TBT's Farewell to New Leaf: Closing Ceremony

[Justin]

Like all good things, our Farewell to New Leaf event has sadly come to an end. I'd like to thank everyone who participated for making this a truly special event beyond what I ever could have expected would happen. Everyone on the staff, including myself, was so joyful to see the amount of interest and enthusiasm on display for both New Leaf and our activities over these two weeks.

As a final tribute to Animal Crossing: New Leaf, we'll be keeping the event town tree inspired by the game in the forum banner up until April 9th when the online systems are finally shut down. Plus, for the next few days, those who stick around for a sit by the tree may find themselves experiencing a little extra bonus...

In this post, you'll find the winners of our various Farewell to New Leaf activities, housekeeping information on closing of the event Shop, and a preview of what's coming next on The Bell Tree.


Winners

We aimed to select four staff favorites in each of the three creative activities. In some cases, we have included honorable mentions if someone placed highly in multiple areas throughout Farewell to New Leaf, while still maintaining four unique winners in each of the creative activities.

Picture Perfect Favorites
The Picture Perfect activity tasked participants with creating a memory book-style page of their Animal Crossing: New Leaf memories.

digimon

Millysaurusrexjr

Emzy

Lancelot

Honorable Mention: Chibi.Hoshi

Honorable Mention: skarmoury

​

---

Adieu, Hellish Home Favorites
The Adieu, Hellish Home activity tasked participants with presenting an Animal Crossing: New Leaf home for judgement in front of Lyle's three goons.

Mokuren

Spoiler: Dream Address Info

Town Name: Merupuri
Character Name: Estelle
Dream Address: 6F00-01F5-859C

kayleee

Spoiler: Dream Address Info

Town Name: London
Character Name: Kayleee
Dream Address: 5F00-01F6-6E73

lieryl

Spoiler: Dream Address Info

Town Name: Noctem
Character Name: Lucy
Dream Address: 5E00-01F6-C881

Firesquids

Spoiler: Dream Address Info

Town Name: Avalar
Character Name: Floyd
Dream Address: 4B00-01F6-09F8

---

Mayoral Memories Favorites
The Mayoral Memories activity tasked participants with reflecting on their memories and experiences with Animal Crossing: New Leaf in a written piece.

skarmoury​

A new notice has been posted on the billboard.

"Attention all new & visiting villagers of Vanillix,

As enacting mayor, I am placing new rules and regulations starting today, March 21, regarding proper conduct in this town.

(1) New villagers are strictly NOT allowed to place their homes in front of or behind buildings or Public Works Projects, and are not allowed to block paths near bridges and ramps. Many other villagers have found it difficult in the past trying to go around houses just to cross the bridge. It is also near impossible to spot houses behind buildings and their shadows. Fines will range from 100,000 to 500,000 bells depending on the severity of the blockage. If you care about the safety, accessibility, and wellbeing of the villagers and the town, please be considerate and do not block the pathways.

(2) New villagers are strictly NOT allowed to place their homes on top of perfect trees, hybrid flowers, or pathways. Do you know how long it takes to breed flowers and gain access to perfect fruits? Imagine if one day you find someone who destroyed all things that you loved, would you feel elated? Happy? Carefree? I didn't think so. Fines will range from 500,000 to 1,000,000 bells depending on the severity of damage to these natural resourses. It is hard taking care of beautiful flowers as is. In a similar light, anyone seen running through hybrid flowers or chopping perfect fruit trees will be fined 100,000 bells for property damage.

(3) Campsite villagers are strictly NOT allowed to gamble with others on site. We've received cases of villagers complaining to us that they got 'scammed' by gambling their furniture away in a game of 'Find The Queen' or 'Chase The Ace' against campsite villagers. Any campsite villager seen or reported doing such will be immediately evicted and banned from using the town's campsite and associated utilities.

(4) New villagers are strictly NOT allowed any suggestive catchphrases and outfits brought from previous towns. Many villagers have complained of lack of camaraderie among newer peers due to improper demeanor. Those who continuously portray verbal misconduct will be reported to Isabelle who will scrub their mouths clean with soap, and those continuously wearing suggstive outfits will have their outfits thrown at Harvey's campfire.

All fines will be donated to future Public Works Projects and town association dues for maintenance of the town.

For your strict compliance. No warnings will be handed out; this is the final warning to all.
Please and thank you.

- Mayor Spring of Vanillix"

leafturnedover​

I don't know why I act surprised
That online is going away
It was always in the title: not all things are meant to stay

A new leaf turned over when I picked up this game
And it only happened because I decided to change
Yes new things can be scary, and change can let you down
But if that had stopped me back then, I wouldn't have my town

I wouldn't have my four houses that I still love to decorate
I wouldn't have had some dreams - not those I visit, nor those I make
I wouldn't have known why so many love Isabelle and despise Tom Nook
I'd never have related to Goldie, see her always talk about our books

The saddest days, the tiring times would have been a little worse
Without a certain game always there to put the bad into reverse

And most of all, maybe its sad, but its still quite true
Without this game I wouldn't be here talking to you

Where once i was only mad at Nintendo, I can now be more content
Because there's no doubt in my mind this was all time well spent

Because I found memories, and I found friends
And yes: I HAVE found reasons to play again
Its still sad of course, its still the end in its own way
but it's only the end that we knew would happen one day

But one thing I could not have known is how it might change me
How I should hold on to the best things, and still let other things be
When there is another leaf to be turned over, I have thought it through:
I won't hesitate to make room for something new
Because that is what New Leaf once taught me to do


I'm not really the best storyteller so I went with an overly sentimental, amateur poem - forgive its presence if at all possible

Xara​

To whatever whoever remains of Clarity,

My journey of being the Mayor of Clarity came to an end on a brisk autumn afternoon, the same way it began. The last time I walked around Clarity, I didn’t know that it would be the last time.

That’s the funny thing about ends, isn’t it? You never know you’ve experienced the end of something until it’s long gone and you can’t say goodbye.

(I still say goodbye to everything and everyone I’ve lost in my head every night. All of my memories have scratch marks on them).

I was 11-years-old when I became Clarity’s Mayor. That would normally be cause for concern in any other universe, but in this one, it was cause for nothing but celebration. A new beginning for a once sleepy town.

My first villagers are all faceless friends in my memory, but I remember Isabelle like the back of my hand. I remember the soft leather of my mayoral chair and how it felt cushioned behind my back. I remember the faint smell of coffee and tulips that filled my nostrils every time I stepped foot in Town Hall.

I remember Isabelle.

I remember how she would practically trip over her feet to get to me whenever I would sit in my chair, ready for mayoral duties. I remember how she would often fall asleep at her desk, drooling onto important documents and sticky note reminders alike. I remember how she would go overboard for big and small events, setting up face cutouts for photos and handing out special items. She was clumsy, overworked and often scatterbrained, but most of all, she was my kind friend.

I remember all of my friends. I remember Dr. Shrunk with his jokes, and his desperation to make people laugh. He was the one who kickstarted my love for axolotls. Such silly creatures they are. I remember my next-door neighbour Lolly, an adorable cat with a sweet smile and a love for baking. She was often the first person I saw every day, and it always got my day off to a good start. I remember Beau, my most dearest friend. I was so happy when he first moved in, and so heartbroken when he moved out. But we always find our way back to each other. I remember Sprinkle, my vigorous penguin who lived right down the street from Re-tail, and would spend every afternoon browsing there.

I remember Tortimer’s Island, and Kapp’n’s kindhearted (but sometimes weird) family. One of my many homes away from home. I used to spend hours there, cramming beetles and fish into my drop-off box. Cyrus and Reese were never happy to see me the next morning, complaining their little shop would smell like the ocean for days after. They still never turned me away, a little girl who hid underneath her blanket past her bedtime just so she could experience the serenity of their world for a while longer.

I remember working part-time at The Roost, jotting down every customer who came by’s order in a little notebook so that I’d remember for next time. I remember Brewster’s eyes on my back as he calmly washed and dried his cups, his “I’m-not-smiling-because-I’m-Brewster-but-I’m-smiling-in-my-own-way” smile on his face. He would never say it out loud, but I could always tell he was pleased with how I did after every shift.

I remember giving items away to Mayors from all over the world, wanting to help as many people as I could. I remember my Town Tree, and how excited Isabelle was to plant it. I can still hear the sound of her clapping in my ear.

I remember my last day. I made my rounds around the town, making sure to talk to all of my friends for what would turn out to be the last time, and that was it. No going away party. No emotional goodbyes. No sitting at my Town Tree one last time to reminisce and reflect on how far my town had come in just 4 years. It was just me, my friends and a once sleepy town.

And then it was just them.

But most of all, I remember me. The 11-year-old girl who had the role of mayor thrusted into her lap, who was 15-years-old when the goodbye inevitably came. I remember the school friends I had, and how my animal neighbours were often my only true friends. I remember the apartment I lived in with my parents, and how my bedroom door didn’t close all the way. I remember my unrelenting anxiety.

So much has changed since I was Clarity’s Mayor. I think I would be unrecognizable to both my 11 and 15-years-old selves, as well as to my old animal friends. I hope they know how often I think about them still, and how much I regret not saying goodbye. How much I regret leaving at all.

I’ve been thinking about ends a lot lately. The end of my childhood. The end of being a school student. The end of rotting. The end of just existing instead of living. I have taken so many steps forward, and so many steps back, in the last 11 years. But that 11-year-old Mayor still exists within me. I am still her. She is still me.

I’ll never know what became of Clarity after I left. I hope someone ran into an adventurous yet chatty cat on a train, and he told them all about Clarity and how their Mayor disappeared. I hope they exhaled a sigh of sadness and curiosity with him, and smiled at him kindly when they reached their stop. I hope they stepped onto the cobblestone outside Clarity’s Train Station, and Isabelle and my old friends were there to greet them. I hope Clarity was reborn again with their guidance.

I hope someone is there to receive this letter.

With love,
your former Mayor “Emily”

Mr.Fox​

This town is a dump...I can't imagine who lived here. It is literally overrun with weeds and flowers...and you can't take two steps without coming across some item or piece of clothing just carelessly thrown onto the ground. One thing's for sure, whoever lived here did pretty well for themselves. I've found an antique Sloppy set AND a vintage 7-11 set. If I'm not mistaken these used to be worth a pretty penny back in their day. Now look at them...just laying there in the dirt.
This place is a ghost town too. I only count 8 houses asides from the main one. Speaking of that large house, the mailbox outside of it is absolutely screaming with unread mail. I see what appears to be the mailman, patiently waiting outside the door...I assume he wants the owner to pick up their mail. He doesn't seem to notice me.

As I travel around the small village, I decide I might as well try to spruce things up while I look around. I pluck a weed and...it disappears??? I check my pockets to make sure it wasn't misplaced, but there's no sign of it anywhere. And when I go to pick up a flower I put the entire thing in my pocket! I usually just pluck the petals. I'm starting to get a little weirded out.
What appears to be the town hall is just engulfed in bamboo. I cannot stress how much bamboo I have just found. Luckily, I spy a golden axe nearby, and decide to clear it all out. I've gotta tell you, they sure don't make tools like they used to...this axe never broke the entire time I was using it. A big bonus too, while I was chopping bamboo I found a four leaf clover! I haven't seen one of those in about a decade.

The next oddity I discover is the fruit. There is WAY more fruit here than I've ever seen on my island, and some kinds I've never even seen before...but I guess it's a bit of a double-edged sword. Back home, the fruit I pick is always standard and reliable. But here? I've found both a rotten cherry and a perfectly amazing looking cherry. I try to tell myself that it all evens out in the end.

Having wandered enough, I prepare to cross the railroad tracks and see what lies beyond, but I hear a very familiar *ping* and he comes running up. It's my neighbor Teddy, and as I begin to question how this is possible, I calmly close my eyes...and everything comes flooding back to me. Late nights hanging out with friends, talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. Scoffing at the ridiculous prices a fancy giraffe is trying to charge me. Getting trapped at Club Tortimer by random strangers with nothing better to do. Cycling villagers in and out like wildfire. Time travelling to repair my grass. Visiting Aika Village. Finding a community of people who share the same love for this experience that I do.

No matter where I live, be it a town, a city, or an island, Teddy has always been my neighbor, and he just reminded me....
I was the mayor of this town. This was my home...and I've just now realized I miss it more than I ever thought I could.

Honorable Mention: Millysaurusrexjr​

Remember the Hustle

BELLS
Automatic bell dispenser
Account’s down to zero
No defence here
I gotta get more Dinero
Hit up all my homies
Ain’t none of them will spare a bell
No one’s around to help

YES, NOOK, I KNOW
I got a mortgage to pay
And I’ll be damned
If I do not find a way
What has he got planned?
Can’t cross this tanuki
I’m hoping for a fluke, he
Got this town feeling extra spooky

TURNIPS
Hustle the stalk market
I could risk it all to go to the moon
Bright light in a void so darkened
Or I could meet my utter doom
Can’t turn up for turnips
Guess I’ve got the yips
‘Cuz I’m ‘bout to pass on these dips

BUGS
These fools in hibernation
Snow everywhere
All I got’s this mole cricket
He’s sending out a bad vibration
So I ditch him in a thicket
Done with being dissed
Getting too fed up with this

FISH
Tryin’ to land a real big catch
Can, boot, utter trash
This is all I can manage to fetch
And that includes the sea bass
What, you again?!
Off with you, then
Bet you’ll be back in ten

UTTERLY HOPELESS
It’s almost 11 at night
But wait, I’ve got an idea
A possible end in sight
Savory enough to put in a tortilla
I grab my net and it’s off to the races
Show up at the dock, “YO Kapp’n!
Let’s go see some familiar faces!”

TORTIMER ISLAND
Why didn’t I think of this before
Knew all my fruit trees were bare
Nothing to sell to the store
Weight stayed at tare
Though now I’ve nothing to fear
‘Cuz Tortimer, I’m here
I’m about to put it into fifth gear

CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Say your prayers
It’s time to farm
Sneak up in layers
No cause for alarm
Got my eye on a golden stag
Oh, we really stealthin’ now
This one’s in the bag

FINALLY
My basket’s full of beetles
Nothin’ but net
Won’t be threading any more needles
‘Cuz my goal’s been met
Roll back up to town
First thing in the morning
Reese will be handing me my crown
Of BELLS

---

Hi-Score Hijinks Winners
The Hi-Score Hijinks activity tasked participants with competing in the Desert Island Escape and Puzzle League mini-games within Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Desert Island Escape Chibi.Hoshi​

Puzzle League IonicKarma​

---

Tantalizing Trivia Winners
The Tantalizing Trivia activity tasked participants with competing in two fast paced live Discord trivia sessions answering Animal Crossing: New Leaf questions.

Session 1 Alolan_Apples​

Session 2 .: Meri :.​

Housekeeping

All items sold for the Farewell to New Leaf event will be removed from the Shop in the evening on Thursday, March 28th. A final round of Mystery Balloon Token transformations and the winners drawing for the House Letter Set Raffle will both take place after the event Shop has closed. It will no longer be possible to spend MEOW Coupons or StreetPass Silver after this time.

You can convert up to 14 MEOW Coupons into Bells at a rate of 1 MEOW Coupon -> 3 Bells by clicking here. This transfer process can only be successfully completed once per user, even if you convert less than 14 MEOW Coupons, so please be careful.

Throw Beans and Bonk reactions will remain available until all Throwing Beans and Toy Hammer Rental items have automatically expired. If you wish to hold onto these reactions for one last hurrah, both items remain available with a 8 day expiry for 10 Bells each until the Shop closes.

If you won the House Letter Set collectible prize in an event, please leave a Contact the Staff thread letting us know whether you would like the original

or the imposter

collectible. Additionally, you can request a preferred date and time in EDT for your prizes, up until March 7th.

Our final community milestone as part of StreetPass Souvenirs remains! 100,000 StreetPass Silver in Phineas' pockets before the Shop has closed is required to unlock a community vote on a new future balloon collectible design. We're almost there, but one final push is needed!


What's Next

But don't worry, the fun isn't over! We have plenty more events and activities planned throughout the rest of the year as we continue to celebrate The Bell Tree's big 20th birthday in 2024.

In just a few days, our Twelfth Annual Easter Egg Hunt will begin with a special 20th Year Edition twist we're looking forward to revealing!

Then in late April, a special mini-event allowing you to obtain Hybrid Flowers will take place, with an extra bonus for collectible enthusiasts. A few weeks later into May, the TBT World Championships event will make a glorious return challenging your gaming skills. Shortly after in mid June, the Celebrating Diversity mini-event returns as well.

Tentative start date	Tentative end date	Event	Special notes
March 29th	April 1st	TBT's Twelfth Annual Easter Egg Hunt	Special 20th Year Edition
April 1st	April 2nd	Hmmm...	What could it be?
April 20th	April 28th	Hybrid Flower Breeding + ??????	Returning after 5 years
May 18th	June 2nd	TBT World Championships 2024	Returning after 3 years
June 7th	June 16th	Celebrating Diversity 2024

Staff Credits

• Activities & Threads Coordinators: Justin, LaBelleFleur
• Activity Hosts: Chris, Justin, LaBelleFleur, LadyDestani, Mairmalade, Mistreil, Nefarious, pandapples, Pyoopi (alphabetical)
• Art Coordinator: Pyoopi
• Title Banner Art: dizzy bone
• Activities Banner Art: Pyoopi, Mick
• Collectible Art for new Heart Balloons, Bunny Balloons, Perfect Fruits, Island Fruits, and Pink Toy Hammer: Mistreil
• Collectible Art for regular Yellow, Pink, Purple, and Sweet Balloon: Recolours by Mistreil, originals by Thunder
• Porter Rigging: Mick
• Admin Setup & Scripting: Justin, Jeremy, Oblivia
• Deforestation Efforts: Mistreil

 

[boring]

brb gonna go cry like a baby ( zipper ………… D: )

 

[Croconaw]

Woah, Porter just appeared on the banner! I just noticed that.

 

[Doo]

How long has Porter been sat by the tree omg

 

[Mick]

There it is! Congratulations to all the winners!
I wasn't able to participate much, but I'm glad ACNL got the sendoff it deserved. Thanks everyone for a great event! <3

 

[Hyoon]

omg the timeline?? way to make me feel old

 

[Croconaw]

View attachment 548447

Okay. I didn’t know I needed sleeping Porter until I got him.

 

[Alolan_Apples]

Congratulations digimon, Millysaurusrexjr, Emzy, Lancelot, Mokuren, kayleee, lieryl, Firesquids, skarmoury, leafturnedover, Xara, Mr. Fox, Chibi.Hoshi, IonicKarma, and .:Meri:. for winning this event! And I’m glad to have won too.

 

[Sheando]

Thanks to staff for another great event! It was really nice to get to revisit my memories of New Leaf, and even my memories of being on this forum while New Leaf was active. I'm amazed by all the new collectibles and activities for what I thought would be a small and simple sendoff. Looking forward to seeing what Zipper has up his sleeve (is it a sleeve?) for Easter...

 

[Midoriya]

Thanks for the event, staff! As someone who joined the forum close to New Leaf's launch, this event really did bring back a lot of nostalgia and fun times for me. Congrats to all of the winners as well! Well deserved.

 

[Doo]

All our names are there! I’ve loved this event

 

[Seastar]

I love how the banner goes over the history of the forum & Animal Crossing itself and then lists all the current active users.
I haven't gotten to see Porter sleeping though, do I have to wait until it's night in my time zone?

 

[BungoTheElf]

Congrats to all the winners!!!! Again, this was a great event, thanks staff for bringing New Leaf back before online ends!!! It made me really miss those good ol' NL days...

 

[Hyoon]

congrats to all the winners and thanks to the staff for planning such a great event. tbt event never fails to impress tbh. it was really fun to see the forum active and everyone trying to maximize their silver earnings. strangely the funnest part of this event lol. i will miss (maybe) the anxiety before every balloon reveal to see if u got the colors u want.

looking forward to the easter event. super curious about the new twist for this year!!!

 

[Rubygame]

Congratulations to all of you guys, I loved all the rooms, all the drawings and all the stories, they made me so moved It was wonderful to see my name among the residents, too emotional And I went from emotion to laughter when I saw Zipper HAHAHAH I really can't explain how much this event meant to me, I truly thank from the bottom of my heart all the staff and everyone who participated and shared their beautiful memories about this wonderful game

 

[Aniko]

So you were visiting all the rooms? How embarrassing, just cleaned up three...

Congratulations to all the winners, I also visited those hellish homes myself and truly enjoyed it.

 

[Firesquids]

Woooo! I'm so happy my haunted 7-11 was chosen! I'm so proud of that house! I did actually update my dream address today, but that house was only minorly tweaked. Feel free to check it out if you have a chance before the shutdown! I've been visiting other dream addresses from that thread, and the other winners are among my favorites too, but there were so many other great ones as well!
Congrats to the winners and shout out to all the amazing art produced by our fantastic community!

 

[mogyay]

thank u for the event and congrats to all the winners i will miss nl, this was a lovely send off

 

[S.J.]

Congrats to all of the amazing winners! I loved looking through all of the memory books! The winning entries are all stunning!

 

[Mokuren]

I am so emotional and the whole event was so nostalgic. It was like coming back home after a super long trip. I didn't ever remember what my houses looked like or how I built my town. Playing with other members and enjoying the island games was so much fun! All the new leaf tasks added to this wholesome and super fun event!

I am sad to say good bye to new leaf for good. I know myself - I will probably never touch my 3DS again.

Thank you for choosing my home! I feel embarassed that one room is empty. I never owned any of the house collectibles and I am super hyped to get the whole set now Congrats to all the amazing winners! I am sure it was super difficult to choose winners from each category!

I also applaude the super insane high scores for the minigames. I could never!