"This Is Now My Canon": Animal Crossing Fan Theory Finally Figures Out Why Gulliver And Gulivarr Keep Washing Up On The Shore

Published Feb 22, 2025

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Some fans have come up with a silly explanation for why Gulliver and Gullivarr keep washing up on players' islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The two gull-inspired characters are known for their sailor outfits and manners of speaking, and their knack for showing up on island shores conked out and missing key communication tools.

Reddit Gooooby1 shared an image of Gulliver and the totally-not-the-same-person Gullivarr, explaining that they'd never realized that players get different rewards depending on who they help. The community responded by sharing fan theories of the two characters, and one theory by Haplafilt rings especially true for fans:

"My headcanon is they actually just circle around the island in a rowboat just out of sight getting hammered on rum and alternate who falls in the ocean and have to go rescue the other. They are the only crew."

Animal Crossing Fan Theory Has A Silly Explanation For Gulliver's Failed Travels

Gulliver And Gullivarr Are Just Going In Circles, Apparently

Gulliver, who is named after the seafaring protagonist of Gulliver's Travels, is a sailing gull character who occasionally washes up ashore. The gull requests the player's help putting together their communicator parts, which are scattered somewhere along the shore so that he can get back to his ship.

Gulivarr is much the same, except he wears a red shirt and hat instead of a blue one, and speaks like a pirate. Both wash ashore surprisingly often for characters who spend a lot of time sailing and should, presumably, be good at it.

Character from Animal Crossing looking curious with imagery of cities

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The theory explains this odd detail by suggesting that the two adventuring gulls are simply circling the island drinking some of that "GOOD soda with me crew," as Gulliver puts it, and taking turns falling over into the ocean. The theory has struck a chord with many fans, like PoPo573 who says, "This is now my canon."

Are Gulliver And Gullivarr In Animal Crossing The Same Character?

Another Fan Theory Has An Adorable Answer

Gulivarr laying on the beach in animal crossing new horizons

While Gulliver has been around since the first game in the Animal Crossing franchise, Gullivarr is a new addition introduced in New Horizons. The two have very slight differences beyond their clothes, like the color of their eyebrows and the shape of their pupils, indicating that they're not the same person. But I like to think that the pirate character is just Gulliver's alternate persona.