Animal Crossing: New Horizons/Update history/1.9.0

 version 1.9.0 was an update released on March 18, 2021. It adds six Sanrio-themed villagers as well as various Sanrio-themed items based on the Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Little Twin Stars, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, and Keroppi franchises. The update was announced on February 25, 2021, and more information was released on March 16, 2021. Players who downloaded this update would receive a as a gift. It was the last update to send a gift to the player.

Returning villagers
The six Sanrio-themed villagers return after previously appearing in and. They can move to the player's island after their respective amiibo card is scanned.

Sanrio furniture
Various Sanrio-themed items are added, many of which return from and. They are available for purchase after their respective character's amiibo card is scanned. Unlike in, the Sanrio furnitures are now categorized under a furniture series. The and  items can no longer be placed on a table item.

Custom design improvements
The, which can be purchased for Nook Miles 2000, allows the player to apply custom designs to umbrellas, uchiwa fans, flags, and standees. This also grants 50 additional slots for both normal designs and Pro designs. In addition, the can be bought for Nook Miles 300 and can be used outside Able Sisters via the player's NookPhone.

Bunny Day
Bunny Day-themed items now appear in the seasonal spot at Nook's Cranny during the event, with some being exclusive to purchase from the store.

Nook Shopping seasonal events
Four new Nook Shopping seasonal events were added:
 * April Fools' Day is celebrated from March 26 to April 1 with a.
 * Singmogil is celebrated from April 1 to April 10 with a.
 * Prom, based upon traditional school proms, is celebrated from April 1 to April 30 with the, , and . In addition, Prom-themed clothing is available to purchase at the Able Sisters. As with Shamrock Day and Setsubun this is not time-locked like the corresponding Nook Shopping event.
 * Nature Day returns as a Nook Shopping seasonal event after being a regular event in 2020. Players can purchase a during this time from April 15 to April 22.

Event changes
The 2021 date of Bunny Day has been activated, with the event now lasting eight days instead of twelve from March 28 to April 4. In the result of this change, the 2020 date of Bunny Day (April 1 to April 12) is no longer functional

Similarly, Nature Day's 2020 dates of April 23 to May 4 have been disabled in favor of the Nook Shopping seasonal event. As a result, the Nook Miles+ achievements related to Nature Day are permanently inaccessible.

Furniture changes

 * The HHA themes of the, , and were changed.
 * The was changed from a houseware to a miscellaneous furniture item. It can now be placed on top of table furnitures.
 * The Zen Series was renamed to the Imperial Series.
 * The names of the following HHA themes were changed:
 * Folk Art → Heritage
 * Garage → Workshop
 * Zen-Style → Harmonious

Other changes

 * When forcing a villager to mail a return gift by having a full inventory and gifting an item from a stack, a villager's photo is only in the potential return pool if individual items in the stack have a sell price of Bells 750+. The previous price was 250+ Bells.
 * Villager's photos can now be placed on top of table items.

Bug fixes

 * An issue from version 1.4.0 where the player could not remove a wand outfit if they swapped their wand for another item while their pockets are full was fixed.
 * An issue from version 1.7.0 where placing down construction kits could allow the player to dig up holes on non-dirt or sand paths if they used the "Let me imagine it..." option and did not place down the plot was fixed. Any existing holes on those holes can remain until the player closes the hole themselves.

Related updates

 * The NookLink app received an update on March 30, 2021 that allows users to receive Nook Points, which can be used to redeem prizes, each day.
 * The Island Tour Creator, an app where the player can make posters and tour videos of their island to share with others, launched on March 24, 2021.