Feature: The Spooky Denizens of the World of Nintendo

We here at Nintendo Life love Halloween. Despite the fact it was originally a time when the dead were believed to cause sickness to the living and damage their crops, but nowadays it's just a good excuse to gorge ourselves on delicious, delicious candy.

As part of our All Hallows’ Eve celebrations, we take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the spookier inhabitants of Nintendo World and see how they sent a chill down our spine, kicked dirt in our faces and stole all our candy.

Let's begin with the self-proclaimed “Czar of Halloween" - Jack! He made his first appearance in Animal Crossing on the Gamecube, playing tricks on the new residents in town, specifically: YOU.

Jack loves candy; apparently he loves it so much that he’ll give you expensive furniture for it instead of paying the low cost at his local Nookington’s. And if you don’t have candy, say goodbye to that brand new silk tuxedo you just bought from GracieGrace, as he’ll turn whatever you’re wearing into something he fashioned from old tea towels, laugh at your misfortune, and simply disappear. Scary? Yes! Also kind of a turd.

Next up are the bat-like creatures from the Legend of Zelda series called Keese. They made their first appearance in the original NES Legend of Zelda, and apart from The Adventure of Link, have been a staple in every Zelda game since, mostly occupying the dungeon areas.

Keese may not look like much, but you should know they're hardcore. No, really! Sure, they get destroyed with only one hit from the lamest of swords, but no other creature known to man can fly around while burning (or frozen) without flinching, acting as if being on fire is just a daily routine for them. Clearly climate change will not affect these guys any time soon!

We’ve got a Jack-o-Lantern and a bat so far, two essential Halloween staples, so let's move on to the witch of the Nintendo World: Kammy Koopa. Kammy made her first appearance in Paper Mario on the Nintendo 64. Much like Kamek, who looked after Baby Bowser, Kammy looks out for and is the advisor of King Bowser. And also much like Kamek, Kammy does her best to strengthen Bowser to unbeatable proportions, only for her plans to constantly fail. Seriously, if Bowser’s advisor believes that Mario is scared of Volt Shrooms and Milkshakes, then Bowser should really look outside of the turtle realm to find someone who has half a brain.

Of course it wouldn’t be Halloween without ghosts, and it wouldn’t be Halloween without scary ghosts! Unfortunately though, Boos aren’t scary: in fact, they’re scared of you. They are the ultimate cheap shot artists, only keen to attack you if you’re not paying attention.

Though we have to admit, there IS one thing that they have done that sent chills down our spine... their famous quote from Super Mario 64. “Ghosts......don't......DIE! Heh, heh, heh! Can you get out of here... ..alive?”. Chances are that you did get out of there alive and perfectly fine, and probably seven times in total to collect each star, but it was very creepy nonetheless. That merry-go-round music still haunts us to this day!

The Stalfos Knight, representing the skeleton here for Halloween! Stalfos have been in every single Zelda game to date, including the Game and Watch. Not even the Keese can lay claim to being such a persistent foe! These guys really hate bombs, and I mean really hate. Most things can take a bomb or two in the Zelda universe, but these guys just crumble in the explosion. As some of the most fearsome looking denizens of Hyrule, their toughness has ranged from taking one hit and dying, to using their own limbs as weapons until you can finally hit that final blow, why they range so greatly in power between games can only be known by Shiggy and his secret time-line.

Hello ladies! Check out those abs, those biceps, the moody emo stare you lot seem to clamor for these days, and of course those matching red boots and underwear! It's The Devil himself! He was made famous by the bible, but this incarnate, looking like a modern day Bob Backlund, made his first appearance in Devil World on the NES. Probably the most (ie: only) controversial character that Shigeru Miyamoto ever devised, being totally banned in North America until Super Smash Bros. Brawl was released last year.

His special power isn't breathing fire, tricking people or torturing sinners. No, he likes to dance and point a lot. But watch out when he points, his minions will move the maze you are in, making life difficult for you, oh dear!

The next few we’ve hand-picked may not represent a classic Halloween creature, but that doesn't mean they aren't fittingly spooky.

Mike Tyson, who made his video game debut in the ultra-awesome Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. His representation in 8-bit is like a glimpse back into his glory days, when he was the undisputed champion, holding 3 major titles at the same time. These days, if you were to pit Punch-Out!!'s Mike Tyson against the real Mike Tyson, 8-Bit would win hands down. The real Mike simply wouldn't be able to figure out his pattern fast enough.

So come on kids! Take this image and blow it up to A4 size, then go trick or treating as the creepiest looking 8-bit character known to man. The locals around your area will probably load your bags up with candy, just in case the freak just appeared on their doorstop decided they'd like an ear instead.

We could just ask you to cast your eyes over to the picture of the Happy Mask Salesman and tell you "'nuff said!", but there is indeed more to be said! The Happy Mask salesman made his debut in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but where he REALLY made his mark was in Majora's Mask. Possibly the most unnerving character in a Nintendo game, and for someone who's called the 'Happy' Mask Salesman, has some pretty brutal masks on his backpack. Just look at the one behind his head, he looks just as scared as we are of this guy!

If you ever run into this guy, make sure you have his money, or the evilness that pours out of that face of his will haunt your dreams for years!

And of course we can't finish off a Halloween special on Nintendo characters without a look at the man who just loves to dress up, Mario! Mario has been dressing up as different animals and inanimate objects since Super Mario Bros. 3 where he donned the famous Raccoon Suit. Usually, Mario really goes all out with his costumes, with Frog, Bee and Boo suits among his best. Sometimes though, he just doesn't even try, like his Rabbit getup where he just stuck two rabbit ears to his hat and thought, "yep, I'm a rabbit now."

Overall, very few can look past Mario as an inspiration for their Halloween costumes, and Platinum Club Nintendo members who ordered the Mario Hat will be just one step closer to looking like the man who introduced a great percentage of us to video games in the first place.

So there we have it folks, we've just covered some of the spookiest, scariest, or downright strangest characters to grace our living rooms. Who do you consider to be a downright creepy character? Please, we encourage you to let it be known in the comments section below! From the gang here at Nintendo Life, we wish you the scariest Halloween possible!