Throughout Animal Crossing’s history, there have been hundreds of characters for players to interact with, though throughout the game's history some have been lost to time. With New Horizons bringing in thousands of players to the franchise, the NPCs not included in the game have been forgotten, remembered only by veterans of Animal Crossing. While Brewster was brought back by popular demand, some still crave one more conversation with their old digital friends. As proven by the 2.0 update, Nintendo hears our cries and will provide, so whether you’re wondering who the stranger on the old amiibo card is, or gearing up for a new game with some potential new-old faces, I’m here to explain who these NPCs are, and where they fit in the Animal Crossing universe.
Katie and Kaitlin
The mother-daughter duo first appeared in Wild World at the town gate after the player had either visited a friend or had a friend come to visit using online play. Katie started as a young child who traveled around the Animal Crossing towns with her mother, Kaitlin, and she frequently found herself lost. After visiting or hosting a friend via wi-fi or local play Katie would show up in one player’s town and Kaitlin would show up in the other player’s town.
The player would find Katie in tears or Kaitlin frantic about finding her lost child and the player would be given the option to take the respective cat to their town gate and the player that helped Katie will receive a gift in the mail. The player receiving Kaitlin however, will not receive a gift whether or not they help her.
Katie’s and Kaitlin’s roles remained the same in City Folk, but in New Leaf Katie had grown up. Kaitlin didn’t show up in New Leaf since Katie no longer needed parental supervision, but Katie did admit that she missed traveling with her mother. In New Leaf instead of asking to be taken to Kaitlin Katie asked to be escorted to another town. There was a chance she would miss the train under certain circumstances, but she would send the player a gift either way.
Katie and Kaitlin are also seen in Dōbutsu no Mori, the Animal Crossing movie, as background characters. Katie is seen in Pocket Camp at garden events and you can invite her to the Roost or Photopia in New Horizons. Her amiibo card can be found in series two packs, as can Kaitlin’s.
Dr. Shrunk
This cheery axolotl first appeared in Wild World as the local psychologist who showed up in the player’s town every once and a while to “help them get in touch with their emotions” by teaching them a reaction. In City Folk the player finds out he quit the psychology business to pursue his passion for comedy. The player could pay 800 bells to see one of his shows and he would teach the player a new reaction afterward. Typically there would be a villager in the crowd complaining about Dr. Shrunk’s tiring and cheesy jokes, although a few villagers would laugh at his routine once in a while.
In New Leaf, he opened up a comedy club where K.K. Slider also performs and he would teach the player 40 jokes and after learning all of the jokes he taught the player a dance and gave them his old comedian’s jacket. He also appeared as a background character in Dōbutsu no Mori and in the background of Smashville in Super Smash Bros on the Wii U.
His amiibo card can be found in the series two packs and he tells all kinds of jokes about his family, although it is unclear whether he has one or if he just says it for the bit. According to his jokes he has a wife who isn’t very nice to him, a son, and at least one daughter. He also mentions his parents, and in one of his jokes, it is implied he is allergic to humans.
