Key

The Key is an item that a villager uses to get into their house. Every so often, a villager will be seen walking only around the outside of their house rather than the town. Upon talking to them, they will say they are locked outside and have lost their house key somewhere around town. Talking to them further reveals the location, which is the river - which also includes the waterfall and river pool. The key is available to find after talking to the villager.

The key appears as a small fish shadow in the river, about the same size as a Crucian Carp. Once the player has fished it out of the river, return it to the villager and the player will receive a small reward, usually furniture, a Gyroid, or 500 to 600 Bells.

If the Player fails to find the key, the villager will eventually find their own way into their house. They mention nothing about how they got in, though. However, there is an option if you are "locked out" in the Town Hall, which removes all items on your ground floor. The villager who lost their key may use this option.

Note: A villager only loses their key in Animal Crossing: City Folk.