King Harkinian

About

King Harkinian is a recurring character from The Legend of Zelda CD-i games. In the games, he is the King of Hyrule and head of the Royal Family. Various scenes and phrases used by him within the games have become popular memes on the web, with the King being one of the most common characters used in YouTube Poops.

Origin

The Legend of Zelda CD-i (Compact Disk interactive) games were developed in late 1993 as a partnership between the Dutch electronics company Philips and the Japanese videogame publisher Nintendo to encourage the production of CD-based games.^[2] The CD-i games were received overall negatively and are still considered some of the worst games of all time. Nintendo never acknowledged them in the Zelda timeline, and therefore they are considered to be in a separate, self-contained, canon. Upon release, all of the Zelda CD-i games were criticized heavily for their bad gameplay, horrendous controls, confusing design, and ridiculous cartoon cutscenes. Their full-motion video cutscenes have become widely available through video-sharing websites like YouTube. One of the recurring characters throughout the series was King Harkinian.^[1]

Spread

King Harkinian is a popular inclusion in videos on YouTube, gaining large usage in remixes and YouTube Poops. Many of his lines and phrases, such as "Mah Boi", and "Dinner," are particularly popular in these videos. Though King Harkinian is portrayed as a noble ruler of Hyrule, several YouTube Poops have portrayed him as idiotic, stupid and sometimes villainous. These elements can often be found back in various Youtube Poops surrounding King Harkinian.

Mah Boi

In the opening scene of the CD-i game The Legend of Zelda: Faces of Evil (seen above), King Harkinian's line "My boy, this peace is what all true warriors strive for" has gained widespread popularity. His particular way of saying "My boy" is commonly written as "Mah boi". The line, along with his facial expression, often gets featured in numerous fanworks. Mah Boi also has its own group on DeviantArt.^[3]

Dinner

"I wonder what's for dinner" is a line said by King Harkinian in the CD-i game The Legend of Zelda: Wand of Gamelon. The line has become one of the main traits associated with King Harkinian, representing his love for dinner. The line has often been used in YouTube Poops, creating a variety of recurring themes such as the Dinner Blaster.

Search Interest

External References