Animal Crossing Sable Tragic Lore Explained

Animal Crossing Sable's tragic lore is a bit of a mystery.

Animal Crossing has more hidden lore than novice players may not be privy to. Most of these stories come from older titles in the series such as Wild World, City Folk, and New Leaf. They attempt to flesh out the lives of some of the most beloved characters in the franchise—Sable, Tom Nook, and even Isabelle to name a few.

Sable, however, has one of the most tragic backstories in the games. Her lore is plagued by familial conflict, romantic disappointment, and even death.

Animal Crossing Sable Tragic Lore

Sable was raised by two loving parents alongside her sisters, Label and Mable, in their family-owned tailor shop in her tiny hometown. As a child, Sable spent quite a bit of time with her neighbor, Tom Nook, and the two would frequently visit each other. They would often climb onto the roof at night and stargaze—occasionally making up their own constellations together.

One day, however, the sisters' parents abruptly passed away—leaving Sable as the head of the household indefinitely. It was now permanently her responsibility to care for her sisters, keep the tailor shop going, and make sure everything runs smoothly. According to Sable, Mable was much too young to remember exactly how it happened. Label, however, was not.

Shortly after their parents' untimely death, Label and Sable got into a massive argument that resulted in Label leaving home. Allegedly, Label was bored with life as a humdrum tailor and wanted to chase her dreams as a fashion designer in the big city. Sable, obviously, disagreed with this choice, likely needing all claws on deck with the shop. She felt like her sister was abandoning their family. Regardless, Label moved to the city and changed her name to "Labelle" after finding work under major designer Gracie.

The two stopped all contact—much to Mable's disappointment. She would allude to the player that she wished the two would resolve their differences and get the family back together when asked.

Around the same time, Tom Nook also moved to the city to chase his business dreams. This, essentially, leaves Sable without much of a support network to rely on. Her demure and task-oriented personality in previous games makes much more sense when framed this way. It's likely that she got used to keeping her problems inside and working hard in silence.

Nook didn't just cut contact with her like Label did, however. After his move, the two continued to talk and exchanged letters regularly. One year, he even sent her a pair of burnt-orange scissors for birthday—which she had completely forgotten about. Sable often remarks that they are the best pair of scissors she owns.

It's unclear exactly how their relationship fizzled out from here. The city changed Nook at the core. After a bad deal sent him crawling back to their hometown, Nook's personality did a near-complete 180. He was depressed, cold, and uncaring. Eventually, we can assume, Sable stopped reaching out to him.

Fortunately, things have improved for Sable and the Able Sisters. Eventually, Sable and Label do go on to resolve their conflict and Label returns to the tailor shop to sell accessories in New Leaf. She makes a note to visit her sisters on the island in New Horizons and even starts going by her old name again—reserving "Labelle" exclusively for her fashion line.

Sable, herself, appears to be doing a lot better in New Horizons. She takes less time to warm-up to the player and all-around appears happier and less stressed out than in previous titles. Hopefully, this lifestyle lasts for her.