Genius Legend of Zelda fan recreates the King of Red Lions from Wind Waker in real life using an "extremely old and slightly suspicious" boat that actually sails

Wind Waker
(Image credit: Nintendo)

One very creative fan has managed to conjure up a real-life replica of one of the best Zelda games of all time's boats: the King of Red Lions from Wind Waker.

Content creator "LittleJem," known for her impressive recreations of pop culture props, from Five Nights at Freddy's suits to Hazbin Hotel staves, has outdone herself with a real-life boat that resembles the King of Red Lions from Nintendo's beloved Legend of Zelda adventure, Wind Waker. Jem showcases the mind-blowing structure in a new YouTube video, where she pulls off an even more awe-inspiring feat: actually sailing the boat.

How did she make the King of Red Lions in the first place, though? She started by browsing Facebook Marketplace for an old boat, settling on an "extremely old and slightly suspicious" one that best resembled the foundation she was searching for. After testing the boat, which was understandably risky considering its age and condition, Jem decided that it would work – that's when she set out to actually turn it into a Wind Waker recreation.

I Built The Zelda Wind Waker Boat In Real Life (and Sailed It) - YouTube I Built The Zelda Wind Waker Boat In Real Life (and Sailed It) - YouTube
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Following hours of cutting, gluing, painting, shaping, and soldering, the creative mastermind had to make the boat function and its parts move. This required a solid engine and attention to electronics to get everything working together. Once everything was assembled, lion head, sail, and all, came the real challenge. Jem set out for a lake with her real-life King of Red Lions to see if it could take off as the in-game boat does – and it did.

As Jem discovered in her video, her Wind Waker-inspired boat works. There were concerns at first about the propeller, but it all turned out well in the end – an exciting development after the "journey," as Jem puts it, to get a functional King of Red Lions. It's wild to watch as a big fan of Zelda myself. Hopefully, there's more to come from the creator, too, as she concludes we "can expect more craziness like this from me" in the future.

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Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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