"Well, excuse me, Princess!"
If you just winced, you’ve probably seen it. Or at least you’ve seen the memes that have haunted the internet for the last two decades. We’re talking about the Legend of Zelda the TV show, a thirteen-episode fever dream that aired back in 1989 as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Honestly, it’s easy to dunk on. The animation is janky. Link is a hormonal teenager instead of a silent, stoic hero. Zelda spends more time being annoyed than being a mystical ruler. But if we’re being real, this show is a fascinating time capsule. It captures a moment when Nintendo didn't really know what its own "lore" was supposed to be. There were no timelines. No "Breath of the Wild" physics. Just a boy, a girl, and a very angry pig-man in a cape.
What Was the Legend of Zelda the TV Show, Anyway?
The series was produced by DIC Enterprises. At the time, they were the kings of Saturday morning cartoons. They had a formula, and they stuck to it. Link wasn't the "Hero of Time" back then. He was just a guy living in the North Castle basement, constantly trying to get a kiss from Zelda.
It feels weird now. Modern fans see Link as this vessel for the player—someone who rarely speaks and always does the right thing. In the Legend of Zelda the TV show, he’s loud. He’s sarcastic. He’s kind of a brat. This version of Link was voiced by Jonathan Adams, who gave him a very specific "80s cool guy" vibe that aged about as well as a glass of milk in the sun.
Each episode followed a pretty rigid pattern. Ganon would try to steal the Triforce of Wisdom. Link and Zelda would stop him using a mix of "zapping" magic from their swords and sheer luck. Then, Link would try to get his romantic reward, and Zelda would shut him down. Every. Single. Time.
Why Zelda Was Actually the Best Part
Forget the "damsel in distress" trope. Surprisingly, the Legend of Zelda the TV show gave us a Zelda who was much more proactive than her early NES counterpart. She didn't sit in a dungeon waiting for a rescue. She wore a practical adventuring outfit—pink tunic, leggings, boots—and she carried her own bow. She fought. Often, she was more competent than Link.
She was essentially the prototype for the "Action Zelda" we see in later games like Hyrule Warriors or Spirit Tracks. If you look past the 80s cheese, the writers actually gave her a lot of agency. She ran the kingdom while her father, King Harkinian, mostly acted as comic relief. It’s a weirdly progressive take for a show that also features a sentient, talking Triforce.
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The Sound and the Fury (and the Sound Effects)
One thing DIC got right was the audio. They used actual sound effects from the NES games. When Link opens a chest or gets hit, you hear the 8-bit chirps from the console. It creates this bizarre cognitive dissonance. You're watching a standard Western cartoon, but your brain is telling you that you're playing a video game.
The music also ripped heavily from Koji Kondo’s original score. It’s synthesized, it’s catchy, and it’s probably the only thing that feels "authentic" to the brand today.
Ganon: The Underestimated Villain
Ganon in this show is... something. He’s a bipedal boar who lives in the Underworld. He teleports by spinning around like a dark tornado. Unlike the terrifying, god-like entity in Tears of the Kingdom, this Ganon is more like a grumpy boss who hates his employees. He spends a lot of time yelling at his minions—moblins, stalfos, and octoroks.
He had this jar called the "Evil Jar." He’d use it to spawn monsters. It was basically a magical vending machine for bad guys. It wasn't high drama, but it gave the show a consistent structure that kids could follow between bowls of sugary cereal.
Why It Only Lasted Thirteen Episodes
The show didn't fail because people hated it. In fact, it was pretty popular. The problem was the format of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! itself. Zelda only aired on Fridays. The other four days of the week were dedicated to Mario. When the Mario show was retooled and eventually replaced, Link and Zelda were caught in the crossfire.
There’s a common misconception that Nintendo hated the show and pulled the plug. While it’s true that Nintendo became much more protective of their IP afterward (especially after the 1993 Mario movie disaster), the Zelda cartoon was just a victim of shifting TV schedules.
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The Legend of Zelda the TV Show vs. The Movie Rumors
Fast forward to today. We know a live-action Legend of Zelda movie is officially in development at Sony, with Wes Ball directing. Everyone is nervous. Why? Because the Legend of Zelda the TV show left such a weird scar on the collective memory of the fanbase.
Fans are terrified we’re going to get another "snarky" Link. But the reality is that the 1989 show was a product of its environment. In the 80s, every cartoon hero had to have a catchphrase and an attitude. Today’s cinematic landscape prefers "prestige" fantasy—think Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. The new movie will almost certainly be the polar opposite of the cartoon.
Still, you can see the cartoon's DNA in some places. The idea of Link and Zelda having a "bickering" dynamic has popped up in games like Skyward Sword. The concept of Zelda being a frontline fighter is now standard. We owe more to this "bad" show than we like to admit.
The Voice Cast: Where Are They Now?
- Jonathan Adams (Link): He didn't do much high-profile voice work after Zelda, though he did some bit parts in other 80s/90s staples.
- Cyndy Preston (Zelda): She went on to have a successful career in live-action TV, appearing in shows like The Outer Limits and Degrassi: The Next Generation.
- Len Carlson (Ganon): A legendary voice actor who worked on X-Men (as Senator Kelly) and Beetlejuice. He passed away in 2006, leaving behind a massive legacy in the animation world.
How to Watch the Legend of Zelda the TV Show Today
If you want to subject yourself—or your kids—to this piece of history, it's not actually that hard to find.
- DVD Releases: Shout! Factory released the complete series on DVD years ago. You can usually find it for twenty bucks on eBay or Amazon.
- Streaming: It occasionally pops up on free, ad-supported streaming services like Tubi or Pluto TV.
- YouTube: Let’s be honest. Most people just watch the clips on YouTube. The "Well Excuse Me" compilations have millions of views for a reason.
Is it good? Not really. Is it entertaining? Absolutely. It’s a train wreck that happens to be wearing a green hat.
The Actionable Reality of Retro Media
If you're a collector or a fan, don't just dismiss the Legend of Zelda the TV show. It represents a "wild west" era of gaming history. Before there were brand guidelines and lore bibles, there were just animators trying to figure out how to turn a top-down pixel game into a narrative.
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What You Should Do Next
If you're a Zelda nerd, do these three things:
- Watch "The Missing Link" episode. It’s probably the best of the bunch and actually deals with a somewhat cool concept where Link’s spirit is separated from his body.
- Compare the map. Look at the "Hyrule" in the show and try to map it to the NES game. The animators actually tried to stay somewhat consistent with the game’s geography, which is a neat touch for 1989.
- Check out the Captain N crossovers. Link and Zelda appeared in Captain N: The Game Master after their own show ended. These versions are even weirder because the voice actors changed, and the designs got even more "creative."
The Legend of Zelda the TV show isn't the "correct" version of Hyrule. It’s just one version. It’s loud, it’s dumb, and it’s remarkably charming in its own misguided way. Just don't expect Link to say anything deep. He's too busy looking for a kiss that’s never coming.
To truly understand where the Zelda franchise is going with its new big-budget movie, you have to look at where it started—even the parts that make you cringe. Grab some popcorn, embrace the 80s cheese, and remember that even the greatest legends have some embarrassing early drafts.
Next Steps for Zelda Fans:
- Audit Your Collection: Check if you have the original DIC DVDs; they are becoming increasingly rare and are considered "cult" items for Nintendo completionists.
- Verify the Credits: Research the work of DIC Enterprises to see how they handled other Nintendo properties like Super Mario World and Captain N to see the cross-promotional patterns of the late 80s.
- Archive the Media: Use sites like the Zelda Dungeon Wiki to view production cels and original storyboards from the show, which offer a glimpse into the art style before it was compressed for 80s television sets.
The series remains a unique pillar of gaming history. It's a reminder that even global icons like Link had to start somewhere, even if that "somewhere" involved a lot of complaining about princess-related chores.