The passage of time is a big deal in the Animal Crossing series. New Horizons players were today treated to a ton of changes as their islands transition into spring, which brought with it new critters to catch and cherry blossom trees to diversify the landscape. But with the game’s first holiday right around the corner, we’ve also been introduced to one of Animal Crossing’s most enigmatic figures: the creature known as Zipper T. Bunny.
Bunny Day is Animal Crossing’s way of incorporating the Christian holiday Easter without referencing the whole thing about Jesus being brutally tortured and executed. In previous games, players would be sent off in search of hidden eggs, and New Horizons mostly sticks to the same format. Eggs are found everywhere—buried underground, submerged in the ocean and rivers, floating through the sky—with different types depending on where they were discovered. These ovoid treasures can then be repurposed into crafting limited-time Bunny Day items.
These festivities are coordinated by rhymesmith Zipper T. Bunny, a distressingly chipper presence in these gloomy times. I feel like I owe everyone who had to experience his glassy-eyed stare without any warning an apology. I knew he was coming and said nothing. He should be on your islands now, waiting to give you his spiel about Bunny Day, which is scheduled for April 12. In the days leading up to the event, you can gather eggs and recipes, and should you craft all the items associated with the holiday, Zipper promises to give you something special. Try not to scream when he winks at you.
Zipper is also very adamant that he is not someone in a bunny suit. This honestly never crossed my mind but now it’s all I can think about. Sure, there’s a huge zipper on his back, but I figured that was just, like, his aesthetic or whatever. Now that I mull it over, why do overalls need a zipper? Who’s hiding inside Zipper’s yellow bunny outfit? I checked Resident Services to make sure Tom Nook wasn’t messing with me, but he was behind his desk, like always. He seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.
Fortunately, I’m not going crazy. Animal Crossing players have been sharing their own misgivings with Zipper T. Bunny on social media. I’ve seen him compared to Robbie the Rabbit, a similarly cute-yet-creepy figure from the Silent Hill series. Some have taken to trapping him in makeshift prisons, hoping to curtail whatever horror he has planned for their islands in the coming days. Most are so scared that all they can do is snap a quick photo while he lurks over the horizon. At least we’re all in this together.
The first holiday coinciding with a change of seasons has made Animal Crossing: New Horizons feel like an entirely different game. Pink trees drop cherry blossoms, which can be caught with a net and used in new recipes. Islands are now populated by new bugs like the darner dragonfly and common bluebottle butterfly. I even managed to land a cute little clownfish while reeling eggs out of the briny depths. New Horizons was always a cheerful escape from reality, but the new coat of paint my island has received for spring makes it feel even more like a paradise.
Well, as long as you can keep track of where Zipper T. Bunny is hopping around and just avoid that part of the island. A person can only take so much rhyming.
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