Animal Crossing: New Horizons Player Finds A Surprising Use For Its Most Overlooked Item

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A player after being stung by wasps in Animal Crossing New Horizons

Published Feb 1, 2026, 1:01 PM EST

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons has received a massive influx of players after its latest 3.0 update that offers plenty of new features for fans of the series to dig their teeth into. Even if you're already experienced everything the new update has to offer, some fans are still discovering secrets from items that have long since been in the game.

While not an entirely new discovery on its own, Reddit user Stardazzle220 posted a PSA that revealed Party Poppers can be used to easily scare away any wasps dropped from shaken trees. Even if you might be used to quickly swapping to a net, this method leaves virtually no room for error, which plenty of players like myself had no idea was even an option.

Party Poppers Are Used For More Than Just Celebrations

Animal Crossing New Horizons Birthday party in a room.

Given that party poppers have been in Animal Crossing: New Horizons since release, it's not surprising that fans like jbivphotorgaphy were quick to excitedly react by saying "ALL OF THESE YEARS I HAD NO IDEA YOU COULD DO THAT!!!!" Even though some players make it seem like it was an obvious feature, others understandably felt annoyed that "this hidden information was not shared with the rest of us."

Compared to simply being used to scare your friends or celebrating special occasions with your villagers, being able to open your inventory and swap into a party popper is a great way to get out of a sticky situation, without needing to rely on well-timed swings of a net.

The only downside to this method, as players have noted, is that you don't get to keep the wasps as you do with defeating them using a net, which can be a great source of bells whenever Flick rolls around.

Players Are Still Discovering New Ways To Play New Horizons

Animal Crossing New Horizons player standing with Leilani in the hotel

Despite being out for over half a decade at this point, players can't seem to stop discovering new details about everything from hidden gameplay mechanics to Easter eggs hidden in item descriptions or Red's paintings. Even with how clearly laid out New Horizons' latest 3.0 updates were, there are still plenty of smaller features you might have missed, from playing hidden minigames to side-stepping while navigating your island.

While it will likely be some time until Nintendo is ready to release the next entry in the series after Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there are still plenty of secrets and hidden details left to uncover while rumors circulate over its sequel.