an Animal Crossing TLOZ build & 2 other TLOZ tidbits

[brightknightie]

Fans have been recreating fannish things inside construction games as long as games have existed. Here's a build that I happened to hear about this week that made me smile: NintenFan re-created the entire map of the original The Legend of Zelda (1986) in Animal Crossing: New Horizons (as a Dream Island), using various props to stand in for the monsters and other Hyrule-specific features, and leveraging Super Mario warp pipes to proxy for the ability to enter key caves. Here's the video. I learned about it via Zelda Universe: "Map from the first Legend of Zelda fully rebuilt in Animal Crossing: New Horizons" by Chloe Mayfield (May 5, 2026).

While fetching that Zelda Universe citation to share, I also learned that Hallmark is adding ToTK Link to its TLOZ ornament set in June: "Tears of the Kingdom Link joins Hallmark’s 2026 Keepsake Ornament collection" by Brooklyn Harnesk (May 6, 2026). (Personally, I'm sticking with amiibo as collectibles. The in-game functionality soothes the price a bit.)

Separately, everyone has heard about Nintendo's surprise Direct by now? (Here's the video.) During Golden Week, no less. StarFox 64 remake incoming! I've been trying to ignore that big leak from earlier this year, but this does lend it credibility... Ocarina of Time remake in November after all? Hmmm.