Happy Mask Salesman

The Happy Mask Salesman has made several appearances throughout The Legend of Zelda series. He travels through different lands searching and collecting a wide variety of masks. He is most known for his erratic, sudden mood swings and is considered to be one of the more unnerving characters in the series, mostly because of his many mysterious and abnormal behaviors.

The Mask Salesman's origins are unknown, as he may either be from Hyrule or the parallel universe, Termina since he seems to know 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.

One of the more disturbing features of the Happy Mask Salesman is that he usually never stops smiling at any point. However, if Link does 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 Link out of the store. He only frowns once for a short period of time during his "rage" scene in Majora's Mask. Another bizarre feature is that he squints very hard making it appear his eyes are closed.

Ocarina of Time

 * See also: Mask Trading Sequence

The bizarre man known as the Happy Mask Salesman first appears in Ocarina of Time within the Happy Mask Shop in the Hyrule Castle Town Market. He only opens his shop after Link delivers Zelda's Letter to the guard standing near the entrance to Death Mountain Trail. Here, he hires Link to be a "happiness salesman" by borrowing each of the shop's masks and then selling them, thus bringing "happiness to everyone" while the Happy Mask Salesman profits off of the young hero's work. After selling all the four masks, Link receives the Mask of Truth which allows him to understand what the Gossip Stones say. Moreover, he can borrow all the masks he has previously sold as well four new mask models.

The Happy Mask Salesman is usually in a good mood, cheering Link on as he's selling the masks ; however, if Link does not return with the money for the sold mask, the salesman's expression will suddenly turn to that of a deranged and berserk man as he rudely kicks the young hero out of the shop. Strangely, his behavior will return to normal once Link enters the shop once again.

Once Link turns into an adult and the Market is destroyed, the Happy Mask Salesman is nowhere to be found. Despite this, he can be seen during the ending scene celebrating at Lon Lon Ranch.

Majora's Mask
The Happy Mask Salesman plays a more prominent role in Majora's Mask. Prior to the events of Majora's Mask, he was continuing his search of masks as he traveled through the woods. However, he was suddenly ambushed by the Skull Kid and his two friends, Tatl and Tael. While he was unconscious, the imp went through the many masks that the salesman possessed, and eventually took a cursed mask known as Majora's Mask.

Once Link arrives in Termina, he too is assaulted by the Skull Kid, who steals his Ocarina of Time in the process. A series of events occur and Link is turned into a Deku Scrub by the Skull Kid wearing Majora's Mask, and the young hero, along with Tatl, eventually make their way into the Clock Tower. The Happy Mask Salesman appears from out of nowhere and reveals that he has been following Link and his fairy companion since he knows of a way to return him to his former shape; first, however, he would need to claim back the ocarina that was stolen from him. In exchange, the salesman asks that Link also retrieve the "precious mask" that the Skull Kid stole from him, but he must do this in just three days before he has to mysteriously depart from Termina.

Eventually with just a few hours before the Moon falls, Link and Tatl confront the Skull Kid at the top of the Clock Tower where the young hero retrieves his ocarina and plays the Song of Time as he remembers Princess Zelda. With the Ocarina of Time in hand, Link returns to the Happy Mask Salesman, who keeps his promise and teaches the young hero a melody called the Song of Healing that heals troubled spirits and turns them into masks. Link's Deku form is encased into a mask upon playing the tune which the salesman gratefully gives to him. Having fulfilled his promise, the Happy Mask Salesman asks for his end of the deal, but once he learns of Link's failure to retrieve Majora's Mask, he becomes severely perturbed and violently shakes Link out of frustration. He explains the great lengths that he went through to obtain the mask as well as the true nature behind it. He reveals that if the mask is not taken away from the Skull Kid, "something horrible will happen": mainly, the destruction of Clock Town and Termina itself. He begs Link to recover the mask for him, once again stressing the fact that he must leave in just three days which is coincidentally the same day of the Carnival of Time as well as the time remaining that the moon has before it crashes into Clock Town. As Link and Tatl set off to recover Majora's Mask, the Happy Mask Salesman waits patiently inside the Clock Tower for their return.

Once Link successfully defeats the evil inside Majora's Mask, the moon vanishes into thin air never to be seen again thus saving the land of Termina. The Happy Mask Salesman finally obtains his mask which has seemingly lost its power and is now an ordinary mask. Since he is in the middle of his travels, he bids farewell, and seemingly suggesting Link that he should return to Hyrule. Before literally disappearing into nothingness, the salesman bows and remarks of all the people Link has managed to make happy.

The Happy Mask Salesman seems to know a lot about Link and his previous adventures, mentioning that retrieving Majora's Mask should be of no difficulty to "someone like [him]." Moreover if Link wears a mask in and speaks to him with it on, he will say something about that mask: what emotion it's filled with, its rarity, or something special about it without ever even leaving the Clock Tower. This ability could possibly be to truly demonstrate the Happy Mask Salesman's expertise when it comes to masks.

He is also notorious 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. In one scene, the Happy Mask Salesman plays on a massive piano that seems to appear out of nowhere. This piano is used to teach Link the Song of Healing, and the scene is considered to be one of the more comical ones in the series. After Link learns the song, the piano mysteriously disappears.

Masks
In Majora's Mask, the Happy Mask Salesman carries a large pack on his back upon which can be seen a number of masks. These same masks appear in the Happy Mask Shop in Ocarina of Time 3D, and the salesman's pack can be seen behind the counter. Nine in total can be seen, as shown in the below set of images. They are numbered and described for clarity, along with descriptions of possible similarities. The masks numbered 2-5 can also be seen in the image above right.


 * 1) Humanoid face (shocked expression) – Similarities with the face shown on the Mirror Shield.
 * 2) Stone-like face – A similar mask can be seen above Mayor Dotour's chair.
 * 3) Humanoid face (sad expression) – Believed by some to be a reference to Elvis Presley.
 * 4) Red/black striped face – Believed by some to be a reference to Darth Maul of Star Wars fame.
 * 5) Mario – Almost certainly a reference to Nintendo's famous protagonist.
 * 6) Grotesque face (pale)
 * 7) Grotesque face (red)
 * 8) Red/green/black striped face – Similar to a mask worn by a Luchador.
 * 9) Blue/yellow striped face – Believed by some to be a reference to Falco Lombardi or King Dedede.

Oracle of Ages
The Happy Mask Salesman also reappears in Oracle of Ages where he owns a mask shop on the outskirts of Lynna City. He is starving and will give Link the Doggie Mask in exchange for something to eat, namely the Tasty Meat from the Tokay cook. His appearance is almost identical to previous games, the one notable difference being his ears which are rounded and not pointed.

Majora's Mask Manga
The Happy Mask Salesman is quite different in the Majora's Mask manga. Though his role 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:


 * "Ho ho... They're off to confront that little demon. Now for the real show. If I can only get that mask back, I'll no longer have a need for this world. I just move on. Ho... Ho ho ho..."

After the battle, the Happy Mask Man appears before Link (still wearing the Fierce Deity's Mask) to take his mask. Link strikes out at him with his sword and tells him to leave, slicing various masks in half, possibly in an attempt to strike Majora's Mask. He misses, however, and the mysterious man picks up the mask and fades away laughing.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Happy Mask Salesman appears as a sticker in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

In relation to the moon
When Link arrives on the moon, there are 5 children who all resemble the Happy Mask Salesman. All of them mention that they want to grow up to be mask salesmen outright or subtly. It is because of this that the Mask Salesman is sometimes theorized to come from the moon. It is also theorized, however, that the inside of the moon is a relection of Majora's (and to a slightly lesser extent, the Skull Kid's) mentality and memories, in which case these children would simply be based on their memories of the Salesman, hence their nearly identical appearance.

Powers
If Link fails to free all Four Giants and/or play the Oath to Order by the end of the Final Day, the Moon will collide with Termina, destroying it in a fiery wave. Soon after, however, the Salesman's laugh is heard as he repeats the question, "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" Link and the Salesman then appear in the Clock Tower, the three-day cycle having somehow been reset. This has led to speculation that the Happy Mask Salesman may have some control over time, allowing him to return Link to the First Day in the event that the hero should fail, which by extension would ensure he could eventually retrieve Majora's Mask. This may also explain why time does not seem to flow normally within the Clock Tower- time is still moving, as evidenced by the moving gears and water in the tower, but the three-day clock completely disappears and the progression of the current cycle is temporarily halted, suggesting that the inside of the tower is somehow "out of sync" with the rest of Termina. Again, this may be a direct action by the Salesman (perhaps to ensure that Link wastes no time in the tower), or may simply be a passive result of his presence in the tower. Even if he does have some power over time, however, the Salesman's abilities would still be weaker than those of the Goddess of Time, as he is apparently unable to return to the point where he was attacked by the Skull Kid (thus preventing him from retrieving the mask himself), nor is he apparently able to transport Link through time completely intact (as only the progress up to the last time the Song of Time was played will be retained; any progress from that point up to Termina's destruction is lost).

Trivia

 * 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 almost constant smile.
 * The Happy Mask Salesman's piano is often mistaken for an organ, because the instrument has a large vertical soundboard and a triple-manual keyboard. Organs usually have two or more keyboards, and the vertical soundboard can be mistaken for pipe registers.
 * Rupin from SS undefined bears a striking resemblance in appearance and demeanor to the Happy Mask Salesman, and it is speculated that Rupin is an ancestor of the Happy Mask Salesman.
 * When Link first meets the mask salesman in Majora's Mask, Tatl cowers behind Link in fear. When the Happy Mask Salesman appears in Termina Field at the end of the game, Tael does the very same thing, only he hides behind the Skull Kid instead.