clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

You can now hire someone to pull weeds in Animal Crossing

And it’s free!

If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Nicole’s Animal Crossing character wearing a black dress and skull looking angry in a field of weeds Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Nicole Carpenter is a senior reporter specializing in investigative features about labor issues in the game industry, as well as the business and culture of games.

Not everyone hates Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ weeds. They’ve started to grow on meheh — and I’m letting them grow wild on the upper tiers of my island, Sears. But for some players, the weeds are overwhelming. Time travelers are especially impacted by weeds. They spread quickly around islands, stalks and clovers sprouting up wildly. Want to time travel but don’t want to pick those weeds? You can hire someone to do that. The best part? It’s free!

An Animal Crossing: New Horizons player, Tyran, started a weed pulling business: WeedCo Weed Removal Services. Demand for the business has been so high that Tyran is hiring new weeders to keep up. Advertised on Reddit and spotted by Eurogamer this morning, WeedCo Weed Removal Services is absolutely free, but tips are encouraged. “We work for free but accept tips,” Tyran said on Reddit. “Don’t worry, people are usually very generous.”

Tyran posted a video to Reddit on Monday, showing new employee training. During the training, Tyran has his trainee, an Animal Crossing: New Horizons player who goes by essjane, pick weeds in a variety of scenarios — like behind tricky cliffs. Even if you don’t want to hire the service to pluck your weeds, you can learn from Tyran and essjane. To peek behind trees and cliffs, Tyran instructs essjane to open the inventory by pushing X. That rotates the camera so you can see less visible areas. If you’re particularly good, maybe you can earn your WeedCo uniform.

I don’t time travel, so I like picking others’ weeds,” WeedCo employee essjane told Polygon. “Whenever I go to friends’ islands, it’s the first thing I do. The customer can keep the weeds if they want, or they can use them as payment for services.”

Tyran started the project to earn resources for hedges and other recipes, but it’s got benefits outside of that, according to essjane.

“I have a lot of anxiety, and I find it calming to do repetitive movements in games,” she said. “I love resource collecting and the sounds that the game makes. It’s a tedious process, but I have a lot of down time in the game and this keeps it fun, going to other islands and getting ideas.”

Plus, they’ve got the skills to do a good job. “We know the tricky spots that weeds like to hide, and I know not everyone has the time to play every day,” essjane said.


Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our ethics policy.