An Animal Crossing fan has drawn what Bea the beagle might have looked like if she were a human. Animal Crossing has a large roster of anthropomorphic animal characters in each game. Currently, the series has nearly four hundred villagers and dozens of reoccurring NPCs such as Tom Nook and Isabelle, each with a unique design and engaging personality.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is known for its creative freedom and relaxed, slice-of-life gameplay. Unlike previous Animal Crossing entries, players can decorate almost every inch of their island homes with customizable decorations and furniture, while creating living spaces for up to 10 iconic Animal Crossing Villagers. Many players have even designed whole towns based on the cast of colorful personalities living on their islands, with Villager homes acting as part of the local amenities.
Recently, Twitter artist sa_shimiii shared an adorable fanart version of Bea, a dog Villager, as a human. Bea is a brown beagle who wears a striped dress by default. The art translates Bea's design into a cute girl with brown hair, tanned skin, and a striped dress that matches the character’s original design. Shami kept Bea’s overall color scheme in her piece, with warm sunny colors that stay true to Bea's relaxed vibe. This is not the first time Shami has “humanized” an Animal Crossing character. She has shared drawings of Isabelle, Poppy, Daisy Mae, and Merengue that can be found on her Twitter. Each design recognizes what is distinguishable about character, highlighted in Shami’s art style.
Drawing a human version of a non-human character is a challenge many fan artists love to take on. This has been seen in fanart for other games as well, with many Pokémon species imagined as humans in elaborate clothing or poses that mimic their original designs. The reverse is also true, with artists drawing Villager-style interpretations of their own Animal Crossing characters. Shami's art of Bea is a great example of how video game character designs can be reimagined and celebrated in different forms and styles.
Despite New Horizons reaching the end of its lifespan, with small and limited updates offering few new ways to explore player islands, the joy of spending time with the hundreds of villagers in the game is often a great reason for fans to keep playing. For those who haven't found Bea on a Mystery Island tour, this Animal Crossing fanart could be the perfect inspiration to hunt the relaxed beagle down for a new friendly face in any island community.
Source: sa_shimiii/Twitter