Tingle

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

- Tingle

Tingle is a recurring diminutive 35-year old man known for his flamboyant, childlike demeanor and behaviors. He believes himself to be reincarnated from a fairy, and dresses in a signature green jumpsuit in hopes of finding his own fairy someday. Additionally, he always refers to himself in the third person and constantly mistakes Link for a fairy himself, leading him to call him "Mr. Fairy." Despite his childish nature, Tingle is unrivaled in cartography, being able to create and decipher maps with ease. Aside from fairies and maps, Tingle also enjoys balloons and Rupees. Aside from his appearances in the The Legend of Zelda series, Tingle has a short series of self-titled games.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Tingle is introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask as one of the relatively few characters without a counterpart in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Here, he is depicted as a traveling mapmaker and vendor who uses the money he receives to help support his father, the Swamp Tourist Center Guide, who is embarrassed about his son's immature behavior. He can be found in North Clock Town, the road to Southern Swamp, the road to Goron Village, Milk Road, outside the Marine Research Lab, and in Ikana Village. Whenever he first meets Link in any three-day cycle, he will mistake him for a fairy, though his gaze is following Tatl, an actual fairy. After this, he allows him to buy a map of that region for a drastically reduced price as a sign of friendship. He also always sells one other map as well, though its price is not discounted. Whenever Link buys a map, Tingle recites his "magic words," "Tingle, Tingle! Kooloo-Limpah!" while tossing confetti. Due to Tatl, Tingle also recognizes Link if he changes forms.

When Link first arrives at Clock Town, Tingle can be found standing on the ground, occasionally dancing. Once Link gains the bubble blast ability, Tingle will henceforth appear floating with a large red balloon that needs popped with a projectile before he can be spoken with. Tingle, along with the Deku King, is one of two potential pictograph subjects that will cause the Swamp Tourist Center Guide to proclaim Link the winner of the pictograph contest, in this case out of embarrassment. Tingle is also seen during the credits sequence, where he watches Anju and Kafei's wedding from his balloon (and blocks Kafei's adult form from the camera), crying tears of joy then throwing confetti.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
In The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Tingle can be found in the present, floating over a stump on a high platform at the Forest of Time. To reach him, Link must use Ricky to leap up onto the ledges. When Link speaks with him, Tingle gives him the Island Chart needed to reach Crescent Island. After this, Ricky tells Link he is disturbed by Tingle's mannerisms, and henceforth refuses to go anywhere near him. Tingle can later be reached again through an alternate path requiring the Seed Shooter. Speaking to him again prompts him to give Link a Seed Satchel upgrade.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
In The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Tingle is found locked up on Windfall Island due to allegedly committing some sort of trouble. While the stolen Pictograph Box can be found from a passage in his cell with a note from its thief, it is not explicitly made clear whether the thief was Tingle or a previous occupant. After Link releases him, he gives him the Tingle Tuner, allowing the player to contact him and a second player to play as him if they have a Game Boy Advance. In The Wind Waker HD, he instead gives the Tingle Bottle, which had Miiverse functionality until the service's closure. Additionally, in both versions, he gives Link Tingle's Chart, showing where he can be found later as well as the two places Great Fairies that give wallet upgrades can be found.

Following his release, Tingle returns to Tingle Island, where he stands atop Tingle's Tower. If Link visits, he first asks if he wants to play, but when Link declines, Tingle asks if he needs help deciphering a map. However, unless Link has gained both wallet upgrades, Tingle will tell him he will not be able to pay for his services, so he retracts the offer. Once Link has completed the second run-through of the Forsaken Fortress, Tingle mails him the IN-credible Chart, showing the locations of the eight mysterious Triforce Charts. Only Tingle can decipher them, so Link needs to pay the steep price of 201 Rupees for each chart. In The Wind Waker HD, however, there are only three Triforce Charts, with the other five being replaced by their respective Triforce Shard.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, Tingle appears throughout the game, first appearing at Lake Hylia. He tells the Links he is looking for Force Gems to help him become a fairy, and then balloons off. He often floats onto the screen when a large amount of Force Gems appear, especially if it includes big ones. He is always targeting a particular large Force Gem, and if the player collects it, he will either leave dejectedly or switch targets to another. If he tries picking up a giant Force Gem, it will be too heavy for him to move, and he will give up and leave after a few moments. Additionally, a series of journals from Tingle, called the Tingle Times, appear throughout the game, and often foreshadow the nature of the stage they are found in.

Additionally, Tingle runs a multiplayer minigame mode in Tingle's Tower, where new minigames are unlocked after completing certain parts of the game.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
In The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, Tingle can be found atop a stump above a ledge near Link's House. He offers to fuse Kinstone pieces with Link, telling him he also gave some to his brothers Ankle, Knuckle, and honorary brother David Jr. Fusing with all four grants Link access to the Magical Boomerang. Additionally, Tingle and his brothers can tell Link how many fusions are left in the game. Once Link has performed all of them, Tingle gives him the Tingle Trophy.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
In The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Tingle makes a small cameo on a wanted poster on Mercay Island. As revealed by concept artwork in Hyrule Historia, Tingle and a brother were going to power an early SS Linebeck at an early point in the game's design.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
In The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, figurines of Tingle make a few cameos, most conspicuously at the Trading Post during the credits sequence. Another piece of concept artwork shows that an engine based on Tingle was considered, but rejected.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, a doll of Tingle can be found on the shelf in Zelda's room at the Knight Academy.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Tingle can be found in Great Bay, floating above the Marine Research Lab just like in Majora's Mask. His balloon can be used as a platform, but can also be popped by attacking it. Any fighters near the balloon when it pops receive minor damage.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Tingle appears as an Assist Trophy using his design from The Wind Waker. When summoned, he causes a random effect on the battle to occur, such as changing the stage's gravity or friction with balloons and banana peels, respectively, zooming the camera in on the player that spawned him, giving everyone the "curry breath" status, or releasing a large amount of Hammers and Golden Hammers. Additionally, he appears as a normal trophy and has two stickers.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U
In both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Tingle uses his design from The Wind Waker HD and reprises his role as an Assist Trophy. Additionally, he has a trophy in both versions.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Tingle reprises his role from Super Smash Bros. Melee as a Great Bay stage element, and additionally appears as a spirit.

Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland
In Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, Tingle is the main character, who starts as a depressed middle-aged man in a rut before a mysterious figure named Uncle Rupee promises him life in a paradise called Rupeeland if he gives him lots of Rupees. The man agrees, and Uncle Rupee gives him his iconic jumpsuit and dubs him "Tingle," telling him that henceforth, Rupees represent his own life force. From here, Tingle travels to various islands, bartering with the populace for more money, along with his assistant Pinkle. Eventually, however, it is revealed that Rupeeland is a barren wasteland and Uncle Rupee is a lying villain trying to amass power to enslave the entire populace, so Tingle must stop him.

Notably, in this game, most of Tingle's childish personality traits are downplayed, in part due to his role as a silent protagonist. He is more portrayed as somewhat clumsy and eager, though he is still associated with mapmaking and balloons.

Tincle no Balloon Fight DS
In Tincle no Balloon Fight DS, Tingle takes the role of the er, using his balloons to defeat balloon-using mosquito-faced enemies while avoiding them popping his own.

Irozuki Tincle no Koi no Balloon Trip
In Irozuki Tincle no Koi no Balloon Trip, Tingle again starts out as an ordinary middle-aged man, this time ordering a steeply discounted story book said to help men have better luck romantically. However, the book pulls him inside, making him become Tingle as he begins a quest parodying  to dance with the Princess, allowing him to return home. This time, instead of bartering with Rupees, Tingle needs to befriend some of the book's female characters in a dating sim parody so they will help him.

Hyrule Warriors
In Hyrule Warriors, Tingle appears as a playable warrrior introduced in the Majora's Mask DLC pack, and is in the base game of all later versions. However, he never takes any part in Legend Mode in any version. His weapon is the balloon, which he can inflate and pop in various ways to damage enemies and propel himself around. Additionally, he uses bombs, his map, his wallet, and a giant golden statue of himself as weapons. While occasionally using his cutesy mannerisms, his quotes tend to portray him as merely very eccentric if not outright insane in this game.

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda
In Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer featuring The Legend of Zelda, Tingle can be found asleep in a cave in the Lost Woods. To wake him up, the player needs to complete a rhythm puzzle to make a rock roll across several music note switches with proper timing to play a full verse of Saria's Song. Upon awakening, Tingle reveals he was trying to map out the Lost Woods, and in exchange for helping him, he gives the player Tingle's Dowser in order to find their way through to the Lost Swamp.

If the player gives him Deku Seeds, he will eat them and double their stamina meter, though in a call-back to the Mad Batter, he claims he is halving it. If the player gives more to him, he lets his Deku Scrub friend Yves adventure with them.

Reception
While relatively popular in Japan, Tingle attracted a large amount of scorn from the West, particularly the United States, due to his childish mannerisms coupled with his cartoonishly ugly face being seen as less endearing and more off-putting. Additionally, many complaints were made about his high prices in The Wind Waker, seeing him as a cheapskate serving only to artificially pad out the game's length. Presumably, this is the reason why the amount of times his services are required is drastically reduced in The Wind Waker HD. Additionally, due to his poor reception, none of the Tingle series games were released in America while only the first was released in Europe. This may have also factored into reducing his intended roles in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks to minute cameos in the final, as well as the general lessened use of the character.

Trivia

 * Tingle's signature "Kooloo-Limpah!" is actually a romanization of the Japanese Kururinpa, a Japanese equivalent to saying "Cuckoo!" to refer to a crazy person.