Isabelle (しずえ Shizue) is a dog that acts as the secretary and assistant of the town's mayor. When first announced in the New Leaf developer commentary, Isabelle was not given a name, and was referred to as Secretary (ひしょ Hisho). In the June 2012 Nintendo Direct, she was given the name Shizue. Her name was localized as Isabelle in the February 14th, 2013 Nintendo Direct. She is the twin sister of Digby, who works at and stands in front of the entrance to the Happy Home Showcase.
She also appears in a manga called Tobidase Dōbutsu no Mori Minna de Seseragi Mura Life as a main character.
Appearance
Isabelle is a bright yellow Shih Tzu puppy. She's very cheerful and looks happy most of the time, having rosy cheeks and a smile. On her tail and face she has a white patch of fur. Her default outfit is a green checkered shirt with a white top and red ribbon underneath, with a navy blue skirt, though her outfit will change in colder months, as well as on certain holidays. Her hair is tied up with a red ribbon with bells that jingle as he walks. In other games she has been seen wearing a light golden cardigan.
Tasks
- Main article: Town Hall
Isabelle can be found in the Town Hall at all times except during events. There are many tasks she can perform for the player, such as change the town tune, add or delete public works projects, and file complaints about villagers. For more information on these tasks, please view the Town Hall page.
Trivia
- Isabelle has her own Twitter account (@animalcrossing), where she updates news about Animal Crossing: New Leaf once in a while, as of May 6, 2013.
- Her Japanese name, Shizue, may be interpreted as "quiet branch," possibly referring to the peaceful nature of the Animal Crossing games. It can also be derived from her breed, the Shih Tzu.
- Her English name, Isabelle, possibly comes from the resemblance of her head to a bag of Bells (Isabelle = 'is a Bell') as well as her charming, popular nature (Isabelle = 'is a Belle'). In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, these puns are mentioned in her Palutena's Guidance conversation. She also wears a red ribbon with bells that jingle when she walks.
- Her Spanish name is Canela (Cinnamon), a symbol of wisdom and good health. "Can" (Can-ela) is also another word for dog in Spain, and it is used in the Spanish version of the game with her brother's name (Candrés) as a pun.
- Her French name is Marie, a pun on the word Mairie (Town Hall) or Maire (Mayor).
- Her Italian name is Fuffi, a popular name for dogs.
- Her Korean name, Yeoul (여울) means, "rapids" or "shallows" from a river, and possibly a corruption of Yeou (여우), meaning fox.
- Her Chinese name, 西施惠, possibly comes from the pronunciation of the Japanese name. "西施" also indicates the dog breed name "Shih Tzu". Its first appearance was on 13th of December, 2017, while the 1.4.0 update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released.
- The only way to get her coffee preference is through her brother Digby, since she doesn't appear in the café at random intervals. Her Italian name is Fuffi, a pin on the fact that she's a dog.
- Isabelle shares her birthday with Digby, since they're twins both were born on December 20th.
- Isabelle mentions that she still has cardboard boxes littered among her room, and is embarrassed to let Digby see. Isabelle in general may be a somewhat messy person, as Digby, who claims to be a neat freak, notes that while she isn't too messy, it's enough to get on her nerves
- Isabelle claims to be a fan of K.K. Slider.
- In an English lesson video (which was included in a series) featuring Isabelle shown in Japan, Isabelle states that she enjoys whiskey while defining the difference between "whisky" and "whiskey". Due to it not being stated in any game or directly related material, however, its canonicity is debatable at best.
- Because of this, many players assume that Isabelle's drink seen in the Animal Crossing Direct was whiskey, while others contest the assumption, stating that it could just as easily be iced tea and noting that if there were indeed a real-life alcohol in plain view, it would affect the game's international ratings.
- When first announced, during the New Leaf developer commentary, Isabelle was not given a name, but was referred to as simply Secretary (ひしょ Hisho?), then named in the June 2012 Nintendo Direct as Shizue. Her name was changed in February 14th, 2013 at the Nintendo Direct to Isabelle, to localize her in English.
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