I have been up to my eyeballs in DIY and craft projects. No one warned me that being a nerd could be so exhausting. While I have not had any time to play any games, I am looking at you Stardew Valley update; I have had a chance to listen to some questionable shows. I love having background noise on when I am sewing or ripping out carpet. Therefore, I thought I would listen to The Legend of Zelda (LoZ) cartoon while I got things done. However, this show made me pause and question my LoZ lore knowledge more times than I would like to admit. So, let’s talk about all the things I had to Google and make sense of while watching this program.
The Legend of Zelda Cartoon’s Plot
The LoZ cartoons were part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Which aired once a week for thirteen episodes. This show is loosely based on the video game of the same name. Most episodes follow Ganon’s misadventures while he attempts to steal the Triforce of Wisdom and take over Hyrule. However, Link and Princess Zelda always foil his plans by either zapping Ganon back to his lair or defeating the baddies he sends their way. Overall, it is a cute cartoon adaptation of a popular video game.
The Cast
| Voice Actor/Actress | Character |
| Cyndy Preston | Zelda |
| Jonathan Potts | Link |
| Len Carlson | Ganon and Moblins |
| Colin Fox | King Harkinian |
| Elizabeth Hanna | The Triforce of Wisdom |
| Paulina Gillis | Spryte |
Questions I had about The Legend of Zelda Cartoon and Answers
- Why do they call Link’s horse Catherine?
- This is her name in the comic book series published by Valiant Comics.
- What is up with the Master Sword being so tiny?
- This is not the Master Sword but Crissword.
- It is meant to fit in Link’s pocket; his bows are also tiny.
- Why can the Princess use the Master Sword?
- It appears that anyone can use the sword; however, one must use it with two hands until they are proficient with the weapon.
- What is up with this Ganon gumball machine?
- This is actually the Evil Jar.
- It keeps Ganon’s minions from disappearing forever.
- Ultimately, this is probably a way of avoiding violence in children’s programming.
- Where is the Triforce of Courage?
- Our protagonists guard Wisdom, while our antagonist keeps Power.
- The first game to have the Triforce of Courage was Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link in 1987.
- The cartoon is not canon and aired in 1989.
- It could be that they kept the status quo and did not want to add the Triforce of Courage.
- No super clear-cut answer on this one.
- Our protagonists guard Wisdom, while our antagonist keeps Power.
Thoughts
Fun fact alert! Link says his famous catchphrase, “Well, excuse me, Princess,” twenty-nine times throughout 13 episodes. I can elaborate more if that does not tell you what I thought about his character. Link feels like a whiny “where is my hug” guy. He does not care about Hyrule or the safety of the realm. He just wants to kiss a pretty princess. Which I guess can be an alright motivation. However, having grown up with the stoic hero I have come to love, this was offputting.
I was also surprised by how much of this behavior Zelda put up with. Some might say this is a product of the time. However, in the 80s, we also had strong heroines in cartoons such as She-Ra and Cheetara from the ThunderCats. The Princess would have had an easier time using her magic from The Triforce of Wisdom to keep her people safe rather than constantly being asked for a kiss.
Aside from these two issues, I did have a fun time watching this cartoon. I am looking at this from a 2024 perspective, which, let’s face it, many things we enjoyed in the past have not held up. It would be interesting to see how this would be remade differently. Perhaps we will learn when more news comes out about the live-action movie. Ultimately, I recommend this program if you want to have a few laughs and get slightly annoyed.
Odds & Ends
If you want to watch the LoZ animated series, it is available on Amazon via Freevee, Tubi, The Roku Channel, and more. Want more LoZ content? I recommend morally_rainbow‘s article on The Ocarina of Time. In the end, I look forward to checking out more cartoons related to my favorite fandoms.
