Tortimer

"Remember to consider your retirement plan!"

- Tortimer

Tortimer (そんちょう, Sonchou, コトブキ, Kotobuki), is an elderly tortoise and the mayor of the town the player moves into in the (excluding Animal Crossing: New Leaf, where that role is given to the first player that moves into the town). He has appeared in every installment in the Animal Crossing series except for the original game,. He also appeared in. His name is a portmanteau of 'tortoise' and the human name 'Mortimer'. His laugh is 'heh heh hoorf'.

During town events, Tortimer can often be found outside celebrating, and will give away holiday-specific items on certain days. Players can only obtain one holiday-specific item from Tortimer per player, which means even if the same player talks to Tortimer next year on the same event, the player won't be able to receive another special item of that day (for example, the player cannot obtain another Cornucopia from Tortimer on next year's Harvest Festival if if already received on that day). In and, he can be seen napping in the back of the Town Hall when there are no active events. In, Tortimer has retired from the role of mayor and now lives on Tortimer Island where he works as a tour guide.

Tortimer seems to have a large ego, according to, to the extent of having his own cult of personality, though he is its only follower. This is supported in the games, since during festivals he always seems to remind the player of his authority, such as during Nature Day in City Folk, where he boasts the slogan 'Mother Nature and Father MAYOR'.

Role in Events
Tortimer is a very old tortoise and is the mayor of the player's town. At any events, like the Flower Festival, he will stand outside the town hall to explain the competition. At the end of the competition he will give a shiny gold trophy to the winner. At other occasions like Bonfire Night, he will give the player a free sparkler. At New Year's he will give out a shirt and a party popper. At Fireworks Night he will give a Roman candle and a sparkler. The events he appears at are spread out at all different times of the year. He appeared on Bonfire night only in.

History
Occasionally, Tortimer talks about his life previous to becoming mayor. He talks about being an expert gardener and once had a wife, Mrs. Tortimer, though she is believed to have died tragically. Some villagers speculate that he became incredibly rich on the turnip market, while others believe he gained money illegally and used it to build the town hall. This is backed up by the fact that there are no taxes in the player's town, and that Tortimer himself never has to face election. Also, according to the gossip of villagers in City Folk, his shell might be fake.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Tortimer appears as a trophy and in the background of the Smashville stage.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U
Tortimer appears as a trophy and has a chance of appearing in the background of the Tortimer Island stage exclusively for the 3DS version. In the Wii U version, Tortimer also appears as a spectator in the Smashville and Town and City stages, but doesn't have a trophy.

Trivia

 * In, Tortimer wears a red hat and his spectacles are different.
 * His hat cannot be seen when he is sleeping on his chair in the Town Hall.
 * Tortimer appears to be able to stay awake all day and night until the day is over. He can stay up very late. That may be why he sleeps on his desk in the day time.
 * Cranky villagers will sometimes say that he takes money the player donates to buy a plasma TV.
 * The villager Drake claims that Tortimer's favorite food is Peking Duck. Obviously, as a duck, it upsets Drake.
 * In the office in, there is a picture of Tortimer on the wall.
 * In, there is a rumor that Tortimer tells the player, that if he had to pick a successor, it would be the player. This may be what leads up to , in which the player takes the role of the mayor.