TITLE
‘Excuuuuse me, Princess!’: An oral history of The Legend of Zelda cartoon
AUTHOR
Nicole Carpenter
PUBLICATION
Polygon
YEAR
2023
ARTICLE TYPE
Interview
FROM THE ARTICLE
The world knows The Legend of Zelda’s Link as the brave hero of Hyrule — a young warrior of few words. Link is a master with his bow and an excellent swordsman. But back in 1989, when The Legend of Zelda cartoon first aired, all Link wanted was a smooch. A kiss from Zelda, to be exact — but he’s not exactly picky, and unlike the laconic hero of the games, he would not shut up about it. The hero of Hyrule is still tasked with defending the Triforce of Wisdom from Ganon’s grasp on the TV show, but that’s secondary to his insistence on a little kiss. The show’s bizarre portrayal of Link — especially his constant begging of “Excuse me, Princess!” — has made The Legend of Zelda cartoon a hilarious head-scratcher to this day.[…]
Rather than simply recreating the video game, The Legend of Zelda’s writers positioned the show more as a mix of action, comedy, and drama, taking specific inspiration from Cybill Shepherd’s and Bruce Willis’ ’80s show Moonlighting. Writers wanted Zelda and Link’s relationship to mirror Shepherd’s and Willis’ rapport as Maddie and David on the detective show — the same angry sexual tension, but goofier and lighter for the kid-friendly cartoon TV show.
COMPANIES MENTIONED
Nintendo
GAMES MENTIONED
The Legend of Zelda
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Bob Forward
Eve Forward
John Grusd
Phil Harnage
Jonathan Potts
Cynthia Preston
Reed Shelly
TOPICS MENTIONED
Adaptations