Animal Crossing: The Truth About Tom Nook And Sable's Relationship

While the Animal Crossing series is well-known for the amount of freedom it allows the player when they're designing their towns and homes, one of the series' most notable highlights is its adorable cast of animal characters. Whether it's one of the 383 villagers that will randomly visit a player's town, or the static characters that every player will meet, there's a ton to talk about with these furry fellows. By interacting with these animals, players will be given information about these creatures, such as their hobbies, dislikes, and their relationships with other villagers in the town.

Although many of the villagers have some pretty interesting backstories, nothing is more fascinating than Tom Nook's past. The iconic raccoon made his debut in the first title in the Animal Crossing series, and has since appeared in every subsequent entry. While Tom Nook mostly interacts with the player, occasionally other animals will chime in about the business raccoon. But no one tells a greater story about Tom Nook than Sable, the porcupine designer and co-owner of the Able Sisters clothing store. And boy, does she have a lot to say.

According to a bit of dialogue in Animal Crossing: Wild World, Sable has a history with Tom Nook. If the player manages to befriend Sable before January, her mood will shift during the month. Her sister, Mabel, will comment about Sable being in a funk, prompting the player to see what's going on.

Upon talking to Sable, she will reveal that she and Tom Nook were best friends before he moved to the big city. Sable will reminisce about their days climbing the roof of the observatory to stargaze and how she would write to him to keep his spirits up. One special memory Sable brings up involves Tom buying her a pair of expensive scissors and sending them to her as a birthday gift.

Although it's implied that Sable may have romantic feelings for Tom Nook, this relationship is never expanded on in later Animal Crossing entries. But in a small bit of dialogue in Wild World, Tom admits that he "lost more than just money, he lost a friend." This friend is more than likely Sable, since the two never really interact with each other during the game. Hopefully this gets fleshed out more in a future Animal Crossing.