Nintendo Received Angry Calls From Parents Over an Animal Crossing Gyroid That “Looked Like a Wiggling Penis”
More than 20 years ago, Nintendo received a surprising number of complaints from parents about the gyroid in the original Animal Crossing.
Some believed its appearance looked inappropriate, creating one of the game’s most unusual controversies.
When the first Animal Crossing launched on the GameCube, Nintendo consultant Rick Sandbom was working in customer support, answering calls about the company’s games and products. One particular issue became so common that it turned into one of the most unusual stories in the series’ history.
Nintendo Was Flooded With Parent Complaints Over an Animal Crossing Gyroid
Video game historian Sasha’s Retrobytes recently shared an excerpt from an issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) published more than two decades ago. The magazine included comments from Sandbom alongside an image from the original Animal Crossing.
According to Sandbom, many parents contacted Nintendo because they believed that the gyroid “looked like a wiggling penis.”
Sandbom said, “We got a lot of angry calls about Animal Crossing. A skin-colored hydrant in the game caused a stir with parents, who thought it looked like a wiggling penis.”
“Our database even had a special page on dealing with the call. I waited every day to take this call, but it was always routed to hotline veterans,” he added.
The complaints became so common that Nintendo created a dedicated category in its customer support database to help staff deal with them. The controversy eventually ended before the release of Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS.
Looking back, many players might have never seen the resemblance themselves. Even so, Nintendo later updated the gyroid’s design, giving the character a construction helmet in future games, a change that might have helped avoid similar complaints.
It’s just because the parents have a dirty mind.I guarantee the kids who they’re complaining for don’t even recognize what they’re seeing. I don’t even see it really.