Introduced in Ocarina of Time, the Skull Kids are mischievous little creatures that are native to the Lost Woods. Their strange designs, particularly compared to the other natives of the Lost Woods, the Kokiri, have made them stand out among other short-lived characters in The Legend of Zelda series, particularly as one of the main antagonists in Majora’s Mask.
Because the Skull Kids have only appeared in a handful of Zelda games so far, there is a lot of information on them that is easy to miss. This is particularly the case for newer fans of the series, who have to go back to the Nintendo 64 titles to get the most information about them.
10 They Are Transformed Children
According to Navi in Ocarina of Time, the Lost Woods has a devastating effect on anyone who becomes trapped inside the labyrinthian region of the Kokiri’s homeland. While adults are said to transform in the skeletal Stalfos, children who become lost in the woods are instead turned into Skull Kids.
Although it isn’t specified whether the Kokiri can also succumb to this transformation, it’s safe to say that Link may have been transformed into a Skull Kid if he wasn’t under the constant watchful eye of the Deku Tree.
9 They Hate Adults
Skull Kids are playful and sometimes mischievous creatures, as they are often shown playing with one another or simply making life hard for Link in every game they have appeared in. In Ocarina of Time, they also have a burning hatred of adults, as they will attack Link on sight if he is in his adult form.
The reason for this is never explained, but it could have something to do with the nature of their transformations and the fact that adults cannot be turned into Skull Kids.
8 They Have Only Appeared In The Child Timeline
Compared to other creatures seen in Zelda, Skull Kids have appeared in fewer titles than would be expected, especially considering their importance in Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess. The Lost Woods has appeared in nearly every Zelda game so far, but Skull Kids have only appeared in Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Twilight Princess, the latter two both falling in the Child Timeline.
The reasoning for this is never given, though it is only one of a handful of mysteries surrounding the Zelda continuity. It stands alongside the disappearance of the Deku race and how the Rito and Zora are able to exist in the same timeline given their connection to one another.
7 Majora’s Puppet Had Met Link Before
Throughout the events of Majora’s Mask, it seems like the Skull Kid who is possessed by Majora is simply a random Skull Kid who stumbles upon the Happy Mask Salesman in the Lost Woods. However, a line at the very end of the game would suggest that players have seen this particularly Skull Kid before.
After being freed from the control of Majora, Skull Kid says that Link smells like the same boy who taught him Saria’s Song, which can be done in Ocarina of Time. This is also the same Skull Kid that Link could give a skull mask to in the mask trading sequence for the Happy Mask Salesman.
6 He May Have Returned In Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, Link must delve into the Lost Woods to retrieve the Master Sword, as is standard for many iterations of the hero. One of the roadblocks in obtaining the darkness sealing sword is a Skull Kid who wants to play hide and seek with Link.
While it is never openly stated, this Skull Kid will play Saria’s Song on his horn to help Link find him. Saria’s Song is often associated with the Lost Woods, so it may not be the same Skull Kid that Link taught the song to in Ocarina of Time, but there is a chance it is the same one.
5 Bringing Down The Moon
One of the most chilling moments in Majora’s Mask is the bloodcurdling scream that Skull Kid unleashes on the final day, dragging the moon down towards Clock Town to destroy the world.
While the scream is still present in the Japanese version, the sound is tied to how close Skull Kid is to the screen during the cutscene. Therefore, when the camera pans away from him to show the moon beginning to descend, it briefly cuts outs.
4 The Four Giants May Be Skull Kids
The history of Termina and the four giants is a little confusing, with the only real information being given by either the Happy Mask Salesman or Anju’s Grandmother, who tells Link the story of the four giants if he is wearing the All-Night Mask. The game’s manual gives a little more information, but it is still not as conclusive as many fans would like.
The land of Termina was created using Majora’s power and Skull Kid’s memories, which is why the citizens of Termina all have Hyrulean counterparts, though with different names and personalities. This may also be true for the four giants, who are old friends of Skull Kid and may also be based on other Skull Kids found in the Lost Woods.
3 The Addition Of Beaks
The design for Skull Kids hasn’t been the most consistent in Zelda, but one of the strangest things that has changed multiple times is their beak. In Majora’s Mask, once the mask is removed from Skull Kid’s face, he is shown to have a beak rather than the normal mouth he had in Ocarina of Time and is also shown with a beak in the drawing he makes of himself, Tatl, and Tael.
This seemed to be a retroactive change, as all Skull Kids were given beaks in the 3DS re-release of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.
2 The Return Of A Mouth
Strangely, the Skull Kid Link must play hide and seek within the Lost Woods in Twilight Princess doesn’t have this retroactive design change. He has a distinctly creepy grin that wasn’t present on either version of a Skull Kid in the Nintendo 64 games.
There isn’t a reason given for this change, but Skull Kids are hardly the first creatures in Zelda to have a massive design change between titles. In fact, the Zora have undergone multiple different designs over the years.
1 Skull Kid’s Localized Names
When games are localized in various other languages, it’s not uncommon for the names of some things to be changed as some names don’t translate well into other languages. The Skull Kid seems to be one of these names, as it remains the same in every language, except for German.
In German releases of The Legend of Zelda titles, the Skull Kids are instead called Horror Kids, which actually depicts their nature and transformative history better than their original names.
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