When you see a man in green latex, do you come out in a cold sweat? Does the sound of "Kooloo-Limpah" make you shiver? Does your poor wallet groan as it prepares to be emptied in exchange for an absolutely extortionate treasure map? Well, you're not alone!
Ever since The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, one character has been on everyone's lips for polarising reasons. Tingle, the map merchant and reincarnated fairy (so he says) is arguably unsettling for a number of reasons; his rosy 35-year-old cheeks and skin-tight outfit, as well as his bizarre catchphrases and dances. You do you, Tingle! — which should go without saying — but there are few characters in video games that split popular opinion quite so much.
We have Majora's Mask's art director, Takaya Imamura, to thank for the balloon-riding fairy. But on Twitter, the designer — who left Nintendo last year and recently posted his parting gift from the company — shared his thoughts on his creation.
Courtesy of machine translation, Imamura says, "At that time, I intended to aim for kimo-kawa". Kimo-kawa is a Japanese phrase that loosely translates to "creepy-cute", which absolutely nails how we feel about Tingle. There's something utterly endearing about the rosy-cheeked fellow, but like with many things that originated from Majora's Mask, we can't help but feel like something is off with him all the time.
So, the little sweat drop emoji probably suggest that Imamura thinks he went too far in one direction. But he doesn't want Nintendo to forget his creation, either. Later in the thread, he says he wants the company to keep Tingle in their hearts. That's sweet! Someone's got to give the guy some love.
Tingle has appeared in multiple games since Majora's Mask, with prominent roles in Wind Waker, Oracle of Seasons and Ages, and Minish Cap, among others. And even when he's not physically there, his presence can be felt — such as Purlo in Twilight Princess or that costume in Breath of the Wild.
Tingle even got his own extremely bizarre spin-off games in Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, Tingle's Balloon Fight DS, and Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love.
Do you find Tingle unsettling or adorable? Do you have a favourite Tingle moment or appearance? Let us know in the comments!
[source twitter.com, via gonintendo.com]
Comments 26
I actually really like his Wind Waker design since I think it's a great balance of cute and weird personally. His other designs though? SOMEBODY GET THE HOLY WATER.
No way that's true. Majora's Mask is the most light-hearted game in the entire series.
He always reminds me of the ‘it’s wednesday my dudes’ guy.
Given how I still think "I wonder if that goes to the Mushroom Kingdom?" every time I see a big pipe, I'm mildly creeped out at how relatable I find the middle-aged man who wants to be a fairy. Kooloo-Limpah!
It's the fact that he's a grown man who refuses to grow up that makes him creepy. The skin tight one piece and beer belly doesn't help either.
I want Tingle to appear in more mainline Zeldas again. It's great that he's been in Hyrule Warriors, and Cadence of Hyrule, but I'd like to see him return in a big Zelda again.
@braincandy101 Have you been talking to my wife?
Creepy? Nah. F***ing annoying? Definitely.
@Lordplops agreed, he's more annoying than creepy. Never liked him, never will.
Fairies aren't creepy! Weird middle aged men pretending to be fairies, could be seen as creepy though.
I don't get the hate towards this character. It was a welcome weirdness to the dark and apocalyptic mood in majora's mask.
Bring back tingle!!
Hey he's no weirder than some of the guests appearing on Japanese variety shows at the time! I for one love how Tingle repulses yet intrigues pretty much everyone who sees him - like who or WHAT did Imamura-san model this character after??
Such a standout!
Kooloo Limpah my good dudes.
Gee thanks dad
@Tingle_The_Great And you had to hear it this way too..ouch.
Fun fact everyone tingle had his own game released in Japan and Europe and when Nintendo asked if they should release the game in the USA practically everyone said no.
So that’s why tingles rupee land will never get a us release.
How rude.
Tingle is my favorite character in the Zelda series.
@Greatluigi Shocking they didn't use the Wii U Virtual Console as a chance to release it. But I've heard maybe Nintendo's DS emulator on Wii U was a little off, so maybe there was some problem with that.
I mean, they gave a few GBA games release on Wii U VC that weren't physically released in the same regions. Kurukuru Kururin in NA, Drill Dozer in Europe, Game & Watch Gallery 4 in Japan.
I feel like The King of All Cosmos in Katamari Damacy was heavily influenced by Tingle.
I never had a problem with him. I consider him the Waluigi of the Zelda universe, except Tingle didn't quite capture the same magic. I will say, though, I'm playing through the N64 version of Majora's Mask for the first time on NSO, and Tingle's model in that game looks absolutely disgusting. If that had been my first exposure to the character, I'd probably hate him, too.
@braincandy101 I never really found that creepy--I always thought it was funny. Link was heavily inspired by Peter Pan, hence the Kokiri in Ocarina of Time who never age. I think they were going for, "What if a fairy never came to Link, and he never learned he wasn't a real Kokiri?" I mean, think about it: Termina is a parallel world where all of Hyrule's residents exist but in a perversion of their original selves. The Link from Hyrule wasn't supposed to end up there, so presumably, a second Link should exist there who is the opposite of the Hero of Time--weird, lazy, ugly, and out of shape--instead of the handsome, courageous, athletic and determined Link we know. Tingle also can't be found in Ocarina of Time. Has anybody done a theory video about this?
@Not_Soos Yea that actually makes sense. Tingle is just loser Link.
@braincandy101 Exactly, lol. If there isn't already a Game Theory about it, maybe this is my big chance to launch a successful YouTube career... 👀
Two words Love Him…..when I was at Nintendo New York they had a plush version of gin in the Zelda section I.bought 2 one overlooks my game room the second for the bedroom 😉
I think his design was improved later. This first version is a little too realistic but his other appearances have been welcome.
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