Happy Mask Salesman

The Happy Mask Salesman (お面屋) is a recurring character in the Legend of Zelda series. He is a traveling collector and seller of strange and rare masks. He is considered one of the most unnerving characters in the series, due to his erratic behavior, unpredictable temper, strange powers and occasional displays of hysteric outbursts. Partly due to this unique and mysterious demeanor, there are many theories as to who the Happy Mask Salesman really is. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, he gives Link many subtle hints that he may be more than a common collector of masks.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Happy Mask Salesman is the proprietor of the Happy Mask Shop in Hyrule Castle Town. The Happy Mask Shop lends out masks for other people to sell, in order for the potential seller to obtain "true happiness" and for the Salesman to obtain some profit.

He is generally in a good mood, but if Link returns without Rupees for a sold mask, his expression changes to a demented, unnerving version of his usual self, and he kicks Link out of his shop in anger. His mood returns to normal once Link re-enters the shop. Once Link sells all four regular masks, the Happy Mask Salesman lends Link the Mask of Truth. When worn, this mask allows Link to read the thoughts of Gossip Stones. After receiving the Mask of Truth, Link can also borrow all the masks he has sold as well as some new mask models: the Goron, Zora, and Gerudo masks. These masks serve no practical purpose in completing the game, though wearing them often yields humorous results when talking to other characters.

Although the Happy Mask Salesman is nowhere to be found during the adult portion of the game, he is seen celebrating at Lon Lon Ranch during the credits. Since he is known to have the ability to travel between worlds, he may have fled into another world upon Ganondorf's attack on Hyrule Castle.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The Happy Mask Salesman's largest and most prominent role is in Majora's Mask. One of the major characters of the game, the Happy Mask Salesman's actions prior to the events of the game serve as the catalyst for the impending destruction of the entire world of Termina, the focal point of the game's story.

Some time prior to Link's arrival in the parallel world of Termina, the Happy Mask Salesman somehow uncovered the mythical Majora's Mask, a mask of evil portent that had been sealed away by the tribe that created it, fearing that its monstrous powers could prove to be the undoing of the world. After obtaining the mask, however, the Happy Mask Salesman was ambushed by an imp known as the Skull Kid and his two fairy companions, Tatl and Tael, deep inside the Lost Woods. The Skull Kid, as if driven, stole the mask from the unconscious Happy Mask Salesman.

Eventually, Link, who had left on a journey to find a friend he lost after the defeat of Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time, is likewise ambushed by Tatl and Tael and knocked unconscious. The Skull Kid appears and steals his Ocarina of Time. Link regains consciousness and attempts to sneak up on the Skull Kid, but the imp and his friends quickly escape, riding Link's horse, Epona. Chasing after them, Link falls down a hole and ends up in a series of tunnels below the land of Termina. After being transformed into a Deku Scrub by the Skull Kid, Link joins up with Tatl, who was left behind by the Skull Kid and Tael, and together the two work their way out of the cave complex. From out of nowhere, the Happy Mask Salesman approaches Link and tells him that it is possible to return Link to his Hylian form; all he needs is to get back his Ocarina of Time from the Skull Kid and return to the Salesman. In exchange for this, the Happy Mask Salesman asks of Link to retrieve his stolen mask and explains in lacking detail about the mask; he appears to know far more than he lets on.

Link exits the tunnel area and finds himself in Clock Town, where a large, ominous Moon is threatening to destroy the entire land of Termina. On the Night of the Final Day, Link encounters the Skull Kid on top of Clock Town's Clock Tower, and knocks the Ocarina of Time out of Skull Kid's hand, but fails to retrieve Majora's Mask. Link plays the "Song of Time" and turns back time to the First Day with the aid of the Goddess of Time, and returns to the Happy Mask Salesman. The Happy Mask Salesman keeps his promise and teaches him the "Song of Healing"; a song that heals troubled spirits, turning the Deku spirit that had inhabited Link's body into a mask, which Link can use at any given time to change back into Deku Link. However, when the Happy Mask Salesman learns of Link's failure to recapture the stolen mask he becomes extremely distressed, even going as far as to shake Link violently. He reveals the true nature of the mask and its power and that recapturing the mask is crucial to the survival of the world. Strangely, he also tells Link that the mask must be returned before he travels to another far-off land with his masks. The date of his departure coincides with the eve of the morning the Moon will destroy Termina unless Link stops the Skull Kid. He continues to wait patiently for Link to retrieve the mask. After Link successfully defeats Majora, the entity inhabiting the mask, thus saving Termina, the Happy Mask Salesman gets back his mask, now seemingly powerless and nothing more than a regular mask. He leaves Link with puzzling words and disappears into nothingness. The Happy Mask Salesman appears to be more than a simple salesman. He seems to know all about Link and his accomplishments in Hyrule and can tell what Link went through to obtain a particular mask or the power inherent in the mask, without ever seemingly leaving his post in the cave beneath Clock Town's clock tower. This is not his only strange characteristic - he can also appear from out of nowhere and transport himself to another location or change his stature in an instant. He also manages to make a giant organ appear from out of nowhere to teach Link the "Song of Healing". After Link learns the song, it disappears. Also, if Link does not stop Majora before time runs out, he appears back in the clock tower where the Salesman waits, suggesting that the Salesman can transport individuals through time.

He also exhibits a flaring temper - he shakes Link violently when he returns without Majora's Mask, and never tells Link the truth about why he wants Majora's Mask back so much. In fact, his choice of words could indicate that the Skull Kid did not actually steal his mask. While his true motives are never uncovered, he does not appear to be an antagonist however. He may have allowed the mask to fall into Skull Kid's hands with the intent that Link would vanquish the evil entity within it so it wouldn't be a threat to him. Given his vast knoweldge of other things over the course of the game, it isn't a stretch that he would foresee Link's coming to Termina. However, in the non-canonical Majora's Mask manga, he displays a new more sinister side of himself (see below).

The Lunar Children wearing the Boss Remains found at the Moon later in the game may be incarnations of different aspects of the Happy Mask Salesman, or at least be connected to him somehow, as they share the same appearance and are interested in the collection of masks.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
The Happy Mask Salesman is the proprietor of a mask shop located northwest of Lynna City in Present age Labrynna. Suffering from an extreme case of hunger, he "subtly" requests that Link get him some food. Link gives him a piece of Tasty Meat to satiate his hunger. In return, the Happy Mask Salesman gives Link a Doggie Mask, however, not before Link asks the annoyed Happy Mask Salesman for something in return. This is part of the quest for the Noble Sword.

In the manga
The Happy Mask Salesman displays a sinister side of him not seen in the game. Though during the majority of the manga he appears to be exactly the same character as in the game, towards the final battle with Majora, he is shown saying the following:

After the battle, the Happy Mask Salesman appears before Link (who is still wearing the Fierce Deity's Mask) to take Majora's Mask back. However, the spirit inside the mask that Link is wearing, as if sensing the Happy Mask Salesman's true intent, manipulates the hero to strike the Happy Mask Salesman down. After getting up, the mysterious man picks up Majora's Mask and fades away laughing.

Sheikah
Due to the fact that his eyes are, for the most part, closed, it is hard to determine the color of his eyes. However, when he opens them during one of his violent outbursts, they are red. Red eyes are a characteristic commonly connected to the Sheikah. However, the red eye colour may stem from the fact that the eyes are bloodshot during his frantic episodes. Additionally, in Ocarina of Time, the Happy Mask Salesman gives Link the Mask of Truth as a reward for selling his masks. The Mask of Truth is a well-known artifact of the Sheikah race. It could be that he somehow obtained the mask during his travels, but it could also have been passed down to him by his would-be ancestors, the Sheikah.

While non-canonical, in the manga, the Happy Mask Salesman's eyes are occasionally open, but since the manga is printed in black and white, it is impossible to determine the eye color. However, the brightness of the irises suggests that the color is a light color, obviously ruling red out, unless it is a lighter shade of red.

Deity
The Happy Mask Salesman's mystical powers and vast amount of knowledge could denote that the Happy Mask Salesman is neither a Hylian, but rather, a Deity or the earthly avatar of one, or in the very least a higher being not of Terminan or Hyrulean soil. The Salesman can, as previously noted, make items, as well as himself appear and disappear at will. These attributes combined with the aforementioned facts makes a case for the Happy Mask Salesman in truth being a god, perhaps one who guides those who are lost.

He also may have limited control over the flow of time, as when Link is inside the Clock Tower, time doesn't pass; in fact, the in-game clock disappears entirely. This could be taken further to suggest that the Happy Mask Salesman is, in fact a personification of the Goddess of Time, which is further supported by the fact that Link is taken back to his meeting with the Mask Salesman if he fails to stop the Moon.

Shigeru Miyamoto
Another belief is that the Happy Mask Salesman is Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of the Mario series and the Legend of Zelda series, or at the very least, an in-game avatar of him. This theory is compounded by his seemingly unlimited knowledge, strange powers, and the appearance of a mask of Mario, the title character of the famous Super Mario Bros. series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, on his backpack. Additionally, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that as a child, he had dreamed of directing puppet shows before getting into gaming. This could be a further reference to the Happy Mask Salesman, who, in the game, seems to be influencing all of the events from behind the scenes.