Animal Crossing New Horizon's Isabelle might just be an actual bell according to one popular fan theory. The popular character who made her debut in Animal Crossing: New Leaf is often assumed to be a Shih Tzu, but at least one theory states that she might be something else entirely. There is compelling evidence that Isabelle might not be a dog at all; perhaps she's actually a bell come to life.
Bells are the Animal Crossing universe's money. Used for everything from loans, house payments, and infrastructure to daily transactions, bells are a ubiquitous concept in the Animal Crossing games. There hasn't been any particular suggestion that these are otherwise magical, but in the case of Isabelle, some players are willing to make an exception to the mostly mundane proceedings of the series (outside of the talking animals, of course).
Isabelle seemed like a pretty straightforward character when she was introduced in New Leaf. She character with a kind and caring personality who would go out of her way to help the player at every turn. However, there is some compelling evidence that Isabelle is actually Animal Crossing currency somehow transformed into a sentient creature. It's a strange idea, perhaps even a little disturbing, but one that demands consideration now that it's been raised.
Is Animal Crossing's Isabelle An Actual Bell?
Especially if looking at Animal Crossing's Isabelle as a Build-a-Bear creation, she looks much like a Shih Tzu, but a closer look might suggest some other options. While yes, Isabelle obviously does have many dog-like features, people should look a little closer at the shape of her head. Isabelle's head is shaped almost exactly the same way the game portrays a bag of bells. Her head makes up the bag shape, while her ponytail heavily resembles the top of the bag. In some instances, players have even been able to make out two tiny bell ornaments on the hair tie itself. This might be the most flimsy of the physical evidence, but Isabelle's yellow color also isn't too far off from the gold tint that bells have in the world of Animal Crossing.
If the physical resemblance isn't convincing enough, there's an even more obvious piece of evidence that many players tend to miss - her name. While "Isabelle" might just seem like an ordinary name at first, breaking it down piece by piece reveals "is a bell." Her name can quite literally be taken as a declaration that she's currency come to life. Many AC players have probably never given Isabelle's name a second thought, but when examined in combination with her bell-bag-shaped head, it seems a little too on the nose to be merely a coincidence.
So what does this mean in terms of Animal Crossing's lore? Is Isabelle actually a bag of bells that has somehow come to life in the form of a yellow, dog-like creature? By some AC standards, this doesn't seem like too far-fetched of a possibility. After all, Animal Crossing New Horizons does prominently feature wands that allow the player to change their appearance with a simple wave. The magic behind the wands is never explained, and similarly to this entire Isabelle theory, it's probably best that players don't think too hard about it. The idea of Isabelle being given life from an inanimate object is a little disturbing, and maybe less pleasant than just taking her at face value. There's a possibility that there's more to Animal Crossing's Isabelle than anyone might have imagined, it's probably best to ignore all of that, and just continue to think of her as everyone's favorite Shih Tzu.