Blathers

"Oh, I beg your pardon! I'm a bit of a night owl, don't you know."

- Blathers

Blathers (フータ,) is a knowledgeable owl scholar, who first appeared in and has appeared in every  game since. He is the curator for the Museum, who accepts donations of fish, insects, fossils and paintings. As an owl, he sleeps during the daylight hours, but can still accept donations by talking to him.

Blathers has entomophobia (the fear of insects) and brings this somewhat ironic trait up frequently. In all games, if the player donates a bug that has been donated previously, he will reject it and plead that the cage is kept closed until the player has left the building.

He can also give the player information on the museum, such as exhibitions, what has been donated and by whom in every game from onward. Blathers was seen on the cover of, standing on the roof. He has reappeared in, running the Museum as usual.

In and, he has a sister named Celeste who manages the observatory. As there was no museum in the original, Blathers too was not seen until.

Aspect
Blathers is an owl with brown feathers. His face is white and he has a yellow beak. His arms are wing shaped and he has yellow talons. His eyes are very big with small black irises. He also has big pink cheek circles on his cheeks. His belly appears to be checkered in diamonds with light brown and white squares. He wears a green bow tie.

History
Blathers has a surprisingly detailed history in comparison to many other  Animal Crossing'  characters. As a child, he was brought up in the city, living in his parent's house. After finishing school, he went on to university, completing a number of degrees until reaching the doctorate level. Before he could complete his studies, he was approached by his professor, who recommended that he take up a post in a country museum, as all the curators of the main Faraway Museum refused to move from their posts. Blathers accepted the offer enthusiastically, and despite occasional homesickness, still remains at his post. As a result of this move, Blathers still has not finished his doctorate. Blathers is, as confirmed in, in his mid-twenties. Also, in game Blathers will say (on the first fossil donation) that only recently has he gotten a license to identify them. In, he will have a problem with bugs sometimes. And in, he will say, "KEEP THE BEAST CAGED!" and on the other hand, Celeste, has no problem with bugs.

In Animal Crossing
In the original Animal Crossing, Blathers tells the player about a correspondence course in fossil identification that he is participating in (he has expressed wishes of being an archaeologist) which he has not completed, meaning that all fossils have to be sent to the Faraway Museum to be identified.

He will also accept fish, bugs and paintings which go on show in insect exhibitions, aquariums and the gallery.

In Animal Crossing: Wild World
In, he has completed his course in fossil identification and can now identify fossils without having to send them to be identified, giving an immediate identification. If the particular fossil in question has not been yet donated to the museum he will ask for the player to donate the fossil. If you say 'no' then he will let out a sigh and reluctantly hand the fossil back to the player. He still continues to accept fish, bugs and paintings which are put up in a painting exhibit. If they are one of Redd's forgeries, he will notify the player of this and reject them.

Blathers sometimes talks of his encounters with bugs during his studies. He recalls one time in a library, when he opened a book and maggots fell out. He will also mention his fear of cockroaches when one is donated to the museum.

His sister, Celeste, makes her first appearance in the game as a part-time astronomer.

Conversation
To see the conversations, click here.

In Animal Crossing: Wild World, there are certain days during the year in which Blathers will tell you a little about himself. These days are easily noticeable for daytime players, as he is awake all 24 hours of each day, and occasionally will look depressed. During these conversations, the player can talk, either choosing to go along with the conversation or to tell Blathers to stop talking.

In Animal Crossing: City Folk
By now, Blathers will simply tell the player of his qualification in identifying fossils.

He has the same roles as he did in, accepting donations such as fish, insects, fossils and paintings - as well as identifying forgeries.

It is revealed that the cause of Blathers' fear is that, when he was younger, a mantis egg case ruptured on his writing desk. This caused thousands of mantis to fly out. To hear this anecdote, the player must donate a mantis.

In, He usually makes jokes and comments on fish and bugs.

In Animal Crossing: New Leaf
In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Blathers is once again the curator of the museum. He will not give commentary on fish or bugs, because information can now be read at any given time by checking the plaques next to the exhibits so instead he tells players to revisit later to read it.

However, when donating a single bug, he will say: "This (bug name) reminds me vaguely of when I was but a chick in my mothers nest..." and with a fish: "The (fish name) reminds me of a time when I was still in my baby feathers..." When given a deep sea creature he will say: "The (sea creature name) reminds me of a time when my dear mother tucked me under her wing..." all referencing to his childhood. His fear of bugs is still present when donating a bug and he will tremble and whisper.

In Animal Crossing: The Movie
Blathers appears in the film alongside Celeste in the museum, where they meet Ai for the first time after Ai makes a loud scream after she has unexpectedly seen the fossils in the museum. When Ai speaks to Blathers, he typically begins a lecture on a dinosaur skeleton of a T-rex, while Celeste is seen dragging Ai away from Blathers (who is oblivious to her absence and continues talking to himself) to The Roost to complete a delivery task set by Tom Nook.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Blathers makes a cameo appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. However, he is not a fighter, but appears as a spectator in Smashville. He is accompanied by Brewster and his sister Celeste with the Museum either just behind them or to the side of them. These three characters are also obtainable in sticker forms respectively.

Quotes
"No no!"

- Blathers in Animal Crossing

"This... Upon close perusal, I see this is most certainly NOT the original! It is a vile, shameless forgery!"

- Blathers

"Hooooo... WHO?!"

- Blathers in New Leaf

"Eeek! A bug...!"

- Blathers in New Leaf

"This here reminds me vaguely of when I was but a chick in my mother's nest..."

- Blathers in New Leaf

"The reminds me of a time when I was still in my baby feathers..."

- Blathers in New Leaf

Name Etymology
His name comes from the word blather, which means to babble or speak rapidly without making much sense. He is very knowledgeable and informative, usually giving information on any object donated to the museum, and he will often apologize for his lengthy explanation. He also tends to have to stop himself going off into anecdotes or stories when given items.

Trivia

 * As all owls do, he is found sleeping during the day and awake during the night.
 * His line, “KEEP THE BEAST CAGED!” is a reference to Disney's 1991 film, Beauty and the Beast.