Phantom Hourglass introduced a lot more characters that roam the seas alongisde Link, especially compared to how many there were in The Wind Waker. Often, the Great Sea of The Wind Waker felt like a frontier that Link alone was attempting to confront, which was interesting in its own right, but there’s a different kind of appeal that comes with meeting strange characters out on the water. Phantom Hourglass introduces some very interesting seafarers, not the least among them being the Man of Smiles, a very strange man in a very strange ship with a very strange gift for the Hero of Winds.
In the Northeastern sea of Phantom Hourglass lies an unsuspecting ship which is decorated intensely on the inside with colorful flowers, rainbows, and other such positive imagery. Although this unique and aggressively positive ship quickly becomes dangerous as Link is to fight an onslaught of enemies within it. Once the enemies are slain, however, a lanky man with a wide grin will emerge. The man introduces himself as “The Man of Smiles” and declares he and Link friends. In order to thank Link for clearing monsters out of his ship, he offers Link one of two gifts: a “Myserious” gift or a “Normal” gift. The aforementioned mysterious gift being a pair of… invisible clothes.
Now, the Man of Smiles is quite generous and provides Link with both gifts regardless of which option is chosen, with the normal gift being a treasure map. But the Hero’s New Clothes themselves are an interesting reference. Though their primary purpose is as the initial part of the Phantom Hourglass trading quest, being unwearable in the game, they are a reference to clothes of the same name in The Wind Waker. In The Wind Waker, the Hero’s New Clothes were wearable and allowed Link to play through the game in his pajamas. There is not much more to the Man of Smiles besides his role as the start of the trading quest, but he can be revisited and reward Link with a prize postcard for every visit.
The Man of Smiles is just one of the many silly characters in Phantom Hourglass, but he’s a pretty memorable one in my opinion. The clothes he gives Link are a cute reference to the fairytale “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” In the story, an emperor is given new clothes and told only the worthy can see them, which the emperor acts as though he can see perfectly fine even though he sees nothing. In truth, the clothes don’t exist, and the emperor makes a fool of himself walking around in the nude. Similar to the story, the Hero’s New Clothes are also not visible but, fortunately, they are not an instrument for Link’s ridicule. It’s a cute reference to folklore and a funny little joke that makes the Man of Smiles all the more ridiuclous and memorable of a Phantom Hourglass character.
