The Able Sisters are the adorable trio of hedgehogs that run the tailor shop throughout theAnimal Crossingseries. While the iconic duo Mabel and Able have been around since the very firstAnimal Crossinggame on the GameCube, Label wasn’t introduced until later duringCity Folk.
But behind The Able Sisters' cute features is a deep and troubled family history that can be discovered throughout theAnimal Crossingseries.
RELATED:Animal Crossing: New Horizons Getting Another Build-A-Bear Character This Summer
The Roles of the Able Sisters
Though she speaks very little inAnimal Crossing, Sable is the oldest of the three hedgehogs and her role largely remains unchanged throughout the series. She’s always sitting in the back of the shop sewing, shyly working in the background while her older sister tends to the customers. Also across the series, though Sable might be cold at first, if the player is persistent in speaking with her, she’ll slowly open up and begin revealing family secrets, memories, fears, and inNew Horizons,Sable will gift the player various fabric patterns.
Mabel is the youngest of the Ables and, like her oldest sister, she’s beenan NPC in theAnimal Crossingseriessince the first installment. She’s much more charismatic and lively than Sable, and she often coerces her into socializing with the player, which sometimes causes the two to bicker. Like Sable, her role throughout the series remains mostly unchanged as the front and center of the Able Sisters shop.
Label, sometimes known as Labelle, is the odd middle sister of the bunch as her role actually changes throughout the series. She only joined theAnimal Crossingseries as the store clerk for GracieGrace inCity Folk. Instead of helping out withthe Able Sisters shop, except for inNew Leafwhen she sells accessories for them, she strives to become a famous fashion designer. InNew Horizons, she’ll sometimes gift the player Labelle brand clothing items if they complete her quests. She sometimes appears in the plaza outside Resident Services
Due to the Able sisters' troubled past, Sable considers Label’s endeavors a form of abandonment from both the family business and the sisters, and often worries that Mabel might do the same someday. But Mabel hopes that someday the older sisters will one day speak again.
RELATED:Biggest Animal Crossing: New Horizons Holidays to Watch For in 2021
The Able Sisters' History
Bits and pieces ofMabel, Sable, and Label’s pastas sisters can be discovered throughout the series, or it can be fully revealed by befriending Sable in eitherCity FolkorNew Leaf. The Able’s parents passed away when the sisters were very young due to a car accident, leaving Sable to raise her youngest sibling, who has very little to no memory of their parents and therefore rarely speaks about them in-game.
Label, however, who was old enough to remember these events, chose to leave afterward and move to the city to pursue her dreams of being a fashion designer, where Gracie of GracieGrace gave her the name Labelle. This decision caused a heated argument between her and the oldest sister Sable, who felt she was abandoning the other two after such a tragic event.
Despite this, inCity Folk, Label begins sending letters to Mabel in an attempt to bring the family back together. It’s speculated that inAnimal Crossing: New Leaf, the sisters have made up as Label is selling accessories at the shop, and this is confirmed inAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswhen Sable explains that both of the sisters are happy to support Label in her pursuit.
An added tidbit oflore relating to the Able Sistersis that Sable and Tom Nook used to be good friends, as they grew up together. However, Tom Nook also left for the city to chase his dreams of being a businessman.
