Riding an Electric Scooter in Animal Crossing: A Step-by-Step Guide

Ever wondered how to ride an electric scooter in the charming world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons? As one of Nintendo's most beloved life simulation games, Animal Crossing has brought joy and creative expression to millions of players worldwide since its release in March 2020. With its tranquil atmosphere, delightful characters, and endless customization possibilities, the game continues to receive updates and new content that keep the experience fresh and engaging.

The electric kick scooter—added as part of the game's major content updates—has become a popular decorative furniture item that allows players to add modern transportation aesthetics to their carefully designed islands. While the game's vehicles serve primarily as decorative elements rather than functional transportation (you cannot actually ride them around your island as you would in real life), they provide incredible opportunities for creative island design, themed areas, and personalized touches that reflect your real-world interests in sustainable urban mobility.

This comprehensive guide walks you through everything you need to know about acquiring, placing, customizing, and incorporating the electric kick scooter into your Animal Crossing island: understanding the item's availability and color variations, step-by-step instructions for purchase and placement, interaction mechanics that bring the item to life, customization options through Cyrus at Harv's Island, creative decorating ideas for transportation-themed island designs, and complementary vehicle items that work beautifully alongside scooters to create cohesive urban or modern island aesthetics.

Understanding the Electric Kick Scooter Item

The electric kick scooter was introduced to Animal Crossing: New Horizons as part of the game's free content updates, specifically included in the transformative Version 2.0 update released on November 4, 2021. This update was groundbreaking for the Animal Crossing franchise as it marked the first time vehicles were introduced as furniture items, opening up entirely new possibilities for island design and decoration. The update included not only electric kick scooters but also numerous other wheeled vehicles and transportation-themed items that revolutionized how players could design their islands.

Item Classification and Basic Details: The electric kick scooter is classified as a "miscellaneous" furniture item in the outdoor furniture category. It occupies a 1x1 space on your island, making it compact and easy to incorporate into various design schemes without consuming excessive island real estate. The item is non-interactive in the traditional sense—you cannot ride it for actual transportation—but your character can perform charming animations when interacting with it, creating delightful photo opportunities and adding life to your island scenes.

Cost and Availability: The electric kick scooter can be purchased from the upgraded Nook's Cranny shop for 4,400 Bells, positioning it in the mid-range price category for furniture items. This price reflects its detailed design and popularity among players seeking modern, urban-themed decorations. Like most furniture available at Nook's Cranny, the electric kick scooter's appearance in the shop's inventory is randomized, cycling through the store's vast catalog of items on a daily rotation. This means you may need to check back regularly if the scooter isn't currently available when you first visit.

Color Variations: The electric kick scooter comes in an impressive array of nine distinct color variations, providing excellent options for matching your island's color scheme or creating diverse transportation displays. The available colors include White, Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, Black, Purple, and Gray. Each color variation maintains the same sleek, modern design while offering different aesthetic possibilities—the White version provides a clean, minimalist look; Pink adds playful charm perfect for cute-themed islands; Black offers sophisticated urban aesthetics; and bright colors like Yellow, Green, and Blue create eye-catching focal points in themed areas.

Customization Options: One of the electric kick scooter's most valuable features is its customizability through Cyrus at Harv's Island. Once you've unlocked Harv's Island Plaza and the customization services, you can visit Cyrus to change your scooter's color to any of the nine available variations for 1,700 Bells. This customization capability means you don't need to wait for Nook's Cranny to stock the specific color you want—simply purchase any color variation and customize it to your preference. This flexibility is particularly useful for players creating multi-scooter displays in various colors or adjusting items to match evolving island designs.

Step-by-Step Guide to Acquiring Your Electric Kick Scooter

Step 1: Ensure Your Game is Up-to-Date

First and foremost, verify that your Animal Crossing: New Horizons game is updated to at least Version 2.0 or later. The electric kick scooter and many other vehicle items were introduced in the November 2021 update, so earlier versions of the game will not have this item available. To check your game version, select the game icon on your Nintendo Switch home screen, press the + button, and view the software information. If an update is available, connect your Switch to the internet and download the latest version. Nintendo continues to support Animal Crossing with updates—most recently announcing Version 3.0 scheduled for release on January 15, 2026, which will bring additional furniture, LEGO-themed items, resort hotel features, and increased storage capacity up to 9,000 items.

Step 2: Upgrade Nook's Cranny

The electric kick scooter is available exclusively through the upgraded version of Nook's Cranny, not the initial Resident Services tent. If you're early in your island development, you'll need to progress through the following milestones: complete enough activities to trigger Tom Nook's invitation to upgrade Resident Services from a tent to a building (requires paying off your initial moving costs and building homes for three new residents), then continue supporting the island economy by purchasing items and selling resources until Timmy and Tommy announce plans to expand their shop. The upgrade requires 30 days of operation and 200,000 Bells in combined buy/sell transactions. Once upgraded, Nook's Cranny expands its inventory significantly, including the wide variety of furniture items like the electric kick scooter.

Step 3: Check Nook's Cranny Daily

Visit the upgraded Nook's Cranny every day to check the rotating furniture inventory displayed in the cabinet at the back of the store. The shop refreshes its furniture selection each day at 5 AM (your local system time), featuring different items from its extensive catalog. The electric kick scooter, like most furniture, appears randomly in this rotation. If you don't see the scooter on your first visit, simply return the next day and check again. Establishing a daily routine of visiting Nook's Cranny is beneficial not only for finding the electric kick scooter but also for discovering other desirable furniture, tools, and decorative items. Some players set reminders or make shop visits part of their morning routine within the game.

Pro tip: If you have friends who play Animal Crossing, coordinate with them—they may have the electric kick scooter available in their Nook's Cranny on days when yours doesn't. You can visit their islands and purchase items from their shops (as long as you're both online and connected). Alternatively, online Animal Crossing communities and trading forums often have players offering to let others visit their islands to shop when specific desirable items appear.

Step 4: Purchase the Electric Kick Scooter

Once the electric kick scooter appears in Nook's Cranny's furniture selection, interact with the item in the display cabinet and select "Buy." The scooter costs 4,400 Bells, so ensure you have sufficient funds in your wallet (check your Bell balance in your pocket by opening your inventory). If you're short on Bells, quickly earn them by selling fruits, fish, bugs, or excess materials at Nook's Cranny—just be sure to return before the shop closes at 10 PM or before the next day's 5 AM inventory refresh.

When purchasing, you'll receive whichever color variation is currently featured in that day's inventory. Remember that you can later customize the color through Cyrus if this isn't your preferred shade. If you're planning to create displays with multiple scooters, you might want to purchase one scooter each time it appears in the shop rotation, gradually building your collection in different colors. There's no limit to how many electric kick scooters you can own, allowing for extensive themed decorating projects.

Step 5: Alternative Acquisition Methods

Beyond purchasing from Nook's Cranny, several alternative methods exist for acquiring electric kick scooters: order from the Nook Shopping catalog (once you've purchased the item at least once, it becomes available for mail-order through the Nook Shopping app or terminal at Resident Services for the same 4,400 Bell price, plus items arrive the next day); trade with other players (the Animal Crossing community has active trading networks where players exchange furniture, DIY recipes, and materials—online forums, Discord servers, and subreddit communities facilitate these trades); use Nookazon or trading websites (dedicated Animal Crossing trading platforms connect players who have items to offer with those seeking specific furniture—you can typically trade Bells, Nook Miles Tickets, or other furniture items in exchange for the electric kick scooter); or receive as gifts (villagers occasionally give furniture as gifts when you complete tasks for them or maintain high friendship levels, though receiving a specific item like the electric kick scooter this way is random and relatively rare).

Placing and Interacting with Your Electric Kick Scooter

Step 1: Decide on Placement Location

Before placing your electric kick scooter, take time to envision where it will fit best within your island's design scheme. Effective placement enhances your island's aesthetic rather than feeling random or cluttered. Consider these popular placement ideas: in front of residential houses (suggesting your villagers use scooters for daily errands), near shops and commercial areas (creating the impression of a bustling business district), along pathways and roads (mimicking real-world bike lanes or scooter parking), in designated parking areas (creating scooter share stations or parking lots with multiple scooters), outside cafes and restaurants (suggesting visitors arrived via scooter), at beach entrances or dock areas (implying last-mile transportation to and from boats), in city-themed areas (as part of comprehensive urban island designs), or grouped with other transportation items (creating multi-modal transportation displays alongside bicycles, cars, and other vehicles).

When selecting your specific spot, ensure the 1x1 space is clear of other items, trees, flowers, or obstacles. Position yourself facing the direction you want the scooter to face—the scooter will be placed with its front facing the same direction your character is facing when you place it.

Step 2: Place the Electric Kick Scooter

Open your inventory by pressing X on your Nintendo Switch controller. Navigate through your pockets to locate the electric kick scooter item (it will appear as a leaf icon if you haven't placed it before, or as a small scooter icon once you've seen it placed). Hover over the scooter item and press A to see available options. Select "Place Item" from the menu options. Your character will exit the inventory menu and hold the scooter. You'll see a ghost outline of the scooter showing where it will be placed based on your character's position and facing direction. Move your character as needed using the control stick to adjust the placement position. When satisfied with the position, press A to confirm placement. The scooter will appear on your island in the selected spot.

After initial placement, you can make fine adjustments. Press and hold A while standing next to the scooter to enter "grab" mode—your character will pick up the item, allowing you to reposition it. You can also rotate the scooter's facing direction by pressing A repeatedly while in grab mode, cycling through four directional options (facing north, east, south, or west).

Step 3: Interact with the Electric Kick Scooter

Once placed on your island, the electric kick scooter becomes interactive, allowing your character to perform charming animations that bring the item to life and create excellent photo opportunities. To interact with the scooter, simply walk up to it and position your character directly next to it. Press the A button while standing adjacent to the scooter. Your character will respond with a delightful animation: they hop onto the scooter's deck, positioning themselves as if preparing to ride, placing their hands on the handlebars and striking a riding pose.

If you continue holding down the A button after the initial interaction, your character extends the animation sequence: they perform a kicking motion as if pushing off, lift one foot, and balance on the other leg in a dynamic riding stance. This extended animation creates dynamic, action-oriented scenes perfect for photographs. Release the A button and your character will step off the scooter, returning it to its stationary state. These animations, while not providing actual transportation functionality, add personality to your island and create the illusion of an active, lived-in community where residents use modern transportation methods.

Photography and Social Media Opportunities: The electric kick scooter's interactive animations make it a popular choice for creative island photography. Many players position scooters in scenic locations, trigger the interaction animation, then use the in-game camera app to capture dynamic action shots. These photos are frequently shared to social media platforms using Nintendo Switch's screenshot and video capture capabilities, showcasing island designs to the wider Animal Crossing community. Consider placing scooters near particularly photogenic locations—in front of custom-designed cafes, along beach boardwalks, or in front of colorful flower gardens—to maximize the visual impact of your screenshots.

Customization Options at Harv's Island

One of the most powerful features for furniture customization in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is access to Cyrus's customization services at Harv's Island Plaza. The electric kick scooter is fully customizable, meaning you can change its color to any of the nine available variations without needing to find and purchase each color separately through Nook's Cranny.

Unlocking Harv's Island Plaza: To access customization services, you must first unlock Harv's Island Plaza, a feature introduced in the 2.0 update. Visit Harv's Island by talking to Orville at the airport and selecting "I wanna fly!" followed by "Visit Harv's island." Once there, speak with Harv about the plaza concept. Return to your island and you'll receive a call from Harv explaining that vendors want to set up shop. Donate 100,000 Bells to establish Cyrus and Reese's shop (this can be done in installments). After donating and waiting for construction (one day per donation), Cyrus's customization service becomes available.

Customizing Your Scooter's Color: Visit Harv's Island and enter Cyrus and Reese's shop (Reese manages the shop while Cyrus provides customization). Speak to Cyrus and select "I want to customize something." From your inventory, select the electric kick scooter you want to customize. Cyrus will show you all nine color options: White, Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, Black, Purple, and Gray. Select your desired color. Pay the customization fee of 1,700 Bells. Cyrus immediately applies the new color—there's no waiting period, and you receive the newly colored scooter right away. The customization service is unlimited, so you can return anytime to change colors again if you redesign your island or want different colors for seasonal themes.

This customization capability is invaluable for players creating color-coordinated island areas or themed designs where specific colors are essential to the overall aesthetic. For example, if you're designing a pink-themed cute cafe area, you can customize all your scooters to pink regardless of which color they were when purchased. Similarly, urban city designs might prefer multiple black scooters for a sophisticated, uniform appearance, while colorful whimsical areas might feature the full rainbow of available colors.

Complementary Transportation Items for Themed Island Design

The electric kick scooter is just one of many transportation-themed items introduced in the game's 2.0 update and subsequent content additions. Combining multiple vehicle types creates cohesive, realistic transportation zones on your island, enhancing the immersive quality of your designs.

Bicycles and Related Items: Mountain bikes (available in 6 colors, priced at 5,100 Bells) offer a rugged, outdoorsy aesthetic perfect for natural or sporty island themes. Cruiser bikes (available in 6 colors, priced at 4,500 Bells) feature a retro design with a charming metal basket on the front, ideal for vintage or casual beach town aesthetics. Regular kick scooters—distinct from the electric version (available in 8 colors, priced lower than electric scooters)—provide variety in transportation displays without the modern electric aesthetic.

Motorized Vehicles: Luxury cars (available in 7 colors) add high-end sophistication to urban areas, suggesting wealth and modern development. Trucks (available in 8 colors) create working-class, industrial, or rural aesthetics, perfect for farm-themed areas or construction zones. Minicars (available in 8 colors) provide compact, cute vehicle options that fit the game's charming aesthetic. Tractors, steamrollers, and construction vehicles enable industrial or working-zone designs, adding functional realism to developed island areas.

Other Wheeled Items: Skateboards (available in 8 colors) add youth culture and sports elements to designs. Shopping carts can create grocery store or retail environments. Yachts (though not technically wheeled) work beautifully near docks and marinas for comprehensive transportation themes. Covered wagons bring historical or western themes to rustic island designs.

Creating Transportation Hubs: Many creative players combine multiple vehicle types to create comprehensive transportation zones: scooter and bike sharing stations (featuring multiple scooters and bicycles arranged in organized rows with custom-designed ground patterns suggesting parking spaces), multi-modal transportation centers (combining scooters with bus stop furniture, train set items, and airplane models to suggest complete transportation networks), vehicle rental shops (arranging various vehicles with custom standee designs acting as rental service signage), and parking lots (using custom ground designs for parking spaces and striping, filled with various vehicles including scooters, bikes, and cars).

Creative Island Design Ideas Featuring Electric Kick Scooters

The electric kick scooter's modern aesthetic makes it particularly popular in urban, city-themed, and contemporary island designs. Here are comprehensive design concepts that showcase the scooter's versatility.

Urban Street Scenes: Create realistic city streets by using custom path designs for asphalt roads complete with painted center lines, crosswalks, and lane markings. Place street lights (furniture items available at Nook's Cranny) along both sides of the road for authentic urban ambiance. Position electric kick scooters parked along the curb, suggesting residents' daily transportation. Add bicycles, cars, and other vehicles to create diverse, realistic street parking. Incorporate storefronts, cafes, and businesses along the street using custom furniture arrangements and simple panels with designed facades. Include urban infrastructure like manhole covers, fire hydrants (when available), utility poles, and vending machines for comprehensive city atmosphere.

Cafe and Restaurant Districts: Design outdoor dining areas with tables, chairs, and umbrellas arranged on custom wooden or stone patio designs. Place electric kick scooters nearby, suggesting customers arrived via scooter and parked while enjoying their meal or coffee. Use menu boards (custom designs on simple panels or standees) to establish the restaurant's identity. Add potted plants, flower boxes, and decorative lighting to create inviting atmospheres. Consider creating an entire restaurant row with multiple dining establishments, each with associated scooter parking—this design mimics real-world urban dining districts where personal transportation is parked throughout the area.

Scooter Share Stations: Replicate real-world electric scooter sharing services (like Lime, Bird, or Spin) on your island by creating designated scooter parking zones. Use custom ground designs to create parking rack patterns or marked spaces. Arrange multiple electric kick scooters in organized rows, ideally using the same color for uniformity (mimicking how sharing services use branded, uniform fleets). Add signage using custom designs on simple panels explaining the "sharing service" concept. Include a "payment kiosk" using appropriately colored furniture items like cardboard boxes or simple panels. Position these stations near high-traffic areas: outside shops, near the airport, at beach entrances, or in residential districts—anywhere residents might need last-mile transportation.

University or School Campus Designs: Create educational institution aesthetics where scooters serve as student transportation. Design classroom buildings using house exteriors or creative furniture arrangements. Create outdoor study spaces with tables, chairs, benches, and bookshelves. Add scooter parking racks near building entrances, suggesting students park their scooters before class. Include campus features like outdoor recreation areas, libraries (using bookshelf furniture), cafeterias, and green spaces. Position multiple scooters throughout the campus, varying colors to suggest individual student ownership rather than uniform fleet vehicles. This design works particularly well if you've given your island a youthful, energetic atmosphere.

Modern Residential Areas: Design contemporary housing developments where residents use scooters for daily errands and commuting. Place scooters outside house entrances, suggesting residents just arrived home or are preparing to leave. Create driveways using custom stone or brick path designs. Add modern outdoor furniture, minimalist landscaping, and contemporary architectural elements to establish the modern aesthetic. Design a central mailbox area or community gathering space where multiple scooters are parked, implying residents arrived for mail pick-up or neighborhood socializing. Include modern amenities like outdoor lighting, contemporary fencing, and sleek decorative items that complement the scooter's modern design.

Boardwalk and Beach Promenade: Create seaside recreation areas where scooters provide transportation along beach paths. Use custom wooden plank designs for boardwalk paths parallel to the beach. Place scooters parked along the boardwalk, suggesting beachgoers used them to travel from town to the shore. Include beach-related furniture: beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers, surfboards, and life rings. Add concession stands or beach cafes with associated scooter parking. Consider adding bicycle racks alongside scooter parking for multi-vehicle transportation themes. This design captures the relaxed, recreational atmosphere of beach communities where alternative transportation is common and practical.

Exciting Updates on the Horizon

Nintendo continues to support Animal Crossing: New Horizons with major updates, demonstrating ongoing commitment to the game's community and longevity. Most recently, Nintendo announced an exciting upcoming expansion that will further enhance the game's content and player experience.

Version 3.0 Update - Scheduled for January 15, 2026: This substantial free update will introduce numerous new features and content additions, including a resort hotel run by Kapp'n's family (adding a new island location with unique features and activities), LEGO-themed furniture and clothing (a major collaboration bringing the iconic building block aesthetic to Animal Crossing), retro Nintendo items available through the resort's souvenir shop (including nostalgic toys like Ultra Hand, Ultra Machine, and Love Tester, as well as classic consoles like Famicom, NES, Game Boy, and Super Famicom), expanded storage capacity (increasing from the current maximum of 5,000 items to new caps of 7,000 and 9,000 items—essential for collectors and decorators with extensive furniture collections), ability to store trees, shrubs, and flowers (dramatically improving landscaping project management and seasonal decoration storage), themed crossover items (including Legend of Zelda and Splatoon content accessible via compatible amiibo), and Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (a version optimized for the next-generation Switch console).

While the Version 3.0 update doesn't specifically mention new scooter variations or additional transportation items, the expansion of available furniture and the introduction of themed collections suggest continued diversification of decorative options. The dramatically increased storage capacity (up to 9,000 items) will particularly benefit players with extensive vehicle collections, allowing them to store seasonal variations and maintain multiple themed design configurations.

Conclusion

The electric kick scooter in Animal Crossing: New Horizons represents more than just a decorative furniture item—it's a gateway to creative expression, modern island aesthetics, and personalized designs that reflect contemporary interests in sustainable urban mobility. While you cannot functionally ride the scooter for transportation around your island, its presence adds character, charm, and modern sophistication to carefully crafted island designs, and its interactive animations create delightful moments and photo opportunities that bring your island to life.

Through this comprehensive guide, you've learned the complete process for acquiring your electric kick scooter: ensuring your game is updated to Version 2.0 or later, checking Nook's Cranny's daily rotating inventory or ordering through the Nook Shopping catalog, purchasing the scooter for 4,400 Bells in any of its nine color variations (White, Pink, Yellow, Green, Blue, Red, Black, Purple, Gray), and utilizing alternative acquisition methods including trading with other players. You've discovered how to effectively place and interact with the scooter, triggering charming animations where your character hops on and performs a kicking motion, creating dynamic scenes perfect for island photography and social media sharing.

The guide explored customization opportunities through Cyrus at Harv's Island, allowing you to change your scooter's color to any of the nine variations for 1,700 Bells without needing to find each color through random shop inventory. This customization flexibility is invaluable for maintaining color-coordinated island designs or adapting items to evolving aesthetic preferences. We examined complementary transportation items—mountain bikes, cruiser bikes, regular scooters, luxury cars, trucks, skateboards, and numerous other wheeled vehicles—that work beautifully alongside electric kick scooters to create comprehensive, realistic transportation zones on your island.

Creative design ideas showcased the scooter's versatility: urban street scenes with custom asphalt paths and street lighting, cafe and restaurant districts where patrons arrive via scooter, scooter share stations replicating real-world bike and scooter sharing services, university campus designs with student transportation, modern residential neighborhoods with contemporary housing, and beach boardwalks with recreational scooter access. Each design concept demonstrates how thoughtful furniture placement and thematic consistency create immersive, believable island environments that feel alive and actively inhabited.

With Nintendo's continued support through the upcoming Version 3.0 update scheduled for January 15, 2026, bringing new furniture, themed collaborations, expanded storage (up to 9,000 items), and quality-of-life improvements, Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains a vibrant, evolving platform for creativity and community. Whether you're designing a futuristic smart city, a cozy beach town with modern conveniences, or any aesthetic in between, the electric kick scooter serves as a perfect accent piece that adds contemporary transportation elements to your personalized island paradise. Happy decorating, and enjoy creating the island of your dreams with your stylish new electric kick scooter!