Animal Crossing New Horizons thrives on players taking the time to try to collect and catch it all. From nabbing DIY recipes, clothing, and furniture items to catching bugs and fish, New Horizons encourages a collect-a-thon on many fronts. The museum acts as the center of player cataloging, as it houses and displays all of the fossils, bugs, fish, and art pieces that players can acquire. Blathers the owl is happy to accept any and all donations - with the exception being that he absolutely detests insects.
So why exactly does Blathers hate bugs? New Horizons doesn’t take the time to explain or spell out the origins of Blathers phobia. This is especially odd considering that Blathers gladly accepts all sorts of different fish and mollusks without hesitation, despite the terrifying appearances in Animal Crossing of rare real-life fish such as the Football fish or Coelacanth.
Blathers' intense phobia of insects in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is somewhat ironic, as most owl species actually eat insects in the natural world. Nonetheless, despite an intense fear of all things bug-like, Blathers keeps his promise of properly storing and taking care of all of the player’s insect catches. All of the bugs players donate can be found in various enclosures and spaces within Animal Crossing's museum, with some insects such as butterflies openly flying around.
Since New Horizons doesn’t explain Blathers entomophobia (fear of insects), veteran Animal Crossing players are more likely to be aware of the source of his fear. Although knowledge of Blathers backstory may not stop players from using bugs to terrorize Blathers anyways.
In Animal Crossing: Wild World, Blathers explains to the player his fear of bugs. When Blathers was a child, a mantis egg case hatched on his desk. This resulted in thousands of mantis bugs flying out and swarming around the young owl. Even for those without a fear of bugs, the thought of being surrounded by a cloud of insects is uncomfortable at best. New Horizons’ players can likely relate to the fear of being swarmed by attacking wasps after unintentionally disturbing one of the many beehives hiding in trees.
While most fears and phobias can seem irrational to those who don't experience them, the effects of phobias can have very real and terrifying impacts on a person, or in this case an owl. Blathers may be well-educated and knowledgeable, but his intense fear of bugs stems from a real and traumatic childhood event that has altered his behavior throughout his life. It’s sad to see a passionate museum curator like Blathers suffer when forced to handle bug donations, but despite his intense aversion, he manages to still perform his job. Similar to other unique islanders in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Blathers quirks and background story only add to how relatable and memorable his character is.
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