Why are animal crossing furniture items displayed as leaves

animal-crossing

Why do animal crossing furniture items appear as leaves? Someone told me there is an explanation for it related to japanese culture but couldn't remember exactly why

Best Answer

Leaves transforming into objects is a cultural reference in Japan. Without going into too much detail, it's a reference to the mythological ability of the tanooki/tanuki (the species which Tom Nook is actually a member of), which supposedly could use leaves to help them transform. This also isn't unique to the tanuki, the kitsune also demonstrates this ability (and possibly other creatures as well).