Recently, Nintendo and Build-A-Bear Workshop partnered up to release an Animal Crossing: New Horizons crossover collection. Fans of the franchise can visit their local Build-A-Bear stores for the opportunity to make their very own Tom Nook or Isabelle plushies, but Nintendo could take full advantage of the crossover’s potential by adding an in-game Build-A-Bear building to Animal Crossing islands.
Seeing as Nintendo has already included some crossover items and events in game, adding a Build-A-Bear building seems entirely possible. The cartoonish theme of Build-A-Bear stores fits Animal Crossing‘s building and character aesthetics quite well already. The inclusion of a new building starring merchandise sold in the real world could be a fun addition and allow players to obtain new items, meet new characters, and experience fun interactions with villagers already on the island.
While Animal Crossing: New Horizons has utilized the Switch’s graphical capabilities to improve the look of many buildings, the game has yet to add any structures that significantly differ from those available in previous games. Bringing Build-A-Bear Workshops to player islands in would mix things up and allow fans to experience fresh new content exclusive to the latest game. The addition of a new Animal Crossing building would also allow players to adjust the current setup of their islands; previous events have introduced exclusive items of various sizes, but a whole new building would require large amounts of dedicated space. Players could create new setups to welcome Build-A-Bear to their towns and incorporate it into whatever themes they have going.
Build-A-Bear Would Allow For New Animal Crossing Items & NPCs
Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Wild World had a variety of buildings and stores with unique items for sale. The inclusion of a Build-A-Bear shop could fill that role for New Horizons. Offering a Tom Nook or Isabelle plushie in game or expanding the plushies to include whoever is currently residing on the player’s island would provide a new way to invest Bells or Nook Miles, and exclusive Build-A-Bear items could add another goal for players to work towards.
Having a new building in New Horizons would also require a new villager to manage it – perhaps an Animal Crossing version of Bearemy, the Build-A-Bear brand’s former mascot. A quirky toymaker or an affectionate factory worker would be a welcome change from the usual vendors that frequent the town square and linger in current businesses. Still, whether the game adds a new building or not, Animal Crossing: New Horizons plushies are available for construction at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores now.
