Cute to some, an absolute garden terror to others, Squirrels are a familiar sight in urban areas, but less often seen in Second Life. Tokushi takes on creating a zany representation of the common rodent in both its North American and European incarnations.

Out of the Box:

• Moving eyes
• Ears twitch and/or can twitched when clicked
• Jaw animation for typing and voice
• Color changeable eyes (independently)
• Buck or normal tooth option
• 3 hand state change (can be set on random)
• Sculpted blinking eyelids
• 2 Tail states
• Hair color change slider on HUD
• Tokushi back key

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Build and Skin:

This avatar is somewhat simpler than Tokushi’s new offerings due to the fact that it was released over a year ago when Tokushi was entering the market. The skins are bi-coloured, with one colour on the chest, belly, and under the tail, while another colour makes up the rest of the body. Subtle differences in tone and detail ensure that the colours are not flat and uninteresting (See pictures). The most intricately textured parts of the body are the back and the tail where a semblance of fur are etched into the fur.

Attachment-wise, the feet themselves are very squirrel-like with long and gangly toes tipped with dark claws. Squirrels are not digitigrade, so the avatar comes with plantigrade attachments.  At the bottom and top of the leg attachments are sculpted fluff, which has its place all over the avatar (aka, shoulders, chest, calves) in multiple forms. The hands for this avatar are unfortunately very bulky, but given the age of the avatar, this is very forgivable as Tokushi has since improved.

The most notable attachment from the head is the tail, of course. In two states, it can either settle parallel to the ground, or sit up and curled away from the avatar.  The underside and top of the tail are intricately detailed with brushed textures which takes a lot of focus away from the body and attachments itself. It would seem that in terms of tails, Tokushi would only outdo itself with the much later release of the Qwhilla avatar.

Now we move on to the head. Plainly put, the head has a charming expression. For some it will be mischievious, and yet for others, the facial expression will exude insanity. Either way, between the large eyes and prominent buckteeth, it’s not difficult to compare the avatar with the animals that dig up peoples’ prized bulbs in the Spring. The eyes are very large, as are the irises, with several options for colour, including the dark black eyeballs one would expect on rodents. The muzzle is triangular and textured well, with tiny whiskers extending to the sides of the face. The mouth comes with buck-toothed front teeth which can be toggled to jut over the bottom lip or remain visible only when the mouth opens. When talking, users can see a tongue and a series of teeth towards the back of the jaw.

The ears come in two forms; Red or Grey. The Red ears reflect those of the Eurasian Red Squirrels which have pointed and tufted ears. The ‘Grey’ ears instead take after the ears more commonly known in North American circles by being more circular and non-tufted. Both options are well executed and add to the overall looks. Finally, the avatar comes with its own hair; an interesting bi-coloured haircut that fits with the style.

Heads-Up Display (HUD) and Features:

This avatar does not come with commands, but everything is directly controlled by the HUD. Decorated with a very happy looking Red Squirrel, users can change options pertaining to the Tail, Mouth, Head, and Hands. Under ‘Tail,’ users can choose whether they want their tail to sit up or down. The Mouth submenu allows users to choose whether they want their jaw open or closed, toggle the muzzle-talking function, and toggle the buckteeth position (inside mouth or jutting over the bottom lip).  The ‘Head’ tab affords the most options; users can choose their eye colour and state (Open, angry, etc.) as well toggle blink. Here users can also toggle ear-flicking, ear-twitching and switch between ‘Red’ and ‘Grey’ ears. Additionally, users can choose the hair colour for both the front and the back of the included hair. Last but not least, users can choose between hand expressions under the ‘Hand’ submenu.

Customisation:

The avatar is copy-mod, so as usual, users can modify the avatar to their heart’s content. The head is slightly irregularly shaped, so the usage of third-party hairs may be difficult. Users with at least some rudimentary modification skills will be able to complete the task without too many issues.

Conclusion:

With a zany appearance, the Tokushi Squirrel brings the creators’ own interpretation of the animals into Second Life. However, despite its deficiencies compared to more recent Tokushi avatars, the Squirrel offers a fun and tasteful choice for people who wish to take on the appearance of the small, but persistant nut-lovers.