Category: Evergreen

There is tons of Legend Of Zelda Merchandise for our beloved Hylian heroes. And if you’re a collector you might not only want to have any old Zelda merchandise. You might be looking for something special. Something really unique and rare.

You’ve come to the right place

Here at NintendoRetroLove we are looking for retro and retro inspired merchandise and memorabilia items for sale all around the web. Our eyes are everywhere, and if a Legend Of Zelda Merchandise item gets listed that we think is worth being shared, we’re on the scene ready to share it with our community.

As you may have guessed

Many of our finds are collectors items and obviously either hard to get or even super rare. So we cannot guarantee that they’ll always still be available for purchase. But we are working hard to keep our posts up date and always show you items that aren’t sold yet. So if anything here is of interest for you, you oughta be fast and get it quick!

Legend Of Zelda Golden Story Book ‘n Tape “Molblin’s Magic Spear”

Released 1990 and written by Jack C. Harris, Molblin’s Magic Spear is a children’s book that is based on Nintendo’s The Legend Of Zelda. Only a few copies of that book came with a listen-along cassette, which makes this a really special item for any die hard Legend Of Zelda Merchandise collector.

The story of the book takes place during Link’s quest to rescue Princess Zelda from Gannon in the events of the first The Legend Of Zelda Game. It presents a minor adventure, in which Link has an encounter with a Golblin who owns a magical spear, that when thrown, causes a new spear to appear in the Molblin’s hands.

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Get Golden Story Book ‘n Tape “Molblin’s Magic Spear” here.

Legend Of Zelda Trucker Cap

There are dozens of different Zelda Caps out there, many of whom are trying to copy the indistinguishable retro look of this one. But true Legend Of Zelda fans and retro Nintendo collectors are looking for the real deal. This is an original 1989 Legend Of Zelda Trucker Cap, with the old Zelda logo and Link wielding a sword.

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Get the Legend Of Zelda Baseball Cap here.

Legend Of Zelda T-Shirt

Coming in the original green of Link’s windbreaker this very plain and minimalistic Legend Of Zelda T-Shirt is screaming vintage like no other. It’s showing Link, as seen in the comics around the time of the release of the ‘The Adventure of Link’ game, kneeling, and holding his shield up.

The T-Shirt itself is a Fruit Of The Loom Shirt from 100% cotton. So you know it’s quality is great and made to last.

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Get the Legend Of Zelda T-Shirt here

Legend Of Zelda VHS “The Ringer

Besides games and comics there was also a Legend Of Zelda Comic that received overall great reviews. Some even say it was the best cartoon of their childhood. Cartoons like this have been forgotten and often neglected, but here you can get a copy of the original Legend Of Zelda VHS season 1 episode 1 called “The Ringer.

The show included the same characters and storyline from the games. It was action packed and funny, portraying Link and Zelda fighting against Ganon. An absolute gem for any Legend Of Zelda Merchandise collector.

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Get the Legend Of Zelda VHS “The Ringer” here

Legend Of Zelda Triforce Lamp

Our only item in this list, that isn’t officially licensed by Nintendo. But we just loved the beauty of this handmade Legend Of Zelda Triforce Lamp. The frame is built from dark stained wood, and the Triforce is from acrylic yellow plastic that casts a great light around the room.

The sides of the lamp a crested with a stylized 8-bit pixelated pattern that add to the atmosphere. Measuring 11 inches on each side, the lamp is bigger than it looks on the photos. You can either put it on your night stand, or hang it somewhere nice.

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Get the Legend Of Zelda Triforce Lamp here

Zelda Watch

This Legend Of Zelda Watch with the Triforce on it’s clock face was an exclusive gift to Nintendo employees around 1996, when the Nintendo 64 was released. It comes with a leather strap that wears the Nintendo logo.

There have been multiple watches given away by Nintendo to their employees, but this is by far one of the most rare and unique ones.

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Get the Legend Of Zelda Watch here

If you want us to keep you updated about the best Legend Of Zelda Merchandise, or want to know more about all the Retro Nintendo Merchandise out there, just subscribe for our newsletter!

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The first issue of the Nintendo Power was released in August of 1988. But it actually just replaced the Nintendo Fun Club newsletter, which first came out in 1987. Unlike the Nintendo Power, the Nintendo Fun Club newsletter was delievered quarterly first, until the final three (of the overall seven) issues which came bimonthly. After that the newsletter was discontinued in favour of the Nintendo Power.

The Nintendo Power was a video game magazine published by Nintendo Of America, providing reviews on newly released games, previews on upcoming games, game strategy articles and top lists, as well as readers highscore lists. There were 285 issues released in a 24 year long run (1988 – 2007), which was one of the longest runs of all video game magazines in the United States.

An integral part of millions of childhoods

To many gamers out there, and probably you as well, the Nintendo Power was an important part of their childhood. If not the most important one. Back then there was no internet, so magazines were the only source of information. If you had a subscription, you were the man. While your friends were breaking their controllers trying to beat a game, you had some game codes or insider knowledge of how to get through it. And that’s beceause, you had the power. Nintendo Power!

The Game Strategy section

I remember feeling like a rat in a maze playing Metroid when i was a kid. But opening the Nintendo Power magazine for the first time, it blew my mind. Seeing all those pages full of in-game screen shots and maps of games like Metroid was so helpful. Not to forget the Super Mario Bros unlimited 1-Up trick, the famous Contra code that gave you 30 extra lifes, or how to skip to Zelda’s second quest. The first issue was really a groundbreaking thing from front cover to back.

Did you know? Before Mario, Nintendo Power’s mascot in the late 80’s and early 90’s was Nester. Nester was a comic character created by Fun Club president Howard Phillips. There was even a comic that was called “Howard and Nester” which was featured in the early issues of the magazine.

The NES Achievers section

The NES achievers section really was just a bunch of nerds showing off their high scores. But back then we had no digital camers, so no one could really take a good picture of their screen to prove their highscore. Sure you could try to make a picture with your old school camera and send your mum or dad to the store to get it developed, but when it came back it often looked like this:

So looking at the highscores of other people was more like a “try not to get pissed of” challenge.

Did you know? The game Dragon Quest for the brand new NES at that time (Dragon Warrior in Japan) was given away for free for every new subscriber of the magazin to get rid of thousands of unsold copies due to poor sale figures.

The New Shows section

There was also a section where you could read about all the new shows coming up. Like the Super Mario Bros Super Show, Captain N, or the Super Mario Bros Movie. I can’t even explain how excited i was reading about all those shows and movies. I just literally couldn’t wait to see those. We would spend days talking about it in school, and it was powerful to know about it first, cause other kids in school were hanging on every word you would say.

The Top 30 section

In the Top 30 section they listed the 30 most popular NES games. Later, when the Super NES and Game Boy games were added, they reduced it to a top 20 list. The NES charts continued until the end of 1994, which was when the last NES game was released. Do you know what the last north american NES game was? Write it in the comment section if yes!

They even added a Top 5 games list for the Virtual Boy wich was funny because it contained almost the whole library of games for it.

The process of how the top 20 games were found was explained in the issue 50. They used player poll cards that the players could send in every month (Player’s Picks), retail sales numbers (Dealer’s Picks) and game evaluators opinions at Nintendo (Pro’s Picks). All sets of votes were set at equal weight, and then averaged.

Unfortunately Dealers chart were no longer published after ’92 so we were unable to see SNES (and GB) monthly sales.

Did you know? There was a internet based Nintendo community that came to life in the summer of 1995 called “Camp Hyrule”, that was adjunct with the Nintendo Power Magazine. It was a virtual summer camp with Java-based campfires, water sports and archery events, and participants could win prices by playing those.

And of course there were other sections like the Coming Up Next section, were you could read about the upcoming games for the next month so you could start fantasizing about playing them, and terrorizing your parents to go buy it as soon as it comes out.

The comics were always really cool, and they made comics about all kinds of games. Like Castlevania, Tetris, Battletoads, Mario, Zelda or Killer Instinct.

The Readers Letter Section

I was fancinated with reading the letters of other readers and looking at their drawings. It was just so cool to have a peek into other players minds and see what they are saying. I drew pictures of Mario and Zelda just to send them to Nintendo hoping that they would print my letter and drawing as well.

Posters and other fun gimmicks

In every issue there were posters and sometimes Iron On’s from the most popular or newly released games. One of the coolest posters i can remember was the original Final Fantasy poster. It had the four Light Warriors eyeballing a castle in the sky viewed from within a crystal ball.

On Etsy you can get reprints of some of the coolest Nintendo Power Posters.

NINTENDO POWER POSTER REPRINTS ON ETSY

There were a ton of cool things about the Nintendo Power. Most of them we didn’t even mention. Like paper cut out models from the game Star Fox, scratch and sniff’s, collectible cards that you could cut out, contests with grand prizes and many many more.

So much more

But we also heard about things like the Ultra 64, the NES Satellite or the SNES catapult for the first time through the Nintendo Power Magazine. Things we will probably never forget and left us excited for weeks.

Tell us about your fondest Nintendo Power memory in the comment section below! We can’t wait to hear what you loved, or hated about the Nintendo Power.

By Mario’s moustache! Is it that time already?! 2017 has torn past at a literal breakneck pace and it seems as if Christmas has only gone and snuck up on us again, Nintendo fan! And with the majority of our time spent playing Switch, attempting to get hands on a SNES Mini and going atypically frothy at the mouth over all things big N, it would be easy to have forgotten that now’s the time to be hitting the stores for the perfect gift for a loved one — or ones. With that in mind, I’ve lumped together a lovely little list of some gift ideas that could totally go down a treat this Xmas.

So, come on! Have a look, will ya?!

 

For The Fashionistas Keytendo NES Key Holder Rack Pikachu Saffiano Vegan Leather Wallet Padded ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Stained Glass Switch Dock Cover Men’s NES 85 Sweatshirt ‘The Legend of Zelda’ 8-bit Pom Beanie ‘Super Mario Bros. ‘ World 1-1 Snapback Pink Wiimote Keychain Light White Leather ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Dad Cap ‘Legend of Zelda’ 3 Pair Stud Earring Set ‘Legend of Zelda’ Gold Cart-Styled Backpack For The Modernists Pixel Pals Light Up Mario Figure Hyperkin Smartboy Micro Land ‘World of Nintendo’ Playset Mario Kart Wii KNEX Yoshi Kit Hyperkin RetroN 1 HD ‘Shyguy With A Turnip Earring’ Parody Art Print 8bitdo SN30 Pro Controller Poké Ball Bluetooth Speaker ‘Legend of Zelda’ Triforce Light ‘Legend of Zelda’ Collector’s Chess Set For The Nostalgists Super Mario Question Block Night Light Pop Skin Super Famicom Sticker For Switch Soaper Mario Kart SNES Cartridge Soap ‘Super Mario Bros.’ ‘Steamboat Willie’ Styled Art Print Orange NES Zapper Desk Lamp NES Controller Pillows Zelda Hydration Cartridge w/ Straw Game Boy Classic LCD Watch ‘The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’ Hero of Time Album ‘Street Fighter II’ Enamel Pin Diorama

 

 

 

Nintendo Retro Love’s Big Christmas Gift Guide
Alright, let’s get this party started with gifts…

For The Fashionistas

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Keytendo NES Key Holder Rack

by OMG Cool Stuff

Well, why not start off with, by far, one of the coolest items on this here list. The Keytendo wall-attachable keyholder is too badass for its own good. It even comes with its own wall-mounts and an extra keychain for your player 2!

Pikachu Saffiano Vegan Leather Wallet

by Loungefly

This super-chic wallet has eight card pockets, two slots for bills and has our favourite electric-type Pokémouse emblazoned all over it. Go on, give someone a shock to their Poké-feels this Xmas!

Padded ‘The Legend of Zelda’ Stained Glass Switch Dock Cover

by ActivePatch

Let the Hero of Wind keep a close eye on your Switch this Christmas with this beautiful handmade, stained glass-styled Switch dock cover.

Men’s NES 85 Sweatshirt

by Fifth Sun

Commemorate the year future gamers’ lives were changed forever with this dope af, washed-out NES sweatshirt.

‘The Legend of Zelda’ 8-bit Pom Beanie

by Bioworld

No Nintendo-fandom Christmas list would be complete without a little extra Zelda love (and there’s bloody loads of love on this list), so here’s your chance to keep your bonce and ears warm this Winter with our little Linky. He’s so darn chipper!

‘Super Mario Bros. ‘ World 1-1 Snapback

by Bioworld 

*Airhorn* Hold up, hold up. How sick is this snapback!? A testament to the never ending appeal of one of gaming’s most iconic stages, wear the level that kickstarted it all on your crown like the gaming royalty you are, gamer!

Pink Wiimote Keychain Light

by Animewild

A torch that attaches to your keys that looks like a Wiimote? You’ll have nothing to fear if you happen to fall into the Upside Down with this badboy! Well…

 

White Leather ‘Super Mario Bros.’ Dad Cap

by Haunted Flower

This dad cap — with a little metal Mario springing for good measure — is so hip it’s almost painful. Almost. Just almost. Get it for the little hipster in your life. They’ll, like, be #blessed and grateful af and stuff. Did I say that right? ?

Picture this: A 6-8-year-old boy, a few weeks deep into his long-awaited summer holiday, is sat on his stairwell fervently waiting for the doorbell to ring. The sun is screaming through the front door’s windowpane as his friends giggle and canter beyond it, full of ice creams and fizzy pop.

That boy was me on the day my Super NES was due to arrive into my possession. I had done it. I had finally made it into the halls of a few of my peers who had already been long venturing into the world of Super Mario and awkwardly squeezing their itchy Chrono Trigger-s.

When it did finally arrive — somewhere close to 6pm — I couldn’t even open the bloody thing, as stipulated by my mother. She wanted to be there to make sure everything was intact, lest I come tearing in, sweat addled and wild eyed, and break something in honest excitement.

 

 

 

But that was fine, you know. It’s just sat there alone in its big-ass parcel. It’s fine, it’s all good. I’m calm, I can wait.

But when I finally did get to unlock the treasure which lay upon those weird Styrofoam puffs that look like grey Cheetos — and don’t taste anywhere as entertaining — a wild Super Mario All-Stars and Super Metroid were bundled with the SNES’ 16-bit beauty. That was the first time I truly sampled the majesty that is the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and its effect has never dwindled since.

The same effect that is sending the raucous surrounding the SNES’ second coming into fever pitch: the SNES is a damn good console, and for numerous reasons. First, let’s start with a little history.

Once Upon A Time

It’s 1990, and Sega, drunk off the successes of its Master Systems and Mega Drives (Genesis), were chomping like Pac-Man into Nintendo’s territory and the share of the market the NES managed to forcefully carve itself. Everyone’s older siblings and cousins had one and the rest of us, still lavishing within the caress of the NES, the aforementioned Master System and the host of consoles launched at us during console gaming’s third generation, were jealous. It’s fine to say it! The few milk teeth left dangling in my mouth were grinding with envy whilst imagining playing Golden Axe and/or Alien Storm in my bedroom.

 

 

 

But even though Sega’s heavy hitters and the sheer ‘tude that sprung forth from every edgy crevice boded well with the teens and young adults of the era, you could pretty much go into any arcade and play a fair few of their marquee titles. So… it’s dope having the games at home and all, but there wasn’t much exclusivity attached with the Sega era of arcade emulation, barring a few games here and there.

 

 

 

At first Nintendo wasn’t too keen on heading back into the market with a new console, but after watching a significant chunk of their market disappear into the distance like Sonic’s dust trails, thankfully they thought again. Better late than never, right? So along came 1990. Nintendo releases its magnum opus and it started off slow, eventually picking up speed alongside the Mega Drive (Genesis) and eventually went on to win the fourth generation of video game consoles, sparking the console war we know and love so well. How did they do that, especially with the Mega Drive being easier to develop for?

 

 

The Power of Pixels

Mode 7

 

 

The SNES has eight different graphics modes, meaning it has eight different ways of rendering animations on screen. The most famous being Mode 7, better known for its ever twisting and scaling elements in games such as F-Zero, Super Mario Kart, Super Castlevania IV and Chrono Trigger – to name but a few. Mode 7’s (now) retro-futuristic alchemy offered SNES games perspective effects and a depth of field that was unparalleled at the time. Basically, the SNES could boost an image to 128×128 pixels with 256 colours. The mind boggles at the thought of all the maths that went into that. This breakthrough meant game worlds could become bigger and more accessible, and even allowed for the backgrounds in stages to become more detailed, animated and some elements of the background could be placed in front of sprites! Amazing, right?

 

 

 

 

But, naturally, as with anything, Mode 7 has its caveats. And this comes in the shape of a significant lack of scalable sprites. Using F-Zero as an example again, not just because I love that game with an unwavering passion, games utilising Mode 7 had different sizes of sprites to create the illusion of distance. This means when overtaken in F-Zero, the vehicle zooming past you will pop into smaller sizes, unlike today’s smooth scaling of objects at varying distances.

 

 

Super FX Chip

 

 

Sometimes, when I’m in the shower, I ponder how the SNES managed to stay afloat during the 32-bit era. Well that was basically thanks to the revolutionary Super FX Chip, created by a little-known studio called Argonaut Games, who just happened to make a little-known title named Star Fox. You might have heard of it.

Whilst Star Fox was in development, the then CEO of Argonaut Games, Jez San, was discussing how to make the title really hit home with gamers. Argonaut wanted to take Star Fox into the realm of 3D rendering, a task believed to be impossible at the time. Nintendo agreed — probably because they got to keep the rights — and San and a host of other supremely talented engineers at the dev studio set about creating the Super FX Chip – which was then known as the romantically designated “Mathematical, Argonaut, Rotation & Input/Output”chip, or M.A.R.I.O. for short. Get it?

 

 

 

 

The custom R.I.S.C. processor was utilised to render 3D polygons and rather advanced 2D effects that allowed titles like Donkey Kong Country, Doom, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island and Star Fox to really blow the mind from our bones.  

 

An Encyclopaedic Library of Fun

Besides having some of the best-looking video games of all time, the SNES also has a strong case for housing a troupe of the best video games ever made, full stop. Constantly appearing in best-of lists across the web and casual conversation with friends, the SNES has hits like Super Mario World, Earthbound, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid and Final Fantasy VI (or Final Fantasy III to some) to further cement its place in video game’s hall of fame territory.

 

 

 

 

But, as with any other console, the SNES harbours a number of underrated gems and games you totally forgot existed or that you owned at one point in time. Uniracers for example, developed by DMA Design – who would later go on to create Grand Theft Auto – is an incredible title where you race and trick the heck out of a unicycle across varying tough and twisty courses.

 

 

 

The Adventures of Batman and Robin is the Batman: The Animated Series game we deserve, with its badass sound effects and great graphics. Jurassic Park, and the way it shifts from top-down to first-person perspective when you enter buildings, was mind blowing. As is the unashamedly 90s action that Rare’s Killer Instinct offers by the tonne. And that’s just a few of the 700+ games that released on SNES in North America alone, or the 500+ released in Europe.

 

Like A Phoenix

The SNES, once again, has vaulted itself into the hearts of gamers across the world, thanks to its reissuing as SNES Classic Mini, a miniaturised version of the seminal console. Gamers that had sold or misplaced their SNES’ will once more be able to play at least a couple of their favourite games. Kids can learn about one of the most important and captivating moments in video game history, and even nana and grandpa can come along for the fun!

The SNES is a console that shouldn’t be missed and must be played to be understood. I think back to that little 6-8-year old kid, sat impatiently on his carpeted stairwell waiting for his life, unbeknownst to him, to be changed completely, and I smile. Who says you can’t live out your childhood twice?

 

Okay, so you’re one of the lucky few who managed to get hands on a SNES Mini, a feat that, in old Nintendo fashion, was quite the task to do. So, well done! But now, I can imagine, you’re beginning to wonder and fret over where to begin your 16-bit gaming odyssey. How does one go about dipping toes into Nintendo’s finest hour and some of gaming’s best titles, and then attempt to translate the same joy back to a younger generation that is better used to the Call of Duty franchise or a spot of ‘Minecraft’?

Well, calm down and keep your head, gamer, because that’s where this post comes in handy! Take a leap of faith with me now as I ruminate on…

The 7 Best SNES Mini Games To Enjoy With The Family

I’ve gone ahead and included the cheapest prices you can pick up each game on eBay, just in case you fancy going full fat and purchasing the real thing. So, without further ado, let’s start with an old favourite to kick off your SNES Mini adventure.

Super Mario World

Cheapest eBay Price – $17.50

Naturally this title needs no explanation. Arguably the best side-scrolling platformer ever made, Super Mario World took Mario’s wonderfully idiosyncratic cast of characters and gameplay to whole new levels. Quite literally too. It must have been a tough ask to better the brilliant Super Mario Bros. 3, but with new powerups, greater graphics, a brilliant new score and Yoshi(!!), Super Mario World will keep you and the kids entertained on the SNES Mini for months upon months to come.

Donkey Kong Country

Cheapest eBay Price – $57.88

For sheer high-jinks and laugh-a-minute moments, look no further than Rare’s seminal two-player adventure through the world of Donkey and Diddy Kong. The SNES’ second biggest-selling game was also a monumental first for the console, due to the fact it was one of the first video games to use pre-rendered 3D graphics. And, don’t let Donkey Kong Country’s cutesy characters fool you, this is a pretty tough game to master, but wholly rewarding! Plus, it’s not every day you get to ride a rhino in a platformer!

Kirby Super Star

Cheapest eBay Price – $84.49

Otherwise known as ‘Kirby’s Fun Pack’ in Europe, this magnificent little title brings together eight of Kirby’s finest game modes on one cartridge! Produced by the daunting paring of Shigeru Miyamoto and the late Satoru Iwata, take Kirby into battle with Dyna Blade, King Dedede and Meta Knight across multiple challenging, colourful and downright crazy missions. And don’t forget to have a little fun whilst you’re at Kirby Super Star! The kids definitely will.

Super Mario Kart

Cheapest eBay Price – $51.00

Timeless and just as tough as you remember, the first instalment of Nintendo’s long running friendship killer is a total no-brainer inclusion on this list. Switch’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe may have taken the series to a whole new level of seamless graphical fidelity and sick drifts, now go back to the SNES, where it all started, and have your butt handed to you by some of the trickiest tracks in gaming history, all thanks to Nintendo’s glorious and ground-breaking Mode 7 graphics mode.

Super Punch-Out!!

Cheapest eBay Price – $54.99

Simple, sensational and infinitely replayable, SNES Mini’s Super Punch Out!! is a treasured inclusion on this list. Step into the ring once again as Little Mac, and smack a vibrant array of pugilists in the face in one of the most fun titles to come out of Nintendo’s pool of imagination. Though this game lacks a multiplayer feature, take it in turns to take down the swift-fisted obstructions standing between you and the World Video Boxing Association championship.

Street Fighter 2 Turbo

Cheapest eBay Price – $22.45

Arguably the king of console beat-em-ups, Street Fighter 2 Turbo was the reason all of us SNES-fans had callouses on our thumbs (HADOUKEN!!). Fighting across iconic locations dotted around the globe, with some of the greatest characters in video games like Ryu, Dhalsim and Guile, touch up on your Spinning Bird Kicks and Tiger Uppercuts and introduce the kids to what was, and still is today, the cutting edge of 2-player entertainment.

Secret of Mana

Cheapest eBay Price – $20.50

Just ahead of its 25^th anniversary (and remaster), one of Square Enix’s (née Squaresoft) many JRPG masterpieces will be on hand to whisk you and the littles ones away on a timeless adventure. Heralded as a cult classic by Nintendo fans, Secret of Mana was one of the biggest selling and highly awarded SNES JRPGs to release in the West. Why? Well, it has a wonderful narrative, beautiful graphics and a breathtaking score! It even has 3-player co-op and real-time battles. What more do you need?

What do you make of this list? Let us know in the comments below! And keep an eye out for more SNES Classic Mini-shaped posts that will be coming your way from us lovers of some things retro and all things Nintendo.