Hot on the heels of the recent Super Mario Bros. update, Nintendo has revealed that you’ll soon be able to invite six new villagers from popular Sanrio properties to your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island.
If this all sounds a little familiar, that’s likely because Animal Crossing: New Leaf featured a similar promotion that allowed you to add various Sanrio characters to your village. However, it was incredibly difficult to find the cards required to unlock the villagers in that game, which means that many players (especially those in the U.S. where the cards were not previously released) never got the chance to invite them. Besides, this is the first time that new villagers have been added to New Horizons (which could mean that the best and worst villagers “meta” is about to be reshaped).
So whether you’re a huge Hello Kitty fan or you’re just looking for new neighbors, here’s how you buy the Sanrio Animal Crossing Amiibo cards and unlock all of the game’s new content:
Where to Buy the Sanrio Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards
If you’re in the United States, you’ll be able to buy the Sanrio Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards exclusively from Target starting on March 26th. Every villager card comes in one pack, and each pack will cost you $6. If you’re in Canada, you’ll have a few more options available to you as the Sanrio Amiibo cards will be sold via Best Buy and other major retailers for CA$7. There’s currently no word on their intended availability in Europe, but you should be able to at least purchase them from Nintendo’s online store.
As you’ve probably already guessed, there’s a very good chance that these cards are going to go fast to either dedicated fans or scalpers looking to resell them online. If the latter scenario proves to be true, then you may be able to also find the cards on eBay and elsewhere, but you should be prepared to pay exorbitant prices for them. That’s certainly what happened with the last round of Sanrio Amiibo cards.
What New Villagers Do You Unlock With The Sanrio Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards?
The six villagers you’ll be able to add to your Animal Crossing: New Horizons village with the new Sanrio Amiibo cards are:
- Rilla (inspired by Hello Kitty)
- Marty (inspired by Pompompuri)
- Étoile (inspired by Little Twin Stars)
- Chai (inspired by Cinnamoroll)
- Chelsea (inspired by My Melody)
- Toby (inspired by Kerokerokeroppi)
How to Unlock the New Sanrio Animal Crossing Amiibo Furniture, Clothes, and Items
While it was technically possible to acquire Sanrio posters in Animal Crossing: New Horizons by uploading existing Amiibo cards, these new cards will also unlock the ability to purchase a variety of new items modeled after each new villager and the franchise they represent.
After you’ve scanned the new Amiibo cards, you’ll just need to purchase the corresponding character items from your village’s Nook shopping service. The screenshots below showcase most of the items that you’ll be able to purchase, including the clothes you see the player character wearing, after you’ve scanned the new Amiibo cards:
Chai
Chelsea
Toby
Étoile
Marty
Rilla
How to Scan Sanrio Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards
If this is your first time buying Amiibo cards (or an Amiibo) for the Nintendo Switch, you’re probably wondering how you’re actually supposed to scan them. Here are Nintendo’s own instructions for completing the (thankfully simple) process:
- Ensure your console has the latest system update.
- Start the amiibo-compatible game and follow the on-screen instructions.
- Please note that you may need to look up the software manual for information on where in the game you can use amiibo.
- Touch the amiibo to the NFC touchpoint.
- On the Joy-Con, the NFC touchpoint is located on the right control stick.
- On the Pro Controller, the NFC touchpoint is located over the Nintendo Switch logo at the top-center of the controller.
- On Nintendo Switch Lite, the NFC touchpoint is located on the right control stick.