If you were a kid in 1989, Friday afternoons were different. You weren't just waiting for the weekend; you were waiting for the "special" episode of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Unlike the rest of the week, which focused on the plumbing brothers, Fridays belonged to Hyrule. But the Link we saw on screen wasn't the stoic, silent hero of the NES cartridges. He was a whiny, lovestruck teenager with a serious attitude problem. And he had a catchphrase.
Well excuuuuse me princess became a cultural lightning rod. It was a line delivered with such peak-1980s sarcasm that it managed to outlive the show, the animated series format, and even some of the consoles the games were played on.
Honestly, it’s kind of a miracle.
Most junk-food TV from that era has been scrubbed from our collective memory. We don't sit around quoting the Mega Man cartoon or the Captain N bits. Yet, this specific, nasal quip from voice actor Jonathan Potts has become the definitive way to poke fun at the Zelda franchise’s occasionally awkward history.
Where did the attitude come from?
To understand why Link was so incredibly snarky, you have to look at the landscape of 1980s American television. This was the era of the "wise-cracking" lead. DIC Enterprises, the studio behind the cartoon, wasn't looking to create a faithful adaptation of a Japanese fantasy epic. They were looking to compete with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters.
Link needed a hook. The writers decided that hook would be a "moonlighting" hero who saved the kingdom mostly to get a kiss from Zelda. It was a weird, hormonal dynamic that feels totally alien to anyone who grew up with Ocarina of Time or Breath of the Wild.
The phrase itself—well excuuuuse me princess—was actually a riff on a popular Steve Martin stand-up bit from the 1970s. Martin would shout "Well excuuuuse me!" with theatrical indignation. The cartoon writers just tacked "princess" onto the end, and a meme was born decades before we even called them memes.
It’s hilarious when you think about it. The most legendary hero in gaming history has his personality rooted in a stand-up comedy routine from the disco era.
Breaking down the math of the catchphrase
People think he said it every five minutes. That’s not quite right, but it's close enough. Across the 13 episodes of the animated series, the phrase "Well excuuuuse me, princess!" (or variations of it) appears roughly 29 times.
That is more than twice per episode.
It wasn't just a line; it was a rhythmic punctuation mark. Whenever Zelda called him out for being lazy, or whenever his attempt to sneak a kiss was thwarted by a Moblin attack, Link would lean back, roll his eyes, and let it fly. The delivery was everything. Jonathan Potts gave it this rising inflection that sounded like a paper cut feels. It was annoying. It was supposed to be.
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But here’s the thing: it worked.
The phrase became shorthand for the friction between the two leads. In the games, Zelda was often a damsel or a distant sage. In the cartoon, she was frequently more competent than Link, leading to a "Moonlighting" style bickering that defined their relationship.
The Voice Behind the Viral Hit
Jonathan Potts, the actor who voiced Link, has talked about this role in various conventions and interviews over the years. He wasn't trying to create a legacy. He was a working actor in Toronto doing a gig for a cartoon.
Interestingly, Potts later returned to the Nintendo universe to voice characters in other projects, but nothing ever stuck like Link. He’s noted that the "snark" was a specific direction from the creators to make Link feel "more American."
They wanted a hero with "edge." In 1989, edge meant being a brat.
Why the Internet reclaimed the cringe
For a long time, the Zelda cartoon was a source of shame for fans. It was the "black sheep" of the family, tucked away in the same dark closet as the CD-i games (Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon).
Then the mid-2000s happened.
YouTube Poop (YTP) creators began scouring old media for the weirdest, most exploitable clips they could find. The combination of the Zelda cartoon’s janky animation and Link’s abrasive catchphrase was gold. Well excuuuuse me princess was no longer just a bad line from a forgotten show; it was a weapon of comedic irony.
It represented a time when Nintendo didn't have a "brand bible." They were just licensing their characters to whoever had a checkbook. Seeing Link act like a rejected extra from The Breakfast Club was a jarring contrast to the "Hero of Time" image Nintendo had spent years cultivating.
The Nintendo response: Denial and then acceptance
Nintendo is a notoriously protective company. They don't usually like it when their characters are turned into jokes. For years, they acted like the 1989 cartoon simply didn't exist. It wasn't included in official retrospectives. It wasn't referenced in the Hyrule Historia.
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But you can't kill a meme that strong.
Eventually, the wall started to crack. In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, there is a slight nod to the phrase in some of the localized dialogue. Then, in the 3DS era, Nintendo started leaning into the "meme-ability" of their past.
Perhaps the most famous modern reference is in the Zelda comic books and certain Nintendo of America social media posts. They realized that fans weren't laughing at Zelda in a hateful way; they were laughing at the absurdity of the era.
It’s a badge of honor now. If you’re a real fan, you know the line. You can probably hear the specific pitch of the "well" in your head right now.
Comparing Link: 1989 vs. Today
It’s a wild jump.
In the modern era, Link is almost entirely silent. He expresses himself through grunts, shouts, and the occasional facial expression. In Breath of the Wild, Zelda’s diary even explains his silence as a result of the "crushing weight of responsibility." He’s a stoic soldier.
The 1989 Link would hate that guy.
The 1989 Link wanted to eat, sleep, and complain about his chores. He was remarkably human, even if that "human" was a total jerk. There’s something refreshing about a hero who isn't a paragon of virtue.
Of course, if Link spoke like that today, the internet would melt down. The "Well excuuuuse me princess" era represents a version of the character that was completely untethered from the "Legend." He was just a guy in a green tunic trying to get through the day.
How to use the phrase without being "that guy"
If you're going to drop a well excuuuuse me princess in the wild, timing is everything. It’s a "vintage" meme. Using it unironically is a death sentence for your social standing.
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- Use it when someone is being unnecessarily pedantic about Zelda lore. If someone starts explaining the timeline and why Skyward Sword is the true origin, hit them with the line. It levels the playing field.
- It works wonders in couples’ bickering (provided your partner is also a nerd). It’s hard to stay mad when someone is doing a pitch-perfect 1989 cartoon impression.
- Use it as a defensive maneuver when your gaming skills are questioned. Did you fall off a cliff in Tears of the Kingdom? Well, you know what to say.
The ripple effect on other media
The Zelda cartoon wasn't the only one doing this. Look at the Super Mario cartoons or the Sonic the Hedgehog (AoSTH) series. There was a trend of "surfer dude" or "valley girl" slang being forced into every video game adaptation.
Sonic had "Way past cool!"
Mario had "Hey, Pizano!"
Link had the princess.
None of these lines have the staying power of Link’s. Maybe it’s because the word "Princess" adds a layer of formal sarcasm that the others lack. Or maybe it’s just because the Zelda franchise is so prestigious that this specific blemish stands out more clearly.
What it tells us about 80s marketing
The existence of the phrase is proof that back then, nobody thought video games were going to be "art."
The cartoon was a 15-minute commercial meant to sell cartridges. The writers weren't thinking about the "Spirit of the Hero" or the "Triforce of Courage." They were thinking about what would make a seven-year-old giggle between bites of cereal.
That lack of reverence is what makes the line so special. It’s a relic of a time before the Zelda series took itself seriously. It’s messy, it’s loud, and it’s unapologetically cheesy.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you’re looking to dive deeper into this specific piece of gaming history, or if you’re a creator trying to understand why some things go viral, here are a few ways to engage with the well excuuuuse me princess phenomenon:
- Watch the source material: All 13 episodes of the 1989 Legend of Zelda cartoon are available on various streaming platforms and DVD sets. Watching it with modern eyes is a trip. It’s a masterclass in "it's so bad it's good."
- Study the Voice Acting: Pay attention to how Jonathan Potts handles the dialogue. Even with the cheesy writing, there’s a consistent character there. He’s playing a very specific type of "annoying teenager" that was a staple of the era.
- Use it for Content Strategy: If you’re a YouTuber or streamer, understanding these "legacy memes" is vital. They are high-context jokes that immediately signal you are part of the "in-crowd" of gaming culture.
- Respect the Archive: Don't just dismiss old, "cringe" media. These weird moments are what give a franchise character. Without the failures and the weird diversions, Zelda wouldn't be the cultural titan it is today.
The legacy of the catchphrase is basically a lesson in branding. Sometimes, the thing you want people to forget is the thing they will love you for the most. Nintendo might have wanted a legendary hero, but for a whole generation, they got a guy who was just a little bit too obsessed with getting a kiss and having the last word.
Next time you’re playing a $70 masterpiece on your Switch, just remember: somewhere deep in the DNA of that character is a bratty kid shouting at a princess. And honestly? We’re better off for it.
Practical Next Steps
- Check out the DVD sets: If you can find the "Captain N and the Video Game Masters" or the standalone Zelda cartoon DVDs, they often contain weird promotional art that never made it into the games.
- Look up the Steve Martin connection: Watching the original "Well Excuse Me!" routine gives you a whole new perspective on how pop culture recycled itself in the 80s.
- Support the Voice Actors: Jonathan Potts is still active. Following the career of the people who voiced our childhood is a great way to give back to the community that built these memes.
The "Well excuuuuse me princess" era is a reminder that even the most "perfect" franchises have a messy, loud, and hilarious past. Embrace the cringe. It’s part of the legend.