Some video games can never have enough collectibles. The Legend of Zelda is one of those games, the long-running series already 19 entries deep, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being the latest installment for Nintendo’s Switch last year.

Hitting the market now is a new line of blind bagged “Backpack Buddies” produced by Paladone and distributed in the U.S. via UCC Distributing. Surprisingly, the assortment isn’t based on Link’s newest adventure, but rather one from 2003 (and re-released in 2013 in high-def): The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. While an unusual move, Wind Waker is popular with fans. The game introduced “Toon Link” – a distinctive, more cartoon look for our hero… and a great style for toy collectibles.

There are 8 figures to collect, including three characters and five artifacts. These consist of (Toon) Link, the lovely Princess Zelda, big bad Ganon, a cluster of Bombs, Link’s Shield, a Triforce, Heart Container, and a Green Rupee, the currency in the game. The package advertises a “Rare Chase Character,” but out of the case of 24 blind bagged figures, I never encountered one. Instead I opened three complete sets of the eight core figures. What could it be? Hit me up in the comments section below if you know.

As mentioned, each toys is blind bagged. However, don’t get your hopes up on squishing the bag to determine which toy is inside. Paladone got clever and placed each figure in a cardboard sleeve, a sleeve that reminds me a lot of a McDonald’s apple pie box.

While you can’t feel the shape of which toy is inside, you CAN  feel the weight. This can help you track down a few of the heavier figures from the pack, such as the Bombs and Ganon, which are made of a nice dense PVC plastic.

Items such as the Green Rupee , Shield, Triforce, and Heart Container are made of a more lightweight plastic, and in the case of the Triforce and Heart, are actually hollow inside. 

No doubt most collectors will desire the figures the most. Each approximately 2-inch tall character features some nice sculpting detail and paint apps. Link has a little problem standing on his own, but Ganon and Zelda are rock solid.

Regardless, each Backpack Buddy comes attached to a handy “Legend of Zelda” clip for hanging, so being able to stand is really a non-issue.

Zelda fans have a lot to like about this series of Backpack Buddies. I personally love the variety of toys to collect. While the figures are nice, having artifacts mixed in makes unwrapping the assortment far more entertaining. Which one(s) will you get?

Scroll on for more photos!

Review and Photos by Jeff Saylor

Review Samples Courtesy of UCC Distributing

[See image gallery at www.figures.com]

Keep up with all the latest toy news by following Figures.com on Facebook and Twitter!

To buy action figures, take a look at Hobby Link Japan, BigBadToyStore.com, TheToySource.com, Toynk.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, and EntertainmentEarth.com.