It turns out that “Animal Crossing” also caused a big controversy because of its “bad styling.” Legendary Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto recently shared an interesting development anecdote, revealing that a Gyroid (gyro/terracotta figurine) furniture in the early “Animal Crossing” was mistaken for male genitals by many parents because of its skin-colored appearance and its constant twisting. They were even so angry that they called Nintendo directly to complain, causing the official to receive a large number of customer complaints.
Nintendo customer service calls are constantly being answered
Shigeru Miyamoto said that this Gyroid was originally designed as an interesting piece of furniture that would swing with music, but because its appearance was too “realistic” and it kept shaking from side to side, many parents thought of it as an adult product at first sight. At that time, Nintendo received a large number of calls from parents questioning why such designs appeared in children’s games. It also made the development team realize that character and prop designs sometimes have completely different interpretations depending on different cultural backgrounds.
Gyroid has now become a series signature
Interestingly, this minor turmoil did not make Gyroid disappear from the “Animal Crossing” series. On the contrary, the Gyroid has survived to this day and has become one of the most iconic collectibles in the series. In “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”, players can still find Gyroids of various shapes. They swing to the music and play different rhythms, and are also loved by many players.