Zelda Dungeon Talks: What Future Zelda Merchandise Deals Should Nintendo Engage In?

Hey everyone and welcome to the latest Zelda Dungeon Talks. Not too long ago, Nintendo partnered with the company Vans in order to make retro gaming themed shoes, backpacks, t-shirts and more. This early Nintendo themed merchandise is decorated with icons such as Link, Mario and Duck Hunt. Today we focus on more Zelda themed merchandise. The Zelda franchise is quite a popular one and there is a lot to gain in manufacturing Zelda themed merch, for both Nintendo and the company participating in the deal. So what do you guys think? Should Nintendo partner up with any more companies for merchandise deals?

In this week’s edition of Zelda Dungeon Talks various staff members will share with us whether or not they believe Nintendo should engage in any future merchandise deals. As always feel free to share your own opinion in the comments section.

Alexis Anderson – View Profile

I like Nintendo’s collaboration with Vans very much; it put an official line of video game merchandise into a relatively mainstream retailer that unveiled it as kind-of-a-big-deal. The shoes and apparel Vans put out were also trendy and somewhat inconspicuous, not like the fangirl graphic tees one might find at Hot Topic. I would love for Nintendo to do something like this again, putting retro games into the mix attracts old school gamers who maybe strayed from the path. Having an exclusively Zelda line of merchandise produced in the same fashion, with such stylish products, would be fantastic. I’d prefer it be apparel and accessories; and as for companies maybe working with say Forever 21, FYE, Urban Outfitters, or Pacsun would be effective. Even Victoria’s Secret would be fun for Zelda styled under garments and night clothes, but that stuff wouldn’t necessarily be unisex now would it?

Kira Koneko – View Profile 

I am the first one to jump on super cute game inspired accessories and merchandise! That being said I am picky as to what companies and type of goods I buy. I would love to see more licensed merchandise available for fans and I do really love the new Vans X Nintendo line of shoes and goodies that just released, although I prefer the classic NES design over the Zelda ones… I was disappointed in the design they chose for the Zelda shoes, I think they could have done better. I do agree with Alexis that it’s nice to have retro designs to inspire old school gamers and some younger ones as well. However I think it is a fine line between having good merchandise accessible to fans and having collaborations that don’t make sense at all. For example there are some things that I am not enjoying seeing Star Wars attached to currently! There is a huge difference between collaborations that work to promote the brand and some that work to dilute the brand! All that being said, I would love to see more collaborations like the Vans X Nintendo shoes that make sense!

Jon Lett – View Profile 

It certainly is strange to see Nintendo working directly with a company like Vans, what with most of their other merch being outsourced to or independently made by other companies, but their partnership makes me think that they should continue to find more clothing companies to work with specifically. T-shirt companies alone are rampant these days, and tons of them have custom/fan-made designs that people love. Nintendo, ever the creative bunch, could use their own assets, official designs, and innovation to give those companies even greater designs that fans would love, benefiting both Nintendo and the sellers. Aside from shirts, though, there are plenty of options. Bags, hats, belts and other popular clothing pieces are all ways fans get to show off their Nintendo love on a daily basis, so why wouldn’t Nintendo get in on that action?

Brandon Schmitz – View Profile

Kira hit the nail on the head. You need to be careful when pushing your brand, as there’s a ton of shameless promotion throughout the entertainment industry. Star Wars, especially, is all over the place; it’s as if Disney doesn’t want the property to leave the public consciousness for even a minute. I mean, let’s not start putting the Fused Shadow on the Honey Nut Cheerios bee. That said, some more clothing that features characters and symbols beyond Link, Zelda and the Hylian crest would definitely be appreciated. Additionally, I think many fans would be into Nintendo collaborating with figurine companies such as McFarlane Toys every now and then. I’m a fan of what Nintendo’s done with amiibo so far, but some larger, more detailed figures would be neat, too.