Lyle
- "You got a home, right? You want to make it happy, right? Sweet deal. Bang. We gotcha covered. We come by. We look around. We tell you how the inside of your home stacks up. Good. Bad. Whatever. Go. It's all very clandestine. Secret. Sneaky. Bang! You'll never even know my crew stopped by."
- — Lyle, Animal Crossing: New Leaf
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| Species | Gender | |||||||
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| Otter |  Male
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| Birthday | June 6th | 
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| Favorite saying | "The good, the bad, the so-so... Make all of it work for you." | |||||||
| Role | Insurance[nb 1] Happy Home Academy[nb 2] | |||||||
| Main appearances | ||||||||
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| Other appearances | ||||||||
Name in other languages
ホンマさん
안심해씨 Frodolo Fred
阿本先生
Lionel Sisebuto Lyle
阿本先生 Lionel Sisebuto Лайл | ||||||||
Lyle is an otter in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Animal Crossing: Wild World. In Wild World, he is a salesman who sells insurance to the player and is heavily implied to be a con artist running a scam. In subsequent games, he works in real estate, being the chairman of the Happy Room Academy in Animal Crossing: City Folk and an employee of Nook's Homes in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.
Lyle's name may be derived from lie, reflecting his job in Wild World. His names in other languages also reference him being a con artist, with his Japanese name, Honma-san (ホンマさん?), meaning "truth" or "reality", being used ironically, and his Spanish and Italian names being derived from steal and fraud, respectively.
Characteristics
Appearance
Lyle is a blue otter with a cream muzzle, four large whiskers, and dark blue hair. He wears black thick-rimmed glasses. In Wild World, he wears a tan jacket with a blue shirt and red tie, and he carries a black briefcase. In City Folk onward, he wears a red jacket with a white shirt and yellow tie.
Personality
Lyle is characterized as an energetic salesman, speaking in short, quick sentences and often asking the player several sequential questions. He refers to himself in the third person and frequently interjects with "bang" and uses the phrase "bust my chops." In Wild World he is also characterized as a con artist, pushing the player to buy his dubious insurance.
Background
In New Leaf Lyle mentions that he used to change jobs frequently, but he settled on his career in real estate to not put stress on his family. Dialog from City Folk and New Leaf, paired with his job in Wild World, suggests that he made a career as a con artist before moving to a legitimate job in real estate.
In City Folk, if the player has many fossils in a room, he says, "Fossils creep Lyle out. He used to dig 'em up. In the yard. Not the backyard. The other yard. Forget it," suggesting that he once worked in a graveyard.
Family and relationships
Lyle has a wife and two daughters. He is also Lottie's uncle.
In Wild World, it is implied that Lyle works with Redd in scamming people, with Redd selling forgeries and Lyle having the player set the day Redd visits and selling insurance for forgeries. When asked, Lyle downplays his relationship with Redd, saying "we just know each other from around."
Appearances
In Wild World
In Animal Crossing: Wild World, Lyle appears outside the player's house every Saturday. He tells the player his company is doing research and has them fill out a questionnaire. He first asks the player which day of the week, Monday through Friday, they want Redd to visit town on. Lyle then asks a series of questions, and regardless of the player's responses, he comes to the conclusion that they need insurance, which he sells.
Initially, Lyle sells accident insurance for 3,000 Bells. If the player purchases it, Lyle will send them 100 Bells each time they trip or get stung by bees, up to once per day. The next week, Lyle asks the same questions and tells the player they need damage insurance. If the player purchases it for 6,000 Bells, Lyle will send the player 100 Bells each time they bring him a forged painting, up to once per day.
If the player has purchased both types of insurance, Lyle still appears on Saturdays and allows the player to change the day of the week Redd appears on. Lyle can also appear at The Roost from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM on Sundays.
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 someone 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. If the player speaks to Blathers on the fourth Sunday of May, he tells them how Lyle tried to sell his insurance to him in the museum. The villagers will also constantly mention how Blathers seems flustered and not his usual self.
In City Folk
In Animal Crossing: City Folk, Lyle works as the chairman of the Happy Room Academy, appearing in its headquarters in the city. The player must speak to him to join the HRA. After the player has joined, Lyle can evaluate their house at any time and tell them their score. Additionally, the player can speak to him to stop receiving evaluation letters from the HRA.
In New Leaf
Lyle returns in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. 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 Animal Crossing: City Folk, Lyle gives the player their HHA evaluation. However, he no longer presents model rooms, a job now done by Digby.
Beginning the Welcome amiibo update, Lyle's pic can be obtained from Wisp after Lyle's amiibo card is scanned.
In New Horizons
While initially absent from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Lyle makes his return in the 2.0 update, where he can be invited to The Roost or Harv's Island via his amiibo, the latter of which will also allow the player to obtain Lyle's poster from Nook Shopping. When summoned at The Roost, he will also bring Lottie, Tom Nook, and Digby.
In Happy Home Paradise, when Lyle's vacation home is completed, Lottie sends the player Lyle's photo.
In Happy Home Designer
In Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Lyle appears on the second floor of Nook's Homes, as a senior designer. He gives the player tips for designing when spoken to, but he seems forgetful, as Lyle constantly asks the player if he has already told them about the tip provided, and appears quite pleased if it's not the case.
In Pocket Camp
In Gekijōban Doubutsu no Mori
Lyle makes a cameo in 🎬 Gekijōban Doubutsu no Mori, sitting next to Dr. Shrunk in the audience at the Fireworks Festival.
Other appearances
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Lyle has a chance of appearing as a spectator in the Smashville stage. He also appears as a collectible sticker.
Lyle
| Effect | Fighters | |
|---|---|---|
| [Weapon] Attack +11 | All fighters | |
In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
In 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.
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Lyle
| Description | NTSC-U: Lyle has filled a lot of roles over the years, but in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, he's taken on management of the Happy Home Academy. Drop by to chat, or ask and he'll tell you how the HHA ranks your home. This is a new kind of job for Lyle... You could say he's turned a new leaf! PAL: Lyle has played a few roles over the years, and in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, he's in charge of the Happy Home Academy. Feel free to drop by for a chat or to ask him how the HHA ranks your home. Lyle wasn't a big fan of this kind of work in the past, but he really seems to enjoy it this time. You could say he's turned over a new leaf! | |
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| Acquisition | Random | |
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Spirits
Lyle
| Category | Class | Slot cost |
|---|---|---|
 Support Spirit
|
Novice (★) | 1 (⬢) |
| Ability | Green Shell Equipped | |
| Acquisition | ||
| Battle information | ||
| Enemy fighter | Blue King Dedede | |
| Type |  Attack
| |
| Power |  1,700
| |
| Stage | Smashville | |
| Rules | | |
| Conditions | | |
| Music | Town Hall and Tom Nook's Store - Animal Crossing: Wild World | |
Villager information
In Happy Home Designer
| Lyle | ||
|---|---|---|
| Birthday | Gender | Species |
June 6 
|
Male
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Otter |
| Umbrella |  Bat Umbrella
| |
| House request | ||
| Client's vision | I'll leave it up to you! | |
| Favorite song |  K.K. Tango
| |
| Unlocked items | |
|---|---|
| Furniture: |  Gold HHA Plaque Gold House Model K.K. Tango Lyle's Pic |
| Starting house: | 
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In New Horizons
The good, the bad, the so-so... Make all of it work for you.
| Birthday | Gender | Species |
|---|---|---|
| June 6
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Male
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Otter |
| NookPhone |  Red
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| Happy Home Paradise traits | ||
| Umbrella |  Patterned Vinyl Umbrella
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| Hobby | Fashion | |
| Book |  Fashion
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In Happy Home Paradise
| Lyle | ||
|---|---|---|
| Client's vision | Vacation-Home Concept | |
| Unlocked items | |
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| Furniture: | |
Card profiles
amiibo card
Card back
| #016 Lyle - Series 1 | ||||||||
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| ← |
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015 Tortimer | List of amiibo cards #016 Lyle |
017 Lottie |
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→ |
Gallery
amiibo card artwork
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. This doubles as a play on words, since uso is the Japanese word for "lie".
Names in other languages
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ホンマさん Honma-san |
Mr. Honma; from 本真 (honma), meaning "truth." Likely ironic, given his insurance scam. |
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안심해씨 Ansimhaessi |
From "안심해 (Please be safe)" and "~씨 (Mr. ~)" |
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阿本先生 Ā Běn Xiān shēng |
From 書本 shūběn (book) and 先生 xiānshēng (Mr.) |
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阿本先生 Unknown |
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Лайл Layl |
Same as his English name |
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Lyle | - |
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Fred | - |
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Sisebuto | From "sisar," meaning "to steal" |
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Lionel | Similar to English name |
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Frodolo | From "frode" (Italian for "fraud") |
Notes
References
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