King Harkinian

King Harkinian is a King of Hyrule and father of Princess Zelda. He appears several times early in the life of the Zelda franchise: in the animated series, the comic series, and the video games and  for the Philips CD-i.

Animated series
King Harkinian makes an appearance in the Legend of Zelda animated series. In the show, he is depicted to be a tall, rotund king bearing a snow white beard and a gold crown. Personality-wise, he is a benevolent and charismatic King of Hyrule, wishing to build his citizens a waterpark that they can all enjoy. Deeply loved and cared by his daughter, the king seems to have trouble remembering certain things,  and is somewhat dimwitted as a father. However, he is still loyal to his country and also refuses to willingly give up the Triforce of Wisdom to Ganon, even though he fears of the Underworld ruler.

King Harkinian often gives Link tips on wooing his daughter, Princess Zelda, such as in "Sing for the Unicorn", where he tells Link to give Zelda flowers in order to have a better chance of getting a kiss from her. The king only appears in four episodes out of the twelve: "The White Knight", "Sing for the Unicorn", "That Sinking Feeling", and "Fairies in the Spring." In all of his episode appearances, he only plays a small role, in which two of those he gets kidnapped, prompting Link and Princess Zelda to rescue him.

The Legend of Zelda comic
In the Legend of Zelda comic published by Valiant Comics, King Harkinian's appearance is similar to that of the animated series. He only appears in "Missing in Action" and Queen of Hearts, and plays a rather minor role. He lives in North Palace with his daughter, Princess Zelda, and he seems to be good friends with Seline, the queen of the neighboring kingdom of Calatia.

In Missing in Action, King Harkinian is the one that informs Link that Zelda has left Hyrule  with the Triforce of Wisdom to keep it safe from Ganon's clutches, and  he urges the young hero to find her and bring her back. In Queen of Hearts, Queen Seline goes to North Palace and meets up with King Harkinian  after 16 years, where the two of them spend most of the day together  catching up.

Philips CD-i Games
King Harkinian appears in both and. In The Faces of Evil, he advises that Link, who is bored with Hyrule's peacefulness, be happier with the kingdom's peace in that it is "what all true warriors strive for." When Gwonam arrives to inform the King that the island of Koridai has been seized by Ganon's minions, he offers their help, but Gwonam states that only Link can defeat Ganon according to a prophecy.

Harkinian plays a bigger role in The Wand of Gamelon when he leaves Hyrule to help his cousin, Duke Onkled, whose lands of Gamelon are being attacked by the evil forces of Ganon. When Zelda expresses worry for his safety, Harkinian reassures her that he will take the Triforce of Courage to protect him, and orders that Link be sent if he does not return in a month. After months of absence from both Link and the King, Zelda decides to go to Gamelon to find them both. It is later revealed that Onkled betrayed his cousin, had him imprisoned, and sided with Ganon in exchange of power. Link was also inexplicably sealed inside a mirror. Zelda then manages to free both her father and Link, and Onkled is made to "scrub all the floors in Hyrule" as punishment by Harkinian's order.

Trivia

 * The Faces of Evil and The Wand of Gamelon are often used to create "YouTube Poop" remix videos, and Harkinian is often used as a character in them. Most of his dialogue has become an internet meme, with such phrases as "Dinner," "My boy" (often phoneticized as "Mah boi"), and "Scrub all the floors in Hyrule" being especially popular.