Beedle

Beedle in The Wind Waker
Beedle
Species	Human
Hair color	Brown
Eye color	Black
Debut	The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Beedle is a traveling salesman who has acted as a recurring character in the The Legend of Zelda series. All of his identical incarnations are friendly salesmen who usually wear only shorts, and he usually offers some type of rewards program in a deviation from most normal shops.

Background

Original Appearance

In The Wind Waker, Beedle was a enterprising merchant that sold in areas all across the Great Sea aboard his shop ship. His usual merchandise was the Bait Bag, all-purpose bait, and Hiyoi Pears. Later on, the pirates sold him a large supply of bombs, which he added to his lineup. He also sold arrows and red potions as well. Near Rock Sprite Isle, he had a secret location where he wore a helmet to mask his identity. There, he sold rare merchandise at high prices, which included a treasure chart, an empty bottle and a piece of a heart. To his valuable customers, he would issue a Beedle Chart which listed all of his different stops. It was his wish to eventually open up a chain of merchant ships.

Link frequently encountered Beedle during his quest. Beedle kept track of how many purchases Link took and encouraged him to continue to buy for the special 'rewards' that go with it. For thirty points, Link earned a heartfelt 'thank you' as a 'complimentary item'. For sixty points, Beedle would actually refill Link's hearts, bombs, and arrows. Link was also able to sell extra items from his Spoil Bag to him as well.

Beedle also appeared in Phantom Hourglass with a similar purpose. This time, he mostly sold potions and ship parts. His masked self also occasionally appeared with rare items including collectible items, Heart Containers and rare ship parts. Beedle also used a points system similar to the one in the previous game.

Skyward Sword

Beedle also ran an Air Shop in his chronologically earliest appearance in Skyward Sword, being one of the sky's human inhabitants. His shop roamed above Skyloft during the daytime, and at night he rested it at a small island in the sky, where he relaxed with a campfire. Customers had to get his attention by hitting a bell on the side of the ship (requiring some type of projectile item), at which point Beedle would lower a rope. Beedle spent all of his time peddling furiously on a bike to generate the electricity needed to keep the air ship airborne, and he did this to be eco-friendly. He had to peddle harder to accommodate for the extra weight of his customers, which often caused him to act passive-aggressively towards his customers. If anyone tried to leave without buying anything, he would activate a trap door to drop them down to Skyloft.

Beedle's actual wares included the Bug Net as well as extra pockets for the Adventure Pouch and rare medals. Sleeping in the bed at the Air Shop until night would cause Link to wake up at Beedle's island, and talking to Beedle while he was off the clock revealed that his real accent was a much more intellectual one similar to formal English. He would also gladly give Link a ride back to Skyloft in the morning. Near the end of the game, Beedle became worried when he lost his beloved pet, a Horned Colossus Beetle, with its cage. Link was able to retrieve it by winning in it from Stritch, and Beedle received it at his island at night. Beedle was filled with gratitude (producing five Gratitude Points) and offered to reward Link by offering him any one item at half price.

Other Games

Beedle was a merchant in Hyrule Town in The Minish Cap. He sold Picolyte, a rare substance of Minish origin, despite being an adult, and he particularly advocated its healthy applications, though its actual purpose was increasing luck in finding particular items. Initially, Beedle only had three types of Picolyte, but Link was able to cause three new varieties to appear by helping different Minish researchers.

In Spirit Tracks, Beedle ran an Air Shop based in a small blimp that sailed the skies of the new Hyrule. He sent out a letter to Link announcing the opening of his shop. When Beedle was in the area, Link could use his whistle to signal to Beedle, who would then land nearby, at which point Link could conduct business with him. He sold normal items in addition to bombs and a heart container. He also once more offered a membership for a 100 Rupee fee.

He also appeared as a traveling merchant in The Breath of the Wild. This incarnation had no vehicle and traveled around Hyrule on foot while toting a distinctive and large beetle-shaped backpack that was filled with his wares. He was most commonly found near stables. Beedle sold both ordinary items and insects, and as usual Link could also sell items to him. He could also detect whenever Link had any beetles on him and would offer to trade different food dishes or elixirs for them. If Link refused, he would quietly contemplate hiring someone to steal the beetles from him.

Trivia

• His name seems to be a play on "beetle". He is shown to have a beetle imprinted on his shorts in multiple appearances, and his love of beetles is described in both The Wind Waker and Skyward Sword. Additionally, his hair style is evocative of the famous British rock band from the 60s known as The Beatles.
• When Link gets in Beedle's boat in The Wind Waker, Beedle will sail his boat to a predetermined location near the island to let Link off. As such, King of Red Lions will also sail to that location as well.