Papi: Okapi or Horse?

[LoonieToonies]

I love Papi, he's my favourite horse villager next to Annalise. However, I realize that he's actually supposed to be based more on an okapi than a horse.

I like how the game sometimes puts a twist on a certain villager to change their species (examples: Julian, Phoebe, Erik, Flora, etc.) Papi is apparently one of them. However, before I knew Papi was supposed to be an okapi, I always just thought of him as a pinto horse (cream horses with patches of brown or black). And yes, I knew what an okapi looked like beforehand. What do you think of Papi? Do you like to think of him as a horse or an okapi?

 

[Shimmer]

Interesting! I've never heard about that species before! o:

I think he's an okapi now. xD He looks just like it.

 

[kenna]

I personally think he's an okapi. Especially by the striped legs, which I believe are not present on horses.

 

[Jamborenium]

He has the horse model, but he's designed to be an Okapi

 

[DCB]

Also, his name in Japanese is Okappi.

 

[roseflower]

It?s great how the animal models are used for different species, I think Papi is based on the Okapi too.

 

[Rasha]

he's an Okapi Horse

 

[Shax]

His Japanese name is オカッピ, which means okappi. So yes, I believe his design is meant to imply that he's an okapi.

 

[Mentagon]

It's true that his design and name is based on the okapi, but personally, I see him as a horse. If they wanted to make an okapi villager, they should've made one out of the deer villagers. I can't think of the horses as anything but horses, and okapis look more like big antelopes than equines to me.

 

[Jamborenium]

I have to agree with you on that, why didn't they make a deer* character based off an okapi rather then a horse it would fit much more.

((*even though Okapis are more closely related to Giraffes))

 

[Hypno KK]

It's true that his design and name is based on the okapi, but personally, I see him as a horse. If they wanted to make an okapi villager, they should've made one out of the deer villagers. I can't think of the horses as anything but horses, and okapis look more like big antelopes than equines to me.

Savannah is a zebra.

 

[*Facade*]

I truly can see the close resemblance from the Pinto Horse to Papi, but he is definitely an Okapi. When I first saw him, I thought he was a Zonkey, but then I realized that he was indeed an Okapi by doing further research. The stripes on his arms give him away as an Okapi since a Pinto Horse does not have them. Plus, his name might also have something to do with him being like an Okapi. "Papi" and "Okapi" sound the same, plus the Pi in "Papi" tends to be the last two letters in "Okapi"

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It's true that his design and name is based on the okapi, but personally, I see him as a horse. If they wanted to make an okapi villager, they should've made one out of the deer villagers. I can't think of the horses as anything but horses, and okapis look more like big antelopes than equines to me.

Actually, the Okapi is far closer to the horse species in the game than would be the deer due to the species itself being derived from, believe it or not, the Giraffe, which is tall, as the deer villagers are too short. Since there are no Giraffe villagers (Besides Gracie who is not villager eligible) then the Horse species would be the next thing to make Papi since an Okapi is very tall, with the Horse species being one of the tallest in the game. They couldn't use a deer avatar for Papi as as well because of the lack of antlers an Okapi has, which really wouldn't make much sense.

 

[spCrossing]

According to my friend, he's an okapi.

A type of horse that closely resemble giraffes.

 

[DCB]

According to my friend, he's an okapi.

A type of horse that closely resemble giraffes.

Off-topic: Okapis aren't a type of horse, nor are they related to horses. They are related to giraffes -- both being in the same family.

EDIT; On-topic: However, Papi is definitely meant to be an okapi. I agree with other users that the horse model was simply the best option for that.

 

[snapdragon]

Okapi wiki page in case anyone wants to know what it looks like! I had no idea!

 

[Lualdara]

in-game he has a horse shape and an okapi's design/colors so he could be interpreted either way, he also lacks the stubby horns okapis have, and iirc okapis don't have manes. Just like how Kyle has a wolf's shape but his design is based off the african wild dog despite those having different physical characteristics such as big round ears, not pointy wolf ones, as well as the lack of the typical wolfy long fur. Again, you could interpret such villagers either way or even see them as hybrids of some sort, I especially like how fanartists stylize and re-imagine ambiguous-looking villagers in different ways. It's one of the little things I love about animal crossing.

 

[Astro Cake]

Maybe he's a hybrid.

 

[LoonieToonies]

in-game he has a horse shape and an okapi's design/colors so he could be interpreted either way, he also lacks the stubby horns okapis have, and iirc okapis don't have manes. Just like how Kyle has a wolf's shape but his design is based off the african wild dog despite those having different physical characteristics such as big round ears, not pointy wolf ones, as well as the lack of the typical wolfy long fur. Again, you could interpret such villagers either way or even see them as hybrids of some sort, I especially like how fanartists stylize and re-imagine ambiguous-looking villagers in different ways. It's one of the little things I love about animal crossing.

This statement is why I would rather interpret him as a horse. The only thing that makes him resemble an okapi is the striped legs but he really looks more like pinto horse to me... especially given the fact that he lacks the horns and has a mane.

 

[pika62221]

Given they don't have a separate section for okapi, but they have them for horses, he's one of the "horses" but like Julian (Julie in Japanese) he's an "other" horse!

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I should note that I have Papi, and on Jan 1, 2014, the year of the horse, Papi said he felt like everyone was watching him, because he was a horse, and it was the year of the horse, so NOA calls him a horse.

 

[marierock13]

He uses the horse model, but based on his design, I'm pretty sure he's an okapi, yes.

It's just like how Savannah uses the horse model but is designed as a zebra, or how Drago uses the alligator model but is intended to be seen as a dragon.