List of video game mascots
A video game mascot is a mascot that is used by video game companies to promote both the company and their specific video game series and franchises.[1] Video game mascots are sometimes considered to be similar to those at sporting events, with larger-than-life animals, such as Pikachu or Crash Bandicoot.[1] However, some video game mascots, especially modern ones, are more human, more realistic characters, such as Nathan Drake or Lara Croft becoming a series mascot.
There are few rules surrounding which characters are considered to be mascots for a series, but they are generally those that are featured highly in the promotional media for the game, and are often those that are known outside of the game platform.[2] Many video game mascots have transcended their original video game series and have been promoted across multiple games and platforms.[2]
Company/System mascots
- Accolade – Bubsy[3][4][5]
- Activision – Pitfall Harry
- ASCII Entertainment – Ardy Lightfoot[6]
- Bandai Namco Entertainment - Pac-Man[7][7][8][9] (Namco), Agumon (Bandai)
- Capcom – Captain Commando,[8][2] Mega Man[7][7][8][9]
- Data East – Karnov[2]
- Halfbrick Studios – Barry[10][11]
- Irem – Rocky Rodent[3]
- Konami – Solid Snake,[12] Simon Belmont, Sparkster, Buster Bunny
- Hudson Soft – Bomberman,[2] Honey, Kotetsu, Pinobee
- TurboGrafx-16 – Bonk[8][2] (formerly NEC)
- PC-FX - Rolfee (formerly NEC)
- Krome Studios – Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
- LucasArts – Chuck the Plant[2]
- Xbox Game Studios – Craig The Brute (Halo) [8]
- Xbox – Blinx the Time Sweeper[13]
- Xbox 360 – Marcus Fenix[8]
- Nintendo – Mario[12][7][8], Samus Aran[2]
- Namco - Pac-Man[14]
- Nitroplus – Super Sonico[15][16]
- Red Entertainment - Sakura Shinguji
- Rovio Entertainment – Red[17]
- Sega – Opa-Opa[8][18] (former), Alex Kidd[8] (former), Sonic the Hedgehog,[7][8] Segata Sanshiro[2][19] , Astro Boy
- SNK – Mai Shiranui
- Sony Interactive Entertainment – Kuro and Toro[20]
- PlayStation – Crash Bandicoot (former)[8][9],[21] Spyro the Dragon (former)[8]
- PlayStation 3 – Sackboy,[8] Nathan Drake[8]
- Square Enix – Chocobo[8] (Square), Slime[8] (Enix), Cloud Strife, Sora
- Taito – Bub and Bob
- Crystal Dynamics – Gex[8]
- Sunsoft – Aero the Acro-Bat[22]
- Tengen – Awesome Possum[3]
- Titus Software – Titus the Fox[3]
- Ubisoft – Rayman
- WayForward Technologies – Shantae[23]
Specific series mascots
- Animal Crossing – Isabelle[24]
- Angry Birds – Red[25]
- Banjo-Kazooie – Banjo-Kazooie[3][5]
- Battletoads – Rash, Zitz, Pimple[3]
- BioShock – Big Daddy[26]
- Bomberman – Bomberman[5]
- Bonk – Bonk[3]
- Castlevania – Simon Belmont[12]
- Conker – Conker the Squirrel[3][5]
- Crash Bandicoot – Crash Bandicoot[12][7][5][21]
- Croc: Legend of the Gobbos – Croc[3]
- Disgaea – Prinny[27]
- Donkey Kong – Donkey Kong[12]
- Dragon Quest - Slime[8]
- Fallout – Vault Boy[28]
- Final Fantasy – Chocobo[8]
- F-Zero – Captain Falcon
- Glover – Glover[3]
- God of War – Kratos[12][2]
- Halo – Master Chief[12]
- Jazz Jackrabbit – Jazz Jackrabbit[29]
- Katamari Damacy – The King, The Prince[5]
- Kingdom Hearts – Sora
- Kirby – Kirby[12]
- Klonoa – Klonoa[30]
- Mega Man – Mega Man[12]
- Metal Gear – Solid Snake[12]
- Metroid – Samus Aran[12][2]
- Mortal Kombat – Scorpion[12]
- Pac-Man - Pac-Man[14]
- Pocky & Rocky – Pocky & Rocky[3]
- Pokémon – Pikachu [12]
- Professor Layton – Professor Hershel Layton
- Rayman – Rayman[12][7][5]
- Resident Evil – Jill Valentine[12]
- Sakura Wars – Sakura Shinguji
- Sonic the Hedgehog – Sonic the Hedgehog[12]
- Spyro – Spyro the Dragon[5]
- Star Fox – Fox McCloud[12]
- Street Fighter – Ryu[12]
- Super Mario – Mario[12]
- Tekken - Jin Kazama
- The Legend of Zelda – Link[12]
- Tomb Raider – Lara Croft[12]
- Twisted Metal – Sweet Tooth[12]
- Uncharted – Nathan Drake[12]
- Virtua Fighter – Akira Yuki
- Yoshi – Yoshi[12]
See also
References
- "A History of Videogame Mascots". Paste. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- "The Top Ten Best Video Game Mascots That You Probably Didn't Even Know Were Meant To Be Mascots". cinemablend.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- "15 Forgotten Video Game Mascots From the 1990s". mentalfloss.com. October 4, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- Wehner, Mike (June 9, 2017). "One of the worst video game mascots is getting his first new game in 20 years". bgr.com. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- Hartwig, Alex (March 22, 2016). "10 Lost Video Game Mascots: Where Are They Now?". Nerd Much. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- Semrad, Ed, ed. (May 1993). "Feedback - New Mascots". Super NES Buyer's Guide. Vol. 3 no. 3. Sendai Publishing. p. 8.
- Martin, Liam (January 16, 2011). "Feature: Gaming's Most Iconic Mascots". Digital Spy. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- "A History of Videogame Mascots". Paste. July 30, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- "Did You Know The Origin Stories of These Famous Video Game Mascots?". smosh.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- "E3 2011: Halfbrick Studios Demos 'Machine Gun Jetpack,' 'Fruit Ninja Frenzy' and 'Fruit Ninja Kinect'". gamerant.com. June 9, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- McWhertor, Michael. "Stop What You're Doing and Get Jetpack Joyride for Your iPhone Now". kotaku.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Knight, Rich; Turner, Gus (August 23, 2013). "The Best Video Game Mascots of All Time25. Crash Bandicoot". Complex. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- "Be Kind, Rewind: The Real Story Behind Blinx, Xbox's Mediocre Mascot". GamesRadar. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- "A History of Videogame Mascots". Paste. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- "Super Sonico Celebrates Her 10th Anniversary with Sanrio". crunchyroll.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Fahey, Mike (July 10, 2016). "Being A Virtual Gravure Idol's Personal Photographer Isn't Easy". Kotaku. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- ""Angry Birds, Happy Planet" climate action campaign honored with The UN Foundation's Global Leadership Award". Rovio. October 19, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Luke Plunkett (April 6, 2011). "Remembering Sega's Exiled Mascot".
- McWhertor, Michael (March 25, 2020). "Sega has a new mascot with a cool history". Polygon. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- Del Castillo, Chris (January 23, 2012). "Xbox 360 Version of Street Fighter X Tekken Could Have Had Master Chief or Marcus Fenix as Playable Fighters". Nerd Reactor. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
It was originally announced that the PS VITA (and later PlayStation 3) version of Street Fighter X Tekken would add Cole MacGrath from Infamous and two of Sony’s mascots, Kuro and Toro, as exclusive characters only on PS3 and VITA, and Microsoft fans were left wondering if they could expect a similar surprise.
- "Generation gone: Where PlayStation mascot Crash Bandicoot is today".
- "Aero the Acro-Bat - Sunsoft". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 6 no. 49. Sendai Publishing. August 1993. p. 96.
- Isaac, Chris (December 2, 2015). "Interview: Shantae Co-Creator Matt Bozon Discusses the Series' Future & Shantae in Super Smash Bros". The Mary Sue. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- Phillips, Tom (September 13, 2018). "Animal Crossing for Nintendo Switch finally confirmed". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
- Loh, Peggy (July 21, 2016). "Meet red, the Angry Birds mascot". New Straits Times. Malaysia. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
- Pirrello, Phil and Monfette, Christopher (2008-05-12). Big Screen Big Daddy. IGN. Retrieved on 2020-04-16
- Tanaka, John (August 29, 2008). "Disgaea Mascot Featured in New PSP Title". IGN. Retrieved November 27, 2008.
- "The 50 Greatest Video Game Characters". Empire. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- "The lesser-known videogames of famous designers". Den of Geek. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- McWhertor, Michael. "Klonoa May Get Poochied For American Wii Release". kotaku.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.