Out of all the 397 villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ketchup is my absolute favorite. I utterly adore her. She’s got a terrific character design, a fun, and upbeat personality, and everything about her is so sweet and wholesome. There’s so much to know about this incredible little duck, and by the end of this article, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about whether she’s right for your island. And if you do decide you want her, you’ll have plenty of tips for making sure she’s happy and thriving with you!
Appearance and Personality
Ketchup is part of an elite group of Animal Crossing villagers who resemble food. As you might be able to tell from her name, Ketchup is designed to look like a tomato! She’s a beautiful red duck and has rosy orange cheeks and a yellow beak. On her head is a cute green tuft of hair that is designed to resemble the stalk of a tomato. Her wings have a yellow to the green gradient at the tips, and she has dark brown feet. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, her default clothing is the Lacy Dress (blue), but you can change what she wears by gifting her clothing. However, I think the best part of Ketchup’s appearance is her eyes. They’re adorable, with a white outline and large black pupils. There’s a cute little flick for her eyelashes, and it works so well. The eyes are the main reason I fell in love with her in the first place!
Ketchup is a Peppy villager, which means she has an upbeat and friendly personality. She dreams of fame and believes in pursuing her goals of stardom. This means that in conversation, she may bring up topics like being a pop star, or how to raise her profile. She’ll also sometimes use French words such as ‘tres’ or ‘le’ in order to appear fancy and worldly. Her voice is high-pitched and fast-paced, which portrays her excitement. Her initial catchphrase is ‘bitty’, which I’m not a massive fan of, but you may get the chance to change it if she stays on your island for a long time. Personally, I changed her catchphrase to ‘cuddles’, which I think is much cuter. Ketchup has a play hobby, which means that she likes to run around a lot. Whilst most other villagers will only run in the Plaza outside Resident Services, Ketchup can (and does) run anywhere she likes on the island. She sticks her wings out behind her when she runs, which is very sweet to see.
Interactions With Other Villagers
As she’s a Peppy villager, she’ll become friends with you very quickly. She’ll make an effort to get to know you better through your conversations, and is very open about her own emotions. She’ll happily share what she’s feeling, and isn’t afraid to be vulnerable with you. Ketchup gets along with most other villagers; however, there can be some conflict with Cranky or Snooty villagers due to the difference in personalities. As Cranky and Snooty villagers are more reserved, they can get annoyed by the constant cheeriness of Peppy villagers. Likewise, Ketchup may mention to you that certain Cranky or Snooty villagers on your island are ‘boring’, as they don’t share her excitement for life.
Ketchup also might get in minor disagreements with other villagers over trivial matters, but she’s quick to resolve any arguments and doesn’t hold grudges. Sometimes, you may be asked to intervene as a mediator, such as delivering an apology present to another villager. However, for the most part, Ketchup is very agreeable. She’s just got big dreams like any other Peppy villager, and that can make her a little intense. She usually gets along well with others and will form close friendships, especially with other Peppy villagers on your island.
Why You Should Have Her on Your Island
If I could only have one villager on my island, it would be Ketchup. That’s not to say I don’t love my other villagers, but Ketchup is truly special. I can’t imagine not getting to see her every single day that I log on; she’s honestly the highlight of my game. She’s kind, sweet, and incredibly wholesome. The fact that Ketchup has the play hobby means that she could be running about anywhere on your island, and it always brings a huge smile to my face when I see her. Seeing her scurrying around with her little wings outstretched behind her is so heart-warming. Not to mention the fact that she’s beautiful, and you’ll get to enjoy her gorgeous character design whenever you log into the game.
Ketchup also has some excellent dialogue. She loves to talk to you about her hopes and dreams and is always happy to see you. She has such an interesting range of topics, and likes to ask you questions to get to know you better. She remembers the details you give her when she asks a question and may mention it again in the future. If you befriend her to a high enough level, she even starts calling you ‘bestie’, which I think is just adorable. I know she’s just pixels on a screen, but knowing that someone cares about me that much just makes me feel really good about myself. If Ketchup were on your island, she could be your bestie, too!
As an added bonus, Ketchup can be useful for several islands that have specific themes. Maybe you want an island with all duck villagers? Or perhaps you want all your villagers to have food-related names? Ketchup even looks like an item of food, if appearance matters more to you than a name. She’s also red, Peppy, and cute, so she can fulfill plenty of theme requirements.
Home Appearance
The exterior of her home uses a cottage-style house. She has the stone roof tiles in an orange colour, and two-tone siding which is red with grey at the bottom. She has a vibrant yellow vertical-panes door. Honestly, I don’t think the yellow door really suits the rest of the design, but Ketchup has never claimed to be a master at colour theory. Overall, it’s a pretty and cosy looking house and one that rounds out the aesthetic of my island. I think the cottage style is perfect for Ketchup, and works very well once you see the interior.
The inside of her house is actually not what I expected when I first saw her. Ketchup is bubbly, and very red, and I expected her home to match. I imagined an eclectic collection of bright objects and red wallpaper, but it’s actually a lot more understated than that. She has the Ivy Wallpaper, which looks like reddish-brown bricks with green ivy growing over them. It’s pretty but rather subtle. Ketchup also has the Backyard Lawn flooring, which is designed to look like well-kept grass. Together with the wallpaper, it gives her house a very natural feel. In terms of the items, they’re mostly in more neutral tones, rather than the vibrant colors that you might expect from her. She has a brick oven in the top right corner, and I must admit that I get concerned about her burning herself because she’s only small, and she gets so over-excited about things. In the middle of the room, she has a red vinyl sheet for her rug, and on top is a log round table with a soup kettle on it. I can only imagine it’s tomato soup. Other items are scattered around the room too, and overall, the interior feels muted but cozy.
Happy Home Paradise DLC
When I got the Happy Home Paradise DLC, I couldn’t wait to build a vacation home for Ketchup. Fortunately, the DLC has a system in place where you can invite villagers straight from your island. To do this, you have to buy souvenir chocolates from the Paradise Planning shop using your poki (the currency in the DLC), and then simply gift them to a villager on return to your island. They’ll mention that they heard you had started a job working on vacation homes, and ask if you can go and visit together. If you say yes, the game will jump to a cutscene of the two of you at the Dodo Airlines airport, and then you’ll arrive together on the archipelago outside Paradise Planning.
Each villager has a different vision for what their dream vacation home will look like, and Ketchup is no exception. The default name for her vacation home is ‘Tomato Paradise’, and the description she gives you to explain what she wants is ‘Dishes made with tomatoes I grew would be SO amazing!’ There are three items that she specifically asks you to include, and those are the Gas Range, Salad-Stuffed Tomato, and Pile of Cardboard Boxes. The cardboard boxes are designed to look like packages filled with fresh tomatoes, and definitely make the house look prepared to cook up a storm. You also get access to some new items in the Order tab when designing the home. These include new tomato-based dishes, as well as several red items, wallpapers, rugs, and flooring. Her favorite song is Bubblegum K.K., and this will play if you put a radio of any sort into her vacation home.
Animal Crossing History
Ketchup first appeared in Doubutsu no Mori e+ (also known as Animal Forest e+ by English fans), which was a Japanese exclusive for the Gamecube, and was released in 2003. In this game, Ketchup’s house has the ivy wall just like it does in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but she has the kitchen flooring. Her go-to songs in this game are K.K. Technopop and K.K. Salsa.
Ketchup is also available as a character in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. However, she’s not one of the default villagers, and so the only way to invite her to your game is by using her Welcome Amiibo card. This can be purchased online. If players did invite Ketchup, her house had a fun pizzeria theme with several related items such as a whole pizza, cutting board, and brick oven. The song that plays if you give her a stereo is Neapolitan.
If you play the mobile game Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, you’ll find that Ketchup appears in that, too. Her preferred theme is cute, and her descriptive phrase is ‘Ketchup considers herself to be the poster child for maturity. One mention of a food fight, however, and she’s completely off the leash’. She retains her Peppy personality, and her primary reward material is steel. In order to invite her to your camp, you must have at least a level 5 friendship with her.
Best Gifts to Give Her
When you have somebody as delightful as Ketchup on your island, you’ll want to spoil her rotten. As with any villager, constantly giving her great gifts is the way to earn her coveted photo as an item. To improve the friendship points you get, you need to wrap up any gifts you give her using wrapping paper, which you can either craft yourself or buy from Nook’s Cranny. If you gift her something worth 2,500 bells or more, she’ll give you an item in return. As well as increasing your catalog of items, you also earn more friendship points if she gifts you something back.
Her favorite style is cute, which applies to both furniture and clothing. If you’re unsure what style a particular item is, you can look it up online or use Nook Plaza to search through all the best gifts for Ketchup. Her two favourite colours are white and aqua, and so any items in those colours would be excellent gift options. Be aware that any gifts you give to Ketchup may end up being displayed in her house. This doesn’t just apply to furniture; clothing items could also be used as decoration when she’s not wearing them. She could also keep any bugs or fish that you give her as pets, and may display sea creatures. I made the mistake of accidentally gifting her seaweed one time, and now it sits in an ugly pile on her floor. If you want to give her something extra special, her birthday is on July 27th.
If you want to change up Ketchup’s look, here are some great clothing recommendations:
- Dolly Shirt (blue)
- Sailor’s Shirt (light blue)
- Cinnamoroll Jacket
- Ribbon (white)
- Plumeria Hairpin (white)
- Eggshell
- Kids’ Smock (cherry blossom)
- Bolero Coat (yellow)
Merch
If you love Ketchup as much as I do, then chances are you won’t be fully content with only seeing her in your game. No, you’ll want to see her in real life too, and that’s where merch comes in! Owning merch is a great way to show your love for Ketchup, and there are so many options for what you could buy. I’ve scoured the internet to find the best apparel, decorative items, stationery items, and more of our wonderful girl. There were some great pieces of merch, but I think my favourites are the Ketchup Throw Pillow, and the Adorable Ketchup Mug.
- Ketchup Throw Pillow
- Ketchup Socks
- Ketchup Classic T-Shirt
- Adorable Ketchup Mug
- Ketchup Hard Enamel Pin
- Ketchup Sticker Pack
- Ketchup Postcard Print
FAQs
Question: How Many Food-related Villagers are There?
Answer: In total, there are 36 villagers who are somehow related to food. This is either due to the appearance of their character design, or their name. In regards to having a food-related name, some of these are spelled exactly the same as the food, such as Ketchup, Cookie, or Cherry. Others have names that reference a particular food but are spelled slightly differently, such as Chadder or Cheri. Some even have names that are a cruel joke, such as Pate the duck (duck pâté) or Patty the cow (a burger patty). There are also other characters like Ketchup who are designed to look like a particular food item. Examples of those villagers would be Merengue, Zucker, and Tangy.
Question: How Many Peppy Villagers Should I Have on my Island?
Answer: Honestly, this comes down to personal choice, but you should be aware that having too many of them could possibly be a bit intense. Personally, I’d recommend 2-4, as that way you get to enjoy their friendly excitement, but you can also round out your island with other personalities. You also need to remember that Peppy villagers don’t tend to gel with Cranky or Snooty villagers, as the Cranky/ Snooty villagers can find Peppy villagers to be annoying. So if you do decide to have multiple Peppy villagers, you should consider which other personalities will be present on your island. However, they’re a lot of fun, and so sweet and supportive, so I feel that no island is complete without at least one Peppy villager.
Question: How Do I Get Ketchup on my Island?
Answer: So, there are multiple ways to get Ketchup in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You may get lucky and have her as one of your starting two villagers, but considering that there are 397 total villagers, the chances of that happening are very unlikely. One way you could get her is through a Mystery Island using your Nook Miles Ticket. If you have an empty plot open, then you’ll find a villager whenever you fly to a Mystery Island. You could use multiple Nook Miles Tickets until you find her, and then invite her from there.
You might also encounter her through the campsite, that’s how I found her. I had never seen her before, but she was so sweet and adorable, and so I invited her to stay (which unfortunately meant one of my other villagers had to leave, as I didn’t have an empty plot). You can buy Ketchup’s amiibo if you don’t have the patience to search Mystery Islands or wait for her to come to your campsite. Finally, you could try joining Animal Crossing groups on sites such as Facebook or Reddit, and seeing if anyone is getting rid of her; that way you can go to their island and invite her from there. Melika
Conclusion
All in all, Ketchup is the perfect villager to have on your island, and hopefully, you’ll agree. This article should’ve given you loads of ideas for how you could include her in your game, as well as how to make her feel welcome on your island. You now know everything you need to know about this adorable little duck, and you may even be tempted to buy some of the older games that she was in. Perhaps you’ll even decide to buy merch of her? Thanks for reading, and I can’t wait for you all to experience the joy of having Ketchup in your own game!
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