Tom Nook

*This article is about the special tanuki character. For the cranky cat villager, see Tom.*

### Species

Tanuki (Japan)
Raccoon (International)

### Service

Mortgage
Tom Nook's Store**AF**-**CF**
Nook's Homes**NL**-**HHD**
Resident Services, Nook Inc.**NH**

### Coffee

Kilimanjaro
Lots of milk
One spoonful of sugar

### Appearances

AF, AF+, AFe+, WW, CF, NL, HHD, aF, PC, NH, *Dōbutsu no Mori*

**“***I'll be there with Bells on! Ho ho!***”**

― Picture quote, *Wild World*

**Tom Nook** (たぬきち **Tanukichi**?, a Tanuki)

​ is a character who plays the most important role in all of the games. He is termed a raccoon in the western versions of the game but a tanuki in the Japanese version. In all games leading to *New Leaf*, he is the manager of the town shop. After the final expansion, Nookington's, he will employ his "nephews" Timmy and Tommy, who work on the second floor in every *Animal Crossing* series game except *New Leaf* and *New Horizons*.

In *New Leaf*, Nook has taken his interest in real estate to a whole new level, opening Nook's Homes, whilst Timmy and Tommy run the town shop. In *New Horizons*, Nook acts as the head of *Nook Incorporated*. He acts as the leader on the island, acting as task giver and island upgrader.

## Appearance

**“***GL-L-L-KSK! KEH-KEEH!♫ FST! FST! RrrrrrrrrrrrKLAGH!♪ CH-CH-ch-ch-mmmMMMmmm!♫ Oh, well, it is very old and in the language of my ancestors, which happens to be Raccoonish, yes, yes.***”**

― Tom Nook, New Leaf

Tom Nook is a tanuki (a raccoon in Western versions) with brown fur. He has half-closed, blue eyes with a dark brown, mask-like patch of fur around them. The tip of his nose, paws, tail, and ears are dark brown.

From *Animal Forest* through *City Folk*, as the town's shop owner, he will wear different uniforms for each upgrade of his store.

* For Nook's Cranny, he wears a blue apron with his leaf symbol on it (in *Animal Forest*, it is the kanji 店 (ten?), meaning "shop"). The blue apron is inferred to be for modesty, referencing the legends of tanuki.
* For Nook 'N' Go, he wears a blue, orange, and white-striped shirt and pillbox hat (in *Animal Forest*, this uniform was red, green, and white).
* For Nookway, he wears a white apron with a purple leaf and green details on it (blue and orange in *Animal Forest*).
* For Nookington's, he wears a bright blue suit jacket and a pink tie.
* For the lottery, he wears a red, white, and blue apron and sports visor. In *Animal Forest*, this was a red and black haori in addition to his usual apron, and a white hachimaki tied around his head.

In *New Leaf*, Nook wears a white shirt with a red necktie and a green argyle sweater vest over it. His sweater has a left-sided pocket protector with a pen sticking out. He also wears black pants. Whenever outside of Nook's Homes, such as the player selecting their new home spot or at The Roost, Nook is seen with a yellow jacket over his sweater.

In *Happy Home Designer*, if his house is designed, the player can visit him and find him in casual wear. He wears a white polo shirt with his leaf logo on it and khaki pants.

Tom Nook makes an appearance in *Pocket Camp*; however, he is merely a special furniture item. He also appears on the 1,200 Leaf Ticket GUI.

In *New Horizons*, he now wears a white and teal Hawaiian-style shirt and khaki shorts. He will wear a dark teal jacket from late fall to just before spring.

## Background

Tom is noted to be very work-driven, and many years ago he left behind his friends, most importantly Sable, to travel to the big city. His dreams of success are quickly broken by the harsh life there. After making nothing of himself, he returns to the player's town to set up his store. Nook no longer appears to be as good of friends with Sable as he used to be, though the two often mention each other to the player.

Nook seems to have a varied reputation among the villagers, with some speculating that he is, in fact, a man in a suit. When asking Dr. Shrunk about one emotion, he talks about how we all wear masks, and then says that Tom Nook "wears a raccoon suit, but it serves the same general purpose". Many will say that he has a checkered past, hinting at illicit activities - the fact that he seems to have a history with Redd (who describes Tom as a "raccoon in an apron" and treats him as something of a business rival) supports this, this is further hinted in *Happy Home Designer* as talking to Tom in his house he says he worked with a fox in the past and it was a horrible experience.

Timmy and Tommy are Nook's nephews that appear in the final expansion of the shop, Nookington's, as assistants on the second floor. They assist him in his business. All three make a cameo in the Smashville stage in *Super Smash Bros. Brawl*.

### Game Guide

File:Tom Nook CF.png
In the *City Folk*'s game guide, this description is given:

"*A kind raccoon with a heart of gold (well, pockets of gold even though he only owns a shop, if ya know what I mean), Tom Nook helps you get started when you first move to town by loaning you a home to live in. Tom also runs a little supply shop in town that sells all the basics, including furniture, tools, and gardening supplies. Tom will help you in a variety of ways as your life unfolds, and you'll help him as well: keep shopping at the store and it'll get bigger and bigger. Eventually, old Tom will even need to hire his two nephews, Timmy and Tommy, just to keep his business running!*"

### Stories

Sometimes, upon entering his store, he will appear in thought, and may tell the player a story when approached:

"...Well, actually, I was just thinking about the good old days, hm?
I know it seems that the world is my oyster, what with my fine shop...
But in my childhood, I lived the kind of life you couldn't even imagine!
Yes, yes, but this was all some time ago, but this was all some time ago, before I moved to this town, hm?
Of course, I was born in our lovely [town name], but I moved away for a time...
Yes, yes, the city years, I like to call them. I was a raccoon of action, hm?
The big city certainly had its charms...but it had its pitfalls, as well.
Indeed, I had to endure certain hardships that I've never spoken of, hm?
...Hard to believe, yes?
You're probably asking yourself, what the heck is Nook talking about, hm?
For now, maybe it's best that we forget we ever talked about this."

### Aliases

Redd refers to him as a "raccoon in an apron".

In Template:GC, Pelly refers to him as "Mr. Nook" when the player chose to pay their loan.

In *New Leaf*, Isabelle refers to Nook as the Real Estate Agent. When she calls him in

*Welcome amiibo*

​ in the startup preparations, she also refers to him as "Mr. Nook".

Also in *New Leaf*, Saharah calls Tom Nook "King Nook" when the player interacts with her.

His English name is derived from "tanuki" (often written as "Tanooki" in English) and his last name is likely a pun based on a myth about the Tanuki. His Japanese name, Tanukichi, is a mix between Tanuki and the Japanese word, *kechi*, meaning "stingy".

### In Template:GC, *Wild World*, and *City Folk*

When the player first arrives in town, Tom Nook will greet them and introduce them to their new house. He will give a quote to them on the initial mortgage of the home. Tom will hire the player to work part-time at his shop to help pay off the loan. Eventually, he will run out of tasks for the player and will lay them off, letting them free to find other methods to make Bells, to pay off the rest of the debt. Following the job, the player can shop at Tom Nook's store and can sell items to him, for which he will pay for in full value.

In *Wild World*, he will give out his picture if the player gives him the safe from the Golden Axe Trading Event.

### In *Animal Forest e+*

In *Animal Forest e+*, the player can wake up Tom Nook after hours by banging on the doors three times with the shovel. He will be in his pajamas and allow the player to shop, but he will move much slower. Not only this, anything the player sells to him will be lowered from its base price by 30%. Similarly, prices of items in the shop will inflate by 17%, and the player is only allowed to either sell or buy what is on display. The catalog and other options will not be available either.

### In *New Leaf*

In *New Leaf*, however, Tom Nook has become a real estate agent, leaving the management of his store, now known as Nookling stores, to his "nephews", Timmy and Tommy. The responsibility of welcoming new players has been given to Isabelle. Like in previous games, Tom will be responsible for orchestrating the construction of the player's house and providing the mortgage the player pays off via the ABD machine in the Post Office. Tom Nook runs a real estate agency called Nook's Homes, which also provides house customization and renovation services. The office also functions as the headquarters of the home inspection organization, the Happy Home Academy, run by Lyle. Tom Nook also assists the player in searching for a plot to build their house when they first move in. Once a plot has been chosen, he will pitch his tent for the player to use as temporary housing while they are gathering funds to pay off their first home loan. Tom Nook's agency is also responsible for building the house's neighbors live in, as well as assisting them with moving in and out.

### In *New Horizons*

In *New Horizons*, Tom Nook has become a travel agent, and it is through his company the player purchases a getaway package to a deserted island - starting the events of the game. Tom Nook is the founder and owner of Nook Inc. Alongside this, he runs the Resident Services building. In this role, he acts as the leader and developer of the island, and it is through his that the player is allowed to upgrade the island and various buildings that can be built. He provides home loans, moving fees, and assists with DIY projects. He makes daily announcements at the Resident Services plaza. After the Resident Services building is upgraded, Isabelle takes over the role of daily announcements.

Timmy and Tommy are shown to be sort of employees of his. At the start of the game, they are usually seen in the Resident Services Tent alongside Tom Nook, with Tommy roaming freely outside for most of the day. However, after completing the construction of Nook's Cranny, they will always be found inside the store from 8 am to 10 pm.

## Shop

Main article: Tom Nook's Store

In all games prior to *New Leaf*, Nook starts out with Nook's Cranny, expanding after the player buys enough from him. There are a total of four expansions for his shop:

* **Nook's Cranny**
* **Nook 'n' Go**
* **Nookway**
* **Nookington's**
* **Nook's Homes** (NL - does not upgrade)

After a period of time with Nookington's, Tom Nook will ask the player a question to better serve his customers. Based on the answer they give, Nookington's can close and reopen as a previous store to better suit their needs. Periodically, after the first questioning, Tom Nook will ask again, and the player can change their store again. This event only happens in *City Folk*.

## Other Appearances

### In *amiibo Festival*

Tom Nook is a playable character in *amiibo Festival*, available when the Tom Nook amiibo is scanned on the Wii U. Sometimes when the player playing as Tom Nook lands on an event square in the Amiibo Festival Board Game mode, a random event specifically related to Tom Nook may appear.

Tom Nook has 6 unlockable costumes for the game, unlocked through leveling up the Tom Nook amiibo:

* Nook's Homes employer (Level 1)
* Yellow jacket (Level 2)
* Nook's Cranny work apron (Level 3)
* Green and light blue T-shirt (Level 4)
* Blue and white-striped pajamas (Level 5)
* Red robe with a wig (Level 6)

Template:Noncanon

### *Super Smash Bros. Melee*

Tom Nook appears as a Trophy in *Super Smash Bros. Melee*, using his in-game model from *Animal Forest* (evidenced by the Japanese character on his apron).

Description:

"This guy's the friendly neighborhood shopkeeper who kindly helps the player set up their first house. He has a nose for business, and his customer service is second to none. During the course of the game, his store starts as a corner shop, expands to become a convenience store, and finally becomes a thriving supermarket and stalk market."

### *Super Smash Bros. Brawl*

Tom Nook also appears in the sequel to *Super Smash Bros. Melee*, *Super Smash Bros. Brawl*, in the background of the *Animal Crossing*-themed stage *Smashville*.

### In *Dōbutsu no Mori*

File:MovieartTomNook.gif
Tom Nook appeared in *Dōbutsu no Mori* as the town shop owner, just as he does in the games. Like also in the games he helped Ai settle into town by making her work. He was voiced by Naoki Tatsuta.

### *Monopoly*

 File:NintendoMonopolyBoard-Zoom.jpg
Tom Nook also appears in the 2010 *Nintendo Collector's Edition* of *Monopoly* with K.K. Slider and Rosie in the *light blue* grids. He is worth 120 US dollars on the game board, the highest of the *Animal Crossing* characters that appear in the game.

### *Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS*

 File:Housewarming Party.jpg
Tom Nook appears in the fourth installment of the *Super Smash Bros.* series. He appears alongside his nephews Timmy and Tommy as part of the Villager's final smash, which sees Nook construct a house on top of other fighters causing massive damage.

### *Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*

Tom Nook reappears in the fifth installment in the *Super Smash Bros.* series. He appears once again in the Villager's final smash, but he also appears alongside his nephews once again in Isabelle's final smash, where, instead of building a house, they build a town hall on top of other fighters. Tom Nook also appears as an enhance-able spirit. When his spirit enhances, he dons the suit he wears once his shop becomes Nookington's.

### *Taiko Drum Master: Atsumete Tomodachi Daisakusen*

 File:Isabelle and Tom Nook and AC Wada-don TnT ATD.jpg
File:AC amiibo icon TnTATD.PNG
In *Taiko Drum Master: Atsumete Tomodachi Daisakusen*, Isabelle, Resetti, and Tom Nook are unlockable by using their respective amiibos to listen to the Animal Crossing: New Leaf Melody (とびだせ どうぶつの森 メドレー).

Template:Endnoncanon

## Trivia

* His name could be derived from his species, Tanuki, which sounds like "Tom Nook".
* He shares his birthday with Hamlet. Both have their birthday on May 30th.
* In a character popularity poll for *Animal Crossing* held by Nintendo in Japan, Tom Nook ranked 4th with 1,791 votes, above Sable and below Mr. Resetti.
* In the 2002 Annual Nintendo Power Awards, Tom Nook was nominated as one of the top villains in a Nintendo game, despite him not actually being a villain.
* When the player wakes him up in the cranny, he will mention that Timmy and Tommy aren't his kids and he will say he never got married to someone.
* In *New Leaf* and *New Horizons*, Tom Nook has the voice of a lazy villager.
* In *New Horizons*, Tom Nook reveals his favorite K.K. Slider song is *K.K. Lament*.
	+ In *Happy Home Designer*, however, if he is given a stereo when designing his house, *K.K. Bossa* will play.
* In *Happy Home Designer*, talking to Tom Nook in his home, he debunks the claims of him being a corrupt businessman (which was a popular theory amongst fans, and still is) though he adds that he will willingly embrace the idea of people thinking him as "scary" if it encourages them to pay off their debt.
	+ He also mentions that he donates 90 percent of his proceeds to an orphanage three towns over, where he even has a wing named after him.

## In other languages

  Spanish
  Italian
  Dutch
  Portuguese
  Russian

## References

Template:Reflist

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ru:Том Нук
zh:狸克

1. ↑ Species navigation icons from Nookipedia by Sunmarsh, CC BY-SA 3.0
2. ↑ Species navigation icons from Nookipedia by Sunmarsh, CC BY-SA 3.0
3. ↑ Species navigation icons from Nookipedia by Sunmarsh, CC BY-SA 3.0
4. ↑ Species navigation icons from Nookipedia by Sunmarsh, CC BY-SA 3.0