I can't really choose a favorite easily... if any species stands out to me simply in terms of shape, my favorites are probably penguins and hamsters. Ducks third. Goats, deer, squirrels and koalas are also up there too.
Oh man.... I love all the bird type villagers but im especially partial to the kind of villager build where they have a big head and a tiny body (frogs, ducks and squirrels)
Honourable mention to wolves, always have to have one in my town.
Cats, bears, and cubs :]
Honorable mention to bunnies, deer, lions, eagles, penguins, sheep, and birbs
Lions are super underrated imo, I like them a lot!
Squirrels, horses, deer and wolves. Not really original, except maybe the horses also like the duck designs! Not surprisingly, my island will one day exist of these species only, in addition to a goat!
SHEEP! I have really fallen for the sheep because of their NH upgrade. They’re so cute with shirts/sweaters. My favorite sheep and favorite villager is Eunice. Her existence gives me serotonin. When she walks in my general vicinity it just brings a smile to my face. I’m not sure what it is, but I think she’s adorable.
I also like the dogs and the penguins. I have Biskit and Sprinkle on my island and they’re both super cool.
It was always the dogs, bears and wolves but now it's the deer. I love their diverse designs. I may treat myself to an all deer island this autumn/winter.
As a devout cat lady, I always thought the most obvious answer would be cats... however; my number 1 villager is and has always been Zucker. I'm not the biggest fan of Marina or Octavian though so I can't really say they're my favorite in-game species.
I love some of the cats obviously (Merry, Olivia, Kiki and Katt are probably my favorites) but there are some I don't care for too much.
I think the frog villagers win this round just because I like the designs of many across the species as a whole.