Hobbies are pastimes that the villagers in the player'stown may take up to occupy their time. Hobbies include walking, fossil collecting, bug catching, fishing, fashion, gardening, and home improvement. Hobbies affect villagers in many ways—their conversations vary, the content of their homes change, and what they wear or carry may differ as well.
In Wild World the hobby of the villager will change if the player prevents them from moving.
Villagers often talk of their hobby depending on their personality, explaining why they chose it and what they would like to achieve. In City Folk, lazy villagers may ask the player to guess what their current hobby is.
List of hobbies (pre-New Horizons)
Bug catching – Much like fishing, villagers collect insects for display in their homes. In Wild World,
Bug catchers use nets
residents have competitions with the player to find a certain insect as fast as they can. In City Folk, villagers simply ask for a specific insect, often in exchange for a reward. Villagers with this hobby carry nets.
Fashion – Villagers ask for new clothes in exchange for gifts. Sometimes, requests may be very specific. Items of clothing can be rejected if the villager deems them too unattractive. Lazy villagers might say that they are becoming a superhero, named Super Spiffy [name], and that may ask the player for style tips later on. They also can call themselves Fashion Lad.
Fishing – Villagers with this hobby collect fish to put in their house. In Wild World, villagers often treated their hobby as more of a competition to see who could catch a fish the fastest. They could ask for a
A fishing rod
specific fish, the rarest fish, or even the biggest fish, and would always take the fish in exchange for a present if they lost. In City Folk, animals ask for a certain fish that they would like, often in exchange for a reward. Animals that enjoy fishing carry fishing rods around town.
Fossil collecting – Villagers who enjoy collecting fossils will sometimes ask for a fossil, specific or any. These will usually be placed inside the villager's homes. They will not accept or even acknowledge unidentified fossils. Villagers with this hobby can be seen carrying
A player digging up a fossil
shovels.
Furniture – Animals may ask for a color or specific furniture set. With colors, there are items that they may reject if there is not enough colors on the furniture piece.
Gardening – Villagers with this hobby enjoy planting flowers and often carry a watering can. Flowers appear around the villager's house in great amounts, but are not tended to or organized.
Walking – Villagers talk of their favorite routes and how refreshing it is. They can sometimes ask the player if they want to walk together. Normal villagers will usually say that there are little flowers blooming when there were none yesterday.
Seashell collecting – This a rare hobby that Marina and Eloise tend to have.[citation needed] The villager will usually be seen walking on the beach and talk about seashells. They will ask the player to get seashells for them.
List of hobbies (New Horizons)
Education – Villagers can be frequently seen reading books, visiting the museum, and walking around holding a magnifying glass, inspecting many different objects. Many villagers with this hobby are Cranky.
Fashion – Villagers often visit Able Sisters, will comment on the player's clothes, and give the player new clothes. Sometimes they will be seen wandering with a pink bag with an Oxeye Daisy on it. All villagers with this hobby are female, and many of them have the Snooty or Peppy personalities.
Fitness – Villagers are more likely to exercise, lift weights, and do yoga, usually in the plaza or around their house. Most villagers with this hobby are Jocks, and every gorilla has this hobby.
Music – Villagers sing very often, especially in the plaza, near a stereo, or on a random spot on the island, mostly singing to their reflection in the water. They can also sometimes be found playing instruments and dancing idly even when no music is playing nearby that spot. Many villagers with this hobby are Smug and Sisterly.
Nature – Villagers will be distracted by insects while wandering, will be more likely to sniff and water flowers, go fishing, gather logs, and sit underneath trees. Most villagers with this hobby are Normal.
Play – Villagers will run around the island, the plaza, or their own house in their spare time, and may be more likely to set up treasure hunts. Most villagers with this hobby are Lazy.
