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Ant Farm

Housewares
Toys & Gadgets

In 1956, Milton Levine was at a Fourth of July picnic in Southern California and observed a mound of ants. Recalling how he as a child used to collect ants in jars, he came up with the idea of mass producing an ant habitat (called a formicarium) as a children’s toy. He trademarked the term “ant farm” and sold a 6 by 9 inch version for $1.98. It was an immediate hit.

Purchasable Furniture - Miscellaneous
You can buy the Ant Farm at Nook's Cranny for 1,400 Bells, or from Wardell's catalog for 1,300 Poki.

The Animal Crossing ant farm actually looks more like this one from Anthouse that uses natural sand.

If the price for that is a bit too high, you can actually still buy an official Ant Farm from Uncle Milton on Amazon. The price has gone up somewhat since 1956, but it still has its iconic green color and still works the same way: you buy the Ant Farm and then send away for ants to be sent in the mail. Because there's no Queen, the ants will eventually die away, but not before doing some fascinating digging and tunnelling.

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