Cameos of The Legend of Zelda

A cameo is the appearance or mention of a character, place, or item from one game, TV show or movie in another.

Mario

 * Super Mario Bros. 3
 * The warp whistle plays the same tune as the one in The Legend of Zelda. It also summons a cyclone in the same way. This cameo appears in remakes of Super Mario Bros. 3 (Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario All Stars + Super Mario World, and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3).


 * Super Mario Bros. Super Show
 * In one episode, Mario is rescuising some aliens known as Quarks from Bowser. In the episode, Quarks sing a song. The song that the Quarks play is the overworld theme from Zelda games.


 * Super Mario RPG
 * If you sleep at the Inn at Rose Town, Link will be sleeping in the bed next to you. If you talk to him it will play the classic Zelda discovery theme.


 * Mario and Luigi: The Superstar Saga
 * One of the items is the Great Force, a yellow triangle. The people at TMK discovered that the item was originally supposed to be the Triforce and Link was supposed to appear when you got it.


 * Mario Golf
 * Random names of characters from other Nintendo games are put on the scoreboards. Darunia, Deku Scrub, Goron Kid, Impa, Link, Malon, Navi, Saria, Sheik, Talon, and Zelda are included.


 * Yoshi's Story
 * You can read the word "Zelda" on the newspaper background in Stages 2-3 and 2-4.


 * Yoshi's Island DS
 * When you turn the game on and leave it so you watch the opening video, when you see the Magikoopa taking all the babies, one of the babies has blond hair and pointed ears. It is obviously Link.


 * Super Paper Mario (Wii)
 * Throughout the game you are guided by a hint giving pixl named Tippi. She has the appearance of a rainbow colored (but mostly light blue) butterfly, and is obviously a parody of Navi. Also, when Mimi insists that you pay for a vase you broke, she will not accept coins, since she prefers to use octagonal gems called Rubees, again a parody of Rupee.

Donkey Kong

 * Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest
 * If you beat the game without enough coins, third place in the Video Game Hall of Fame will be held by Link.


 * Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
 * If you buy a shell from Bazaar's Shop, ask him about a castle, and refuse to pay for the story; Bazaar will tell you a story about another boy who asked about a castle and payed for it in rupees.


 * Donkey Konga
 * A version of The Legend of Zelda theme is featured in this game.
 * You can buy a The Legend of Zelda-themed Bongo set.


 * Donkey Konga 2: Hit Song Parade
 * A version of The Legend of Zelda theme is featured in this game.


 * Donkey Konga 3: Tabehoudai! Haru Mogitate 50 Kyoku
 * This game contains a song based on The Legend of Zelda theme.

Other

 * Animal Crossing
 * Gulliver and Kapp'n make references to Hyrule.
 * If you catch a loach, your character says, "I wonder if it's Hylian?"
 * The Master Sword is available as an item.
 * Kafei's shirt and Anju's shirt are available as clothes for your character.
 * On the back wall of the fourtune teller's tent, there is a picture of the triforce.


 * Animal Crossing: Wild World
 * The triforce and the Master Sword are available as furniture.


 * Big Brain Academy
 * One of the puzzles to complete is the Triforce.


 * Daigassou! Band Brothers
 * One of the Nintendo-themed songs is a medley of Zelda songs.


 * F-1 Race
 * Link roots for you on Course 5.


 * Final Fantasy I&II Dawn of Souls
 * if you read a tombstone in FF I it will say "here lies Link"


 * Game and Watch Gallery 4
 * The Legend of Zelda Game and Watch game is available as an unlockable bonus game.


 * Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak
 * There's a part in the game where you go to Sunny Peak and pull The Legendary Spoon out of its pedestal, similar to Link pulling the Master Sword out of its pedestal. It references A Link to the Past, in which you also had to get a blue, red and green orb before you could pull the sword from its pedestal. This specific quest has also been featured several other Zelda games.
 * Ham-Merchants across the game say "Buy something, will ya?", like the merchants from the first game.


 * Kirby Super Star
 * In The Great Cave Offensive, one of the treasures to collect is the triforce.
 * When Kirby gets the sword ability, his hat resembles the one Link wears.


 * Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All
 * In part 4-1 of the second case in Justice For All, Phoenix utters the line "Well, excuuuse me, Princess", an obvious reference to The Legend of Zelda cartoon series.


 * Picross NP Vol. 5
 * All of the puzzles in Character Mode are from The Legend of Zelda series. The images used are of Navi, the Fairy Ocarina, the Keaton Mask, the Fairy Slingshot, Kaepora Gaebora, Princess Zelda, Link, Princess Ruto, Epona, Darunia, Deku Scrub, and Ganondorf.
 * Picross DS has 1 puzzle of the original Link sprite. Found as an unlockable following the completion of all 10 levels of Normal Mode.


 * Pokemon Stadium 2
 * In My Room mode, you can decorate your room with consoles. On the NES, you can see The Legend of Zelda; on the Super Nintendo, you can see A Link to the Past; and on the Nintendo 64, you can see Ocarina of Time.


 * Tetris
 * If you beat Game B on Speed 9, Height 5, you are shown a Russian Party with popular Nintendo characters. Link is shown playing the flute.


 * Trace Memory
 * In the U.S. version, the bookshelf in the Silver Bird Room contains a book called "The Legend of Zelda Chronology".


 * WarioWare series
 * Several of 9-Volt's games are based on The Legend of Zelda.
 * During the credits, if you push down the stars turn to Triforces.


 * WarioWare: Smooth Moves
 * Two of the minigames are based on various games of The Legend of Zelda series. One is based on The Wind Waker where you fly with the Deku Leaf onto the wooden platform to reach the Forbidden Woods. The other is based on Ocarina of Time, where you pull the Master Sword out of the Pedestal of Time. Plus, there is a pose called the Triforce.


 * Kirby: Canvas Curse
 * On Level 3 of Paint Roller's minigame, you sometimes have to draw a Triforce.

Other games

 * Dragon Fable
 * One quest involves collecting the four pieces of the Quadforce. One piece is found outside Linken's house. The Quadforce is like the Triforce and the boss of the quest is Gananana, which is Ganon, and the rewards are dagger, sword and staff of eye-rule, which sounds like Hyrule. The rarest price which can only be sold for 250 gold is Ocarina of Thyme.


 * I'm O.K. - A Murder Simulator
 * Some of the opponents wear shirts with the Triforce on it.


 * ''Yu-gi-oh!
 * In both the card game and video games, the Mystic Probe card had a rounded Triforce in the center of the art on the card.


 * Soul Calibur II
 * Link is a playable character in the Gamecube version.


 * Warcraft III
 * In Warcraft III and the expansion, if you click a "Druid of the Claw" enough times he will say "Can't ... stop ... DANCING!" possibly in reference to Darunia (with music in the backround somewhat like Saria's Song.)"


 * World of Warcraft
 * A long quest chain is availible in the zone Un'Goro Crater which heavily references the Legend of Zelda series.
 * It begins when the player locates a stranded raft (a reference to Link's Awakening) in Un'Goro Crater, which starts the quest ""It's a Secret to Everybody". The player must then find a bag nearby it, containing a Curled Map Parchment, a Large Compass, a Lion-headed Key, and a Faded Photograph.  (The photograph shows a picture of a pair of gnomes dressed similarly to Zelda and Link, standing in front of a ruined castle.)  The player then has to find the gnome dressed as Link in the photo, named Linken, who is located at a camp in the zone, to continue.
 * Further down the quest-line, you are tasked with stealing a plant from a gnoll named Miblon Snarltooth. Miblon will respond with "Grumble grumble" if you speak to him.  To distract Miblon to steal the plant, the player must purchase a Bait item from a nearby dwarf, who will sell it to you with the quote, "Buy something, will ya?"  Both quotes, and the ability of meat to distract monsters, are a reference to the first Zelda.
 * Near the end of the quest-line, the player must summon a water elemental named Aquementas to do a task for them, in reference to the dragon Aquamentus.
 * The end of the quest chain, named "It's Dangerous to Go Alone", involves the player slaying a fire elemental and taking the Golden Flame it was guarding back to Linken. The Golden Flame resembles a golden triangle, and Linken says it is "dangerous in the hands of those with an evil heart."  The rewards for completing this quest are Linken's Sword of Mastery, Linken's Boomerang, and the Spirit of Aquementas.
 * There is a kodo in Un'Goro Crater named Dadanga, and its owner says it "dislikes smoke." A reference to the first game, when a man says "DODONGO DISLIKES SMOKE."

TV and movies

 * The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
 * In the episode "Hill Billy," Dennis the Dirt Gnome's hand looks exactly like a Dexihand when it portrudes from the ground. Also, in the episode "The Prank Call of Cthulu," Cthulu's face slightly resembles Majora's Mask.


 * Catscratch
 * The episode "Zombie Party a Go-Go" is ripe with Zelda references. Zelda's Lullaby is played both times that Waffle is ridiculed by Mr. Blik, the zombies may represent Wind Waker ReDeads, the stone-tipped sword an undrawn Master Sword, Hovis' mace the Skull Hammer, Waffle's lasers some Beamos, the high-society party a Wind Waker auction, the dust of the zombies when they are hit the ReDead death cloud. Episode found here.


 * Powerpuff Girls
 * In the episode "Child Fearing", there is a scene where Mayor can be seen playing Ocarina of Time on his NES, he accidentally kills Navi and gets frustrated.


 * Captain N The Game Master

Princess Zelda and Link make cameo appearances throughout the second season of this television series.



In the animated TV series Drawn Together, the character of Xandir’s girlfriend is largely based on Zelda. Voiced by Cree Summer. From the episode Gay Bash, she was Xandir's girlfriend before he came out of the closet. The evil Lord Slashstab used to capture her for no reason, leading to Xandir's neverending quest to save her. She seems to be a terrible homophobe, refusing to allow Xandir to rescue her once he informs her he is gay, even though at the time she was being lowered into a pit of megacobras in Lord Slashstab's castle.
 * Drawn Together

Xandir's appearance is also based on the Zelda series. Xandir has blonde hair, blue eyes, pointed ears, and the green clothing garb, much like Link.

In Korey’s favourite cartoon, characters that look similar to Astro Boy, Marth and Zelda appear.
 * Being Ian

Manga
In chapter 150 there is a man with a Triforce on the back of his shirt; however, it is notable that the symbol of the Triforce is the same as a religious symbol in Japan.
 * Naruto