Short answer: Penny loves Diamond, Emerald, Melon, Poppy, Poppyseed Muffin, Red Plate, Roots Platter, Sandfish, Tom Kha Soup and All Books, plus universal loves such as a Prismatic Shard. Penny's birthday is Fall 2 (a Tuesday), when a loved gift is worth 640 friendship points instead of 80. The cheapest loved gift you can grow for Penny is Poppy, grown in Summer and kept until then.
Quick facts
- Birthday: Fall 2, a Tuesday.
- Marriage: yes. Friendship stops at 8 hearts (2,000 points) until you give Penny a Bouquet, so extra gifts before that are wasted.
- Own gift lists: 9 loved, 2 liked and 9 hated by name, and 7 exceptions to the universal lists.
- Crops to grow for Penny: 2 loved and 26 liked.
What Penny loves
| Gift | Also loved by |
|---|---|
| Diamond | Maru, Evelyn, Gus, Jodi, Krobus, Marnie, Willy |
| Emerald | Emily, Clint, Dwarf |
| Melon | Nobody else |
| Poppy | Nobody else |
| Poppyseed Muffin | Leah |
| Red Plate | Nobody else |
| Roots Platter | Nobody else |
| Sandfish | Nobody else |
| Tom Kha Soup | Elliott |
Only Penny loves Melon, Poppy, Red Plate, Roots Platter and Sandfish.
Penny also loves whole groups: All Books.
The universal loves count too: Golden Pumpkin, Magic Rock Candy, Pearl, Prismatic Shard and Stardrop Tea. What "universal" means and the points for each kind of gift: gift rules for every villager.
What Penny likes
Penny likes Dandelion and Leek, and All Artifacts; All Milk. A liked gift (+45) is the easy fallback when you have nothing loved: 26 crops count as liked for Penny.
Birthday gift plan for Fall 2
Nothing from shop seeds is ready in Fall by day 2, so grow the gift in Summer and keep it in a chest: crops never spoil. Cheapest choices: Poppy (loved, sells for 140g), Melon (loved, sells for 250g) and Corn (liked, sells for 50g).
The loved crops (Melon and Poppy) can't be grown from seed by Fall 2; harvest one in Summer and keep it in a chest, since crops never spoil.
Other Fall birthdays, so one trip can cover several: Elliott (Fall 5), Jodi (Fall 11), Abigail (Fall 13), Sandy (Fall 15), Marnie (Fall 18), Robin (Fall 21), George (Fall 24).
Gifts to avoid
Penny hates Beer, Grape, Holly, Hops, Mead, Pale Ale, Piña Colada, Rabbit's Foot and Wine (-40 each), and dislikes Algae Soup, Duck Feather, Pale Broth, Purple Mushroom, Quartz, Red Mushroom, Salmonberry and Wool (-20). On top of that come the universal hates, such as trash and bait.
Neutral (+20) for Penny: Daffodil, Ginger, Hazelnut, Snow Yam, Wild Horseradish and Winter Root, and All Eggs (except Void Egg); All Fruit (except Fruit Tree Fruit, Grape, Melon, & Salmonberry); All Mushrooms (except Purple & Red).
Where Penny breaks the universal rules
These items are universal for most villagers, but not for Penny:
- Rabbit's Foot: Penny hates it, though most villagers love it.
- Piña Colada: Penny hates it, though most villagers like it.
- Duck Feather: Penny dislikes it, though most villagers are neutral about it.
- Hops: Penny hates it, though most villagers are neutral about it.
- Wool: Penny dislikes it, though most villagers are neutral about it.
- Poppy: Penny loves it, though most villagers hate it.
- Red Mushroom: Penny dislikes it, though most villagers hate it.
To check any single item, with the points for each quality and day, open the Gift Finder for Penny.