There are 13 items that you’ll need to obtain and then give away in Link’s Awakening’s trade quest. You’ll need to get different items at different times in order to unlock certain areas. Furthermore, you’ll eventually get a vital tool.
Table Of Contents
List of All the Trade Quest Items
Here’s a breakdown of every item you’ll come across for the trade quest. The items are listed in order of acquisition.
- Yoshi Doll
- Ribbon
- Canned Food (sometimes called Dog Food)
- Bananas
- A Stick
- Honeycomb
- Pineapple
- Hibiscus
- A Goat’s Letter
- Broom
- Fishing Hook
- Mermaid’s Necklace
- Mermaid’s Scale
When You Should Get Each Item
Since you’ll need some items to reach certain areas of the game, you can’t truly rush the trade quest. They are tied to how to get into certain dungeons, so you’ll need to gradually work through the trade quest as you progress through the main quest of finding every Siren Instrument.
To help you keep track of when is the best time to get each item, here’s a breakdown of the ideal timing:
- Yoshi Doll, Ribbon, Canned Food, and Bananas before entering Level 1 – Tail Cave
- A Stick and Honeycomb after clearing Level 2 – Bottle Grotto and before entering Level 3 – Key Cavern
- Pineapple and Hibiscus after clearing Level 3 – Key Cavern and before entering Level 4 – Angler’s Tunnel
- A Goat’s Letter, Broom, Fishing Hook, Mermaid’s Necklace, and Mermaid’s Scale after clearing Level 4 – Angler’s Tunnel
How to Get the Yoshi Doll
The very first of the trade quest items is the Yoshi Doll. You can find it in Trendy Game. The Yoshi Doll will be sitting on the spot closest to the conveyor belt, making it easy to grab.
All you’ll need to win it from Trendy Game are 10 Rupees to play the game and some skill with the claw arm. For the best chances of picking up the odd-shaped doll, you’ll want to line up the claw arm’s central white light on Yoshi’s nose—between its eyes and nostrils.
How to Get the Ribbon
After you get the Yoshi Doll, you’ll need to trade it for the Ribbon. To do so, head to Mamasha and Papahl’s house in the north of Mabe Village. Within, speak to Mamasha and she’ll say that she wants the Yoshi Doll for her baby.
Agree to the trade and Mamasha will give you the Ribbon in exchange for the Yoshi Doll. Next, you’ll want to hit up another house in Mabe Village for the next trade quest item.
How to Get Canned Food (Dog Food)
To make use of the Ribbon, head to Madam MeowMeow’s house in the center of Mabe Village. Go through the eastern door to find a small chain chomp named CiaoCiao. When you speak to CiaoCiao, they will mention how much they love fashionable accessories.
Also, if you have the Ribbon on you, they’ll propose a trade. CiaoCiao will give you some Dog Food in exchange for the Ribbon.
How to Get Bananas
You’ll need to meet Sale the talking blue crocodile to use your canister full of juicy beef. When you speak to Sale in their house in the middle of Toronbo Shores, they will mention that they want your Canned Food. At this point, you can trade them the Canned Food (Dog Food) for some Bananas.
However, after this, you shouldn’t worry about future trade quest items for a while. The Bananas will be needed in a roundabout way for getting the Slime Key, which lets you enter Level 3 – Key Cavern. As such, the trade quest will pick back up after you clear Level 2 – Bottle Grotto.
How to Get a Stick
In order to get the Slime Key, you’ll need to help Richard get his Golden Leaves from Kanalet Castle. You’ll need the Bananas to get across the moat in order to find a hidden entrance to the castle.
After getting the quest from Richard in his villa within Pothole Field, head east across Ukuku Prairie until you reach the bridge leading to Kanalet Castle’s closed gate. From there, go east through a thin path until you find a monkey named Kiki
Speaking to Kiki will let you pay them and their friends with your bunch of Bananas in exchange for building a bridge across the moat. Afterward, there will be a Stick left behind that you’ll get following the construction cutscene.
How to Get Honeycomb
After you raid Kanalet Castle for its Golden Leaves, you’ll need to make your way back to Richard’s Villa. However, on the way, you should make use of your Stick. On the west of Ukuku Prairie (a bit northeast of the Warp Point near Mabe Village), you’ll find Tarin observing a beehive.
You can lend Tarin your Stick, which he’ll use to poke the bee’s nest to try and get some honey. Obviously, this doesn’t end well for Tarin and he’ll shortly get chased off-screen by angry bees.
However, after Tarin’s failed honey harvesting, some Honeycomb will drop onto the ground. Following the cutscene where Tarin gets chased away, you’ll obtain the Honeycomb.
It won’t be efficient to seek out the next trade item just yet. Although, after you clear Level 3 – Key Cavern, you’ll be able to continue the trade quest without having to go out of your way.
How to Get the Pineapple
After you successfully conquer Level 3 – Key Cavern, you’ll need to head to the far east of Koholint Island. In search of the key that will let you into the fourth dungeon, you’ll need to pass through Animal Village.
In this quaint little town, you can find Chef Bear in the southernmost house. Speak to them and you’ll be able to trade the Honeycomb for a Pineapple. Furthermore, Chef Bear will give you some useful tips about how to move the Walrus blocking your way into Yarna Desert.
With that said, you won’t need to worry about the trade quest item after this one until you’ve obtained the Angler Key from that aforementioned desert.
How to Get the Hibiscus
When you’ve obtained the Angler Key and have used it to unlock the entrance to Level 4 – Angler’s Tunnel, you’ll need to ascend the Tal Tal Mountain Range.
As you progress to the area above the fourth dungeon’s entrance, you’ll pass a few caves. On a ledge above one of the caves, you can spot Papahl standing around. Head into the cave entrance closest to him and you’ll eventually make your way up to the ledge he is standing on.
Turns out that Papahl got lost on a hike and is very hungry. If you give him the Pineapple, you’ll get a Hibiscus in return.
At this point, don’t be concerned with more trade quest items. Head into Level 4 – Angler’s Tunnel first. You’ll need the Flippers that you’ll get within in order to obtain a few items in the trade quest later on.
How to Get a Goat’s Letter
After you clear Level 4 – Angler’s Tunnel, you should complete the trade quest, as nothing can stop you now that you have the Flippers and can swim.
Your next stop should be Animal Village, where you’ll need to find Christine the goat. She is within one of the northern houses on the east side of town—the one directly east of Schule Donavitch’s brightly-colored abode.
When you speak to Christine, you can give her a Hibiscus. This will cause her to trust you, and, as a result, she’ll ask you to deliver an important letter. This message, a Goat’s Letter, is addressed to Mr. Write, who lives north of the Mysterious Forest.
How to Get a Broom
To reach Mr. Write’s house, you’ll need to return to the Mysterious Forest and get to the northwest exit. This will bring you to a house across from some small holes you can jump across with the Roc’s Feather.
Within, you can speak to Mr. Write to deliver a Goat’s Letter. After some funny dialogue, the letter enthusiast will give you a Broom as a reward.
How to Get a Fishing Hook
Following the acquisition of the Broom, you’ll need to give it to someone in Mabe Village. When you return to this town, head south to Old Man Ulrira’s house to find Grandma Yahoo just outside.
Speak to her to give her a new Broom (her old one broke), and she’ll gratefully reward you with a Fishing Hook. However, this bit of fishing gear is not used at Mabe Village’s fishing pond. You’ll need to head to Martha’s Bay to make use of it.
How to Get the Mermaid’s Necklace
In order to get the Mermaid’s Necklace (sometimes referred to as simply the “Necklace”), you’ll need to swim to the south of Martha’s Bay.
Start from Animal Village and go west until you find a couple of entrances to Martha’s Bay’s waters via two separate sets of stairs. Both of these sets of stairs will be directly northwest of a vertical line of trees.
Descend the southern set of stairs to get into a small body of water east of an island with an owl statue on it. Swim as far south as you can and then swim west. Here, it will look like a dead-end, but you can actually swim under the simple bring connecting the owl statue island to the land south of it.
Under this bridge, you’ll enter a side-view area where a fisherman will be angling peacefully. You can hop onto their boat and speak to them to offer the angler your Fishing Hook.
As thanks for the brand new Fishing Hook, the fisherman will give you the first thing he catches—which will be a Necklace. This Necklace belongs to the mermaid of Martha’s Bay. You’ll need to return the pink jewelry to her in order to get the last trade quest item.
How to Get the Mermaid’s Scale
Swim back up to the area with the two sets of stairs northwest of the vertical line of trees. This time, take the western set of stairs to enter the main body of Martha’s Bay. Go a bit further west and you’ll encounter the mermaid who lives in these waters.
When you speak to her, she’ll tell you that she recently lost her Necklace, which, when prompted, you can return. Overjoyed, the mermaid will reward you with a Scale from her tail.
This is the final item of the trade quest! After this point, you won’t need to trade anything else. You’ll just need to use the Mermaid’s Scale to unlock a hidden staircase south of Martha’s Bay. For a hint on how to do so, head to Schule Donavitch’s house and speak to the red crocodile for a helpful hint.
What to Do After You Get the Mermaid’s Scale
When you get the Mermaid’s Scale, you can talk to Schule Donavitch in Animal Village to learn of a mermaid statue south of Martha’s Bay. However, before you head down there, you’ll need the Hookshot from Level 5 – Catfish’s Maw to reach the mermaid statue (and the hidden staircase beneath it).
Below the mermaid statue lies the Magnifying Lens. You’ll need it to both get a hint about the final area of the game (inside the Wind Fish’s Egg) as well as to get the mighty Boomerang.
