makes them misinterpret her intention. I'm often misunderstood because one of my vocal chords is paralyzed. This gives my voice a gruff tone which people misinterpret as me being angry or upset even when I'm happy. My voice is also rather deep for a female so I often get called "sir" if someone only hears my voice. That has made for some interesting conversations. lol!
Now matter what high or low tides Tallulah and I face we keep going. In life we can choose to sink or swim and Tallulah & I always keep on swimming.
More about Tallulah: Great White Sharks are my all time favorite animals so I wanted my villager to be a Great White. According to the interwebs the name Tallulah means "leaping water". I liked that idea as both Tallulah and I have had many hurdles to leap. Tallulah's birthday is the date the movie JAWS opened in theaters in 1975. Her shirt is designed to look like a pearlescent scallop shell and the fabric is "seaweed" green. Tallulah has a large scar on her caudal (tail) fin due to a run in with some humans. (She doesn't really like to talk about what happened.) She controls her electric mobility chair with her right pectoral fin. Speaking of Tallulah's chair, she has the Disability Flag and Disability Pride Flag displayed on the base. (You can learn more about both flags HERE.)
Sorry for the long explanation. I just really had fun creating Tallulah. Thank you!
Back of photo: It’s ok if you’re in a pickle, we’ll find a way to cut u out!
How this villager represents me:
Chinchillas are known for their communication skills, adaptiveness, awareness and warmth. We’ve had a chinchilla (named Loki) for 4 years now and I am amazed at not only how in tune to his surroundings he is but his absolute loyal ties to all of us. He loves us all unconditionally the way we love him and while he chose my son as his best friend he thinks the rest of us are pretty great as well. I chose him (but my villager will be female, like me) to represent me to emphasize my loyalty to family and those that I consider family. I grew up with a very large family and not all of my family was blood related to me but I love them just the same. My family is known for how accepting we are. We luv you no matter your color, no matter who you chose to luv, or if you choose not to luv. We luv u if you were born into this family, or if we inherited you through friends, marriage, or even if you were just a stray we happened to pick up. We are all known to adapt to our situations and make the best out of things No matter the pickle we’ve been given.
Villager Name: Bunbun Villager Species: Snowshoe Hare Villager Personality: Normal Villager Catchphrase: what's happening
Skill: Lying on the floor Goal: Healthcare Worker, happiness (for herself and others) Coffee: "Coffee with lots of hot milk and sugar. Actually, just remove the coffee please." Picture quote: "Be messy, be scared, but do it anyway; comfort is the enemy of growth."
Bunbun is a bisexual Asian hare with brown-colored fur who dreams of becoming a healthcare worker! She is always afraid to do things and she easily gets tired or lost, but she always tries to put her best foot forward regardless of the situation. It's a long-winding road towards her goals, but she knows she is growing a little bit every day.
I've had this connection with rabbits (and hares, to an extent) since I was little. I was born in the year of the rabbit, and I always thought of myself as a rabbit, small and scared and intimidated by bigger things in life. The picture quote is a quote that a friend sent me the other day; it reassured me that it's okay do things afraid, it's normal to not know everything from the get-go. What's important is just doing my best while keeping my mind open for improvements! Constantly staying in my comfort zone will never help me grow. I may be like a small rabbit, but I assure you, this rabbit's got a lot of fight and spirit in her.
I designed Bunbun to be a brown-skinned Asian because of my race as a pure Filipino! We Filipinos are Asian too, and I absolutely love Asian characters who are depicted with a darker skin color (e.g. Neon in Valorant!). I wish we had more brown-skinned Asian characters in the media. Representation matters!
I am also a bisexual and I have that exact flag IRL. It's been a journey finding out who I really was, but when I knew bisexuality was what described me the most, it finally felt liberating. Our country may be miles away from being truly accepting of the LGBT+ community, but I will continue fighting for our rights and our own safe spaces.
Lastly, like Bunbun, one day I dream of becoming happiness not just for myself but for people around me. Being a healthcare worker, being able to help others health-wise to the best I can, feels like something of my calling. The road to becoming a doctor is a lengthy and tedious process, but I believe I'll become one some day. Another dream I'd like to achieve one day is drawing for a children's book! I want to put an important message (whatever that may be) to all the children, and I like making people happy with my art.
(Thank you for reading my entry!! I had lots of fun conceptualizing and sketching this!)
Villager name: Marsi Villager species: Tasmanian Devil Villager personality: Normal Villager catchphrase: Bestie! Birthday: 8th January Favourite styles: Cute and simple Favourite colours: Green Hobby: Play
Villager bio:
Marsi’s name comes from the word marsupial, and while really very small in size, Tasmanian devils like Marsi are the largest living carnivorous marsupials. Marsi loves both science and art, but doesn’t think of herself as very creative! Some of her other favourite things to do are cook, play video games, and sleep! Marsi loves plants, animals and other villagers, and uses her catchphrase “Bestie!” on everyone. She thinks of herself as a friend to everyone, and while she might not have the right words to make things better, she’ll always be there to listen. Marsi loves to take care of plants, but sticks to cacti and succulents because she’s… forgetful.
How this villager represents me:
Tasmanian devils are my very favourite animal. Drawing Marsi represents the crossover between my hobby of improving my art over the last year, and my work in research. While devils aren’t my area of research, I’ve always loved Australian animals, and reading papers on devil facial tumour disease is what really ignited my love for them. I’m also from Australia (though not Tasmania), so I thought an Australian animal was fitting.
Marsi and I share the same favourite styles, favourite colours and hobbies. Like Marsi, I too only keep plants that won’t die if I forget to water them for a month week. Succulents and cacti are very forgiving!
P.S. I was browsing for name inspiration and found this cute devil picture.
P.P.S. It’s been a super busy week, so I’m so glad I found time this weekend to draw Marsi. Also, drawing animals is not my strong suit, so shoutout to these two bears who were my first attempts at a villager, before I found the courage to at least attempt drawing a devil.
Villager Name: Smiley
Villager Species: Rabbit
Villager Personality: Peppy (But a boy!)
Villager Catchphrase: Oosh Goosh (This is because when I was 6 or 7 I made up a word called "Ooshiee Gooshiee" and I still say it all the time sooo CATCHPHRASE VERSION)
Picture Quote: "Making mistakes is better than faking Perfections."
Favorite Fruit: Perfect Cherries
Favorite Furniture Series: Gracie
How this villager represents me:
I am always about staying happy and making other smile and so is Smiley! He is super hyperactive and loves to make friends just like me! You may have thought that I was going to make a frog because of Keroppi but Bunny's have been my favorite animals since I was 2 so obviously I would make a super cute one! I chose to use bright green and yellow for the shirt because those are my favorite colors and I added a smiley face and a nice message on it because I love both of those!! It may be hard to see in the photo but I chose to make Smiley a faint yellow color because yellow bunny's are my favorite!!!
'*•.♡.•*' villager name: Kaxahha (каханнa in Belarusian) villager species: peach-faced lovebird villager personality: normal villager catchphrase: "love ya mate" home request: a valentine library garden favourite song: k.k. lovers skill: writing love letters
how this villager represents me:
Kaxahha (каханнa in the Belarusian language and in the Cyrillic alphabet) is a Belarusian play on words, with the mix of the word love (каханнe) and my name in Belarusian (Aннa). This represents my ethnicity and my love for people I care for. Kaxahha loves to love!
She is a peach-faced lovebird because lovebirds reflect my love for birds and the love I give. Her extra fluff around her neck and tail make her look a little more cuddly, because she loves hugs! Give her hugs!
There are also flags on her jacket; the protest Belarus flag, the Ukrainian flag and the Australian flag. I have the protest flag because I just want peace in the country where I come from. The Ukrainian flag also represents the Ukrainian portion of my ethnicity and my solidarity with Ukraine at the moment. My Australian flag shows where I was born, and where I live right now. I am very grateful of my life in Australia.
The love postage stamp and mail stamp represent her skill of writing poetic love letters, and my interest in poetry.
She also wears a cross on her necklace to show her Christianity!
Villager Name: Rigel (named after a star in the Orion constellation) Villager Species: Sheep Villager Personality: Normal Villager Catchphrase: "My Baaad!" Hobby: Education Birthday: March 21st Photo Quote: "Always read between the lines."
How this villager represents me: I've always liked sheep and my hair can be poofy when not put up. Rigel is a black sheep because 1. I am a black person and 2. black sheep don't follow the crowd much like how I don't follow what is popular just because it's popular. She is a normal villager meaning that she is shy and polite like how I am. We both also tend to apologize a lot, even for things that might not be our fault. Rigel comes from a big city with connections to space like my home town so she wears a starry scarf and has lots of stars on her wool. Rigel was bullied in middle school and the kids made fun of how big her eyes were so she covers them with her wool most of the time. She only uncovers her eyes for a select few people that are her close friends and family. We both love space and looking at the night sky. Rigel has the education hobby because we both always want to learn new things.
Villager name: LuLu
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Villager Name: Bunbun
Skill: Lying on the floor
I’m also from Australia (though not Tasmania), so I thought an Australian animal was fitting. 
