Tingle’s Creator Planned his Major Role in The Wind Waker
Posted on April 17 2021 by Alexis S. Anderson
Longtime Nintendo developer Takaya Imamura, known for his work on titles like Star Fox 64 and F-Zero GX, announced his retirement from the company back in January. In reflecting on his career with IGN on Friday, Imamura explained Tingle’s rather large presence in The Wind Waker. He said, “I was helping out on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker when it was still in its planning phase, but at the same time I was working on Star Fox Adventures with Rare, and I ended up having to focus on the latter…” Laughing, he continued, “So If you ever wondered why Tingle appears so often in Wind Waker, now you know why.”
So, there you have it. Tingle was only given so much to do in The Wind Waker because his creator inserted him during the game’s planning stage. Imamura’s work with Rare at the time suggests perhaps that time constraints caused him to run with his concept for Tingle’s larger role as opposed to exploring other ideas, and it seems the plan stayed firm even after Imamura’s focus turned elsewhere.
The 35-year-old fairy wannabe everybody loves to hate first appeared in Majora’s Mask, and again in Oracle of Ages before being cemented as a series mainstay by his breakout role in The Wind Waker. Rather than just selling maps or upgrading gear, Tingle is an integral part of the adventure in The Wind Waker. He is imprisoned on Windfall where he gives Link the Tingle Tuner, deciphers the sea charts Link needs to find the game’s Triforce shards, and has his own island. He is even revealed to have two brothers who, along with an additional reluctant laborer, are tasked with turning a Tingle-inspired tower on Tingle Island.
Despite a somewhat negative reception in North America, Tingle has remained a quirky, comedic, and dare I say charming part of the Zelda series. He made appearances in Four Swords Adventures, The Minish Cap, and Hyrule Warriors. His presence is also felt in Twilight Princess’ Purlo, a Tingle-inspired outfit in Breath of the Wild, a doll in Skyward Sword, and posters in both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. He is even an assist trophy in some Super Smash Bros. games and appears in the Great Bay stage. Tingle has also seen success with his own spin-off series of games released in Japan (and once in Europe) which our very own Andy Spiteri is quite fond of.
Clearly, Imamura’s unique character designs continue to impact the Zelda series. Undoubtedly the totality of his work at Nintendo leaves a lasting legacy. In his retirement, Imamura is working on a manga, as well as teaching CG animation and video game development at the International Professional University of Technology in Osaka, Japan.
How do you feel about Tingle? Would you like Imamura to make a manga about him? Let us know in the comments!
Source: IGN
Alexis S. Anderson is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon who joined the writing team in November, 2014. She has a JD from the UCLA School of Law and is pursuing a career in Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law. She grew up in the New Jersey suburbs with her parents, twin brother, and family shih-tzu.
