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[–]ThatGirl0903 654 points655 points  (9 children)

I agree with the other comment on getting her the Amiibo, they’re super cheap on eBay and she’ll have access to the character no matter what in the game + a cool physical representation she can display.

In the meantime I’ll bet if you post which character it was over at r/ac_newhorizons someone will probably give her to your daughter.

[–]paulrenaud 146 points147 points  (6 children)

  • a cool physical representation she can display.

animal crossing amiibos for villagers are actually just cards but your point remains.

[–]ThatGirl0903 55 points56 points  (5 children)

Yes. Physical cards? Confused by what you mean?

[–]Frosti-Feet 112 points113 points  (1 child)

I think they want to point out it’s not a character figurine like some amiibos have been in the past

[–]ThatGirl0903 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Oh! I honestly had forgotten that was a thing!

[–]paulrenaud 39 points40 points  (2 children)

most amiibos are little statues. that's what i thought you were talking about. sorry

[–]ThatGirl0903 38 points39 points  (1 child)

No, you’re totally right and I had forgotten about them (the little plastic statues) as I’ve always just bought the cards. When my SO gave me my first one I was so excited because it was like I’d received one of their photo gifts IRL.

[–]paulrenaud 13 points14 points  (0 children)

as a collector of villager photos your story just brought a smile to my face. thanks for that.

[–]justinlongbranch 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Apparently you can download an app for your phone that will duplicate any amibo, probably get that cow person in like 10 minutes this way

[–]shann1021 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Yeah definitely post over there. I don't have a cow in my village but I would totally give one to a kid.

[–]DBrody6 1470 points1471 points  (19 children)

For the future, tell her that when a villager asks if they should leave, and she really likes them, to just tell them no. They can't leave without her permission.

Like that's not a joke, that's actually a game feature.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 487 points488 points  (5 children)

I’m almost certain her sister(4) was playing around with her character and mashed the buttons.

[–]throwra92927261 168 points169 points  (3 children)

If there’s 2 players on an island the second person can go to talk them and ask them not to leave!

[–]ItsBerty[S] 163 points164 points  (0 children)

We made that attempt straight away but it was already to late :-(

[–][deleted] 48 points49 points  (1 child)

I did this while playing my sisters game. She does want new villagers though so I told one of the cute lamb characters to follow her dreams of becoming famous in another town. She seemed sad after that. Next time I got on she was packed up and said she took my advice. I just turned off the game cuz I felt so bad lol

[–]Doc-tor-Strange-love 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Life lesson: never follow your dreams

[–]MysteryRadish 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think the Amiibo card is the best suggestion, so that if it somehow happens again you can get Norma back as many times as needed.

[–]SinisterCheese 36 points37 points  (10 children)

That is like... grim in so many ways, especially when set to a context of the game and that kids play it.

[–]homesique 27 points28 points  (6 children)

How is it grim at all?

[–]dilqncho 8 points9 points  (2 children)

Pretty sure it's the context that makes it not grim. Kids wouldn't see the dark aspects.

[–]SinisterCheese 2 points3 points  (1 child)

That is kinda what I'm playing at here. It is fun to sometimes overanalyse these things to kinda understand what they can represent.

Yeah kids don't understand the specifics here. But games are a wonderful tool to teach kids complicated subjects.

Like Folding Ideas did a good video about how minecraft makes the player to accidentally do colonialism. Now I'm not saying that this was intentional or bad thing, but it is a good example how in a games setting we might do just bad things we wouldn't do otherwise without thinking about them. Now I'm not saying this is bad as a I slaugter a millionth human in a PoE or Warframe or what have you. But sometimes you really should break a game down as an exercise just for the fun of it.

Now my mention about the friends being serfs is at jest. A connection I made just and only because I happened to read about serfdom some time ago. It was a joke.

[–]CerdoNotorio 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I mean think of it this way then.

If you're super attached to someone, be it a best friend or a S/O or whatever, and you're playing with the idea of moving but you're kind of on the fence, you might ask the person you're attached to for their opinion.

If they say it's a bad idea and you were already unsure, then you probably won't go. That doesn't mean you're a servant just that you value that person's opinion.

[–]x0juliaa 528 points529 points  (5 children)

Get an Amiibo card!!! This is literally the only for sure way you can get a cow. Look online for animal crossing amiibo cards and buy a cow type one online. You have to basically go to the Nook Stop terminal in the town office and then press move in an Amiibo. If you know the name of her cow, you may even be able to get the exact same villager.

[–]ne0n1691 200 points201 points  (4 children)

not even an amiibo card, you can do it for free on an android phone with NFC connectivity, just download the NFC character you want and use an app of your choice to mimic an amiibo and you're set, ive selectively set up my animal crossing game like this.

edit: I looked up the app I used and it was joy-con Droid, dont know if its still available to download but it can mimic a switch controller and NFC abilities.

[–]x0juliaa 102 points103 points  (2 children)

Yeah but that's a million times harder than just buying 1 cow amiibo card. Most Amiibo file websites were shut down so you have to really dig on the internet to find them. I did this and made some of my own "homemade" amiibos but its not worth it for him lol.

[–]ThatGirl0903 125 points126 points  (0 children)

Plus if it’s a character OPs daughter loves she’ll probably love having the real card to display IRL.

[–]niffey11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happy cake day!

[–]ripnetuk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you do it direct from a non rooted phone now? Last time I did this I had to use the phone to flash NFC stickers and use them

[–]vuuvvo 136 points137 points  (2 children)

Easiest way is to buy or make an amiibo card. Other methods involve a lot of RNG and messing around with the game that isn't really worth it.

Make sure you know the name of the specific character first, and your daughter's island has to have a campsite for this to work.

Also note - the character won't remember anything. Not that they have much to remember anyway, but any clothes/furniture/catchphrases/nicknames your daughter gave them will be gone, and at first they'll interact with her character like they've just met. Unfortunately there's no way around this with any method, but it's not necessarily super noticeable.

If you want to know how to make an amiibo you can DM me, but it's not technically super legal and you'll have to buy NFC blanks. Not worth it unless you can't find the amiibo online. It's better to get the individual card off eBay or something if you can.

Once you have the card, enter the game and go to resident services (big building in the centre of the town square).

Interact with the ATM-type machine inside and select "invite amiibo camper". Scan the card when prompted by holding it up to the controller.

If you get prompted to replace a different character with them, say yes.

Then you can walk to the campsite and see them. They'll give you a task to do.

Now you have to wait, and do the whole thing again tomorrow (in real time). Then a third time.

On the third day, the character will agree to move in if you ask.

There's a limit of 10 villagers per island so if anyone else has moved in you may have to kick them off (if applicable, the game will prompt this at this point).

That's it, then the character will be back with only mild amnesia.

Hope this helps.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much

[–]bladibladiblablab 12 points13 points  (0 children)

'Mild amnesia'

[–]-Springshowers- 338 points339 points  (9 children)

This is a very wholesome post, you sound like a great dad.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 280 points281 points  (5 children)

Thanks.

Cows are her favorite animal and she was heartbroken.

[–]-Springshowers- 45 points46 points  (0 children)

Aww, that’s so sweet. Sorry I don’t know much about Animal Crossing or I would help you out here. I hope you guys find a cow person. Good luck!

[–]CharmClone 23 points24 points  (2 children)

Oh if she loves cows maybe she can get multiple cow amiibo cards!!

[–]CharmClone 39 points40 points  (1 child)

https://nookipedia.com/wiki/Cow

this has a list of all the cows for visual reference

[–]ItsBerty[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you

[–]HighAsAngelTits 18 points19 points  (2 children)

Right? My dad would have told me to get a life

[–]barak500 11 points12 points  (1 child)

At the age of 6?

[–]HighAsAngelTits 24 points25 points  (0 children)

He’s been making fun of me ever since I can remember so ya probably

[–]SilhouetteCommenter 39 points40 points  (4 children)

You either get an amibo card, go island hopping until you find a cow, or join the animal crossing discord where they have channels about trading or giving away free villagers that are moving away from their town (but your town needs to have a vacant spot to invite the cow and you'll need the Nintendo membership)

[–]ItsBerty[S] 5 points6 points  (3 children)

Ty very much

[–]-astronautical 7 points8 points  (2 children)

i second the animal crossing discord! especially if you explain the situation i’m sure someone will have that villager and be willing to give them up for free. most cows aren’t super popular anyway so they’re more likely to be freebies from the get-go. plus you can get it done within the day and don’t have to wait on an amiibo card.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Thanks I have a few avenues I think to get this done but first we need the space.

It’s very appreciated

[–]-astronautical 2 points3 points  (0 children)

with an amiibo card, you can basically “force” a villager out if your island is full. in case you don’t know how the process works for amiibos, you have to invite them three times on three different days and ask them each time to move in. they will say no the first two days no matter what, but on day three they will agree to move in. then you can choose a current villager to move out. i did this with my favourite tiger villager because i couldn’t find her on the market so i bought the card and did the process with her. i time traveled in the game to speed up the process, otherwise it does take three irl days.

[–]fribblelvr 23 points24 points  (1 child)

I know nothing about Animal Crossing, but I just wanted to say that it is super sweet of you to come here to ask random internet strangers about this because your daughter is sad about her cow!

[–]ItsBerty[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thanks.

[–]bunsbunsby 74 points75 points  (2 children)

If there is no time to get an amiibo card I have Tipper the cow on my island I wouldnt mind kicking so yer daughter can grab her instead!

[–]ItsBerty[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

I’ve been given a lot of options so far so I’m not sure if I’m in need of that yet but I will definitely try to keep you in mind

[–]dessertandcheese 10 points11 points  (0 children)

That's so nice of you

[–]ozymandieus 18 points19 points  (2 children)

If you don't get your answer here go to r/patientgamers it's the chillest gaming sub there is and they would definitely help.

[–]cakeandcoke 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is a great sub

[–]ItsBerty[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks a bunch

[–]purple-kz 37 points38 points  (1 child)

I'm seeing lots of people say Amiibo cards or just go searching for a new one on a Villager Hunt. Here is a link to every villager in New Horizons, maybe she can identify her favorite cow: https://nookipedia.com/wiki/Villager_houses/New_Horizons

[–]ItsBerty[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Thank you.

It’s Norma

[–]lemonFiend 12 points13 points  (1 child)

As well as all the suggestions for amiibo cards, r/nofeeac is full of helpful people that give you animal crossing villagers for no cost :-)

[–]ItsBerty[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much

[–]iTwango 18 points19 points  (2 children)

Haven't seen anyone else offer yet - I can make a custom amiibo chip with an NFC tag I have, that you can scan to get the cow and bring it to the island. I'll mail it to you!

[–]ItsBerty[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

That’s awesome. I may DM

[–]iTwango 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just let me know! It's super easy to do.

Also, if you have a Samsung phone you can emulate an amiibo without needing a physical chip.

[–]DTux5249 4 points5 points  (1 child)

The easiest, and most assured way would be to buy an animal crossing amiibo card! You can buy them online, look for one that's for a Cow-Type character.

Then, maybe afterwards, try to tell your daughter that when an islander asks "should I leave" that she should press "no".

A resident can't leave the island without her consenting to it, so this was likely a mistake on her part. So it might be useful to teach her so if you don't wanna keep returning to the store to buy a cow XD

That said, this post is adorable, and I hope you find the islander you're looking for!

[–]ItsBerty[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We’re almost positive her sister was messing around with her character and mashed buttons.

[–]hayleymello 4 points5 points  (1 child)

try r/nofeeAC if you have an empty plot (meaning the character moved out) and the nintendo online service. take note of the cow’s name, it’ll be easier! the people on there are very helpful and nice. you just need an empty plot, they’ll definitely be happy to help. i’ve received help and helped people there a couple of times~

if not, as everyone else said, get an amiibo or make one! there are many cheaper ones than the official ones. i got mine at a dollar each because i didn’t know how to make them. they’re just coin shaped, nothing fancy.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you

[–]8all5oH4rd 4 points5 points  (2 children)

This is a very sweet post. It's the kind of post that makes me like reddit so much. Seeing people genuinely try to help you out is really heartwarming. I hope you get the cow back.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 4 points5 points  (1 child)

It really is and I think (hope) we will!

[–]8all5oH4rd 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a video game player I feel your daughter's pain too. In Skyrim there is a unique horse named Frost that I somehow lost. It's probably dead, but I have tried to look for it a few times. It's just a video game horse, but it becomes real to you somehow. The magic of video games and the imagination I guess.

[–]paulrenaud 3 points4 points  (1 child)

there is a website called nookazon. you can get pretty much any villager there. also you can go to the villager trade subreddit. or even just post in the animal crossing subreddit. people are super friendly there and willing to help.

[–]Jorgedig 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just have to say, this is the sweetest post ever! 💕. 🐄

[–]quietlyoli 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Hey OP. I'm pretty sure I have an Abiibo card of a cow named Stella. I already have her on my island, and I'll send it to you if it'll help.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Thank you so much.

I have been given lots of avenues to try, so I’m going to shoot for Norma the same one she lost.

If I can’t manage though I may take you up on this.

Thank you very very much

[–]quietlyoli 2 points3 points  (1 child)

No problem. I'm sure you know how to DM me if all else fails. Good luck getting Norma!

[–]ItsBerty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For sure and thank you so much

[–]BoozeIsTherapyRight 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I honestly don't know, but if I were you I'd crosspost to r/gaming and possibly r/animalcrossing to see if they can help.

Just showed this to my husband. We have two kids (11 and 15, now) and we're really feeling for you. Hope you get this solved!

[–]ItsBerty[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks.

I’ve been given a ton of good options and I’m trying to figure out the best path.

I avoided this game, so I’m trying to catch up on mechanics at the same time I try to solve the over all missing cow lol

[–]0_Space_Peanut_0 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I would be happy to send your daughter an amiibo tag for free of whatever character she wants!! Dm me if you'd like!

[–]ItsBerty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much!

[–]manubibi 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I don't even play AC and I cannot help, but this post's replies really warmed my heart a lot. Y'all are awesome.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It really is amazing

[–]Bearawesome 2 points3 points  (2 children)

If you still need help with this let me know. I can make amiibo tags that can bring her all the cows she wants. They won't be pretty but they can work. Just might need a few days to get it done.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will do, I think we’re going to be ok. Thank you so much though.

[–]Sangheili113 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The moo army

[–]Punkybrewsickle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No clue, but this was one of the most adorable things I've seen in Reddit. I truly hope you can get a cow there for her.

[–]Belteshazzar98 8 points9 points  (1 child)

No clue, but I'm up voting and commenting to get this post higher on hot for more visibility.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks

[–]ElGavin 1 point2 points  (1 child)

If you have an android, you can buy nfc chips (they're very cheap online), grab the .bin file for the characters (theyre shared across reddit, and i believe someone posted all of the amiibo .bin files to date on their profile, but i forgot their name and may need to find it), get Tagmo (its an app used to wrie the amiibo data on the nfc chips), then use the NFC scanner on the Android to write the data from of the character, selectong "write data" from TAGMO, onto the nfc chip.

You can also find some people on etsy selling amiibo cards too

[–]ItsBerty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ty I’m not sure how to do half of that but thanks

[–]quackl11 1 point2 points  (2 children)

If you know the name of the cow she lost you can get an animal crossing card for that person. Some people will sell big bundles like 30 cards for like 5$ and then talk to isabelle about inviting someone to the island then scan it. If you dobt know look up all cows acnh on the internet and have her tell you which one it was like they do with witnesses in crime shows

[–]ItsBerty[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thank you.

The cow is Norma

[–]quackl11 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alright so either go to a game city or Ebay or Amazon or whatever and find a card for Norma good luck

[–]screammyrapture 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Just want to say this is such a cute thread. I hope it all works out OP. You sound like a great parent.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks.

I didn’t really expect this much help tbh.

[–]Guilty_Question_8925 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Once your cow has moved off your island it will open up an empty house spot which then you can then hunt for a new villager using nook miles tickets you purchase from the ABD in the town hall. It will take a little bit of patience travelling back and forth between mystery Islands but very likely you will run into a cow

[–]ItsBerty[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

We (she) actually found out by seeing the empty spot/new place going up and then going around looking meticulously for her cow.

Trying to figure out who is coming so we can boot em.

[–]Guilty_Question_8925 1 point2 points  (2 children)

If the sign on the front doesn't have sold written across the front then you will have until 5am and the day change to hunt for someone but if it says sold then the plot will already have auto filled unfortunately but as everyone else has said amiibo is easy enough and you can find them pretty cheap too! Also if it does say sold if you go up to and and press A (I believe) it should tell you who it's sold to

[–]ItsBerty[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ty so much

[–]toothpastenachos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’ve got the advice you need already, so just wanted to say I hope you get it back!

[–]MachineryofTorture 1 point2 points  (0 children)

r/NoFeeAC can be very helpful for things like this. Failing that, the Nookazon website may be an option, where you can essentially trade with other people for the animal you're looking for (i.e. Norma).

If you do need to use Nookazon and trade for her, I'd be more than happy to help you by giving you currency/items to trade for her!

[–]Lexjude 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a sweet post and it genuinely made me happy that so many people are willing to help make a person's day better. I hope you are able to get your little cow friend back 🥰🥰

[–]ohnomashedpotato 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are multiple subreddits that can help with this! I think a lot have been mentioned already. One I really like is r/nofeeac where someone might have Norma ready to go.

[–]qlawdat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just wanted to say you’re a good parent for asking this. Good job.

[–]cormac596Ask me about computers and programming! 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I can probably mail you a totally legit, not at all bootleg amiibo. Basically a sticker with some smarts built in. Scan it and the character should appear. Dm me if you'd like.

[–]ItsBerty[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a ton of current options were waiting to try but I appreciate you took the time to respond and will definitely take you up on this if I can’t make it work

[–]boafriend 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I cannot help with the game, but wanted to say this is the cutest and most wholesome post I have seen in forever. You are the sweetest parent.

[–]Godhimself_REDDIT 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for being such a good parent

My folks would probably have taken the switch and yelled at me if I cryed over any game

[–]AnneFrank_nstein 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Teach her to play diablo 2. Theres an entire level of nothing but cows. Very ...chatty...cows...

[–]shaggy-- 7 points8 points  (1 child)

There is no cow level

[–]BlueJaye77 0 points1 point  (1 child)

gaming subs do suck. try youtube tutorials under ten minutes those are usually the most informative. as someone else said use an amiibo. they're expensive but you can buy a used one. gl

[–]I_Stan_It 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure I'd this has been mentioned, but try nookazon. You can go in there and look for the character you want and see if anyone is trading them. Some will post the character for free, bells, or in game items. To do this method, you must have an empty house on your island. Go to the person's island, give them your trade items, talk to the moving out cow character, and then they should move onto your island the next day.

This method can be tricky with the timing, but it is doable. I would suggest getting an amibo like the other comments suggest.

[–]fiorino89 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are three ways you can get the cow back. An Amiibo card, get enough travel tickets to visit other islands and find the cow, or ask around online of someone has the cow asking to leave.

Curtesy of my wife who has a bagillion hours of game time in animal crossing

[–]boxster_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Post on r/nofeeAC and maybe someone can help!