Cockroach

Cockroach
Image gallery
Real-world info
Name: Periplaneta americana Family: Blattidae - Cockroaches
Main appearances
DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
Film HHD aF PC
Names in other languages  ゴキブリ  바퀴벌레  scarafaggio  Kakerlake  蟑螂  cafard  cucaracha  N/A  N/A  N/A  N/A  Таракан

The cockroach is a bug in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Doubutsu no Mori. They are small, brown insects and are generally regarded as being disgusting, most notably by Blathers, the curator of the museum. Due to their constant availability and negative connotations with filth, they are worth only 5 Bells, making them the least valuable bug in the Animal Crossing series.

While they are not catchable in games past Animal Crossing: Wild World, cockroaches will appear inside the player's home in every Animal Crossing series game if the player does not enter it for approximately a week or longer.

One cockroach makes a cameo in 🎬 Gekijōban Doubutsu no Mori, caught by Yū as a present to Ai, who screams in horror as it attaches itself to her face.

Catch details

In Animal Crossing

#22

"Ewwwww!!!!! A cockroach! I'll just put it in my pocket!"

DnM / iQue

DnM+ / AC

DnMe+

Time of year	All year
Time of day	All day
Location	On trees On flowers On spoiled turnips
Weather	On trees: Any weather On flowers/spoiled turnips: Any except rain
Selling price	5 Bells
Furniture size

In Wild World

#53

"Oh, gross!!! Cockroach! But now he's mine! All mine!!!"

Description	They've existed for 300,000,000 years.
Time of year	All year
Time of day	All day
Peak times	N/A
Location	On trees
Bug size	28 mm
Selling price	5 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum

When donated to the museum, the cockroach will roam freely around the floor of the insect exhibit. If the player steps on it, a message appears telling them to refrain from doing so. In both Animal Crossing and Wild World, Blathers is disgusted more than usual by cockroaches, even questioning why they are required to include in the museum's collection.

In Animal Crossing

"Hoo... Uh... Huh-hoo? Is that a cockroach?! Oh, how repugnant! How foul! The vileness! The putrescence! Hoooo-ecchh! I will NEVER understand why we're required to include cockroaches in our collection. It makes no sense. Well, who am I to question management? Hoo, indeed! And in any case, what's one more filthy insect, eh wot? Hoooo, my... I hate this part. I hear it wriggling in there..."

Stepping on the cockroach in the museum displays the following message:

"Your attention, please, museum patron: That cockroach was donated by <Player> and is a valuable specimen. Please do take care not to step on it."

In Wild World

"NOOOOOOO! Hoo-rrific! Please. I must protest! This is a cockroach, and a fearsome one at that! I'm terribly sorry for my outburst, but I simply abhor the wretched things. I often wonder aloud why cockroaches are even part of the collection, actually. The decision-makers atop the corporate ladder often seem quite daft, eh wot? Blech... well, I suppose I must take this."

Stepping on the Cockroach in the museum displays the following message:

"Dear patrons: This is a thoughtful donation from <Player>. Please do not step on it."

Cockroaches in the player's house

The player after squishing all the cockroaches in their house in New Horizons.

Cockroaches appear in the player's houses if neglected for a week or more, scuttling on the floor and taking shelter underneath furniture. Depending on how long the player has been absent, more cockroaches will appear. Villagers that may come to visit the player's home will leave immediately upon seeing a cockroach, while expressing disgust at the cockroach (with the exception of lazy villagers in New Horizons, who will not express disgust at cockroaches, and leave for other reasons, such as not dressing up for a "cockroach party"). Any cockroaches present in the player's houses will be harshly penalized by the Happy Home Academy.

They cannot be caught and must be killed by stepping over them. Upon squishing a cockroach, a small ghost floats into the air and disappears. In City Folk, New Leaf, and New Horizons, once all the cockroaches have been squished, the player does a victory cheer similar to the one displayed when a home loan is paid off.

Cockroaches in the player's house can be prevented in New Leaf and New Horizons by enacting the Keep Town Beautiful/Beautiful Island ordinance respectively.

In New Horizons, when visiting someone else in multiplayer, the player may step over the cockroaches in that host's house.

Gallery

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

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  Animal Crossing

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  Animal Crossing: Wild World

Real-world information

An American cockroach

The American cockroach, also known as the Palmetto bug or waterbug, particularly in the southern United States, is the largest species of common cockroach, and is often considered a pest. It is native to the Southern United States and common in tropical climates. Human activity has extended the insect's range of habitation. Specimens have been observed in eastern North American cities as far north as New York City, Toronto, and Montreal, though its intolerance to cold restricts it to human habitations. Global shipping has transplanted the insects to world ports including Tenerife (Spain), Southern Spain, Greece, Taiwan, and Cape Town and Durban, South Africa.

The insect is believed to have originated in Africa, but had become established in the southern United States by the time that it was given its name.