The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies has officially made The Urbz canon – and I don’t think I’m ever going to shut up about it. For years now, I’ve discussed The Urbz in a range of mediums, shouting to high heavens about how fun, silly, and weird this Sims spin-off is, and explaining quite plainly why it’s worth playing.
While it was previously considered the black sheep of the Sims family, it does appear The Urbz is now returning to prominence, with The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies bizarrely and suddenly making the entire franchise – its console and handheld game releases – canon.
The first clues of the Urbz canonisation were actually spotted by Sims content creator onlyabidoang, who pointed out some very cool lore about new Sim, Ollie Mark. They’re part of the “Urbane Housesharers” family who belong to Nordhaven, and most notably, they’re the key link between The Sims 4 and The Urbz (console).
On the surface, there’s few hints about their real identity, but if you talk to their carer, Crispin Black, dialogue reveals they are the child of Jayde and Skid Mark – two of the main characters of The Urbz. In fact, Crispin himself is also part of The Urbz, and operates an art gallery in both that game and in Businesses & Hobbies. Per the lore, Jayde and Skid Mark had a kid, and then placed them in the care of Crispin, after their relationship didn’t quite work out.
It’s a very neat bit of synergy, and a very cool throwback to those who played and loved The Urbz – but that’s not all the Urbane Housesharers household reveals.
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Within this household, there’s also a roommate – and that roommate is Cannonball Coleman, who first appeared in The Urbz for
Cannonball Coleman, ironically, can be your roommate in The Urbz. He also serves as a key character in the game’s overarching plot of capitalistic dominance and fighting back against vampires. (It’s a long story). When he’s not keeping you company or supporting your efforts to take down Daddy Bigbucks, he also spends time playing saxophone at Zeke’s Zydeco Club – a fact which is actually referenced in the Nordhaven Noise paper.
“Cannonball apparently used to play at a place called Club Zydeco, I wonder if that venue is still around?” one entry reads. This is, of course, a direct reference to the handheld Urbz games. Further entries also confirm Cannonball’s common moniker, King Cool, the origin of his hat, and that he recently broke a saxophone (and this can be purchased in Buy Mode).
Going further down the rabbit hole, I also realised Cannonball Coleman isn’t the sole representative of the handheld Urbz games in The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies. Gramma Hattie is in this expansion pack too, and in fact, she appeared in the trailer for the game.
Here, she’s known as Gramma Hattie Loden, and she runs a bakery. While she was depicted as fairly sour in The Urbz, it appears she’s mellowed out a bit with time, likely thanks to her grandchildren, Erik and Freya. While her Idealist and Family-Oriented traits do seem to clash with her traits in The Urbz, the game makes clear this is the same character, with Nordhaven Noise articles confirming her wild past as an anti-capitalist protestor.
Read: Embrace the strange: Why video games should be weirder
“I heard Gramma Hattie went to jail once, everyone wonders what she did!” This article line refers to her stand against Daddy Bigbucks, during the the events of the ‘Running from the Law’ quest in The Urbz, following the ban on running in town.
“I heard Gramma Hattie helped save her home city from some oily corporate men. Shady business people better watch out around her.” Again, this line is a direct reference to the events of The Urbz, where Gramma Hattie played a key role in taking down Daddy Bigbucks and saving Miniopolis.
Funnily enough, she also has the Vampire aspiration, which is likely a reference to the events of The Urbz DS, which features one townie being transformed into a vampire, and a quest to find a cure for him.
The inclusion of Gramma Hattie, and the rest of the Urbz crew, is a fantastic nod to the history of The Sims, and frankly, a well-earned acknowledgement. While previously, The Urbz languished in obscurity, it’s fantastic to see the game’s characters finally making their way into The Sims 4, and having such knowing nods to these games included as easter eggs for long-time fans. Here’s to hoping we see more representation for The Urbz and the other weird Sims handheld games in future.
