Tingle! Tingle! Kooloo-Limpah! Become… RETIRED!
After 32 years, Takaya Imamura has retired from his incredible work at Nintendo. You may not recognize the name, but you will definitely recognize his characters.
He started his work in 1989 as a graphic designer. His first Nintendo creation? Captain Falcon. What a way to start a long career! From there, he worked on Star Fox with Shigeru Miyamoto, providing design concepts for Fox McCloud. He also designed the horrifying Moon in Majora’s Mask. Recently, he was credited in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an original game supervisor.
Most importantly, he designed our beloved fairy-loving man-child, Tingle. Over the many iterations of Tingle throughout the Zelda-verse, none are more iconic than his original appearance in Majora’s Mask. This was the first time that American Zelda fans got to see the weird and wonderful side of Hyrule (or Termina, as it were). It’s all thanks to Imamura.
“This is my last day going to work,” Imamura said in a Facebook post. “I took a selfie with the empty office. I guess I won’t be coming in here anymore. As you’d expect, I’ll miss it.”
And we will miss you, Mr. Imamura.
