Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of Nintendo’s biggest hits to date. It had one of the best selling releases and is currently serving as a happy little haven for people of all walks of life to escape to. It’s relaxing. It’s simple. It’s child-like. It’s also a game about mortgages and market fluctuations. Huh. You keep doin’ you, Nintendo.
But as Buzzfeed reports, one fan got the surprise of her life when one of her favorite celebrities (Elijah Wood) came to visit in her one of her favorite games (New Horizons.) But to explain why, you first have to understand that the game revolves heavily around getting bells (the in-game currency), and the best way to get bells is in the turnip market. Turnips are spawned in the game by being purchased from an NPC called Daisy Mae, who only appears on Sunday mornings. You snooze, you lose.
go to sleep early so you can wake up to daisy mae, do it for her pic.twitter.com/BV0jMYqEXt
— sammi 🇵🇸 (@sapphicsammi) April 18, 2020
Once you’ve bought some turnips from Daisy, the goal is to resell them that week to other characters. It’s like adorable price-gouging.
In this house we support women in business…which is why we stay up until 5 a.m. to buy Daisy Mae’s turnips so we don’t sleep in and miss her.
— 🦇Lizzy🦇 (@cowardlygoblin) May 3, 2020
Since New Horizons is online, people can visit each others’ islands to wheel and deal, and will sometimes advertise to each other what their going rates are.
One evening, a Twitter user who goes by Jessa (@directedbyrian) posted the going rate for Turnips on her island.
my price for turnips is 599 bells!!! dm me for dodo code 💕 #AnimalCrossingNewHorizons #acnh #turnipprices pic.twitter.com/dsU23mo9bw
— Jessa 🌱🪬 (@directedbyrian) April 23, 2020
And that’s when the magic happened. Into Jessa’s DMs popped up none other than the verified Elijah Wood, interested in paying her a visit.
“would love your dodo code to sell these turnips!” he messaged her.
“UM” came the reply, “OF COURSE YOU CAN”
guys I tweeted my turnip prices and elijah wood just came to my island and hung out 😭😭😭😭😭 this is the best day in quarantine yet pic.twitter.com/H3mYJWnvgR
— Jessa 🌱🪬 (@directedbyrian) April 23, 2020
And so began a virtual visit Jessa wouldn’t soon forget.
#AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/5v9yTOBupk
— Jessa 🌱🪬 (@directedbyrian) April 23, 2020
Elijah spent some time on the island, meeting some of Jessa’s friends, picking fruit, frolicking and engaging in cutesy capitalism; all the things that Animal Crossing is about.
#AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/mItAycEWUg
— Jessa 🌱🪬 (@directedbyrian) April 23, 2020
Shortly before he left, they chatted a bit about their mutual love for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, prompting Elijah to remark “long live rian johnson.”
Johnson, the writer and director of Last Jedi, apparently caught wind of this moment captured in screenshot, and is now using it as his own Twitter banner.
EYEEEEEEEEE—————— pic.twitter.com/YcFtmjMC0w
— Jessa 🌱🪬 (@directedbyrian) April 23, 2020
Quite a bit of excitement born out of a quiet evening of casual gaming. Soon it was time for “Elwood,” to go, leaving Jessa with quite a story.
visit anytime #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/EYbwFaYHSc
— Jessa 🌱🪬 (@directedbyrian) April 23, 2020
So if you’ve got this game, be sure to reach out and let people know. Who knows which celebrities might want to drop by. 😉
If you could meet with anyone in the world, but only in virtual form, who would it be?
Tell us in the comments.