 Tom Nook first appears in the Nintendo 64 title Dōbutsu no Mori (ported to the Nintendo GameCube as "Animal Crossing" in non-Japanese regions) as the town's main shop owner and continues his job in the next two installments.Nook's role in the series remained virtually unchanged from 2001 until 2012 with the release of "".In addition to being the main shop owner, Nook will also sell the player a house at the beginning of the game for around 19,800 bells (the in-game currency).