Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood gave a fan a visit to remember when he showed up to their Animal Crossing: New Horizons island to sell turnips. Elijah Wood is most known for his starring role as Frodo Baggins in the legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel series The Hobbit, as well as a later career filled with more quirky roles on shows such as Wilfred and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Wood also has starred in video games such as Legend of Spyro and Broken Age, which might explain his excitement for Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, released late last month, is the latest game in Nintendo's town and life simulator series in which players develop a town on a deserted island through building, designing, fishing, bug-catching, and interacting with their animal neighbors. The relaxing, adorable game about going outside could not have released at a better time within the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced many into lockdown, and it broke records for digital sales in one month. Die-hard players, with more time on their hands than ever, have developed an economy and even a black market to purchase items and villagers and earn Bells, the game's currency. The best way to earn bells is through turnips, which can be bought on Sundays and then sold throughout the rest of the week: turnip prices fluctuate daily and can be the most valuable item in the game. Players will often post on social media if they have particularly high turnip prices so visitors can make a profit.
Via Twitter user @directedbyrian, sometimes those posts can lead to unexpected visitors. Elijah Wood messaged @directedbyrian asking for a code that would let him visit the island. Sure enough, "Elwood" arrived at the island, and even stopped for a bit to admire the island and pose for a virtual photo.
Elijah Wood's hunt for great turnip prices is extremely relatable to many New Horizons players who use the "Stalk Market" as a major source of income. Someone even developed a calculator to help determine how much the vegetables will sell for over a given week. With interest rates getting nerfed in the latest update, demands for turnips will only increase as players look to earn precious Bells to help improve and evolve their island.
In the middle of uncertain, stressful times, Animal Crossing is a beacon of wholesome co-operation and creativity that lets people interact with their friends and pay tribute to their favorite media franchises, from spellbinding recreations of Hogwarts common rooms from Harry Potter to massive battle enactments from 1917. Now, certain players got a taste of their own movie magic right in their island when such a beloved actor makes a surprise visit. It's little moments like this that make Animal Crossing: New Horizons such a cultural phenomenon.
Source: Twitter