It’s a known, recorded fact that the grooviest pooch to grace the Animal Crossing series is based on Animal Crossing sound designer Kazumi Tokata. But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t other influences involved in the creation of the K dog, who Animal Crossing Wiki describe as a ‘hippie-style travelling musician’. As the canine’s trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl informs us, ‘he can play music from all genres’. His oeuvre includes such diverse tunes as ‘K.K Folk’, ‘K.K. Rock’ and ‘K.K. Country’. Remind you of anybody?
While I’ve been thinking about this comparison for some time, unlike the previous Tom Nook/Donald Trump post, this idea has been in the air for a while. Matilda actress Mara Wilson tweeted back in 2020 that the freewheelin’ dogen represents ‘a mix of Bob Dylan and Harry Styles that somehow works’. While I disagree with the latter comparison, there is something to be said for a link between K.K. Slider and the Zimmermeister. They’ve both been through some dramatic changes in genre over their sizable careers. They’re both radical dudes who prefer the wild side of life. Dylan’s ‘Blowing in the Wind’ was even given its own honorary K.K. remix on YouTube.
Like Mr Slider, Robert Allen Zimmerman changed his name to a now more familiar moniker. While the reign of D.J. K.K. appeared and hasn’t been seen again since the release of Animal Crossing New Leaf, it was nonetheless a bold persona that explored new territories. Sure, it was disconcerting to see the normally naked dog (notably the only animal in the Animal Crossing series to be at ease in his birthday suit) donning a black cap, black glasses and headphones, but it was a bold statement nonetheless. One which not all his fanbase might have been cool with. Dylan met with many dissenters during his musical transformation, and the K dog is simply following in his footsteps.
Now, let’s get into some hard evidence. Neither Dylan nor the Slider dawg place any value on capitalist culture. Speaking to journalist Michael Iachetta of the New York Daily Times in the spring of 1967 (the first journalist that Dylan spoke to following a motorbike accident), the musician said:
‘What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do’
The green holds no value for Dylan, prioritising the cultivation of the self over financial gain. Sometimes after the player has listened to one of K.K.’s shows in Wild World, he’ll inform them that:
‘Those industry fat cats try to put a price on my music, but it wants to be free’
The K dog doesn’t want to see those capitalist Tom Nooks of the world getting their grubby mitts on his tunes and selling them for profit. A fan even crafted some K.K. hats in appreciation of The Slider’s freewheelin’ ways, quoting the ‘industry fat cats’ mantra in their article’s opening title. Admittedly, we see some of Slider’s CDs on sale in New Leaf at the T+T Mart. I’m gonna blame Tom Nook and his bootlegging nefariousness for that crime though, and I’ll hope Timmy and Tommy have yet to be corrupted. We see a similar situation in New Horizons, but again, I’d put down the songs’ purchasable availability down to the greed of Nook capitalism.
It’s also hardly a secret that Dylan was a fan of recreational drugs back in his heyday. In the swinging 60s, the BBC reported Dylan remarking on his recovery from heroin, stating that he ‘got very, very strung out for a while, I mean really, very strung out. And I kicked the habit. I had about a $25-a day habit and I kicked it’. Now, I’m not saying K.K. Slider ever dabbled with that stuff. The dude’s an animated character. An animated character in a children’s video game series. Nonetheless, evidence of his previous shady dealings with the good stuff can be found in New Leaf when you’re employed by barista Brewster at your local café. If K.K. comes calling round this establishment and you present him with his favourite caffeinated beverage, he’ll note appreciatively that ‘that’s some fine voodoo you brew’. It looks like the K dog’s still hooked on that sweet psychedelic goodness, and he’s just implied that he’s in cahoots with our old pal Brewster and his questionable selection of ingredients. Groovy, man.