Mayor Shepherd Pushes to Remove Longtime Villager From Island, Decision Put on Hold
NEWNAN ISLAND BREAKING
What was supposed to be a normal meeting at Resident Services took a turn this week after Mayor James Shepherd said he wants to remove Apple, a hamster villager who has lived on Newnan Island since the early days of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Apple has been on the island since near the beginning, back when residents were still living in tents and using Nook Miles Tickets to figure out where everything should go. During the meeting, Shepherd said the island needs to “think about the future” and suggested bringing in a new villager who could help improve fishing around the island.
“She’s been here a long time and we appreciate that,” Shepherd said while Isabelle stood nearby. “But I think we could do better if we had someone with a better track record on catching seasonal fish.”
The idea caused mixed reactions from villagers. Some pointed out that Apple has taken part in almost every holiday event, hosted birthdays, and was around before the museum was fully built. Others questioned whether changing villagers would actually make a difference, saying the island is still mostly full of sea bass no matter who lives there.
Apple said she was surprised by the discussion.
“I’ve done a lot for this island,” she said outside her home near the river. “I really thought I belonged here.”
Shepherd did not say who he wants to move in next but said the new villager would be someone who understands fishing, knows shadow sizes, and takes Fishing Tourneys seriously. Some villagers said they have noticed the mayor gathering fish bait and checking the Critterpedia more often lately.
After some discussion, Isabelle said no decision would be made right away and that the issue would be brought up again at a later meeting. For now, Apple will stay on the island.
No vote has been scheduled yet, but officials said the topic will likely come back up after the next Update for the Switch.
Newnan Time with Harold 