Eligible Chippo: A Chicken and Hippo Symbiosis

[Nunnafinga]

Back in the halcyon days of New Leaf I recall that certain species of villagers were not exactly showered with love and happiness.I remember people being so upset that a gorilla,hippo,chicken,monkey or bull had moved into their town that they'd go on a long rant cursing the game and its designers for including such ghastly creatures.That gave me the idea to combine two species of these friendless critters in one town.Gorillas and monkeys had already been done and I already had towns featuring pigs,ducks,frogs and koalas.Why not combine two species that are vastly different from each other in nature?Chickens are common,land based farm animals and hippos are large,mostly water dwelling behemoths that live out in the wild.Their names put together spell out "Chippo"(They also spell out "Hippens" but who wants to visit a town called "Hippens"?).I started the town and gathered five chickens and five hippos there but New Leaf had too many limitations for what I wanted to do and I lost interest and ultimately gave up on the town.Enter New Horizons......now I can at least attempt to create the chicken and hippo paradise I originally envisioned.I present Chippo 2: Electric Boogaloo.........actually,I chickened(!) out and just called it Chippo again:

 

[Nunnafinga]

Meet The Villagers: The Chickens

Ava
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Ava was a citizen of the original New Leaf Chippo.I like her wide-eyed,"I've had way too much coffee" expression which would seem better suited to a peppy villager(so why don't we have any peppy chickens in NH?).She's the everyday chicken next door who keeps the coop clean and sits on the eggs......if they actually did lay eggs in the game.

Plucky
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An uchi/sisterly chicken seems to be an oxymoron since nobody really expects a standard household chicken to be sassy and outgoing.I had Plucky in New Leaf and having that uchi personality coming from a chicken made her especially funny.I miss that thing that was tied to her crest in New Leaf.I want that thing back.

Goose
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Goose was the class clown of my New Leaf villagers.He said stuff that I never heard from my other jock villagers.I seem to remember that he first appeared in a town that was on a used New Leaf game cartridge that I bought from somebody on eBay.Maybe the original owner of that cartridge somehow manipulated the programming and sold me some kind of mutant version of Goose?New Horizons Goose is not a cyber replicant like his New Leaf counterpart but he's still a fun guy.He still has that crazy,I'm-about-to-strangle-you look about him but I like that.

Becky
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Becky reminds me of an old Warner Brothers cartoon character named Miss Prissy who was a skinny,frumpy spinster chicken.Becky is certainly not skinny but she does have a lot of Miss Prissy in her personality.I'm glad that the villagers don't change their outfits as much in New Horizons(New Leaf could be a nightmare in that regard)because Becky's stock outfit is perfect for her as is her stock catchphrase "chicklet".Why does that catchphrase always remind me of chewing gum?

Benedict
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I remember a fellow TBT member was grossed out because Nintendo named one of their chicken villagers after an egg dish.I give Benedict catchphrases like "omelette" and "deep fried" which I suppose could be thought of as gross because it implies that Benedict is indeed edible.I didn't expect to like Benedict enough to have him as one of my villagers but he has this really goofy quality that I like and I'm a sucker for eyes that look like two black dots.

 

[Nunnafinga]

Meet The Villagers: The Hippos

Bitty
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I don't really have a history with Bitty.I moved her to Chippo because the island needed some color and she's big and pink.For whatever reason I really like the snooty villagers in New Horizons and she has been one of the more pleasant ones.I only wish I could give her a pair of eyeglasses that actually fit over her eyes where they might do some good.

Biff
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Biff received a nice makeover for New Horizons.In New Leaf he was a boring brown but now he's a delightful shade of chestnut(that's what the big Crayola Color Chart says at least).Over the years I've developed an affection for Animal Crossing villagers with the thick,blocky eyebrows(Goose has 'em too) that look like something Groucho Marx used to paint on his face and Biff's eyebrows might be the biggest and blockiest in the game.

Hippeux
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When I started Chippo I perused the Animal Crossing Wiki and found out that Hippeux's real name is.....Gary.I think he looks more like a Gary than a Hippeux.If Nintendo had called him Gary in the first place when he appeared in New Leaf,he might have been more accepted by the game's community because I think it's harder to kick out a villager named Gary than a villager named Hippeux.

Rocco
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Rocco has been in every version of Animal Crossing that's been released but I don't think I've ever seen him on anybody else's island.Longevity hasn't led Rocco to be popular but I like him.He makes me wish that hippos were really green.By the way,his Japanese name translates to "Gonzales".Man,I love that.

Bubbles
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Geez,where do I start with Bubbles?I originally found her in New Leaf after I bought a used game cartridge from eBay.She was living in one of the ugliest AC towns I've ever seen and she wasn't just peppy...she was super peppy.She's calmed down a lot since then but I think her hippo vibe makes her seem more peppy than she really is.I put a couple of bubble machines outside of her house so anyone who comes to visit knows who lives there.Well,it's either her or Lawrence Welk.

 

[Nunnafinga]

I divided Chippo in the middle of the island using these ugly tiles.The chickens live on the west side and the hippos are on the east side.I wasn't going to separate the villagers at first but I thought it would be easier to design the island if I did.

Nubb's house and farm are mostly on the chicken side of the island.I'm undecided as to what else I can put on the chicken side.There's the obvious things like a barn or chicken coops.What do chickens actually do in real life?My grandfather raised chickens on his ranch when I was a kid but I can only remember them walking around,scratching and pecking at the dirt.

I've had more ideas for the hippo side of the island like the triple waterfall and outdoor bath house.In real life hippos pretty much just swim around in the water with an occasional jaunt on the land to feed themselves and roll around in the mud.

Here's a shot of the waterfalls before the snow landed.

 

[Nunnafinga]

I had the outside of Nubb's house customized(the inside is another matter...not opening that can o' worms right now).It has a more rustic look and feel now.I'm using my grandfather's old house as a sort of guide.He used to have a bunch of stuff everywhere on his property.It wasn't junk or anything like that....just semi-organized stuff.

I've been concentrating on the chicken side of the island lately.I have some paths and road signs there but could use structures of some
kind.

Well,here are the structures of some kind.The top is a barn-like thingamajig made from a cluster of storefronts.It looks okay from the front but the top of it is a bit weird and there aren't any doors.Gotta climb through those windows if you want to get in.The bottom structure is maybe a chicken feeder.Or a wheat stand?Eh,I just used the wheat as a fill-in until I can figure out something better.The "back" of the thing is a turned-around storefront but I'll probably use something else.

We had a sick hippo yesterday.Bubbles wasn't feeling particularly bubbly.I wonder why she seems to always have a sports oriented house interior?Why not a bath house theme like Freckles had in New Leaf?Or even a cool jungle/forest theme.

A hunk?A hunka hunka burnin' love?

I think Ava was searching for the Lambda Centauri nebula also known as the "Running Chicken" nebula because of its shape.Either that or one of those mega-sized peaches fell on her head.Fun chicken fact: Did you know that chickens can't see in the dark?

 

[Nunnafinga]

I guess that this could be called a flower garden of sorts.Eventually I'd like to put just the various hybrids that have grown on this island and my other islands here.I'd also like to have a chicken Naruto running continuously around the garden just for the sake of continuity.

This thing turned out to be a vegetable stand.The recipe for the veg baskets on display here calls for one of every vegetable and that's it.So how does the basket get made if there aren't any ingredients in the recipe to make it with?Ah,maybe it's made from leftover sugar cane fibers,pumpkin stems and potato eyes.

The residents of Chippo are captivated by Nubb's farmer overalls which,as you can see,have become the talk of the town.Nubb's fashion sense would be an interesting topic if he was wearing a Gucci tuxedo or a gasoline powered turtleneck sweater but farmer overalls?Slow news day in Chippo.By the way,I think Rocco was trying to politely tell Nubb that he's an underdressed slob.

 

[Nunnafinga]

I planted some flowers in anticipation of the green stuff returning in a few weeks.I have been toying with the idea of time traveling ahead to the green stuff but I'll probably just stick it out.

I've been placing some rustic items around the chicken side of the island.I like this kind of decor but I don't want to go to the well too often.......Yeah,sorry about that.....

Biff bet Benedict that he couldn't stare into his generously proportioned nostrils for more than thirty seconds.Benedict hung in there as long as he could until his face froze into a look of sheer terror.A concerned Nubb pulled Benedict away and all the stunned chicken could say was "I have just peered into the nares of........forever......."

I changed outfits just to see if Ava would notice.She noticed.

Aerial Chippo

 

[Nunnafinga]

I planted some roses and pink camellia starts around the plaza.I think this might look pretty good oh,say....by sometime in late February.

Testing some stone paths on the hippo side.I kind of like the path on the right a bit better.It's a nice shade of hippo gray.

Nubb visited my duck island,Billington to pick up some Senmaizuke barrels and met with that island's rep Daffy.He also spent a bit of time with some of the duckies.Maelle put on her special "We Have A Visitor" hat.

It is a tropical island.....that happens to be covered with a lot of snow.Hey...maybe this island is on top of a very tall mountain...but would it still actually be an island if that's the case?Eh,I suppose Hippeux should get full disclosure: The reason it's snowing on a tropical island is because Nintendo knows that there would be a whole bunch of people upset if there wasn't any snow in Animal Crossing and would thus descend upon their headquarters in Kyoto with pitchforks and torches.It's also why I'm talking to a chartreuse hippo who wears clothes and walks on his hind legs all the time.

My pal Rocco spelled out a laugh.Heh.

 

[Nunnafinga]

Bitty's and Rocco's houses

I'm going to move some hippos around.Rocco and Bitty live just west of the waterfalls while all the other hippos live near the eastern beach.My plan is to move Bubbles' house a bit further south,closer to Hippeux's place,then I'll move Rocco and Bitty to somewhere in the area of where the big indicator arrow is on the map pictured above.Originally,I was going to have all the hippos together near the eastern beach however,I didn't think there would be enough space for that but I've rearranged a few things since then.

Nubb has donned the Official Helmet of Messing With Stuff On the Island.Bubbles' house looms in the distance.

I set up those Seinfeldmazooky barrels I picked up the other day.They look better "in person" than they do in their pictures.I wish there was an option to put the lids on but that might be why there's also a recipe for stacked Senmaizuke barrels.

Ava had a large wad of cotton candy stuck to her head this morning.

I wondered why Rocco was walking around while reading a book but then I realized it was because he doesn't have anything to sit on in his construction zone house.Now I know what to give him on his next birthday.

Plucky wanted to leave the other day(she's not)and it got me to thinking about the chickens and hippos that don't live on Chippo.There's chickens Eggbert,Knox,Ken and Broffina and also hippos Harry and Bertha.I had Broffina and Bertha in New Leaf and I liked them both a lot but it would be hard to kick somebody out.One positive thing about moving villagers out is that even if you do have a villager leave,you can always invite them back without having to go through that silly New Leaf sixteen villager cycle.

 

[Nunnafinga]

The hippos have been successfully relocated.I'd like to plant some windflowers around their houses but I'll have to visit Gilligan(my other island)to get some windflower seeds.

I now have this large empty space which Bitty and Rocco have vacated.Fortunately,the Nook Shopping daily catalog had the baobab for sale.I'm going to try to make a jungle watering hole of some kind.

Uh.....actually,you are a bird.A flightless bird,yes but maybe we can help.I'll talk to the Dodos about strapping you to the top of their seaplane on their next flight so you can get the full wind-in-the-feathers effect of flying...way up high where you can see everything.

Ava finally finished her book of memoirs....Over Easy: My Life As A Normal Chicken and gave a live reading in her house to an enraptured Nubb.

An envious Biff looks on in despair as a common dung beetle pushes an enormous snowball that's more than 100 times his own weight.

♬ So any time you're gettin' low
'stead of lettin' go
Just remember that bug
Oops, there goes another giant snowball ♬ *

* Excerpt(edited) from the song "High Hopes" written by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen

 

[Nunnafinga]

The waterin' hole is now open for business.

I procured another great statue and now the exterior of the Chippo museum looks....great(well,at least kind of good).

The hybrid flower garden now has nothing but hybrids.

Ah,the morning....the sun is out,the air is fresh and there is a chicken doing tai chi on a flat rock overlooking the ocean.

Pleather shorts?Wow,they will come in handy if I want to attend a costume party dressed as Freddie Mercury.

I saw this outfit in Able's shop and I knew I had to give it to Rocco.Rocco was once an ordinary,drab hippo wearing a tacky safety cone shirt but now he's a chic and suave hippo about town.

 

[Nunnafinga]

Nubb's reputation as a well traveled cosmopolitan has grown to the point that random bookish rodents on other islands know him by name.

The aurora borealis comes in view...aurora comes in view.....These are the first Northern Lights I've seen all winter but that's probably because I don't play AC at night very much.

What the heck is that??

Oh,yeah......I almost forgot about this guy.Hmmm,maybe this is why I don't play at night very much.

Yeah,we tried to get this chicken named Eggbert with two G's from Stardew Valley but he couldn't make it because of some mumbo jumbo about trademarks and copyrights.

I invited Egbert to the cafe to have a look at him since I haven't come across him in New Horizons yet.He's a bit fatter now and his eyes are still fixed skywards.I like his fancy sweater.

Planting some pink lilys for Bitty.

These guys are gonna wake up with a couple of frozen hippo bums.

 

[Nunnafinga]

Yeah..yet more snow.I'm lovin' it.

I made this corral but I don't know if the game has any kind of livestock I can put here.

I found some livestock!I am now a triceratops farmer.The only drawback is that I'm gonna have to make a way bigger corral when these suckers start growin' up.

Who stuck that handcart there?I sure as heckfire don't know..could've been anybody.Maybe it was someone who has a keen insight for decorating an island and appreciates the whimsical nature of certain rustic yard implements.......Heh...that doesn't even sound like me.....

Ah,my boy Benedict has such a difficult life.

 

[Nunnafinga]

Does that mean that nothing is possible on a foggy day?Gimme some lollipop.

Talk about a foggy mountain breakdown.Well,it's better than having another snow storm.

Bertha came for a visit to the Chippo franchise of The Roost.I had her in New Leaf with her cool dentist's office house....probably my favorite NL villager house.She seems much more animated and lively for New Horizons.Maybe she just had too much coffee.

I found Hippeux reciting his original poetry the other night:

Chatreuse and on the loose
Sometimes I like to drink carrot juice
I like to bathe below the dam
And I swim,therefore I am......

Eh...well,at least he's trying......mental note: remove microphone from plaza....immediately........

So guys,would it be possible to attach spy equipment to this thing and fly it over other people's islands?

Here's an outtake from the "fog shoot".Can you find the protruding hippo snout?

A hose reel and a do-rag......either Ava really knows what Nubb likes or she's been accessing the Official ACNH Random Gift Generator.

Fun chicken fact: Chickens bathe by covering themselves with dirt.

 

[Nunnafinga]

I jumped ahead to early March so I could get a sneak peek at what Chippo looks like with grass(it feels like it's been a really long time since there was grass).I thought the new paths would look kind of funky set against the green but I think they look alright.I didn't start the game and play so technically this wasn't time traveling in the normal sense.Ava is indeed a spring chicken.

Laying down all those green frilly path borders is exhausting.

Fun chicken fact: Did you know that chickens have the ability to sleep with one eye open and one eye closed so they can be on the lookout for predators while they snooze?Eh....by the looks of it,Ava doesn't seem to be worried at all about predators.

Nope.You have to be a hungry hungry hippo to wanna eat snow.

Nice salesmanship,ya weirdo.Um,I don't wanna get too personal but can I watch videos on that white splotch on your belly like the Teletubbies?

"Culottes",eh?That's just a fancy schmancy way to say "boxer shorts".

K.K. Slider is the most dedicated musician in the world.That dog shows up every Saturday,rain or snow,freezing or blazing hot weather and leaves it all on the stage.Here he is on the nondescript island of Chippo at 5:21 in the morning playing to nothing but bugs and flowers.His devotion to music knows no bounds.

 

[Nunnafinga]

I picked up some weeds the other day and today this happened.I'm actually pretty surprised because the upper areas of the island are still undeveloped.Maybe they didn't look there.

Heh,I got a kick out of this.This was part of a visitor's review of Chippo.It's a parody of the "This Sceptered Isle" speech from Shakespeare's Richard II.I had to recite the actual speech(I believe it's from Act II,Scene I of Richard II)in front of my class back in grade school.Ah,the memories.

Hey,who isn't interested in a dreamy rabbit toy?

Nubb stopped by the Island of Gilligan for a few things and bumped into his good pal Joey.Those are some good eyebrows.

There wasn't a market for triceratops so I switched to a special breed of pig.These pigs stay very still and have a big slot on their backs.....and for some reason they don't seem to eat or sleep much.Funny that......

Chippo has a new flag design.Can anyone guess what it is?

Eh,I just suggested it and of course Isabelle loved it...like she always does no matter what strange design you give her.

I know that feeling so very well.

It's certainly appropriate considering today is Super Bowl Sunday.

 

[Nunnafinga]

Here are some Chippo "outtakes" I accumulated during the ACNH Blogging event:

Why yes,I am from Chippo.Are you Raymond the Celebrity Office Cat.....and.....why are you dressed like Frank Sinatra?

Maybe I'm being weird but doesn't Benedict fit perfectly in this chair?

You are correct my poultry pal.Once a month I take a darkness retreat(this is a real thing!)here in this room.I'm not exactly sure what it does for me but I'm saving big bucks on my electricity bill.

A mysterious figure appears on the horizon.Who is he and what does he want?Oh...apparently I moved his house and now he can't find it.Sorry,Biff.

I don't know why Hippeux is talking about jeans.He doesn't wear pants anyways.

Thanks.I suppose you'd like to live here?Well,you are Pachydermata and not an odd-toed ungulate but.....I just don't like that jacket.

Geez,I probably should've asked Rocco for some ideas for this journal.

 

[Nunnafinga]

It's Festivale time in Chippo.I'm not sure what the whole point of this thing is but the critters seem to love it.

Chicken line dance

Hippo line dance.Check out that one foot technique from Hippeux.

Hippo and single chicken line dance.

Ava got so overheated from dancing that she had to be buried up to her beak in snow.

 

[Nunnafinga]

Nubb's Birthday
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An ominous way to start the day.....

Yeah,ya got me.........."sniff".........

Uh....is it a fuzzy star?

Yeah...I get to whack the fuzzy star.

Nubb's first birthday celebration on Chippo was a good time.I think the best part was seeing Benedict wearing a white tux & tails with a top hat.He looked like he stepped out of a Hollywood musical.

The next phase for Chippo will be developing what I call "the upper deck".....the raised areas at the top of the island.So many cedar trees....

 

[Nunnafinga]

Chippo got its first lily of the Jacob's Ladder valley which causes Nubb to display arm-extending excitement.

There is a small desert on Chippo.It's like having a piece of Arizona on my island.

All aboard the tiny train.There's no way Nubb's enormous pumpkin head is gonna fit in that thing.

Here's the other train station.You know a society's priorities are out of whack when the snack and drink machines are as big as the train.

What mysterious animal could be in there?Hint:......it's probably a chicken or a hippo......