#commercial core

[damien-devil-art]

[bixels]

In the past, people in the Animal Crossing community would make fun of Tom Nook as a sleazy landlord. Since then, he's really rehabilitated his image as this 'heart of gold' businessman (he's the one who puts bells and furniture in trees for you to find! he adopted orphans! he donates to charity!), but New Horizons genuinely paints the most devious version of him.

He's successfully privatized settler colonialism: you pay HIM to move to a "deserted island" (which apparently the oceans in the AC world are just full of) and start a colony that he is directly invested in. At best he's running a weird vacation package scam (you arrive on the island with no money and in debt for "using his services"). At worst, he's using you to set up company towns. For god's sake, he literally has his own fake currency that he forces you to use to pay off your debt. But don't worry, he's repackaged it in a way that definitely doesn't sound like an MLM scam: the Nook Mileage Program!

You're no longer just his tenant or his temporary part-timer, you're his business lackey. The entire tutorial section of the game has you spending actual weeks running around completing tasks and doing hard labor to set up his colony. You're even tasked with preparing his properties and finding buyers for them. No, you aren't a tenant anymore. You work for the landlord. You are directly responsible for finding tenants for him. And he doesn't even fucking pay you. Not for setting up town hall and museum, or his nephew's shop –– which is the ONLY store on the entire island that sells necessities –– or bringing KK Slider to town, or helping populate his town. Not a single cent. No, actually, you have to pay HIM to BUY infrastructure like bridges and stairs and park benches. And all the while, he's telling you're the "resident representative"; you get to call the shots! That the reward is the community's progress. That what you're doing is in everyone's best interest (but most importantly, his).

Since NH's release, people have done a lot of legwork to say that Tom Nook isn't a capitalist while the game shows him at his very worst. He owns the only general store in town. You're forced to use a phone that he modified and branded as his own. Buy Nook-branded furniture and merchandise at the self-serve kiosk in the town hall, a governmental building! There's no conflict of interest here!

But hey, if you're tired of being the landlord/business mogul's goon, you can also find work as a deluxe resort home designer for a company that also pays you in their special company currency that can only be used to buy their products instead of a real salary! Because that's what the Animal Crossing franchise needs! More vacation homes!!!

[90s-2000s-barbie]

Pocket Neopets Commercial (2003)

[karlurbanism]

Do we know if Karl is actually in the game or is he just doing the commercial for it? Is he one of the voice actors? Do we even get a Karl-looking NPC? 😅 🤭

[thisisrealy2kok]

Rayband Vampire Ad (1998-9)

[vodkacranberry]

[popculturebaby]

Jlo and Beyoncé for Pepsi commercial in 2005 🖤

[lettherightrobin]

[autismdogg]

Moon Shoes commercial, 2005

[damien-devil-art]

[keimiwolf]

Jason: *pit rage*

Danny: *pops into visibility*

Danny: *hands Jason a ecto Snickers* your not you when your hungry

[90s-2000s-barbie]

FreeCreditReport.Com Commercial (2007)

[dreamcast-official]

do you guys not remember binetsu did we as a society forget. the bassrock song. did we forget.

[frasermints]

it's even worse than i predicted. leafs aren't gutless and refusing to make necessary decisions. leafs are DICKLESS and refusing to make necessary decisions and making up for it by making BAD decisions that will be harmful for our team down the line. brother. i am.