July 1st is Canada Day!
Canadians are a fun a bunch. They like to talk about hockey, ice fishing, and plaid. Plus, they love to stuff their mouths full of beaver tails and poutine. Those wacky Canadians sure love to enjoy hot cups of cocoa from Tim Hortons, as they sit around the campfire singing "O Canada." As we wonder how their digestive systems are holding up, what's even more fascinating is that there are actually a lot of similarities between our friends in the frigid white north and the world of Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
What's that? You have absolutely no idea what we're talking about? Read on, and we'll have GamesRadar's Editor in Chief (and Canadian native/Animal Crossing addict) explain everything for you
Everyone's nice
One interesting thing about Canadians is that they're nice. Super nice. They will say sorry to you even when it's YOUR fault. Your town in Animal Crossing is always inhabited by nice neighbors. They're always asking how you're doing, what you're up to, what's newlike they genuinely care! Forget to deliver a package for one? "It's fine." Miss a date? "It happens!"
There's free (or cheap) Medical Care
If you get stung by a bee in Animal Crossing you're left with a giant, swollen eye. It goes away after a day, but you usually don't need to wait that long--if a friendly neighbor sees you in trouble, they'll often give you medicine for free. Sound familiar? It should: Canada has a free healthcare system, and, well... it's not perfect. But it is free!
People leave their doors unlocked
Enjoy poking around other animal's homes in Animal Crossing? Well, you can do the same thing in Canada. Most people don't lock their doors. Why should they? Canadians don't steal. They bring you muffins when they come over, with or without an invitation.
Wild animals wander onto your lawn
It's not unusual to see wild animals on your lawn in Canada. In fact, Canadians embrace this. Who wouldn't want to wake up to a giant moose lounging on their front lawn? They may even put fake animals on their lawn to attract the real ones.
The human to animal ratio is totally off
You may not know this, but the population of Canada is roughly the same as California's, yet Canada is one of the largest countries in the world in terms of landmass. Why? Because the place is overrun with wild animals. There are just too many beavers, bears, moose, and prairie dogs for people to really co-exist in most regions. That's why most of Canadas population end up hovering close to the American border.
Being a lumberjack is part of the culture
Along with an abundance of wild animals, there are also a lot of trees in Canada. Being a lumberjack is just something that comes naturally, because how else are you going to build your log cabin? Canadians pride themselves in their woodwork. Plus, they need all that wood to keep the fires burning because it's cold. In Animal Crossing, real estate is precious. You cant have those pine trees hanging around if they arent going to be bearing any fruit!
One of their largest supermarkets is T&T
Timmy and Tommy carry all sorts of fine goods once you get your supermarket upgrade in Animal Crossing, including multiple fortune cookies if you are willing to shell out play coins. T&T is a large Asian supermarket chain in Canada and guess what they sell? Fortune cookies.
Beavers will give you badges
When you reach a major milestone in Animal Crossing, Phineas the beaver will show up and hand you a badge. Meeting friends, catching bugs, and doing anything else can earn you a sweet badge! Fun fact: that's actually how things work in Canada, too! Beavers in Canada are just as generous; when you win at life, a beaver will be there to hand you a medal.
Their leading musician is a dog
KK Slider is the talk of the town when he's remixing your favorite tunes on Saturday nights. Canadians also love their music, and don't discriminate when that musician happens to be a dog. Their most popular musician is a dog named "Fido" and he plays one hell of a banjo.
Their currency is bells
Everyone knows that Canadian money isnt worth that much. Thats because theyre still on the bell system. No one likes bells. No one knows why they havent converted to the US dollar yet. Bells are heavy, and loud, and it would make things so much easier if they used paper money.
What else is there, eh?
Now do you see why Animal Crossing is the most Canadian game ever? Let us know if we missed any other similarities in the comments. Happy Canada Day to all our Canadian readers!
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