Forest Haven, a place that stands out among the many islands of the Great Sea, is home to the Koroks as well as all manner of forest creatures. Most of the Koroks in Forest Haven don’t do much at their home, aside from looking cute, getting kidnapped, and occasionally playing music. Among these forest children, however, there is a special, more scientifically-inclined Korok. Hollo is the owner of a potion shop, and a uniquely useful Korok who will provide Link with a Blue Potion for a small price of five Boko Baba Seeds. In addition, Hollo is the only Korok in the Forest Haven who doesn’t leave to plant tree seeds across the Great Sea after Link saves Makar from the Forbidden Woods, preferring to stay home.
It’s mentioned in his figurine description that Hollo studies the art of potion making, so he probably stayed behind to continue his studies on the properties of the Boko Baba, a species common to the Forest Haven. On the wall of Hollo’s room, there’s a scientific diagram of the Boko Baba complete with Hylian text. I looked into the Hylian text’s meaning, but the result wasn’t exactly surprising. The poster reads: “Ecology of the Boko Baba” and “Boko Baba Seeds can be collected by defeating Boko Babas.” Interestingly, the bottom right text reads “Some of them become Bui Babas.” At first I was excited, thinking that this poster actually revealed something unknown, but then I remembered that sometimes when you defeat a Boko Baba, it turns into a bulb that can be entered. This bulb transformation is probably what the diagram is referring to as a “Bui Baba”. Seems like Hollo hasn’t quite made a breakthrough discovery yet, but I have faith in him.
It is extremely easy to get a Blue Potion from Hollo, largely due to the fact that five Boko Babas guard the entrance to Forest Haven, and the Grappling Hook will guarantee at least one seed per Boko Baba when used on the monster. Using this technique, one could easily present Hollo with five seeds, netting a free potion that fills both health and magic. Despite this convenience, I have no doubt that many players likely never met Hollo in this easily-missed corner of the Forest Haven, but he’ll always be special to me. As a child playing The Wind Waker, I frequently returned to his shop just because I liked the atmosphere and the music. Plus, I did always feel a little bad that he was left behind by his fellow Koroks. Maybe someday Hollo’s Boko Baba and potion research will be complete, and he’ll finally grasp his chance to explore the world, plant tree seeds, and reunite with his friends.
