Dr. Shrunk

"Why did the chicken cross the road? To avoid Dr. Shrunk!"

- Dr. Shrunk

"The doctor is OUT!"

- Dr. Shrunk

Dr. Shrunk is an axolotl who first appeared in and has appeared in every game since, including. He is a psychologist who can help players get in touch with their emotional side by allowing them to express specific emotions. His name refers to the word "shrink", as in "head-shrinker", slang for psychologist.

In, Dr. Shrunk will visit town occasionally on a random day from Monday through Friday, between 6 a.m. and midnight. Talking to Dr. Shrunk leads to him teaching the player to display a randomly chosen emotion. On his first visit, the player can learn only one random emotion, but from the second visit onwards the player can choose one from four random emotions depending on the answer to a series of questions.

In, Dr. Shrunk hosts comedy shows at the Marquee in the City, which can be viewed after paying the clerk 800 Bells. Before paying, the clerk will ask the player which show they want to see, letting the player choose which emotion is taught. After a short comedy routine from Dr. Shrunk or Frillard, the player will learn the corresponding emotion. Villagers occasionally appear in the theater and usually complain about the show when spoken to.

In, Dr. Shrunk owns Club LOL, which is built after the player obtains signatures from six villagers for Shrunk's petition. He states he is retired as a comedian, but if the player brings him a piece (or a stack) of fruit, a bamboo shoot, or a chocolate coin, he will get on stage and perform a joke, teaching the player an emotion. When teaching the player an emotion taught by Frillard in the last game, Shrunk will act nervous and say that he is worried about not delivering the joke as well as "he" (Frillard) did.

Players can learn up to 40 emotions, and, unlike in previous games, players can use all of them without being limited to four at a time; however, the player may only learn emotions once a day, from 12 PM to 8 PM. Dr. Shrunk will always teach a new emotion until all 40 have been learned. Afterwards, if the player gives him a fruit or other acceptable food item, the jokes repeat in a randomized order.

Dr. Shrunk has a very minor role in the movie. He can be seen with Lyle in the audience at the fireworks show.

Personality
In his spare time, Dr. Shrunk is a comedian, which leads to him telling jokes often. He is usually cheery, but because of his role in the game, his emotions fluctuate whilst he tells stories. He is a forgiving character, even cheerily explaining who he is if the player forgets in. He can also be seen as ambitious, as in he realizes his dream of becoming a professional comedian and works at the Marquee. Other characters, such as the villagers who view his performance, do not think highly of his comedic talents; he appears to be aware of this and jokes about it several times in. However, the track "Shrunk's Dream" from the album Animal Crossing: Your Favorite Songs - Original Soundtrack implies that Shrunk secretly wishes for audiences to appreciate his jokes.

Shrunk learned his comedy from Frillard, a master of the craft whom he deeply admires. When performing one of Frillard's routines in, Shrunk becomes nervous that he won't perform it as well as his teacher. In his own routines, he often mentions that he has a wife, and it appears she treats him fairly badly and doesn't respond well to his bad jokes (though this is likely just an act, as "complaining about the wife" is a common cliché of stand-up comedy). In, Shrunk states he also has a son and a young daughter, and he is the author of a book titled Dr. Shrunk Explains it All.

Service
Dr. Shrunk's role in all games to date is to teach the player various emotions. Once learned, the emotions can be accessed at any time within the chat interface. Emotions have no effect on non-player characters other than occasional mimicry, although they are useful and amusing when playing online with other players.

In earlier games, the player can only have up to four emotions at a time; if another one is desired, the player will have to select the one they want to replace with the new one and Shrunk will "shrink" the old emotion. In, however, the player can retain all 40 teachable emotions throughout the game.