Lantern
Lighting
Description
The Lantern in Animal Crossing is inspired by classic camping lanterns, especially vintage Coleman-style fuel lanterns with a metal top, glass globe, and carry handle. These portable lights became popular in the early 1900s as a dependable way to bring light to campsites and cabins without electricity. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a lantern is one of the first items in your starter tent, reinforcing the game’s early camping-and-survival phase before your island develops into a town. Those of us who are fans of Animal Crossing: New Leaf might also remember that the Lantern is the tent-warming gift that Isabelle gave you at the beginning of that game.
How to get it in ACNH
The lantern is one of the default items in the player's tent, alongside the portable radio.
How to get it IRL
The Animal Crossing Lantern most closely resembles the vintage Coleman 228 “big-hat” lantern, known for its oversized ventilator (the metal “shade” at the top). These fuel-powered camping lanterns were widely used throughout the mid-20th century and are now popular with collectors. Coleman no longer manufactures these classic pressure lantern models, but Coleman 228 lanterns are still widely available secondhand through antique shops, collector communities, and online marketplaces.
Today, Coleman mostly produces battery-powered LED lanterns, though many modern designs still echo the look of their classic lanterns.If you want the Animal Crossing aesthetic without dealing with vintage fuel equipment, you can find LED lanterns styled after the classic Coleman 220/228 lantern design, which capture the same cozy camping feel in a safer, easier-to-use form.
The whole purpose of camping lanterns, of course, is to avoid having to use electricity, which is why for serious camping you still want a fuel-based lantern like this one.
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