Lyle

"The good, the bad, the so-so… Make all of it work for you."

- Lyle

Lyle is an insurance salesman that appears in, , and. He is a blue otter with large whiskers and a hunched appearance, though he is sometimes mistaken for a weasel. He works as an insurance man in, selling insurance and giving refunds on forged paintings. In, he has a new job, working for the Happy Room Academy in their headquarters in the city. In, Lyle continues working for the expanded Happy Room Academy, where he is stationed in Nook's Homes. He is Lottie's uncle. His English name may be a pun on lie, referring to his shady nature in.


 * See also: Insurance

Lyle makes his first appearance in working as an insurance salesman. He appears every Saturday between 6 AM and 6 PM outside the player's house to take a survey. He will follow the player for a time if they do not talk to him immediately, a sign of his persistent nature. Upon talking to him, he will ask a number of unanswerable questions, heckling the player into signing a health insurance policy. The only way to avoid this is either by declining to take the quiz or by not having sufficient funds (which will "bust his chops").

By paying 3,000 Bells, the player will receive 100 Bells every time they are injured - this includes tripping or getting stung by bees. However, players can receive the 100 Bells bonus only once per day. A further payment of 6,000 Bells on the following Saturday will result in the players' receiving compensation of 100 Bells if they buy a counterfeit painting, but only if the painting is presented to Lyle himself.

Normal villagers sometimes warn of a health insurance scam operating in the area, which is a reference to Lyle and his scamming techniques.

Some jock villagers also say the same thing - how this "guy" came and asked them if they wanted their muscles insured. At first they said no, because "whoever's heard of insuring your muscles?" and that another villager told them it was a scam.

Lyle is also believed to be working with Redd, scamming people out of money. In his questionnaire, Lyle asks for what weekday Redd should appear in the town, after which Redd will appear on that day, but will also deny any connection with him.

Lyle appears to have a more respectable job in working in the Happy Room Academy Headquarters in the city. He will mention how much he hates his new job, and frequently talks of his old, "high-flying" lifestyle. He seems to be calmer, possibly to fit in with his new "happy" job and only makes a reference to "bustin' [his] chops" once, if the player refuses to join the HRA. When talked to, his persistent nature leads him to continue talking with the player until they agree to join the Happy Room Academy. If the player's house becomes the model room, he states (if they decide to discuss the model room with him, not the evaluation) that he is trying to love his new job. An ad for the HRA, with his picture on it, can be seen in the bus, behind Kapp'n's seat.

He makes no reference to his past lifestyle in other than his frequent complaints and mentions of his old office when the player first talks to him. He does not talk about Redd or Crazy Redd's, which is located nearby, implying that he was caught for fraud, and has to work for the HRA, which explains why he does not enjoy his work.

At the Happy Room Academy Headquarters, the player can also speak with Lyle in order to find out their current "HRA evaluation" or stop the weekly flow of evaluation letters.

It is suggested that Lyle used to be a grave-digger or fossil hunter, because if the player's house becomes the model room and has a particularly valuable fossil in it, Lyle will say that he used to dig up bones in "the yard... not the backyard, the other yard...", implying that it was a graveyard he used to dig in.

Lyle returns in. He appears in Nook's Homes after certain conditions have been met and runs the Happy Home Academy, the successor of the Happy Room Academy seen in previous titles. His office is in the bottom left of the store, where a seating area was previously. Similar to, Lyle gives the player their HHA evaluation. However, he no longer presents model rooms, a job now done by Digby. Because his office is so easy to access, evaluation letters are no longer an option.

Although Lyle does not appear in, can be obtained from Nook Shopping after attempting to invite him to Photopia via his amiibo card.

In, Lyle appears on the second floor of Nook's Homes, as a senior designer. Lyle will give the player tips for designing when spoken to, but he seems forgetful in HHD: as Lyle constantly asks the player if he has already told them about the tip provided, and does appear quite pleased if it's not the case.

Lyle makes a cameo in, sitting next to Dr. Shrunk in the audience at the Fireworks Festival.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Lyle has a chance of appearing as a spectator in the Smashville stage.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Lyle once again has a chance of appearing as a spectator in the Smashville and Town and City stages. He also appears as a collectible trophy.

Trivia

 * Lyle may be based on a kawauso (獺), a magical river otter in Japanese folklore that enjoys playing tricks on humans. Kawauso are similar to kitsune and tanuki, hence Lyle's connections to Redd and Tom Nook.
 * In, when the player asks about the model room and states that the player's room is featured, Lyle will say "Lyle's trying to love this job! Look at him dance!"
 * Also in, when the player rides the bus to the city, a poster of Lyle can be found on the back of Kapp'n's seat.
 * In both and, Lyle states that he has daughters.

Notes and references
Notes

References