Happy Mask Salesman



The bizarre man known as the Happy Mask Salesman first appeared in Ocarina of Time, offering to let Link work for him as a Happy Mask Salesman. After selling all the masks, Link received the Mask of Truth, allowing him to understand what the Gossip Stones say. The Happy Mask Salesman is widely considered to be one of the most sinister things in the entire Zelda series, even reaching status as the most sinister thing, especially in Ocarina of Time when Link cannot repay his mask borrowing debt.

In Majora's Mask, the Happy Mask Salesman played a major role. It was his mask, dubbed Majora's Mask, that the Skull Kid had stolen and was planning to use to destroy Termina. The Happy Mask Salesman asked the transformed Deku Link for help, promising to return him to his original form for it. The salesman taught Link the Song of Healing, one of the songs used several times throughout the game, which restored him, turning his Deku form into a mask. When Link finally returned Majora's Mask to him, the salesman simply vanished. The Happy Mask Salesman is best known for his volatile temper, his wacky theme tune (which is in fact a remix of the Song of Healing) and his eerie ability to change position without moving. This may be to further enhance the character's strange, surreal appearance. This character is widely considered to be one of the more unnerving characters in the series. In a particular scene, the Happy Mask Salesman plays on a massive organ that appears seemingly out of nowhere. This organ is used to teach Link (still in his Deku Scrub Form) the Song of Healing. This scene is considered by many fans to be one of the more comical scenes in the Zelda series.

He reappears in Oracle of Ages, where he owns a shop on the outskirts of Lynna Town. He is starving, and will give you the Doggy Mask in exchange for something to eat, namely the Tasty Meat from the Tokay cook.

The Mask Salesman's origins are unknown, as he may either be from Hyrule or the parallel universe Termina, as he knows how to travel from one to the other. Near the end of Majora's Mask, Link travels to the moon and meets masked children who somewhat resemble the salesman. One of them indirectly implies that they have either met or will become Mask Salesmen.

Manga
The Happy Mask Salesman is quite different in the manga. Though he appears exactly the same as in the game at first, towards the final battle with Majora's Mask, he is shown saying something far more sinister than previously seen of him:

"Heh heh... Looks like they're after the little demon (Skull Kid). But this is when the real action begins! Once they bring me back that mask, I will no longer have a purpose in this world. I will scurry away quickly then! Heh heh heh heh..." - credit to [1] for translation.

After the battle, the Happy Mask Man appears before Link (still wearing the Fierce Deity Mask) to take his mask. However, the mask that Link is wearing causes the hero to strike the Mask Salesman down. With this, the mysterious man picks up Majora's Mask and fades away laughing.

One of the more disturbing features of the Happy Mask Salesman is that he never stops smiling at any point. (However, if you do not have enough money to repay him for a sold mask in Ocarina of Time, his eyes will turn red and his expression turns to one of insane rage, before he essentially kicks you out of the store. He also frowns for a short period of time during his "rage" scene in Majora's Mask.)

Character Inspiration
Some people believe that the Happy Mask Salesman is, to a degree, based on Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Zelda series. This is due to the Happy Mask Salesman's hair and constant smile. But in-game, most people say that the Happy Mask Salesman is either insane...or not from this realm. Considering how he reacts when Link cannot repay his debt in OoT, it is very likely that he from a different realm.

Trivia

 * He has Super Mario, Elvis Presley, Mirror Shield (MM style), Doctor Doom and Darth Maul masks on his pack both in the game and the manga, although not all are seen in the manga. The Mirror Shield mask is only visible by looking at the Mask Salesman from behind.