"Well excuse me, Princess!"
If you grew up in the late eighties, you probably just heard that in a very specific, slightly nasally voice. It’s the calling card of a show that most modern Nintendo fans look back on with a mix of genuine nostalgia and absolute bewilderment. We’re talking about the cartoon Legend of Zelda, a thirteen-episode experiment that aired in 1989 as part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Honestly, looking at it through a 2026 lens, the show is a fascinating time capsule. It wasn’t trying to be "prestige television." It was trying to sell plastic toys and gold-colored NES cartridges to kids who were already obsessed with the world of Hyrule. But if you actually sit down and watch it now, you realize it did things the games didn't touch for years.
How the Cartoon Legend of Zelda Defined Link Before He Had a Voice
Before the 1989 series, Link was basically a collection of green pixels. He didn't have a personality. He didn't have a backstory. He was just a vessel for the player. The cartoon Legend of Zelda changed that, for better or worse, by giving us a Link who was—to put it bluntly—a bit of a brat. This version of Link was a lovestruck, somewhat arrogant teenager who spent most of his time trying to get a kiss from Zelda.
It’s easy to mock the "Excuuuuse me, Princess" catchphrase, but it gave Link a human element. This wasn't the stoic Hero of Time we see in Breath of the Wild. This was a kid. A kid who was really good at fighting monsters but really bad at reading social cues.
The voice actor, Jonathan Potts, gave Link a specific energy that feels wildly different from the silent protagonist we know today. Think about it. In the games, Link is a blank slate. In the cartoon, he has a room in the castle. He has chores. He gets bored. This was the first time we saw the "domestic" side of Hyrule.
Breaking the "Damsel in Distress" Trope Early
One thing people consistently get wrong about the cartoon Legend of Zelda is the characterization of Zelda herself. In 1989, female leads in action cartoons were often relegated to being rescued. Not here. Zelda was frequently the one saving Link. She wore an outfit designed for adventure—not just a gown—and she was arguably a better tactician than the hero.
She used a bow. She fought off Moblins. She scolded Link for his laziness. Honestly, the dynamic was less "knight and maiden" and more "bickering coworkers who secretly like each other." This version of Zelda laid a lot of the groundwork for the more active roles she would take in later games like Ocarina of Time (as Sheik) or Spirit Tracks.
The Weird Mechanics of the Animated Hyrule
The show’s logic was... creative.
In the games, you find an item in a chest, and it stays in your inventory. In the cartoon Legend of Zelda, items were "shrunk" down. Link carried a pouch, and when he needed a bomb or a shield, he’d pull out a miniature version that would magically grow to full size. It was a clever way to explain how a kid in a tunic carries fifty different items without a backpack.
Then there’s the Triforce. In the show, there were only two: the Triforce of Power (held by Ganon) and the Triforce of Wisdom (held by Zelda). The Triforce of Courage didn't exist in the series. Why? Because the show was based primarily on the first NES game, where the third piece hadn't been introduced yet.
- Ganon's Lair: Underworld was a literal place he hung out in, usually yelling at his incompetent minions.
- The Moblins: They were portrayed as bumbling idiots, which set the tone for enemy grunt behavior for decades.
- The Sound Effects: DiC Audiovisual used the actual sound effects from the NES game. When Link hits a wall or gets hurt, it’s the exact 8-bit noise you remember.
Why Ganon Was Actually Kind of Great
Ganon in the cartoon Legend of Zelda wasn't some abstract ancient evil or a god-like entity. He was a wizard. Specifically, a pig-man wizard who lived in a jar. Okay, he didn't live in a jar, but he often teleported through a "Magic Jar" to get around.
He was voiced by Len Carlson, who brought a raspy, theatrical villainy to the role. Ganon’s goal was simple: steal the Triforce of Wisdom so he could rule Hyrule. There was no complex "reincarnation of Demise" lore. He was just a bad guy who wanted power. Sometimes, simplicity works. His constant frustration with his underlings—Stalfos, Octoroks, and Moblins—made him feel more like a grumpy boss than a dark lord. It gave the show a comedic edge that kept it from feeling too dark for the Saturday morning crowd.
The Missing Links: Why Only 13 Episodes?
You’d think a massive brand like Zelda would have lasted for years. Instead, we only got 13 episodes.
The reason? It was tied to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! which aired five days a week. Mario took four of those days, and Zelda took Fridays. When the Mario show was retooled into The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, the Zelda segment was dropped entirely. It’s one of the great "what ifs" of gaming history. If the show had continued, would we have seen the cartoon version of A Link to the Past? Probably. Imagine what a 1992 version of Agahnim would have looked like in this art style.
The Visual Legacy and the "CD-i" Connection
There is a direct line between the cartoon Legend of Zelda and the infamous Phillips CD-i games (Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon). While the cartoon was produced by DiC, the "memey" animation style of the CD-i games clearly took inspiration from the show's character designs.
However, the cartoon is significantly higher quality. The animation, handled by shops in South Korea, was actually quite fluid for the era. The backgrounds had a nice watercolor wash to them that captured the "fantasy world" vibe better than many other shows of the late eighties.
Identifying the Modern Influence
Believe it or not, the show's DNA is still visible in modern Zelda. The idea of Link having a sentient companion—like Navi, Midna, or Fi—started here with Spryte, a fairy who was clearly a predecessor to the "Hey, Listen!" era.
Also, the focus on the chemistry between Link and Zelda has become a cornerstone of the franchise. In Skyward Sword, the relationship between the two is the emotional core of the game. You can trace that emphasis back to the bickering teenagers in the 1989 cartoon. It moved the franchise away from being a pure "dungeon crawler" and toward being a character-driven epic.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Zelda Fan
If you want to experience the cartoon Legend of Zelda today, you don't have to hunt down old VHS tapes. Here is how to dive back in:
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- Watch the Shout! Factory DVD: They released the complete series years ago, and it’s still the best way to see the episodes in their original broadcast quality.
- Look for the Mario Show Archives: Many streaming services that host old cartoons carry The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! specifically. Check the Friday episodes.
- Pay Attention to the Music: Listen closely to the score. It’s a symphonic reimagining of Koji Kondo’s original themes, and it’s surprisingly well-done for a low-budget animated series.
- Compare to the Valiant Comics: Around the same time, Valiant released a Zelda comic book series. It uses the same character designs as the cartoon but has a much darker, more serious tone. It’s a great "alt-history" look at the franchise.
The show isn't perfect. It's cheesy, it's dated, and Link is kind of a jerk. But it was the first time Hyrule felt like a living, breathing place with people who had lives outside of waiting for a player to press start. For that reason alone, it deserves its spot in the annals of gaming history.
Whether you're a hardcore speedrunner or a casual fan of Tears of the Kingdom, taking twenty minutes to watch an episode is worth it. It’s a reminder of where the series came from—and how far it has come since "Well excuse me, Princess" was the peak of Zelda storytelling.