Beedle

Beedle
Artwork of Beedle from The Wind Waker
First appearance	The Wind Waker (2003)
Appears in	The Wind Waker The Minish Cap Phantom Hourglass Spirit Tracks Skyward Sword Breath of the Wild
Gender	Male
Homeland	(The Wind Waker) Great Sea (The Minish Cap) Hyrule (Phantom Hourglass) World of the Ocean King (Spirit Tracks) New Hyrule (Skyward Sword) The Sky (Breath of the Wild) Hyrule
Race	Hylian
Affiliation(s)	(The Wind Waker) Spoiler: Tetra's Pirates (Implied Trading Partners)

"I'm going to make a Member's Card just for you! When you buy lots of things and build up your points, something good will happen to you! Something very good, indeed!"

— Beedle

Beedle, also known as Terry, is a recurring character in the Legend of Zelda series. He is a traveling merchant who sells various goods. He is a polite shopkeeper who values his customers and frequently provides benefits for preferred customers who frequently visit his stores.

Appearances

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Beedle's Shop Ship from The Wind Waker

Beedle has a shop boat and travels all around the Great Sea. When Link nears the Shop Ship, it will stop sailing, giving him a chance to come aboard. The Shop Ship can also be stopped from afar using the cannon. He also has a special ship where Link can buy rare items. Beedle uses a points system, giving Link points for every purchase he makes. After acquiring enough points, Link will receive a discount on the items he buys. Interestingly, Beedle has voice acting; he clearly cries out a welcoming "Ooooooooo" when Link arrives inside his store, says "Thank you!" after Link buys his items and gives a farewell of "Byyee!" when ending the shop dialogue.

It is implied he does business with Tetra's Pirates, as they apparently begin supplying him with Bombs after stealing them from Cannon.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

Beedle first appears in a stand at the Picori Festival. After the festival however, his stand will become deserted. If Link performs a certain Kinstone fusion and clears off the trash from the stand using the Gust Jar, Beedle will reappear in Hyrule Town's market. After this, he will sell Link Picolyte, which is a substance made by the Picori. Picolyte causes certain effects, such as finding more Kinstones, Rupees, Mysterious Shells, and others which can be obtainable after bringing a Picori the right ingredients to make the new Picolyte. These newer Picolyte are sold for more than the regular Picolyte.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

"This savvy merchant sails across the Great Sea, pedaling his wares from his world-renowned Shop Ship. Though known to drive a hard bargain, Beedle is really just a friendly guy who loves the freedom his unique lifestyle provides him. He honors loyal customers with his special membership program, giving greater and greater discounts to those who spend their hard-earned Rupees at Beedle's!"

— The Phantom Hourglass guide

Beedle wanders the sea in his shop boat and sells treasures, including Ship Parts, potions, and rarer items such as Heart Containers. He also uses the points system, in which Link receives one point for every 100 Rupees he spends. As Link climbs the ranks of membership, he gets discounts and various Membership Cards. He also owns the Masked Ship, where he insists that he is not Beedle.

Interestingly, Beedle is called "Terry" in the English instruction manual. This is likely a translation error due to the fact that Beedle is actually called Terry in various localizations of the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Beedle floats across New Hyrule in his hot-air balloon. He sends Link a letter when the shop first opens, instructing him on how to use the Spirit Train's whistle to get his attention and have him come down to earth, allowing Link to shop there. His shop carries items such as Potions, Bombs and Treasures. Link can become a valued customer for a 100 Rupee fee. A Heart Container and a gold card is rewarded after having gathered 500 points (5000 Rupees) worth of items, which gives a 20% discount on future purchases. If his shop is hit with a cannon when on the ground, it will float away. A side quest is associated with his balloon. The boy at Aboda Village wishes to fly like a bird, so Link agrees to take him to Beedle's Air Shop for exchange for a Force Gem.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Beedle from Skyward Sword

Beedle is the proprietor of Beedle's Airshop, which is kept airborne by a propeller system, using a cycling apparatus to turn various gears inside the shop. During daytime, he flies around Skyloft, stopping only if Link hits a bell hanging from the bottom of shop with a ranged weapon. If Link leaves his shop after perusing his merchandise but not having made a purchase, Beedle will berate him for the extra physical effort he must exert while Link is aboard his shop, and promptly drop him down a trap door.

If Link sleeps in Beedle's bed until night, he will wake up on Beedle's Island, where Beedle parks his shop for the night. If Link speaks to Beedle near his campfire, he will reveal to him that the accent he uses in his capacity as a shopkeeper is not his true one; Beedle's true manner of speech is exceedingly loquacious. During this time, Beedle also reveals his most prized possession, a rare Horned Colossus Beetle, to Link.

At one point, Beedle loses his insect cage which houses his Horned Colossus Beetle and asks Link to look for it. Eventually, Link recovers it and brings it back to Beedle. Grateful, Beedle gives Link five Gratitude Crystals and offers to give him a 50% discount off one of his products currently in stock.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Beedle at Serenne Stable in Breath of the Wild

Beedle is a nomad merchant who travels around Hyrule in Breath of the Wild carrying his wares in a large rhino beetle shaped backpack. Beedle can be found in or near every Stable in Hyrule, though he may appear in other places such as Kara Kara Bazaar due to the lack stables in the Gerudo Desert as horses refuse to enter the desert. Unlike other traveling merchants, Beedle doesn't go very far and always returns to a safe place at night and can always be found in or near Stables, as he doesn't get very far due to his backpack, though ironically he is able to appear in these places whenever Link is in the area and has a mysterious ability to always be around these areas if Link needs his services. Depending at the location, Beedle has a different response each time Link encounters him. He is often surprised to see Link in the same area, even accusing him of being his stalker, and tells him he has to stop following him around - but immediately afterwords he takes it back, saying he loves the attention. Humorously, Beedle has a habit of entering areas unprepared, such as forgetting to bundle himself at Snowfield Stable or getting hot while walking around Kara Kara Bazaar wearing his heavy backpack which makes the heat worse. Beedle is a common fixture at Stables, though he tends to walk around during the day. However Link can simply wait or pass the time to night, when Beedle is resting inside the stable. Sho at Tabantha Bridge Stable is somewhat of a fan of Beedle due his rhino beetle-shaped backpack and tendency to sell insects which Sho is fascinated with.

In previous Zelda titles, Beedle carries infinite stock of dispensable items. However, in Breath of the Wild, Beedle carries a limited stock of dispensable items at any given time. If Link wishes to purchase additional items from Beedle, Link must leave the area and come back later so Beedle can restock.

Beedle's inventory is based on the place he is encountered. Beedle always sells Arrows, along with an assortment of materials - usually potion ingredients such as bugs, frogs, lizards, and monster parts, though he may sell vegetables and herbs. Link can obtain rare or hard to find potion ingredients such as Electric Darner, Smotherwing Butterfly, Thunderwing Butterfly, Tireless Frogs, and Hearty Lizards. The only bugs he does not sell are Rhino Beetles presumably due to his apparent obsession with them. He occasionally sells cooking ingredients such as Swift Carrot or Hearty Radish.

Like most shops and merchants in Breath of the Wild, Link can also sell Armor, Materials, Food Dishes, and Elixirs to Beedle for Rupees. Beedle claims to have the best deals in Hyrule though his prices are actually no different from other shops and merchants.

Beedle is right-handed and has a small notebook he will occasionally take out and write in. While inside the stable he may pull down a small suspended desk covered in a green cloth with a small tray on it, presumably for rupees to be placed in. This desk also has two flyers nailed onto it which say ‘Best value’ and ‘Great deals’ in the Hylian Language.

Beetle Trading

Like in Skyward Sword, Beedle is shown to have a fondness for beetles. As a result, he will detect if Link has any beetles in his inventory and will offer random food dish or elixirs to trade for it. Trading with beetles with him is completely optional, though it provides Link with a source of prepared food dishes, thus saving him time to cook it himself or allows Link to learn about recipes he might be unaware of like Fairy Tonic. Beedle will even tell Link how to make the dish or elixir he offers to trade. Link can only trade one beetle to Beedle once per day (in-game time). Beedle really loves Energetic Rhino Beetles as he will select them over all others if Link has one in his inventory. In fact, if Link refuses to trade one, Beedle under his breath (which appears in small text) he will plot to hire someone to sneak into Link's inventory to steal it, though this never actually occurs so there is no penalty for refusing to trade with Beedle other than him constantly pestering Link to trade though this can be avoided by simply not carrying Rhino Beetles. In addition to Energetic Rhino Beetles, Beedle will also trade for Bladed Rhino Beetles and Rugged Rhino Beetles as well. Link can also trade the beetle for a food dish or elixir, then sell the item back to Beedle for Rupees.

Etymology

The name Beedle is likely derived from the beetle motif on his shorts, as well as his love of beetles as stated on his Nintendo Gallery figurine. It is also believed to be a reference to The Beatles, as Beedle's hairstyle closely resembles the famous "mop top" haircuts sported by all four members of the band prior to 1965. This would also explain his fondness for beetles.