Tom Nook

Lore & Background

Tom Nook is based on the tanuki, the raccoon dog. Rich Amtower and Reiko Ninomiya, members of Nintendo's Treehouse localization team, described him as 'that first boss you ever had', adding that, 'despite him being all business and not always having the time for pleasantries, Nook isn't a bad person; because he hired someone new to town. Due to that involving risk, it shows generosity'. Ninomiya agreed, and both felt that Nook's perceived greed is diminished by the city's price index compared to that of his shop. Amtower jokingly alludes to an 'anti-Nook bias' several times throughout an interview with 1UP.com. In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, instead of being the local shop owner, Nook is now in charge of 'Nook's Homes' and instead offers exterior renovations for the player's house. His apprentices, Timmy and Tommy, now run the town shop by themselves. In New Horizons, Nook and his apprentices Timmy and Tommy offer an island getaway package, and help the player to facilitate the setup and progression of the island; eventually, the player helps Timmy and Tommy to establish the town shop which they again run by themselves. Nook offers the player a new program known as the Nook Mileage program as a secondary form of in-game currency.

In Their Own Story

Tom Nook first appears in the Nintendo 64 title Dōbutsu no Mori (ported to the GameCube as Animal Crossing in non-Japanese regions) as the town's main shop owner, and continues his job in the next two installments. In addition to being the main shop owner, Nook will also sell the player a house at the beginning of the game for around 19,800 Bells (the in-game currency). Because the player will only have 1,000 Bells in their pocket in Dōbutsu no Mori and Animal Crossing (and no Bells at all in the rest of the main series), Nook will request that the player work in his shop for a bit to pay off some of the debt. The chores Nook assigns the player to do are meant to help them get used to the controls of the game. After planting flowers, writing letters, and talking to villagers, the player is sent off to do whatever they want, but have to pay the remaining amount of their mortgage on their own. Each time a mortgage payment is completed, Nook will upgrade or add on to the player's house, each time putting the player into greater debt to Nook, with the last addition being the most costly. Nook's store also goes through four upgrades and changes throughout the game. The time of the upgrade depends on how many bells are spent in the store. Eventually his humble 'Nook's Cranny' shack-like store with basic tools and very little objects to buy will become 'Nookington's Department Store'—a large, three story building with a wide variety of items for purchase. It is in this expansion that the player meets his two apprentices, Tommy and Timmy, who run the second floor of the store.

Reader's Guide

Tom Nook is the character you interact with to buy your first house and pay off mortgages. In Dōbutsu no Mori and Animal Crossing, you start with only 1,000 Bells (or 0 in later games), so Nook has you work in his shop to learn the controls—planting flowers, writing letters, and talking to villagers—before you're free to pay off the rest of the loan yourself. Each paid mortgage triggers a house upgrade, and the final addition is the most costly. His store also upgrades four times based on how many Bells you spend there, from 'Nook's Cranny' to 'Nookington's Department Store', a three-story building where you meet Timmy and Tommy. In Animal Crossing, at the end of the month Nook will host a raffle with rare items to win. In Wild World, with the Nookington's expansion the player meets Harriet, a poodle who will do the player's hair for 3,000 Bells. In City Folk, with the Nookington's expansion, Nook will randomly ask the player a series of questions; how the player answers could change the store to a former appearance. In New Leaf, Nook runs 'Nook's Homes' offering exterior renovations and house expansions. In Pocket Camp, the player can purchase Tom Nook to put in their camp for 250 Leaf Tickets (only available 45 days after starting the game); he later appeared as a free log-in gift to promote New Horizons. In New Horizons, Nook offers the Nook Mileage program and arranges house expansions with increasing loans.

Did You Know?

• Tom Nook is known in Japan as Tanukichi (たぬきち).
• He first appeared in the Nintendo 64 game Dōbutsu no Mori, which was ported to the GameCube as Animal Crossing in non-Japanese regions.
• In Animal Crossing: New Leaf and New Horizons, Nook sells the player a tent at the start instead of a house.
• Nook's store can upgrade four times, eventually becoming 'Nookington's Department Store', a three-story building.
• In Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, Tom Nook is playable and landing on an event square triggers a random event related to him.