The Nintendo Switch remake has ten collectible figurines. Win them at the Trendy Game and put each one on its matching stand in Mabe Village. Progress through the dungeons to unlock the sequence; BowWow becomes available after the ending.
Large searches on Koholint are not necessary: You can win all the figures in the Trendy Game in the southeast of Mabe Village. The actual progress is linked to the plot. A new character appears after important story sections or the regular dungeons. However, Link can only carry one figure at a time. As long as you haven’t placed the current figure on the correct base, the next one won’t appear. Anyone who follows our Link’s Awakening Walkthrough should therefore return shortly to Mabe Village after each dungeon, win the new figure and deliver it immediately.
How the figurine collection works
figures work
The figures represent opponents and characters from the Mario universe that also appear on Koholint. In total there are CiaoCiao, Goomba, Spiny, Boo, Cheep-Cheep, Blooper, Shy Guy, Piranha Plant, Pokey and finally BowWow. The order is largely fixed. Once you have won a figure, look for the matching base in one of the houses in Mabe Village and place it there. After the story has progressed accordingly, the next character can appear in the Trendy Game.
You can’t miss anything permanently. A character that has already been unlocked will remain available until you win it. So it’s not a problem if you return to Trendy Game several dungeons later. For an optimal 100% route, we still recommend collecting the figures promptly, because some other prizes of the Trendy Game only come after a figure has been placed.
1. CiaoCiao Figure
The first figure represents CiaoCiao or CiaoCiao, the little chain dog with the bow. It can be activated very early. First, win the Yoshi doll in the Trendy Game and start the exchange series. Drop off the Yoshi doll at Mamasha, get the ribbon and bring it in for a bargain at Madam MeowMeow. The CiaoCiao Figure can then appear in the Trendy Game.
Win it with the grab arm and bring it back to Madam MeowMeow. The matching base is in her house or at the chain dogs. Place the figure there so that the next figure can be unlocked later.
2. Goomba figure
After completing the Tail Cave, the Goomba figure will appear in the Trendy Game if CiaoCiao is already on its base. Win Goomba and take the figure to the house of Marin and Tarin in the center of Mabe Village.
There is the first of two figure bases. Place Goomba on it and then continue your adventure.
3. Spiny figure
After completing the Bottle Grotto, the Spiny figure will be unlocked. It ends up again as a new price in the Trendy Game. Get them out of the machine with the gripper arm and take them to the big house of Mamasha and Papahl in the north of Mabe Village.
This house has a total of four figure bases and can accommodate most figures. Spiny comes to the place intended for him. If you are in the village after the Bottle Grotto anyway, you can also check whether further permanent crane prices have become available.
4. Boo figure
The Boo figure appears after completing the Key Cavern. The prerequisite is that Spiny has been set up beforehand. Boo is a little more difficult to grip than some of the smaller figures due to its round shape. Try to lower the claw as centrally over him as possible. If the figure slips out, it can even be helpful to first move it to a more convenient position in the lower area of the machine.
After winning, bring Boo to Mamasha and Papahl and place it on one of the free bases.
5. Cheep-Cheep figure
After the Angler’s Tunnel, the Cheep-Cheep figure is ready. Win the red fish in Trendy Game and then take it to Old Man Ulrira. His house is in the southwest of Mabe Village and is hard to confuse because of the telephone or Ulrira’s particular penchant for telephone conversations.
There are two figure bases in Ulrira’s house. Cheep-Cheep takes the first one of these. After the Angler’s Tunnel, a real Cheep-Cheep will also be available in the expanded fishing pond, making the return to Mabe Village worthwhile in several ways.
6. Blooper Figure
After completing the Fish Mouth, the next thing to appear is the Blooper Figure. Like Cheep-Cheep, Blooper is also placed at Old Man Ulrira. Win the figure and place it on his second free base.
Blooper is one of the more unwieldy crane prices. If the claw does not hold the body reliably, it will not necessarily attempt to transport it to the shaft in a single pass. It is often easier to first push the figure off a platform and then grab it from a more convenient position.
7. Shy Guy Figure
The Shy Guy is unlocked after the Face Shrine. Get the figure from the Trendy Game and bring it to the house of Mamasha and Papahl. The next free base is waiting there.
If after the Face Shrine a new Chamber Stone is also offered in the corner shop, you can combine both tasks on the same return to Mabe Village.
8. Piranha Plant Figure
After completing the Eagle’s Tower, the Piranha Plant will appear in the Trendy Game. Win it and then take it to Marin and Tarin‘s house.
The piranha plant is there on the second pedestal next to the already placed goomba. This means that both brackets in Marin and Tarin’s house are completely occupied.
9. Pokey figure
After the eighth regular dungeon, the Turtle Rock, the Pokey figure is unlocked. Win it as usual in the Trendy Game. The tall Pokey, made up of several balls, can easily tip over when gripped. If the claw does not hold him reliably, first try to bring him to a flat position and grab as close to his middle as possible.
Pokey belongs in the house of Mamasha and Papahl. If you have already delivered Spiny, Boo and Shy Guy, Pokey fills the fourth and final base of this house.
10. BowWow figure – only after the end of the game
After the Turtle Rock, you are still missing exactly one figure despite all eight regular dungeons. This is not another normal dungeon reward, but rather the BowWow figure or BowWow. It will only be unlocked after you have completely completed Link’s Awakening.
So go to the Wind Fish Egg, defeat the last nightmares and watch the credits until the end. Then save or load the completed score. You can recognize it by the star next to the save file. Return to Mabe Village with this save and visit Trendy Game again. The tenth and final figure is waiting there: BowWow.
Win BowWow with the gripper arm and bring the figure to Madam MeowMeow. The second socket is located there next to CiaoCiao. As soon as it says BowWow, you have collected all ten figures from the Nintendo Switch remake.
BowWow requires a completed save file marked with a star and all nine previous figurines placed on their stands. Dampé’s Heartbreak challenge rewards a Fairy Bottle.
All figurine stands in Mabe Village
The ten figures are spread over just four houses. So you don’t have to search Koholint for hidden sockets. All brackets are in Mabe Village:
- Madam MeowMeow: CiaoCiao and BowWow
- Marin and Tarin: Goomba and Piranha Plant
- Old Man Ulrira: Cheep-Cheep and Blooper
- Mamasha and Papahl: Spiny, Boo, Shy Guy and Pokey
If you have won a figure and no longer know where it belongs, you can also check its name in the Items or when you pick it up. The figures can only be placed on the base provided.
Reward for all ten figures
After your shaggy is set up and really all ten figures in Mabe Village after you have distributed it, return to it again Trendy Game go back and talk to the owner. As a special reward you will get another one Chamber Stone for Dampé‘ Chamber labyrinths. This stone is one of the 14 regular Chamber Stones of the remake and can therefore only be collected in the postgame.
In addition, the owner permanently halves the price of the crane game: instead of 10Rupees Afterwards, one round only costs 5 Rupees. While there are unlikely to be any one-time prizes left at this point, the perk is a nice reward for fully decorated homes Mabe Village.
When does which figure appear?
| Figure | Activation | Socket |
|---|---|---|
| CiaoCiao | After replacing the Ribbon with CiaoCiao | Madam MeowMeow |
| Goomba | After the Tail Cave | Marin and Tarin |
| Spiny | After the Bottle Grotto | Mamasha and Papahl |
| Boo | After the Key Cavern | Mamasha and Papahl |
| Cheep-Cheep | After the Angler’s Tunnel | Old Man Ulrira |
| Blooper | After the Catfish’s Maw | Old Man Ulrira |
| Shy Guy | After the Face Shrine | Mamasha and Papahl |
| Piranha Plant | After the Eagle’s Tower | Marin and Tarin |
| Pokey | After the Turtle Rock | Mamasha and Papahl |
| BowWow | After playing through on the star save | Madam MeowMeow |
Tips for the Trendy Game
The physics of the Trendy Game are significantly more pronounced in the Switch remake than in the Game Boy original. Figures can slip out of the claw, get caught on edges or deviate from the desired path due to the movement of the platforms. If you have difficult pieces, you shouldn’t obsessively try to win them in a single move. It is often easier to first push a figure off the upper platform and then pick it up from a more stable position on a second or third turn.
Large or round figures should be packed as close as possible to their center of gravity. For elongated figures like Pokey, a flat position is usually easier. Since the characters don’t disappear after they’ve been unlocked, you can collect Rupees at any time and try again later.
Figurines and other Trendy Game prizes
The Trendy Game contains much more than just the ten characters in the Switch remake. During the adventure you can win, among other things, the Yoshi doll for the exchange series, Pieces of Heart, Secret Seashells and special Chamber Stones. Some prizes only appear after certain story progressions or after previous one-off prizes have been removed from the machine.
That’s why it makes sense not only to look for the next figure after each dungeon, but also to check the other platforms of the Trendy Game. Our complete Walkthrough for Link’s Awakening includes these visits at the points where new permanent rewards were unlocked.