Blathers is a special owl character who serves as the director of the museum inAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsand has served as such since his debut inAnimal Forest+. However, this kind and knowledgeable director and head curator may be hiding a dark secret that could upend everything we thought to be true.Through a thorough investigation froma Smithsonian librarian, we find that the fossils we’ve been giving to Blathers may not be the real deal. And this most intriguing Twitter thread will blow the scandal out of the water:

To summarize thereal life storyof Johann Beringer, he was an up and coming scientist making his mark in the science world when he was appointed professor at the University of Wurzburg in 1694, only a year after achieving his doctorate in medicine. He eventually found his way into the study of “petrification” or fossils as we know them now by now.

Eventually jealously led to active plotting and several colleagues plus three assistants conspired together to find fake fossils for Beringer to purchase, display, and even write a book about, to tarnish his name. And tarnish they did, as the “lying stones” completely destroyed his academic reputation.

As you can see from these comparison pictures, the fossils that you bring to Blathers have an uncanny resemblance to the famous “lying stones” of the 1700s. The librarian continues to break things down as she examines these likely phony fossils:

On a serious note, this Twitter thread was a great way to learn more about the history behind a bizarre and surprisingly complex scandal in the early academic world. And relating it back toAnimal Crossingis always a fun way to explore these real life stories.

According to Famitsu,ÂAnimal Crossing:ÂNew Horizons on SwitchÂsold more thanÂ1.88 million copies as of March 23th. The title released worldwide on March 20th, which means it managed to sellÂ1.88 millionphysical copies in Japan in only three days. Even more surprising is that Famitsu reported that according to its estimates,ÂAnimal Crossing had the best first-week sales ever for a Switch game in Japan, surpassing every other Nintendo Switch record such asÂPokemon Sword and Shield, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Splatoon 2, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, etc.

In the months that led up toNew Horizon‘s release,DOOM Eternalhas been consistently paired with the former as the two games share a release date. This resulted in tons of wholesome crossover fanart, which culminated in aÂnew animated video from 3D artist and animatorÂThe Dashing Doctor K. Said video (which was built in Source Filmmaker) brings together the worlds ofÂAnimal Crossing andÂDOOM, as it  imagines the Doom Slayer making a new friend in Isabelle, with the two quickly becoming best buds and working together to fight off the demons of Hell.

And Tommy Wiseau, ofÂThe Room fame, hasÂbeen apparently playingÂAnimal Crossing: New Horizons as well. A recent tweet from the infamous actor, writer, and director showed off a screenshot that contains a ton of easter eggs from The Room. His in game room contains a football sitting on a desktop, a famous piece of iconography, and even a piece of art hanging up in the background which is a recreated still frame of himself from the movie.

If you’re new to the franchise and are still unsure,our glowing reviewofNew Horizonsis a good place to start. Make sure to check outour guide on how to import art into the game using the QR code system.