Animal Crossing

In this series of articles, I’ll be delving into the Animal Crossing series, examining the creation and inspiration behind some of its many unique characters. And, since it’s Halloween, I thought I would start with a couple of the more mysterious residents of the game, Coco and Lloid.

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Coco is a rabbit visitor to your island – but she’s quite a perplexing one, it has to be said. She has three gaping black holes for eyes and a mouth, and she appears to be made of hard clay and stone rather than flesh and fur. Whereas other rabbit villagers have applied physics on their ears, causing them to bounce and sway when they move, Coco’s are uniquely stiff. Though her eyes and mouth can change shape and size slightly, she generally has the same strange, emotionless, slightly off-putting expression at all times. Her English name probably comes from ‘coconut’, a fruit stereotypically depicted with three holes, but that’s not what Coco is based on.

Coco isn’t the only character in the Animal Crossing series sporting a vacant stare. Lloid, a curious-looking NPC, also sports a black, hollow mouth and eyes. He even appears to be made up of the same clay-like substance as Coco. He has a short, cylindrical body with a rounded top and two bent arms that flail back and forth; the closer you get to him, the faster his arms will move. Lloid typically acts as an auctioneer in the Animal Crossing series, and in later games, he collects donations for public works projects and loans tools to the player.

Both Coco and Lloid are references to Gyroids. Gyroids are strange clay figurines you can collect in many of the Animal Crossing games. They are usually buried underground and are randomly generated each day, similar to in-game fossils. They come in many different colours and sizes, but all have creepy hollow faces, are cylindrically shaped, and have stubby, bent arms that move up and down. When activated and near playing music, the Gyroids will flail their arms, make funny noises, and spin wildly.

The Gyroid’s design (and, by extension, that of Coco and Lloid) was inspired by hollow Japanese terracotta clay figures called haniwa, which were once used in funeral rituals. In fact, the name for Gyroids in the Japanese version of the game is Haniwa, and Lloid is Haniwa-kun. Coco, in the Japanese version, is Yayoi, which is a reference to the Yayoi Period in Japanese history (between the 3rd and 6th centuries), when haniwa statues were first used. (As an aside, Yayoi is also the traditional name for March in the Japanese calendar, which is why Coco’s birthday is March 1st).

Early haniwa statues were placed in massive quantities on top of giant burial mounds. Their name means ‘circle of clay’ and probably refers to how they were often arranged in a circle above the tomb. The statues were created from coiled clay, built up layer by layer to shape a humanoid figure. Protruding parts, such as arms and noses, were made separately and then attached to the main body. The arms were sometimes positioned with one bent down and one bent up, as if the statue were dancing. The body often flares out at the bottom and is attached to another undecorated cylinder, which would be sunk into the ground to support the statue. Occasionally, special insignias or patterns were carved onto the torso, but in general, the figurines, at least to begin with, were relatively simple and smooth.

Over time, haniwa became more detailed, with some painted with red dye. In addition to the relatively simple humanoid design, other types appeared, including animals, buildings, and military objects. While the arrangement of haniwa varied from one burial mound to another, consecutive figurines were often lined up along the outermost perimeter of the tombs, as if to mark boundaries. Sometimes, chains of haniwa also outlined the inner sections of the tomb, possibly designating a special staging area. It is thought that they may have been used to define and separate, or even magically protect, the deceased from the space of the living.

Many Japanese people once believed that the souls of the dead would take up residence in the hollow haniwa statues after they were placed on top of the funeral mound, above the body. Later, with the introduction of more specialised haniwa, they may have represented attendants, buildings, or possessions for the deceased in the afterlife. And they likely also have indicated the deceased’s status in life – the number and variety of haniwa around a tomb probably signalled the rank and/or wealth of the buried person.

In the Animal Crossing games, you dig Gyroids up from the ground, which may be a reference to the fact that, in the real world, haniwa are usually found in and around burial mounds. And this has changed my view on the Gyroids. Before I began researching this article, I initially viewed them as eccentric, whimsical, and unidentifiable ‘things’; however, I now see them as ancient, animated relics that have just been unearthed.

Although haniwa became more diverse and detailed over time, the anthropomorphic figures, by and large, retained their blank, minimalist face, cut-out eyes and mouth, and a hollow, cylindrical shape. Whatever they were used for, they certainly give off an eerie and mysterious vibe – perfect for this spookiest of seasons.