| Tom Nook | |
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Tom Nook as he appears in Animal Crossing: City Folk |
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| Series | Animal Crossing |
| First game | Animal Crossing (2001) |
| Created by | Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development |
| Designed by | Noriko Ikegawa Yoshihisa Morimoto |
| Voiced by | Naoki Tatsuta (film) |
Tom Nook, known in Japan as Tanukichi (たぬきち), is a fictional character in the Animal Crossing series who operates the village store. He first appears in the Nintendo 64 game Dōbutsu no Mori, released in Europe and North America on the Nintendo GameCube as Animal Crossing. Nook sells a house to players at the beginning of each title in the series, giving them a set mortgage for them to pay and allowing them to upgrade it over time after the mortgage is paid off. He has made several appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series as well. Nintendo's Treehouse localization members Rich Amtower and Reiko Ninomiya argued that, in spite of his perceived greed, described him as a nice person due to taking the risk of hiring someone who was new to the town.
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Tom Nook is based on the Japanese Raccoon Dog, also known as a tanuki.[1] While Tom Nook is considered to be greedy by 1UP.com, Rich Amtower and Reiko Ninomiya, members of Nintendo's Treehouse localization team disagreed, describing him as a nice person. Amtower described him as "that first boss you ever had", adding that despite being all business and sometimes not having time for pleasantries, he is not a bad person. He adds that Nook's hiring of someone new to town involved risk, which shows generosity. Ninomiya agreed, and both felt that Nook's greed is diminished by the city's price index compared to that of his shop. Amtower jokingly alludes to an "anti-Nook bias" several times throughout the interview with 1UP.com.[2]
He first appears in the Nintendo 64 title Dōbutsu no Mori, also available for the Nintendo GameCube as Animal Crossing. Nook initially operates a shop called "Nook's Cranny" and as the shop is expanded, he gives it new names. When his shop receives its final upgrade, he hires two young tanukis that are often mistaken for his nephews (haven't you heard them call me Mr. Nook?- Quote from Animal Crossing :Wild World), Timmy and Tommy, to sell items on the second floor. Tom Nook also sells players houses after they move into the village, allowing them to pay it off in small installments over time. After players pay off the house and all of its upgrades, they are awarded with a statue. He plays a similar role in subsequent installments Animal Crossing: Wild World and Animal Crossing: City Folk. Wild World introduces an additional shopkeeper called Harriet who cuts players' hair in his store, as well as telling players that he and another shopkeeper called Sable were childhood friends who grew apart when Nook left for the cities. He returned to the village after attempting to open a store, and was more bitter than before. In Animal Crossing: City Folk he returns once again with his town shop but Harriet and her saloon have moved to the city.
Like previously stated, Tom Nook has been the operator of the town store since his first appearance in Dōbutsu no Mori. In each game the store will be upgraded depending on the amount of bells spent in the store. His shop goes through 3 expansions and eventually his humble "Nooks Cranny" shack-like store will be upgraded into a department store called "Nookingtons." It has been confirmed that in Animal Crossing 3DS he will be more like a real estate agent[3], showing model homes via StreetPass and for the first time ever he will not be running the town shop.
Tom Nook has made several minor appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series of video games; appearing as various collectibles in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.[4][5] as well as a background character on the Smashville stage, which is based on the Animal Crossing series.[6] Tom Nook's shop music also features in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as part of "Town Hall and Tom Nook's Store".[7] Tom Nook has also been featured in several promotional items, including plush toys.[8]
Tom Nook has received mixed reception since his appearance in Animal Crossing. IGN listed him as the ninth most-wanted character to appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. They describe him as devious, diabolical, and sinister, commenting that while he may not be a good fighter due to being from a video game without any fighting, they would enjoy seeing him get beaten up.[9] Another article by IGN compares a talking baton given to the protagonist of Major Minor's Majestic March to Nook, calling it the second only to Nook in annoyance.[10] GameSpy listed Tom Nook as one of their favourite bosses; editor Brian Altano specified that he passionately loves to hate Nook, stating that while he provides appreciated services to the small village, he keeps his reality grounded in that he lives in Nook's town, not his own.[11] UGO.com ranked him the fifth best Animal Crossing character, stating that while Mr. Resetti was an irritant, Tom Nook was a jerk. They added that they love to hate him, jokingly suggesting that he was a "kingpin".[12] In spite of the negative reception, Tom Nook has received some positive reception. In author Katherine Isbister's book, "Better game characters by design: a psychological approach", she cites Tom Nook as an example of a mentor character, one who indirectly helps players.[13] GamesRadar also listed him as one of the 25 best new characters of the decade, stating that he has earned his place amongst the hearts of gamers and people on the Internet as both a viral meme and a deceptively devious character.[14] Morningstar Critics had Tom Nook be the first video game character that they reviewed. However, they criticized him negatively, stating that he is "an ugly little Tom Nook" and that his "jobs" for the player are actually just him being bossy. Additionally, they played the game and jokingly refused to do his bidding, also wishing to change their game clothes while Tom Nook creepily followed the players, and as they yelled at the DS to make him leave, he watched them get dressed.
Tom Nook has been satirized in several articles, often compared to a mob boss or kingpin or otherwise a bad person. IGN listed him as the 72nd video game villain, suggesting that Tom Nook has a nice face, but the "cold, dead heart of a megalomaniac whose sole desire is to make a quick bell".[15] Fellow IGN editor Patrick Kolan described Nook as the Animal Crossing equivalent of Al Swearengen, a pimp from the 1800s, due to his business sense, as well as both the character's position and disposition.[16] Tom Nook has also been personified as a devious character, as well as a gangster, including an issue of the web comic VG Cats, which depicts him roughing up the player's character for his rent money.[17] In a satirical article written by GamesRadar, they suggest that the cast of Animal Crossing, most importantly Tom Nook, were setting the player up into a "furry cult".[18] GameSpy listed Tom Nook as a video game character who would suck in real life, stating that he is annoying in the video games, and would be terrifying if he was a landlord in real life.[19] 1UP.com editor Jeremy Parish, in his review of Animal Crossing: Wild World, he makes a parody documentary of the in-game world. In it, he suggests that Tom Nook's keen business sense allows him to effectively control the village.[20] In the book The ecology of games: connecting youth, games, and learning, author Katie Salen cited Animal Crossing as a video game that teaches players about economics. Specifically, she referred to Tom Nook, with whom she describes as being a condensation of the corporate bourgeoisie.[21]
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