Welcome wagon

A welcome wagon is an event that occurs soon after a household moves in. Other Sims from the neighborhood/world will visit the household, giving the newly moved-in Sims an opportunity to meet other Sims and make connections early on.

Sims participating in a welcome wagon will enter the lot like invited visitors would. In The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3, they will ring the doorbell and wait outside for a period of time until they are greeted. As for The Sims 4 visiting Sims will knock on the door instead. The welcome wagon will end and all visiting Sims will leave if they are not greeted in time.

The Sims
In The Sims, the welcome wagon usually consists of just two Sims. By default, the welcome wagon consists of Mortimer and Bella Goth in Neighborhood 1, and Frankie and Sylvia Marie Mashuga in Neighborhood 2. Otherwise, two random Sims from other households are selected and used for the welcome wagon.

The Sims 2
Welcome wagons in The Sims 2 are more sophisticated, and will usually consist of three neighbors, preferably unemployed, that the new arrivals do not know of yet. While the game will typically use neighbors, it will use townies for the welcome wagon if there aren't enough neighbors around. The game will also usually pick three Sims for the welcome wagon, although in rare occasions only two or even one Sim is used.

The welcome wagon will usually consist of adults and/or elders, although teens have sometimes been used.

Welcome wagons occur whenever a Sim moves into the neighborhood, even if they lived in it previously. If a family moves into the neighborhood, moves out, and then moves in again, they will receive another welcome wagon.

Sims living in an apartment will have a different welcome wagon. Instead of neighbors and townies from other lots, the welcome wagon will consist of apartment neighbors.

The Sims 3
Welcome wagons return in The Sims 3 and are similar to those in The Sims. Welcome wagons only occur if the player moves in a new family straight from the family bin in the household select mode. If the player chooses an existing family already living in the world or goes to Edit Town mode, moves in a family from the family bin, returns to household select mode, and then chooses the family, the welcome wagon will not occur. In addition, the tutorial must be off and the lot must not be empty.

The welcome wagon will start three hours after Sims move in. When the welcome wagon occurs, the game will pick two to three Sims from neighboring inhabited lots and will generally not use townies. They will wait around three hours until greeted by the residents, otherwise they will leave. If no Sims are living nearby, no one will come to welcome the residents. If Late Night is installed, celebrities are never picked for the welcome wagon.

The Sims 4
When Sims move into a neighborhood in The Sims 4, neighboring Sims from the same neighborhood will visit the lot with some gourmet fruitcake. Sims will randomly either like or dislike this fruitcake no matter the quality, and will either have the "Enthuse about Fruitcake" or the "Complain about Fruitcake" interaction available from that moment onwards depending on their reaction. The welcome wagon arrives about three hours after the Sims have moved in. If the neighbors are not greeted within a couple hours, the welcome wagon event will end and the neighbors will leave with a drop in relationship with the members of the household.

There will be no welcome wagon if there are no other neighboring Sims in the neighborhood.