• The closing ceremony for TBT's Farewell to New Leaf event has been posted! View the winning entries and other closing announcements here. Thanks for joining in on the fun and nostalgia. We'll see you this Friday night for the start of our annual Easter Egg Hunt!

What makes certain villagers more popular than other villagers

HappyTails

On Indefinite Hiatus
Orange 🍊
Coconut 🥥
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Posts
2,849
Bells
4,905
MEOW Coupons
0
StreetPass Silver
8
Why are certain villagers like Marshal or Fang or Zucker or Bunnie or Julian are so popular while villagers like Bella, or Peewee or any other villager that aren't popular ignored. I mean, what makes Marshal or Fang more important or special than any non popular villagers? Is it because of how they look? I genuinely don't understand.

What prompted me to start this thread? Well the 'Looking for" thread did because I saw like 25 people asking for the same villagers which usually consisted of Marshal, Zucker or Bunnie. And I'm just wondering why are they put on a 'I must have this villager' pedestal.

i know people can do what they want, because it's their town and I'm not telling people to not like them. I hope you guys don't think I am. I'm just genuinely curious as to why certain villagers are so popular.
 
Last edited:
Just like with anything else, they are the "fad" villagers I think
 
I don't really either. To me it's a personal preference thing
 
I think part of the reason why people like Marshal so much is because his appearance is like a really cute metaphor of how many teens feel, just kinda sulky and reserved. Plus he kinda looks anime to me so that might be part of it.
And like YunaMoon said, they're kinda like a fad. Just like fidget spinners and Pokemon GO were fads, these villagers are super popular, but eventually people get tired of them.

I personally think it's great that all the villagers I like are so unpopular, it makes getting them for a low price really easy.
 
Oh okay. Well I mean, I have some favorites villager too, although I don't know if they are popular or not, probably not since I rarely see anyone asking for the ones I'm fond of like Tutu or Bones


And Marshall does look like a little anime character. I've seen him before and had him in one of my older towns.
 
Last edited:
The popular villagers are just cuter or have a more unique appearance.
 
The popular villagers are just cuter or have a more unique appearance.

But all of the villagers, even the unpopular ones, have unique looks because they are all different, so.....
 
But all of the villagers, even the unpopular ones, have unique looks because they are all different, so.....

I guess unique wasn't exactly the right phrasing. I guess I meant specialty themed? Like how Kid Cat and etc. are super hero themed, so they might be more appealing. Or how most people wouldn't usually look twice at a rhino but Merengue has the pastel/cutesy theme going on so more people want her.
 
Oh......so they are more appealing to the eyes or more attention grabbing persay? That makes sense.


I feel really bad for the unpopular ones. They don't get no love. :(
 
It's like asking why some certain anime are so much more popular than your favorite anime despite having less interesting characters and plots. In media there will always be That One Mainstream Thing everyone seems to love but you can't get into.
My guess is those villagers just have a certain charm that attracts many players. Easy on the eyes? Looks that match with their personalities? Unique but not to the point of putting people off? (Pietro ...:()
Personally I'm not big on Marshal, if I ever want him, it would be because I want his sloppy furniture.
 
Well I guess that makes sense too. I think. Although not really since I don't question people's opinions on anime. I know everyone has different tastes and I don't question that. But on here, it's like almost everyone has the same taste since almost everyone seems to be asking for the same villagers.

Please don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing these villagers or the people that like them I just wanted to know why they were so popular. But now that people are saying because some of them are theme based or just plain cute, it's makes sense now.
 
I think it's based off of looks. And it just so happens to be that more people who play this game like how Marshall looks compared to Peewee.
 
I believe it is due to how people think of the animals in real life, and the game's ability to let players approach them. After all, this is a "life fantasy" simulation game, and people often try to make idealized towns they somehow dream of being in - and villagers are part of this.

For example, Ankha: Some people who have heard about Cleopatra may have wondered, "It would be neat if she reappeared as a talking cat in modern times as a neighbor. Just imagine the discussions I'd have!" Well, not everyone may think of that, but it could be a subconscious idea of thought to those who like her.

Also, Rabbits and deer: In real life, they look real cute, but they usually are also very timid, and not really fond of humans at all. But in this game, you can talk to them and have them as friends! People's desires to do this is quite striking - and makes them popular as a result.

Then there are the mice: Lots of people are dead scared of them, and many also consider them vermin intruders in buildings. Ugly connotations follow. It also doesn't help that many mice in the game have casual, "neighbor like" personalities, with turns off these players even more.

Also, see Gorillas: In real life, many just aren't so fascinated about having one as their neighbor, I guess... And it gets into a strange superiority/inferiority complex upon many when they start talking and living with them each day as equals. The only exception in these forums I've seen is Hans, just because he a Yeti - and the "Ankha" effect comes in to some players - "I get to be neighbors with Bigfoot! W00T!" xD

As you can see, figuring out popularity involves searching for hidden meanings upon the visual traits they portray, as well as why/how people play this game. There are probably whole books out there that try to gauge why certain trends get popular. But I hope my thoughts can help you either way. :)
 
1. Cuteness
2. Cuteness
3. Cuteness
4. Cuteness
5. Cuteness
Infinite. Cuteness. It's all you need in your life aside from food, water, and shelter. And also apparently what you want to inhabit your town, of course.
 
Have you noticed animals like the Hippos, Gorillas, and Anteaters aren't that popular but Deers, Squirrels, and Cats are all over the place? People are just usually more fond of the "natural" looking Villagers like Fauna and Molly for example. I mean, if I were to live with animals I would prefer to live with Squirrels and Rabbits too. Another thing is their "cute" appeal. Are they pastel colored or full on white like Merengue or Diana? That's very popular because a pure white villager is pleasing to look at not gonna lie. Or are they fairytale-Esque themed like Julian or Stitches? Those animals do very well too.
 
The wolves are not cute and yet there are four of them in Tier 1...

The answer is not cuteness for everyone. The answer is that we all have opinions and personal preferences. That's one of the main reasons (imo) why this game is so appealing to a large age range. Nintendo has created villagers with a wide variety of looks, sizes, shapes, colors, personalities, even facial expressions, voices, etc.
 
I think it's mostly based on appearances. Cuter villagers with better proportions are usually more popular than ones with huge ears or eyes or noses. Also I think a small part of it is based on personality, since so many lazy and snooty villagers are extremely popular.
 
I think it's mainly based on looks. There's no doubt that some of the animal in this game look cuter than others. I think people also latch onto the fact that something is popular. Like marshal. I have no idea why people like him. To be he's so ugly and I'd never have him in my town. But other people see that he's popular and want him because it somehow makes their town more special and they can brag about it.
 
Back
Top