The player character, who is mistakenly sent to Cozy Grove on their first solo camping excursion and ends up stranded there indefinitely when their rowboat washes out to sea.

• Ambiguous Gender: There's no gender selection, so you can pretend they're whatever you want them to be.
• Cuddle Bug: The June 2021 update gave them the option to ask the bear spirits for a hug (after exhausting the "I was just thinking..." option). However, the bears may turn you down.
• Deadpan Snarker: Certain conversation options let you play them as this.
  Lee Barry Dennings: Do you think my farm is looking a little overstuffed?
  Scout: What's a word stronger than yes?
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Other than generic terms of endearment (e.g. “sweetie” or “kid”), the player character is most commonly referred to as “Scout” or some variation thereof. Mr. Kit remarks that while he knows your name, he is “far too polite to repeat it.”
• Kind Hearted Cat Lover: They can get pet spirit cats once they've upgraded their tent fully.
• No Name Given: There's no option to input a name and it's never brought up.
• Prophet Eyes: Has the distinctive pale eyes of a Spirit Scout trained to “see beyond.”
• Virtual Paper Doll: You can design the Scout however you want at the beginning. When you unlock Mr. Kit, you can also buy clothing and accessories for your character.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Most of their dialogue options have them portrayed as a well-meaning individual who is eager to help others.

The Scout's sentient campfire spirit, guide, and liaison to the Spirit Scouts. Feeding them Spirit Logs strengthens their fire, revealing both new stretches of the island and lost ghosts in need of the Scout’s aid.

• Legacy of Service: Is noted to have been with the Scout’s family for generations.
• Seers: When fed enough Spirit Logs, can briefly see into the emotional states of new ghost bears across the island.
• Technicolor Fire: Briefly takes on a blue-green tinge when their flame level is increased.

The player character’s neglectful Scoutmaster, who periodically sends them cheerfully oblivious letter updates about the organization’s progress (or lack thereof) toward rescuing them from Cozy Grove.

• Comedic Sociopathy: Par for the course in his letters. He cheerfully informs you in one that he’s been in contact with your parents, and they agree that the waivers that they’d signed means that they can’t sue him, while assuring you in another that he’s proud of you “whether or not you’re still alive”.
• Hidden Depths: In spite of this inappropriately cavalier attitude toward the player’s safety, he confesses in one message that he still writes daily letters to the scouts that he’s lost over the years.
• Trail of Bread Crumbs: His final letter reveals that he's symbolically been trying to provide this all along; the reason he often sends single fenceposts is because in the Scouts single logs placed upright are used as guides to lead lost scouts home. Or they'll be a Shrine to the Fallen if The Scout passed away and he's sending letters to nowhere.
• Verbal Tic: Begins all his letters with some variation of “Cheerio, Scout!”

The primary merchant on Cozy Grove, Mr. Kit has a "standing arrangement" with the Spirit Scouts. He buys and sells general goods through his shop Kit’s Canteen.

• Asian Fox Spirit: Is a fox spirit named Kit with the distinctive perpetually shut eyes. Charlotte mentions that he gets a "great write-up" in the Spirit Scout Handbook's guide to "minor gods." The expanse of his power isn't clear, though one anecdote from Ursula suggests that he has some measure of magical sensitivity and connection to the land:
  Ursula: I've found over the years that the garden can do strange things to the island. I've planted trinkets that have caused huge sustained storms. A buried piece of gold once caused the island to shrink. Another time I planted an old tooth I found, but Mr. Kit came and dug it up before it could take root. He almost looked frightened.
• Eyes Always Shut: In keeping in line with his kitsune-inspired design.
• Meaningful Name: A young fox can be referred to as a Kit and the Kit Fox is a distinct fox species as well.^note The Kit Fox inhabits the southwestern parts of the USA and the northern to central parts of Mexico
• Virtual Paper Doll: Sells clothing and performs haircuts that allow the player to change up their look.

A salespanda who arrives on the shoreline every Wednesday, starting once the player has been on the island for at least seven days. He sells food items, as well as rare decorations at a lower rate than the other furniture shops.

A special merchant who appears on Cozy Grove in early July, Ms. Carouse sells summer outfits and lets the player craft special decorations and fireworks.

The first bear spirit that the player encounters, Charlotte is a ranger and tea enthusiast. While not thrilled to see a Spirit Scout on Cozy Grove, she nevertheless performs their initial orientation of the island and afterwards will help them locate lost items for a small fee. A forest spirit, referred to as the Ranger Bear.

• ...And That Little Girl Was Me: She explains that her initial lackluster reaction to the Scout is because the last time a Scout attempted to help the spirits of Cozy Grove, it ended badly. She was that Scout.
• Broken Bird: Underneath her stoicism, she has become deeply disillusioned by her failure to help Cozy Grove’s spirits.
  Charlotte: The spirits of Cozy Grove are friendly enough. But despite all our asking, we’re beyond help.
• Deadpan Snarker: Gives as good as she gets when the player takes an attitude with her:
  Charlotte: Well, that’s enough stories for one day.
  Scout: I can see you didn’t earn a merit badge in storytelling.
  Charlotte: But I did earn one in ignoring rude kids.
• It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: Her attempts to save the lost spirits of Cozy Grove involved giving them all Fake Memories to make it seem like they never had any unfinished business in the first place. This strategy came to a dead stop once she encountered Ted, as he had no traumatic memories to rewrite or unfinished business to resolve in the first place.
• My Greatest Failure: Her wariness toward the Spirit Scouts stems from her own past as a Scout, in which she tried and ultimately failed to save Cozy Grove’s lost spirits.
• Trademark Favorite Food: She makes several references to her love of tea, and one of her story quests involves finding her old tea mug.

The second bear spirit that the player encounters, Jeremy is a diligent, if apologetic, craftsman. He is happy to help the player by crafting decorations and repairing their tools, as long as they have the needed materials on hand. He can also refine some materials such as wood or metal into their higher-level versions. A forest spirit, referred to as the Maker Bear.

• Animate Inanimate Object: His spirit form looks like a bear crossed with a tape measurer.
• Apologizes a Lot: To the point of saying sorry to a mailbox after bumping into it, and not even realizing that he just apologized to an inanimate object until long after the fact.
  Jeremy: Every so often, someone will mention that I tend to apologize a lot. Eventually I just learned to tell them I was Canadian. Works every time.
• Undignified Death: How Jeremy passed away: After a lifetime of trying to make practical, unassuming projects, an elderly Jeremy found himself creating an elaborate birdhouse one winter, and went out to hang it in front of his house. On hearing a neighbor open their door, Jeremy panicked and ran back up his front steps only to slip and fall. His last moments? Thinking about how sorry he was to make such a big scene in front of his neighbor.

The third bear spirit that the player encounters, Captain Snout is a sailor who used to pilot the ferry to and from Cozy Grove. He has a reputation among the spirits for being a heavy drinker, and maintains a collection of all the items that the player encounters on the island. A shoreline spirit, referred to as the Seagull Bear.

• The Drunken Sailor: Naturally. Doubled up with Drinking on Duty while he was alive.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: His spirit form is half-bear, half-seagull.
• My God, What Have I Done?: His immediate reaction to crashing the ferry in a drunken accident, stranding everyone on Cozy Grove for the rest of their lives (or unlives). Unable to face what he did to them, he stared out at the ocean for hours, eventually dying of exposure.
• My Greatest Failure: Captain Snout's drinking problem only worsened while he ran the ferry, culminating in a crash that stranded both the spirits that he was unwittingly transporting and all the remaining living residents.

• Animate Inanimate Object: His spirit form looks like a bear-shaped parcel, complete with a string tied around him to look like a bowtie.
• Clingy MacGuffin: Both Patrice's Bronze Star medal and a soccer ball. No matter how many times he tries mailing them off, they keep coming back heavier than before.
• Going Postal: Thinks that the term should be reclaimed, as it's suppressed wages that make people violent instead of simply being surrounded by letters.

  Patrice: 'Going postal' ought to mean something positive! From here on, I'm saying "time to go postal!" every time I start my rounds! Er... or maybe I should workshop that first.

• Mailman vs. Dog: Claims that this isn't true, and that the natural enemy of postal workers are actually cats.

  Patrice: They mess with your mind.

• Surprisingly Sudden Death: So sudden that Patrice does not remember the exact details, just being in the hospital and the shouts of doctors.
• Survivor Guilt: Haunted by the deaths of three members of his military squad after he was discharged, blaming himself for not being there to help. Made worse by the mundane circumstances of his discharge: falling and breaking his wrist while showing off with a soccer ball.
• War Hero: Served in the military before joining the postal service, and received a Bronze Star "for heroic service or meritorious achievement." Doesn't feel that he deserves the recognition, however, due to the injury that caused him to not be with his unit the night that they died.

• Kill It with Fire: How Francesca died. Specifically, when she ran back inside her burning cottage to rescue a carved wooden bust of her mother.
• Plant Person: Francesca's spirit form has her as part tree, with bark skin and leaves growing out of her head.

• Caustic Critic: Allison faced several of these while she was alive, and one quest in her storyline involves the ghost of a restaurant critic visiting her bakery's Grand Re-Opening.
• Lethal Chef: Her love of experimenting with new dishes and ingredients far outstrips her ability to make things that are actually edible, and not having many actual recipes to work off of doesn't help either. Subverted at the end of her storyline: the animals of Cozy Grove love her food, because they feed off of the love and positive energy that she puts into each dish instead of the food's actual quality. This helps Allison regain her confidence and start being more careful with her recipes.
  Allison: Sure, sometimes I have to substitute birds' eggs with snakes' eggs. Or fish eggs. Or soft rocks. But I can make you an omelette you will never forget!
• Lying to Protect Your Feelings: Not Allison herself, but her earnestness and love for her customers means that they can't bring themselves to say what they REALLY think of her cooking.

• Angrish: Devolves into this and Symbol Swearing at times, usually when the local imps are causing trouble.
• Berserk Button: Anything involving the imps of Cozy Grove. And to a lesser extent, her sister Allison.
• Fury-Fueled Foolishness: How Valentina died: while riding through what remained of town on her motorcycle, the sight of Clyde putting up a "For Sale" sign in front of city hall caused a flash of anger that caused her to suddenly accelerate. By the time she realized that she was losing control of her bike, it went into a skid, killing them both in the resulting crash.
• Mayor Pain: Of the incompetent variety. She genuinely loves the town and wants what she thinks is best for it, but her spending habits, obsession with the town's image, and volatile temper often get the better of her.

• Flashback Nightmare: Has a recurring dream of a big blob rolling through the farm, swallowing up everything. It's never outright confirmed what the dream means, though it likely refers to Lee's own death, crushed when a pile of his hoarded goods fell on top of him.
• Hayseed Name
• Plant Person: His spirit form has him looking like a bear-shaped cob of corn.
• Trash of the Titans: Lee has a severe hoarding problem, with several quests involving him replacing lost parts of his "collection" with any related objects that the player can find. It's later revealed that this stems from trauma over the year of poverty and near-famine that he endured as a child.

• Mix-and-Match Critters: His spirit form has him as part mountain goat.
• Precious Photo: Arjun's storyline involves tracking these down for him, and he also helps you develop the photos of other bear's past lives to help them remember important details. Once he stops mistaking them for his own life events, that is.
• Repressed Memories: Once it is time for him to move on, Arjun decides to start over and let go of all his regrets. Including the memories of Lily and his children.
• Scatterbrained Senior: One of the eldest bears in term of appearance, who happens to suffer from memory loss. It's later revealed that he died from Alzheimer's, or something similar.

  Arjun: You know what's a real kick in the pants? Being a ghost, but still being old. Is there some...rule that says I couldn't have shown up here a few decades younger?

• Thoroughly Mistaken Identity: While discussing his past with the Scout, Arjun remarks that he once called a stranger by his wife Lily's name. The stranger in question? His own daughter, whom he'd forgotten due to old age.

• Disabled Means Helpless: Octavia is VERY intent on defying this, and distrusts the player at first due to past experiences with Condescending Compassion.

  Octavia: Look, it's not like I'm allergic to favors or something. I just don't want people making assumptions about what I can or can't do. I had enough of that in life. I don't need it in my afterlife too.

• Handicapped Badass: Never let being in a wheelchair stop her from diving while she was mortal.
• Healthy in Heaven: Defied: Octavia still has to use her wheelchair as a spirit, to her initial annoyance.
• Lesbian Jock: A surfer and diver, who was married to another woman in life.

• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Very much so. And it ultimately got him AND Valentina killed when he enrages her into accidentally crashing into him on her motorcycle at high speed.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: His spirit form is part-bear, part-wolf.
• Shout-Out: His Wolf Apparel store sells a couple imp-themed hats... and a red riding hood.

• Crazy Survivalist: Has all the trappings in his appearance, demeanor, and area decor.
• I'm Having Soul Pains: Bruin has a constant headache that grows stronger the more you uncover about his past. It turns out to be related to his death, as he self-medicated with quack medicine instead of seeing a medical professional. After moving on, he tells the Scout that his headache has started to go away.
• Improperly Paranoid: While never stated to be violent against others, either in-game or in his backstory, his behavior still pushed his friends and family away, and eventually resulted in his death when he treated his headaches with dangerous quack medicine instead of going to a proper doctor.
• Off the Grid: The reason that he traveled to Cozy Grove in the first place.
• Sarcasm-Blind: If the Scout replies in a sarcastic manner during some of his conversations, he'll misinterpret it as them faking a lack of interest to throw off The Powers That Be.

  Scout: <snickers> Sure, okay Tram.

  Bruin: (You are GOOD. These spies will never realize that you actually believe me!)

• The Paranoiac: Played straight and discussed through Bruin's storyline. While his theories are clearly not true, and involve everything from weather control to aliens to reptilian overlords, he also confesses that a culmination of life stress and fear-mongering from his usual news sources spurred him to drop everything and flee to live off-the-grid at Cozy Grove.

• The Anti-Nihilist: Pulled herself out of depression after her husband and Francesca walked out on her, and made a constant, conscious choice to find joy in life and not let loss define her and her family.

  Ursula: I needed to change. I needed to find the sunlight between the shadows. And I did.

• Breather Episode: The way that she is described by Flamey frames her as such; a compassionate spirit who genuinely wants to help the other lost souls, she is introduced after the reclusive survivalist Bruin Tram, and before the blunt and stoic Ted Sapsen.

  Flamey: It appears that you're due for a change of pace, Scout. Cozy Grove has asked so much of you. And you have kindly tended to its spirits. But you're not the only one who wishes to do so.

• Life Will Kill You: Reveals in her final story quest that she died of terminal cancer.
• Plant Person: Her spirit form has her looking like a sunflower.
• Struggling Single Mother: Took care of seven kids on her own, after her husband walked out on her.
• Unfinished Business: Not for herself, but to be reassured that her youngest daughter Charlotte is fulfilled and happy.

• Dies Wide Open: Specifically, while staring at a particularly beautiful rock.
• The Hermit
• No-Sell: Completely thwarts the player's attempts to help him or find out more about his life, and did the same to Charlotte when she was a spirit scout.
• No Social Skills: His lack of interest in other bears, combined with his responses when people reached out to him, seemed to cause him to be bullied a lot as a child.

  Ursula: I felt sorry for him, even then. I tried to sit next to him. To be a friend. But he told me he didn't want bear friends, only rock friends.

• Refusing Paradise: Ted has seemingly no interest in moving on as a spirit, shutting down any of your attempts to learn about his backstory or unfinished business. All he wants is for the player to find more rocks that he can study and admire. And unlike the other bear spirits, Ted does not ascend once you complete his story.
• Living Statue: Ted's appearance as a spirit is that of a bear-shaped rock covered in moss.

• Hat of Authority: And a pretty nice one, too.

• The Chains of Commanding: Faces this as not only emperor, but having been declared a Living Vessel of the divine. Conversations reveal that he was beholden to many rules and regulations of the church despite being emperor, and occasionally dreams about doing things that he would personally enjoy.

  Bearos: Wealth is power. And power must be shown at all times. Were it not for this requirement, We might prefer pastels.

  Scout: You could try both. Gold and pastels?

  Bearos: ...Hm. Perhaps it would not hurt to experiment...?

• Rebel Leader: Against Bearos and his empire.
• Living Statue: Like Ted Sapsen, Dalia's spirit form is that of a rock or statue; however, hers is partially damaged to reveal a more spirit-like blob hanging out inside a stone shell.

• Attention Whore: A loud party animal who loves being the center of attention.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: While Archie’s quirky behavior (like his bizarre shipping methods or obsession with confetti cannons) might make him seem scatterbrained, he’s competent enough to organize parties and manage quests effectively. His eccentricities don’t detract from his ability to contribute to the island’s spirit community.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Archie’s quirky logic—like arranging for party supplies to be dropped from a plane while yelling "PARTY!!!!"—and his wild aspirations (e.g., achieving scientifically impossible 300% energy) give him a delightfully eccentric edge.
• Fun Personified: He is always eager for parties.
• Genki Guy: His colorful piñata design, constant party references (e.g., confetti cannons and nacho pools), and loud exclamations like "YEAH!!!!!!!" make him a bear who never dials down the excitement.
• Large Ham: Archie’s loud, dramatic flair—evident in his all-caps dialogue, love for spectacle (e.g., confetti cannons, DJs), and theatrical party persona—makes him a perfect fit for this trope. He’s not subtle, and his larger-than-life attitude stands out in the cozy, low-key world of Cozy Grove.
• The Pollyanna: Despite being a ghostly Town Spirit on a haunted island, Archie emphasizes positivity above all else, as seen in his self-description as a "semi-professional positive partier" with "emphasis on the positive." He refuses to dwell on the gloomier aspects of his afterlife, instead focusing on spreading joy.

• Animal Motif: Bees.
• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Her excitable nature and tendency to bounce between topics (e.g., from collecting to knock-knock jokes to panicking about clams) suggest a short attention span, especially when something new or collectible catches her eye.
• Attention Whore: Beatrice's obsession for collecting is certainly a cry for attention.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Beatrice’s belief in an underground civilization sending “Arcane Honeyforms” and her quirky dialogue (e.g., panicking about items arriving “by clam”) give her an offbeat, whimsical charm.
• The Collector: Beatrice’s defining trait is her intense fixation on collecting fish, bugs, and baubles, as noted in her drive to “100% her list” and her area filled with collector’s cabinets and a honey claw machine.
• Defrosting Ice Queen: Initially, Beatrice comes off as self-absorbed, focused solely on her collecting obsession, but her story quests reveal vulnerability—like her guilt over neglecting her home or freeing the Honeybird from its cage.
• Determinator: Beatrice’s stubborn dedication to her collections, even when it led to personal loss in life, defines her tenacity. Her personality is marked by an unyielding commitment to her goals, whether it’s completing a collector’s box or pursuing mythical “Honeyforms.”
• Fangirl: She is a huge fangirl of collecting, and often freaks out upon finding something new to add to her collection.
• Gamer Chick: She appears to be one, given that her body resembles an arcade claw machine and she has a honey claw machine in her area.
• Genki Girl: Outside of her obsessiveness for collecting, her defining characteristic is her extreme enthusiasm and energy. In fact, she is easily the most excitable of all the bears you meet next to Archie.
• Jive Turkey: She is shown to be very much in-touch with modern trends and Internet slang.
• Leet Lingo: She has been known to use internet slang like "LOL" and "OMG" during dialogue.
• Lonely Rich Kid: Beatrice was married to a multi-millionaire, Orsino, and lived in a mansion, but felt abandoned by him and misunderstood by her twin sister. Her passion for collecting was a way to cope with being left alone in a big, empty house.
• Loony Fan: No other bear on Cozy Grove is as crazy for collecting as she is.
• Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Beatrice’s hyper-energetic, eccentric personality—marked by her constant squealing, internet slang, and wild tangents about “Arcane Honeyforms”—gives her a whimsical, larger-than-life charm.
• Motor Mouth: Her dialogue is often rapid and excitable, filled with quirky tangents like joking about knock-knock jokes or imagining “Arcane Honeyforms” from an underground civilization.
• NO INDOOR VOICE: Beatrice has a tendency to yell and scream her dialogue if given enough motivation.
• Otaku: She has an encyclopedic knowledge of everything she wants to collect, as the result of her unhealthy obsession with it.
• Squee: She often screams "Ahhhh!!!!!" when she's really excited, especially when meeting the player at the start of her first quest. The player is also given the option to scream with her if they want to.
• Stepford Smiler: Her relentless cheerfulness masks past pain, like feeling abandoned by her husband and sister.
• Tragic Keepsake: Her collection, while a source of pride, is tied to her backstory of loss and loneliness—replacing meaningful relationships with objects.
• Womanchild: Although she's an adult who was married and had kids, she acts like a hyperactive teenager much of the time.

• The Atoner: Ben’s story arc involves reflecting on his past, where he prioritized fame and wealth over family. His questline, culminating in appreciating the “beautiful gift” of his loved ones, fits this trope as he seeks to make peace with his regrets, aided by the player’s efforts to restore his memories.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Despite his eccentricities—like demanding a “private coral reef” or a “fountain of cabernet sauvignon”—Ben is competent in his role as a Farm Spirit, managing his area and guiding the player through quests.
• Character Development: Ben evolves from a bear preoccupied with materialistic fantasies to one who values intangible connections, as seen in his questline’s focus on family and his eventual ascension to a golden state.
• Clocks of Control: Ben’s clock face, inspired by a Kit-Cat Klock, ties him to themes of time, which resonate with his story of reflecting on a life spent chasing dreams.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Ben’s eccentric dialogue—casually requesting a “fountain full of cabernet sauvignon” or a “private coral reef”—and his whimsical cat-clock design give him an offbeat charm.
• Deadpan Snarker: While Ben’s tone is often playful, his exaggerated claims of simplicity paired with outrageous demands (e.g., “Is that too much to ask?”) carry a dry, self-aware humor.
• Hidden Depths: At first, Ben seems like a comedic figure with outlandish desires, but his story quests reveal a poignant longing for family and regret for chasing fleeting dreams.
• Kind Hearted Cat Lover: Ben’s cat-themed design and his rewarding of special cats to the player highlight his affinity for feline companions.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: His spirit form is part-bear, part-cat.
• Small Name, Big Ego: Ben’s inflated sense of grandeur and exaggerated claims of wanting world-class accolades (e.g., “an Oscar, a Pulitzer, a Nobel”) and luxurious possessions (e.g., “a gold toilet”) while presenting himself as a “simple bear” contrast humorously with his actual role as a ghostly farmer on a haunted island.

• Character Development: Lillian’s arc is a journey from self-loathing to self-acceptance, as seen in her story quests where she learns the bears who tormented her acted out of their own insecurities.
• Inner Monologue: Unique to Lillian, her thoughts are audible to the player, exposing her self-critical nature (e.g., “Oh god oh god what a huge mistake why did I come here”).
• Mix-and-Match Critters: Her spirit form is part-bear, part-mouse.
• Shrinking Violet: Her most prominent trait is her crippling shyness and anxiety, especially evident in her hesitant dialogue (e.g., “…uh… heheh…? hrm…”) and panic over social interactions. Her inner monologue, which the player can hear, reveals a “labyrinth of self-torment,” amplifying her introverted nature.
• Trauma Button: Lillian’s anxiety stems from past bullying, and her inner monologue often spirals when triggered by social situations or perceived judgment (e.g., fearing the Scout can hear her thoughts).