The Link's Awakening Trading Sequence Is the Most Helpful Chore in Gaming History

You’re wandering around Koholint Island, minding your own business, when you win a Yoshi Doll from a crane game. It seems like a useless trinket. Honestly, in any other game, it would be. But in this weird, Lynchian dream world, that doll is the first domino in a massive chain reaction known as the Link's Awakening trading sequence. If you don’t do it, you basically can’t finish the game—or at least, you’ll have a miserable time trying to navigate the final corridor of the Wind Fish’s Egg.

It’s a long haul.

Most players stumble into it by accident. You give a doll to a mother, she gives you a ribbon, you give the ribbon to a small dog-like creature, and suddenly you’re carrying a hibiscus flower through a desert. It feels like busywork until you realize the entire economy of the island runs on these weirdly specific desires. This isn't just a side quest; it's the narrative backbone of the game's world-building.

Why the Link's Awakening Trading Sequence Still Frustrates (and Charms) Players

The sequence is mandatory. Well, mostly. Technically, you need the final item to see the path through the final boss's lair. Without the Magnifying Lens—the ultimate prize—the book in the Mabe Village library is just a series of blank pages. You literally cannot see the directions to the Wind Fish without it.

People get stuck on the banana part. It's always the bananas. You get them from Sale the crocodile (who is strangely obsessed with canned food), and you have to find a monkey named Kiki near Kanalet Castle. If you don't have those bananas, Kiki won't build the bridge. No bridge, no castle access. No castle access, no golden leaves. The game grinds to a halt. It’s a bottleneck that forced 90s kids to call the Nintendo Power hint line, racking up phone bills that would make a modern microtransaction look like pocket change.

The Items That Make No Sense (Until They Do)

Let's look at the flow. It starts with that Yoshi Doll from the Trendy Game. You take it to Mamasha, the mother of multiples in Mabe Village. She gives you a Ribbon. You take that to BowWow’s house—specifically the small doghouse on the side—and trade it for Dog Food.

Wait. Why does a dog have canned food? Why does a crocodile want the dog food? Why does the crocodile give you bananas?

It’s nonsensical. But in the context of a dream, it’s perfect. The Link's Awakening trading sequence operates on dream logic. You give a Pineapple to a guy lost in the woods (Papahl), and he gives you a Hibiscus. You take that flower to a goat named Christine in the Animal Village. She’s a pen pal with a guy named Mr. Write. You deliver her letter, and Mr. Write—who looks suspiciously like the doctor from SimCity—gives you a Broom.

The Broom goes to Grandma Yahoo. She gives you a Fishing Hook. The Hook goes to a fisherman under a bridge. He gives you a Necklace. The Necklace goes to a mermaid who lost her top (or her scale, depending on which version of the game you’re playing).

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Then, finally, you get the Scale. You put the scale on a statue, go underground, and find the Magnifying Lens.

The Remake vs. The Original: Did Anything Change?

When Nintendo brought this back for the Switch in 2019, they kept the Link's Awakening trading sequence almost entirely intact. There was a huge opportunity to make it optional or skip-able, but Grezzo (the developer) leaned into the friction. The only real difference is the Mermaid’s Scale situation.

In the 1993 Game Boy original, the Mermaid lost her "bikini top." Link goes diving, finds it, and returns it. It was a bit... suggestive for a Nintendo game. By the time the DX version and the Switch remake rolled around, it was changed to a "missing scale." It fits the E-rating better, I guess. But the mechanics are the same. You’re still a glorified delivery boy for a bunch of eccentric NPCs.

The Secret Reward: The Boomerang

If you think the Magnifying Lens is the only reward, you’re missing the best weapon in the game. Once you have the lens, go to the beach. Look for a cracked wall. Inside, you’ll see a Goriya (a little devil-looking dude) who was previously invisible.

He offers to trade you something for the item you're currently "holding" on your X or Y button. Trade him the Shovel. Seriously. Or the Boomerang. Most people trade the Shovel because, by this point in the game, you've dug up everything worth digging. The Boomerang in Link’s Awakening is broken. It’s overpowered. It kills almost every enemy in one hit and circles back to you, hitting things twice. It makes the final dungeon a cakewalk.

Missing a Step? Here is How to Fix Your Progress

If you're staring at your inventory wondering why the goat won't talk to you, or why the fisherman is ignoring you, check your map. The sequence is strictly linear. You cannot jump from the Ribbon to the Pineapple.

1. The Yoshi Doll: Win it at the Trendy Game in Mabe Village.
2. The Ribbon: Give the doll to Mamasha in the northernmost house in Mabe.
3. The Dog Food: Give the Ribbon to the small dog in the doghouse next to Madam MeowMeow’s.
4. The Bananas: Take the Dog Food to Sale’s House o' Bananas on Toronbo Shores.
5. The Stick: Give the Bananas to Kiki the Monkey near the Kanalet Castle gate.
6. The Honeycomb: Use the Stick on the beehive in Ukuku Prairie (Tarin will help/get stung).
7. The Pineapple: Give the Honeycomb to the Chef Bear in Animal Village.
8. The Hibiscus: Give the Pineapple to Papahl (the guy who gets lost) in the Tal Tal Mountain Range.
9. The Letter: Give the Hibiscus to Christine (the goat) in Animal Village.
10. The Broom: Take the Letter to Mr. Write in his house north of the Mysterious Woods.
11. The Fishing Hook: Give the Broom to Grandma Yahoo in Animal Village (or Mabe, depending on timing).
12. The Necklace/Scale: Give the Hook to the Fisherman under the bridge in Martha’s Bay. Take what he gives you to the Mermaid nearby.
13. The Magnifying Lens: Take the Scale to the Mermaid Statue in the south of Martha's Bay.

It’s a lot of walking. Koholint isn’t huge, but without the fast-travel warp points unlocked, this feels like a marathon. The reward is worth it, though. Not just for the Lens, but for the Boomerang trade.

The Narrative Weight of a Lost Doll

There is a weird melancholy to the Link's Awakening trading sequence. You are meeting all these people, solving their tiny, mundane problems—a hungry crocodile, a grandmother who needs to sweep, a lonely pen pal. You’re building a community.

And then you remember the central twist of the game.

None of it is real.

Every time you trade an item, you’re deepening your connection to a world that is destined to vanish the moment you succeed. It’s the ultimate irony of Zelda design. The more you help the citizens of Koholint through this sequence, the more you realize what you’re going to lose when the Wind Fish finally wakes up. It turns a "fetch quest" into something much heavier.

Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough

If you’re booting up the game right now, keep these tips in mind to avoid the common headaches associated with the trade chain.

• Don't wait until the end. Start the sequence as soon as you have the sword. You can get the Yoshi Doll and the Ribbon immediately.
• Warp Points are your friend. Unlock the warp point near the Animal Village and the one near the Manbo’s Pond as soon as possible. It cuts the travel time for the later stages (like the Letter and the Broom) in half.
• The Boomerang is not permanent... unless it is. You can actually trade back for your original item if you really miss your Shovel, but why would you? The Boomerang is the strongest item in your arsenal.
• Read the Library Book early. Even if you don't have the Magnifying Lens, go to the Mabe Village library and make a mental note of where the book "The Hidden Power of Color" (in the DX/Switch versions) and the book about the "Crying Wind Fish" are. You'll need to return there the second you get that lens.

Check your inventory right now. If you have a Pineapple and haven't visited the mountains yet, you're falling behind. Get to the Tal Tal Mountain Range, find the guy who's "famished," and keep the chain moving. The Wind Fish isn't going to wake himself up.