T is for Tingle

"Tingle, Tingle! Kooloo-Limpah! These are magic words that Tingle created himself. Don't steal them!"

When thinking of what to write for "T" day, the first thought I had was of Tingle, so I'm going with it. For those who don't know about Tingle, you haven't played enough Legend of Zelda.

Tingle is a weirdo. In fact, in a gaming series full of weirdos, Tingle's really high up on the weirdo list. The first game he was ever in is Majora's Mask. He sold Link maps. Link could  buy these maps after he shot down Tingle's balloon.  You see, Tingle floats around via balloon. One red balloon that's stored in his backpack. If that's not strange enough, he also wants to be a fairy, dresses up like Link, and he's 35 years old. You also meet Tingle's dad in Majora's Mask. Needless to say, he's not too impressed by his son's behavior.

The game that made Tingle infamous for me is Wind Waker. He's kind of a money-grubbing jerk. After Link springs him from jail, he gives him a poorly drawn map of "Tingle Island."  When Link gets there, Tingle's brothers are doing all the work as he lazes about. Tingle charges him 398 rupees to decipher each of the eight Triforce locations. That's a hell of a lot of cash.

Tingle's also been in Four Swords Adventures were he tries to steal Force Gems from Link. Tingle and his brothers also appear in the Minish Cap. He made an appearance in Oracle of Ages as well.

Even if Tingle isn't in some of the Legend of Zelda games there still might be a mention of him. There's a wanted poster of him in Phantom Hourglass. Statues and a picture of him in Spirit Tracks and a doll in Skyward Sword can be found.

Even though he's somewhat annoying, Tingle has become part of the Legend of Zelda experience for me. He doesn't need to be active in every game, but finding a doll or poster is a cool way to remind Zelda fans of one of the greatest weirdos to ever grace the series.