Animal Crossing Greeting Ideas

Animal Crossing: New Horizons couldn’t have come at a better time. With much of the world trapped inside with lockdowns during March and April 2020, people were in need of an outlet. And for many, myself included, Animal Crossing was that outlet. Although in reality I was stuck inside for days on end, in the game I could go out and explore beautiful islands. And best yet, there were adorable new characters for me to get to know.

Everyone has different preferences when they play Animal Crossing, but for me, there’s nothing I love more than interacting with my villagers. I love how our dynamics shift over time as the friendship improves. And of course, that means new dialogue options. Talking to my villagers and seeing what they have to say is my favorite way to spend time.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is very much a personalized experience. Your villagers will sometimes ask your opinions on various things. Sometimes this may be something like helping them decide if an outfit looks good (it probably doesn’t, they’re notoriously bad at dressing themselves.

One time Cookie started wearing this blue superhero costume, so I had to put a stop to it). Other times you’ll get to pick new catchphrases for them, or help them come up with a nickname for you. When your friendship is high enough, they may even ask you to choose a greeting! That’s quite the task, so this article will help you think of the perfect Animal Crossing greeting ideas.

What Are Greetings in Animal Crossing?

In real life, a greeting could be something as simple as saying “hello” to someone. But in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, they refer to a very specific feature. Every player can have a maximum of 10 villagers who permanently live on their island. These villagers have multiple dialogue options, and build friendships with the players.

To make the experience more personalized, Nintendo have a few custom options when it comes to dialogue. Villagers will start saying new phrases once they feel close to you (for example, Peppy villagers will refer to you as their ‘bestie’). There’s also a chance that they’ll ask you to help pick their new catchphrase, which is their unique phrase that they say at the end of each line. They may even give you a nickname based on activities they’ve seen you engage with around the island.

However, arguably the best customization option is greetings. These are words or phrases that are specific to you. The villager will only ever say this greeting to your character, even if multiple accounts share an island. When you talk to the villager, they’ll likely say this greeting as their first dialogue option. As such, you should choose something funny or meaningful, as you’ll see it regularly.

How Do You Customize Greetings?

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can build relationships with the villagers on your island. This happens gradually over time by increasing your friendship points with them. There are some features in the game that only kick in once you’ve reached a certain friendship level, such as receiving their photo.

Giving custom greetings is one such feature, although there’s still a slight element of randomness. There’s not a specific friendship level that you need to reach, but the higher it is, the more likely the villager is to ask your advice for a custom greeting.

When they’re ready to give you a custom greeting, it will appear as a thought bubble over their head. The thought bubble can appear for many other things, such as if they want to leave the island, or if they want to sell you an item, so don’t get your hopes up. Still, it’s always good to interact with villagers who are deep in thought as it’s often something interactive.

When they ask you to help them choose a greeting, a screen will pop up, and you’ll be able to type in their new greeting. This can be a full sentence, and so you have more space than you do for catchphrases and nicknames. Make sure you choose something that you’re happy with, as this will be how they greet you going forwards.

Greetings Suggestions

Okay, so your villager has asked you to pick a greeting, wonderful! But what do you choose? It’s natural for your mind to freeze up when you’re put on the spot like that. Thankfully, I’m about to share a huge list of possible options for you. Better yet, I’ve broken it down into suggestions for different villager types. Have a look through, and hopefully some of these will take your fancy.

Greetings for Peppy Villagers

I won’t lie, Peppy villagers are easily my favorites. I love the energy they bring to my island. I can understand why others find them to be a bit too much, but personally I find it endearing. They’re so overwhelmingly cheerful and friendly, and I need that in my life. Sure, I think an entire island of Peppy villagers could get exhausting, but I try to keep 3-4 on my island at any one time.

With these greeting suggestions, I’ve tried to keep their personality in mind. I’ve borrowed words from their regular dialogue, and tried to keep the same tone. If you want a greeting full of hype and vibrancy, these are perfect.

• I’m so hyped to see you!
• OMG, it’s you!
• Do you wanna hear my movie idea?
• I love days that I see you!
• You’re my favorite person!
• Best. Day. Ever.
• You’re totes amaze!
• Yay, bestie!

Greetings for Normal Villagers

My second favorite type is Normal villagers. Sure, it may be a bit basic, but I find them to be so sweet. I’ve heard people call them boring, but I don’t subscribe to that. They’re not devoid of personality, they’re just toned down. They don’t have big, in-your-face interests like some of the others. They’re calm, collected, and very friendly. How’s that a bad thing? If you want villagers who will be loyal friends, you can’t get much better than Normal.

Seeing as they’re so easy to befriend, they’re also easy to get a high friendship score with. As such, it shouldn’t take too long for them to ask you to pick a custom greeting. With this list, I’ve tried to think of greetings that would sound natural with a Normal villager. They’re not particularly flashy, but hopefully you’ll enjoy them all the same.

• Isn’t it a lovely day?
• I was just thinking about you!
• Isn’t friendship wonderful?
• I hope I wasn’t in your way?
• I’ve been reading this delightful book…
• You always put a smile on my face!
• I hope I’m not in your way?

Greetings for Snooty Villagers

I never really like the idea of having a Snooty villager on my island. And then I met Diana. She was so beautiful that I was willing to make an exception for her, and the more I got to know her, the more she grew on me. At first she seemed rude and blunt, as is typical for the Snooty personality. But as we became friends, she started to act genuinely caring. Snooty villagers can be uncomfortable at first, but if you’re patient, you may well grow to love them.

With the greetings, I’ve chosen a mix based on the two extremes of Snooty villagers – condescending or supportive. There’s no middle ground. Whilst you’re likely to only be asked to pick a greeting when you’re already close friends, there’s still a chance it could happen when they’re still in their judgemental stage. Plus, I wanted to choose greetings that were true to their nature.

• What a fabulous outfit!
• It’s lovely to see you!
• Did you forget to brush your hair?
• Not everyone could pull that outfit off!
• Did you hear…
• My outfit was featured in a magazine!
• I’m going to be a model one day…

Greetings for Sisterly Villagers

Admittedly I’ve only had one Sisterly villager on my island, but I wasn’t a fan. It was Sylvia the kangaroo, one of my starting villagers. For starters, she’s got a Karen haircut, and it definitely matches her personality. I’ve heard that Sisterly villagers do get friendlier over time, but I had Sylvia on my island for 3 months and I spoke to her every day, and she never once became tolerable.

I also met a few Sisterly villager in the Happy Home Paradise DLC. They tend to be quite blunt and stand-offish, even though supposedly they mellow out. With these greetings, they capture the general tone of dialogue that you would expect from a Sisterly.

• Oh, it’s you…
• Don’t you look… Interesting?
• Sorry, but I was here first.
• Looks like you’ve been busy!
• How brave of you to wear that!
• I’m always here for you!
• It’s fun having you around!

Greetings for Jock Villagers

Although I only currently have one on my island, I do have a soft spot for Jock villagers. One of my starting villagers was Genji, who’s a Jock rabbit. I eventually let him go, but it was to replace him with someone else rather than because I didn’t like him. In fact, when he appeared on the archipelago on Happy Home Paradise, I was thrilled to have him in my game again.

I also love Rod, who is the only Jock villager on my island. There’s something hilarious to me about a tiny mouse who’s obsessed with weight lifting.

Jocks make their whole life about exercising and working out. They’re energetic and vibrant like Peppy villagers, but unlike Peppy villagers, they tend to have less diverse interests. In fact, pretty much every conversation you have with a Jock is likely to be about sports. Which is fine, but I wanted to reflect that in the greetings. So these suggestions are all somewhat related to exercize.

• Look at you working those abs!
• Get them gains!
• Check out my muscles!
• Gimme a sec, I’m lifting.
• Did you catch the game last night?
• This isn’t even my final form!
• I. Am. So. PUMPED!

Greetings for Lazy Villagers

Lazy villagers are renowned for being the easiest villagers to get along with. They have a nonchalant and friendly attitude that makes them great for chatting with. I’ve only had one Lazy villager myself, and that was Benedict. I loved him, but unfortunately had to let him go after Ketchup appeared at my Campsite and wanted to replace him. I still miss seeing him running around my island in his number 2 shirt.

Lazy villagers like to live a calm life. They don’t get worked up over the small things, and instead they take life at their own pace. They can act rather goofy at times, and have a wonderful sense of humor. I’ve tried to reflect that in these greetings suggestions.

• Wazzaaaap!
• Howdy, Partner!
• Wanna hang?
• How’s it going?
• It’sa me, (Villager Name)!
• Yo, what’s the haps?
• What? No, YOU were asleep!
• Uhhhh, I’m so tired…

Greetings for Smug Villagers

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I hate Smug villagers. I absolutely cannot stand them, they’re my least favorite personality type. But hey, that’s just my personal preference, so if you like them then I can respect that. I just had a bad experience with an insufferable lion named Leopold. He was the bane of my existence, and it took months until he finally left my island. I can’t express my delight when I saw that thought bubble over his head and knew he was finally leaving. Good riddance.

Still, their personality is a bit more nuanced than my experience with them. Much like Snooty villagers, Smug villagers are the picture of elegance. They care a great deal about their appearance, and etiquette is important to them. That can often come across as arrogant and pompous, but in their hearts they have good intentions. Despite my dislike of them, I’ve mostly chosen greetings to reflect their more positive traits.

• Why are you always running?
• How do you do?
• Manners maketh man.
• I say, I didn’t know I’d be seeing you today!
• Don’t I look dashing?
• I admire your work ethic.
• Ah, spiffing!

Greetings for Cranky Villagers

Cranky villagers tend to split opinion. Their defining characteristic is that they’re grumpy with a short temper, and so naturally some people dislike them. However, you could also argue that they’re very relatable, and they might remind you of beloved family members such as a grandpa. I had Static on my island who I adored, but I also had Rolf who was awful. So I guess some Cranky villagers are better than others.

They tend to spend a lot of time out on the island, so with the greetings I’ve tried to reference the fact that they’re quite outdoorsy. I’ve also made the greetings a little rude, as Cranky villagers aren’t worried about hurting your feelings.

• Watch yourself, I’m walking here!
• Isn’t island life meant to be quiet?
• I do so enjoy a good walk!
• What do you want?
• Can I help you..?
• Ugggghhhh!
• I suppose you expect me to talk to you?

Greetings for Villagers You Love

If you’re very lucky, this will apply to every villager on your island. However, it’s likely you have one or two villagers who stand above the rest. My personal favorites are Ketchup and Merengue, and I’m always so excited to see them out and about on my island.

Don’t get me wrong, I love most of my other villagers too, but there’s just something special about Ketchup and Merengue. I’m sure you have villagers who come to mind when you think of your own favorites. But how to show them your heartfelt love? Well, one way of doing so is to give them a greeting to reflect the strength of your mutual bond.

• You make my heart smile!
• I love seeing you!
• Can I have a hug?
• You’re the best!
• I’ve always admired you!
• Being near you makes me so happy!
• I hope we’re friends forever!

Greetings for Villagers You Hate

Sometimes, by whatever stroke of bad luck, you end up getting a really annoying villager on your island. Often there’s not a tangible reason for hating them, you just… Do. It’s hard to put into words what the problem with them is, but you wish they weren’t on your island. And unfortunately, unless you forcibly remove them by using an amiibo, you’re stuck with them.

It can be a game of chance as to which villagers leave your island and when. I remember it took me over 2 months to finally get rid of Leopold after he moved into an empty plot without my permission. And so, if you can’t get rid of them, you can at least give them a greeting that reflects your deep loathing for them. It’s petty, but satisfying.

• Stand back, I’m smelly.
• What do you want?
• I kinda hate you.
• I wish you would leave me alone.
• Why does nobody like me?
• Check out my shirt! (If you’ve given them an ugly shirt to wear)
• This island ain’t big enough for the both of us!

Greetings for Cat Villagers

I’m 100% a cat person, I love them. As pets go, they’re pretty much the gold standard. Funnily enough, I don’t actually have any cats on my island, but it’s only because I’ve never encountered any. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a grand total of 23 different cat villagers, so chances are good that you have at least one on your island. If you do, you may want to choose a greeting specific for their species. I’m a sucker for puns, and so I’ve chosen greetings that are related to cats in some way.

• What a purrfect day!
• Awww, whiskers!
• I’ve got nine lives, baby!
• Mice to see you!
• I’m furry busy.
• You look like the cat’s whiskers!
• I like to mewve mewve it!

Greetings for Dog Villagers

Although I personally prefer cats, I definitely get why people are obsessed with dogs. They’re fiercely loyal, super adorable, and overall a fantastic pet. Although the dog villagers in Animal Crossing are more refined than real life dogs, I’ve chosen to draw from stereotypes for these greetings. Some of them are meant to be puns, others refer to a characteristic of dogs. Most of them are designed with humor in mind, so if you’re after a funny greeting, then these are bound to give you inspiration!

• I’m having a ruff day…
• You’re barking up the wrong tree!
• Woof woof… Just kidding!
• Seen any fire hydrants nearby?
• Now where’s that mailman at?
• It’s a dog eat dog world!
• Stop hounding me!

Greetings for Farmyard Villagers

There are a considerable number of villagers in Animal Crossing that are based on various farmyard species. It’s probably the reason why the game has fish as an in-game food, but no meat. Imagine how awkward it would be to tuck into some meatballs whilst staring a cow villager dead in the eyes.

When I wrote these greetings, I tried to refer to various aspects of farm life. However, some of them are specific to certain species, such as ducks, sheep, or chickens. And before you try and tell me that sucks aren’t farmyard animals, they absolutely can be, and I have some very amusing anecdotes of my brother being chased by a duck on a farm!

• I once knew this guy called Old Macdonald…
• How now, brown cow?
• Are you trying to start some beef?
• Who are you calling chicken?
• Don’t keep butting in!
• What are you quacking about?
• Do I really look like a cloud?

Greetings for Carnivorous Villagers

Some of the villagers are based on more intimidating species. Of course, as it’s a peaceful game, none of them actually attempt to hurt you. But still, if you’re new to the franchise, you might be concerned when you head to a Mystery Island and get confronted by a ferocious tiger! These greetings are tailored to different animals such as lions, alligators, or bears. However, some of them are more general for carnivorous species as a whole. Enjoy!

• Have a roarsome day!
• I wondered if I’d meat you today!
• See you later, alligator!
• In a while, crocodile!
• Well, what a dandy lion!
• Beary good to see you!
• Do my teeth look big in this?

Greetings for Bird Villagers

When I say ‘birds’, I’m also including eagles. Essentially, if it’s got wings and a beak then it counts. Ducks and chickens may also fit some of these suggestions, although I mainly considered them earlier on in the ‘Farmyard villagers’ section. When I was a kid I always wanted to be a bird. I loved the idea of being able to fly anywhere and everywhere.

The total freedom seemed intoxicating. Of course, the birds in Animal Crossing are a bit more grounded, but I still made reference to flight in these greetings. I really would have loved an update where they at least hover off the ground!

• Gotta fly!
• Livin’ on a wing and a prayer!
• Awww, feathers!
• Can’t stop, must fly!
• Did my phone wing?
• I once had a friend called Tweety Pie!
• Squawk!

Greetings for Other Animals

There are many other animals in Animal Crossing, the franchise certainly didn’t skimp when it came to designs. These other greetings are designed for animals that don’t fit into the other sections. I’ve not included every species here, but some really lent themselves to a good pun, so I just had to share them. If your favorite animal isn’t here, then no worries, you can choose a greeting based on their personality instead!

• Gotta bounce! (Kangaroo)
• Frogget about it! (Frog)
• Hello, deer! (Deer)
• Do I look fat in this? (Hippo)
• I have an uncontrollable urge to pound my chest! (Gorilla)
• You’ve got some cheek! (Hamster)
• How do you cope with just four limbs? (Octopus)

Conclusion

And there we have it! Well over 100 suggestions for greetings you can give to the villagers on your island. I’ve tried to include a wide range. Some are more basic, others could be considered a bit out there. A fair few are puns because that’s just how my sense of humor works! Either way, there should be at least a handful that appeal to you.

And if there’s nothing that quite jumps out to you, then hopefully these have at least worked as inspiration for you to create your own. Enjoy crossing those animals, and don’t let Tom Nook get you down!

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Melika Jeddi

Hi! I'm Melika Jeddi, an experienced content writer, an avid fan of all things media, and founder of Screen Hype! Gaming has been one of my core interests ever since I was a little girl excitedly playing my way through classics like Croc, Crash, and Spyro. Over the years my taste in genres has spread out, but that love of the escapism that gaming brings has always remained. I also get way too invested in the shows and movies that I watch, and when I'm not glued to some manner of screen, I have my head buried in a graphic
novel. It's such a joy to be able to write about the topics that I'm passionate about!

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