Is there any other man as energetic, witty, and helpful as good ol’ Beedle in the Zelda series? Whether you’re sailing the seas, soaring the skies, or roaming the vast open world of Hyrule, Beedle will be there for you. He’s got the goods, he’s got the bants, and he’s got an unrivaled love for beetles. The only thing that comes close to his beetle fascination is his love for keeping your inventory stocked, and we all love him for it.
In my (Bombers’) book, Beedle has become more lovable with every version of his character. It was in The Wind Waker when his business first set sail, and since then he returned in The Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild, with additional cameos in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Cadence of Hyrule.
As much as I’d love to highlight what makes all of his appearances great, I’m going to focus on my favorite three: The Wind Waker, Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild. To me, these installments were the ones that truly developed his charming personality, leading to the Breath of the Wild iteration that is my favorite to date.
The Wind Waker
When I first browsed Beedle’s Shop Ship in The Wind Waker, I’ll admit that the pink-nosed, freckled-faced merchant wasn’t all that striking to me. In fact, I thought he had the potential to be irritating, with his anxious expression and excitable personality. But all it took was a couple of visits to overturn this preconception, and I realized Beedle was a true businessman. His smart wit and genuine giddiness quickly became apparent when I visited his various shops across the sea, browsed his range of useful items, and sealed the deal with rupees.
What’s more, his personality is really infectious. Whether he’s welcoming you into the shop with a boisterous “OHHHHHH! A customer!”, encouraging you to “Buy buy buy!”, or reaffirming how “You’re happy, I’m happy… We’re all happy!”, his excitement for his trade makes the somewhat mindless task of stocking up on items that much more entertaining. You got me, Beedle. I’ll take the All-Purpose Bait and buy your bombs.
Not only do his sales pitches grab you, but so does the insanely catchy tune that plays in his Shop Ship. Despite its simplicity, the upbeat tempo has such a feel-good vibe to it, which complements Beedle’s bouncy personality perfectly. It’s no wonder that it’s been remixed and it makes me want to make Link dance to the melody. That is, while Beedle looks at me with complete befuddlement, wondering if I’ve eaten too many Hyoi Pears.
As well as all that, Beedle’s Ships that sail around just about everywhere on the Great Sea are genuinely useful. Not only can you stock up on important items like Arrows and Bombs, but you can also find a Bottle, a Piece of Heart, and a Treasure Chart. And that’s not all: You can also sell your loot to him! With rupees playing a pivotal role later in the game, it’s a well-needed mechanic. This proper trading aspect also sells his role as a merchant better, I think. You really do get the sense that he enjoys peddling all sorts of wares across the sea.
His entrepreneurial skills don’t even stop there. When you first buy something from Beedle, he signs you up for a Member’s Card (“just for you”) which allows you to save up points every time you buy from him. He promises you that “something good will happen” once you have enough points.
If you hit 30, you earn a Complimentary ID, and redeeming it will hilariously reward you with exactly what it says on the tin: a round of compliments. You absolute smart-arse, Beedle. Well played. Fortunately, you can save 60 points to get an actual reward: a Full-Up Coupon that replenishes all your consumable items (only once though) such as bombs and arrows, and a special “VIP” status. Wow, Beedle-senpai recognized me! I’m so happy.
Skyward Sword
I have a confession to make before I talk about Beedle and his Airshop: I haven’t actually played Skyward Sword yet. Yes I know, I’m such a fake Zelda fan. But despite that, good old Beedle didn’t go unnoticed by me. Believe it or not, his appearance in the game is actually making me really want to play it because he is full of sass.
Beedle is low-key genuinely witty in his Wind Waker appearance, and in Skyward Sword it looks like they decided to turn that wit up to eleven. His sales tactics went from those of a nice local merchant to that of the mafia. Trying to talk to him while he’s busy peddling his goods and the ship? Hope you don’t mind being called fat. Trying to leave without buying anything from his Airshop? Hope you didn’t need your legs. He’ll drop you like a rock from his trap door with a full-on smile on his face.
Who hurt you, Beedle? What happened to make you install that trap door in the first place? Was it me? Or were you just evil from the beginning? Well, when you think about the timeline, Skyward Sword is historically first, so this is likely the very first Beedle. It all began with him, subtly insulting his customers and dropping them from 20 feet in the air.
Perhaps his descendants realized over time that his mercenary approach was not the best, and decided to trade in the aggressive strategy for a more personable, savvy one. That was the right move, Beedle. Because 10,000 years later (or however many it was between Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild), you would transform into the most lovable version of yourself (with just a hint of that evil streak left).
Breath of the Wild
Beedle was back and better than ever in Breath of the Wild, returning as a roaming merchant who you can visit at various stables across Hyrule. He offers a decent range of items (and absolutely saved me in a few pinches when I needed a random lizard or butterfly for an armor upgrade), though these encounters aren’t as exciting as visiting his previous shops, sadly.
Despite that, it’s incredible that his shop went from a cozy boat, to a foot-pedaled airship, to a gigantic beetle-shaped pack that he carries around on his back, day and night. Plus, it’s fully decked out with bunting, a roof, a lantern, a sign, and a serving counter. Here I thought carrying around three tree branches, two mops, a rusty broadsword, a pot lid, a bushel of apples, and a bunch of Bokoblin Guts was hard. He’s carrying an entire shop on his back. What a hero.
But it’s not just his stock or impressive muscles that sell Beedle to me. What truly makes this iteration great is the range of his personality.
From the moment you first meet Beedle in Breath of the Wild, he is friendly to talk to and eager to serve. Best of all, though, he’s equipped with brilliant quips and he dishes out compliments for his most-cherished customer: you. Some of these brought a beaming smile to my face, while others made me genuinely laugh out loud. My favorite examples are the following bits of dialogue:
“Oooooh! We meet again! We must have been married in our past lives!”
“Oh! I knew I’d see you again. I think that technically makes you my stalker! HAHAHAHA! But seriously, I’m going to have to ask you to stop following me around… Who am I kidding? I love the attention!”
“Whaaa? You came to see me again? That makes Beedle SO HAPPY! But don’t get the wrong idea now — Beedle’s heart belongs to Hyrule.”
These are just too wholesome. Beedle, have my heart. Have all 30 of them. I know yours belongs to Hyrule, but I’m OK with that.
What’s even more hilarious is that his love for beetles is back — so much so that it’s become memeable. You can find beetles out in the wild, and if you talk to Beedle with just one in your inventory, he will sniff it right out. He gets extremely excited to the point where he’s practically begging you to give it to him (in exchange for something, of course; he is a trader after all). The conversation usually goes something along the following lines:
“Hey, how are you feeling toda– Huh, could that be? Th-that’s an energetic rhino beetle! It’s a rare beetle you almost never see! P-p-please! Would you please consider giving your beetle to Beedle?! I just can’t leave here without that beetle! I’ll trade you an energizing elixir for it!”
Now, the conversation can go one of two ways: To Beedle loving you forever for uniting him with such a beautiful beetle, or to him conspiring against you to take that beetle by force.
“Really? But this is such a good deal…and that beetle really wants to be with me. I just don’t understand your thought process here… Maybe I’ll sneak into his inventory and replace it with a common beetle while he’s not looking. He won’t know the difference… No, I’ll hire someone to do it for me. No need to get my hands dirty… hehehehehe….
“Oh, you’re still here? I thought you left.”
This is genuinely hilarious. His evil streak has clearly lived throughout countless millennia. Lucky for you, Beedle, I’ve given you my hearts, so you can have all my beetles too. I’d normally give them to him anyway, because if you don’t, he will keep asking you, and you’ll miss out on his other beautiful quotes. It’s a small price to pay for the beauty of Beedle’s banter.
