The Legend of Zelda series is one of the most acclaimed video game series out there. It seems like, with every new game, Nintendo manages to outdo itself and establish a new norm to the RPG genre. Each game has a wide variety of characters that stay in the minds of gamers over the years. One of those characters is the mysterious Happy Mask Salesman.
With his unnerving laugh and a smile that seemingly never goes away, there is a lot of mystery to unravel with the guy. One could that that is part of his “charm”. There is still a lot of unknowns with the Happy Mask Salesman but here are 10 weird cold hard, indisputable facts about Happy Mask Salesman.
10 He First Appeared In Ocarina Of Time
Though Majora’s Mask remains the character’s most well-known appearance, it actually was not his first. It can be easy to forget but before Majora’s Mask, the character made his debut in Ocarina of Time.
In that game, he ran the Happy Mask Shop in Hyrule Castle Town. The shop does not open until Link talks with a soldier guarding the gate to Death Mountain. This initiates a side quest in which Link can deliver masks to a variety of denizens across the map. It is a bit out of the way so most players might have missed this.
9 He Also Appears In Oracle Of Ages
His only appearance outside of the two Nintendo 64 Zelda titles is Oracle of Ages for the Game Boy. In this game, he owns the Mask Shop right outside of Lynna City. Somehow, the eeriness of his smile translates even into sprite form.
When Link meets him, he will be starving and Link can give him the tasty meat item from the Tokay cook in exchange for the doggy mask. This is his most recent canonical appearance in the city and he has hardly been seen since.
8 His Bag Hides Some Neat Easter Eggs
The Zelda games usually have some subtle easter eggs and references to past entries. This tradition has continued with Age of Calamity, too. In the case of Majora’s Mask, the Salesman’s bag is a treasure trove of easter eggs.
The bag, which is almost as big as the Salesman himself, has a number of masks on the outside that can be identified. One mask has the same face seen on the mirror shield while another mask bears a resemblance to a certain Italian plumber.
7 He Greets The Player After The Game Over Screen
There are a variety of things that separates Majora’s Mask from the series with one of those things being the game over screen. Should the player run out of time, the moon will crash in Clock Town and destroy Termina – taking Link with it.
After Majora’s Mask stares at the camera ominously, the first thing heard after that is the Salesman’s unnerving giggle followed by the line: “You’ve met a terrible fate haven’t you?” After that, the player will start back on the first day underneath Clock Town in front of the Salesman. Not creepy in the slightest.
6 Knows Way More Than He Lets On
One thing that player will notice about the Salesman when meeting him for the first time in Majora’s Mask is that the guy clearly has a lot of secrets. He also very clearly knows a lot more than he lets on. This is shown by how he hides the truth about Majora’s mask from the player until their second run-in with him.
He also may be hiding how the mask is responsible for the moon in the first place since the moon disappears after Link defeats the final boss and the fact he said nothing about said moon in the first place. What else is this guy hiding?
5 He Will Describe The Masks Link Wears
A lot of masks can be accumulated in Majora’s Mask since it is one of the key features of the game. Each mask has a different ability and, should Link wear a certain mask and talk to the Salesman in his usual spot, he will describe the mask to him.
What he says varies based on the mask, but the Salesman usually talks about one of three features. Those being the rarity of the mask, the specific emotion it is embedded with, or a special fact about it. It goes to show the vast knowledge about masks he has. Or, perhaps, about the stories behind the masks themselves.
4 His Sinister Side In The Manga
Although the Majora’s Mask manga is not considered canon with the game it is based on, it does show more to the Salesman in the game. Though this Happy Mask Salesman is mainly the same, this one has a sinister side since he seems to be plotting something which is shown right before Link’s battle with Majora’s Mask.
After the battle is over, he recovers the mask and encounters Link who is in his Fierce Deity form after putting on the fierce deity mask to defeat Majora’s Mask. Link actually attacks the Salesman as if he senses something sinister. The Salesman survives and then leaves laughing.
3 The Dark Side Of How He Obtains His Masks
The Happy Mask Salesman will teach Link the Song of Healing to lift the Deku scrub curse that was placed on him by the Skull Kid. This grants him the Deku mask. Link uses this song to turn the spirit of Darmani into the Goron mask and the body of the Zora Mikau. This kind of reveals a dark truth about the Salesman’s mask.
Chances are at least some of the masks he has were once the ghosts of lost souls. Instead of being properly laid to rest, they are now stuck as an inanimate mask for others to wear for fun.
2 He Seems Disappointed That Majora’s Mask Lost Its Power
In the beginning of the game, the Salesman will task Link with obtaining Majora’s Mask for some unknown purpose. The Salesman will then reveal that he needs it so that its malevolent power can be safely hidden or else something terrible will happen.
After the final battle at the end of the game, Majora’s Mask has now lost all of its power and Termina is saved from destruction. Despite this though, the Salesman’s dialogue seems to indicate that he is disappointed the mask lost its power. He never fully reveals his plans and his creepiness seems to show he had plans of some kind with the mask.
1 The Theories About His Identity
With all of the mysteries about him, a number of theories have arisen about who he really is. There are a number of theories that have not been officially verified but are plausible.
One theory suggests he is a Sheikah as evidenced by his red eyes and the fact that he gives Link the Mask of Truth in Ocarina of Time – an item known to be synonymous with them. He may also be an ancient one a.k.a. a member of the tribe that sealed the power of Majora inside of its mask since he says he can feel its power.
The craziest theory is that he is the in-game manifestation of Nintendo developer Shigeru Miyamoto since both seem to have an influence on events happening around them. They also have a kind of similar manic grin, no?
