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, 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[]
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- Accolade – Bubsy[3][4][5]
- ASCII Entertainment – Ardy Lightfoot[6]
- Bandai Namco Entertainment – Pac-Man,[7][8][9] Klonoa[10]
- Capcom – Captain Commando,[8][2] Mega Man[7][8][9]
- Data East – Karnov[2]
- Halfbrick Studios – Barry Steakfries[11][12]
- Irem – Rocky Rodent[3]
- Kojima Productions – Ludens[13]
- Konami –Power Pro-kun,[14] Solid Snake[15]
- Hudson Soft – Bomberman[2]
- TurboGrafx-16 – Bonk[8][2]
- PC-FX – Princess Rolfee[16] (formerly NEC)
- LucasArts – Chuck the Plant[2]
- Marvelous Inc. – Yumi
- Midway Games – Liu Kang[2]
- miHoYo - Kiana Kaslana, Ai-Chan, Paimon, Pom-Pom
- Nintendo – Mario[7][8][15]
- Nitroplus – Super Sonico[19][20]
- Rare – Mr. Pants[21]
- Sega – Opa-Opa[8][22] (former), Alex Kidd[8] (former), Sonic the Hedgehog,[7][8] Segata Sanshiro[2][23]
- Spike Chunsoft – Monokuma[25]
- Sony Interactive Entertainment – Ratchet, Toro and Kuro,[26] Sackboy,[8][27] Nathan Drake,[8] Kratos[2]
- PlayStation – Polygon Man (former),[28] Crash Bandicoot (former)[8][9],[29] Spyro the Dragon (former)[8]
- PlayStation 5 – Astro Bot[30][31][32][33]
- Square Enix – Chocobo[8] (Square), Slime[8] (Enix), Moogle,[34] Cloud Strife[35]
- Crystal Dynamics – Gex[8]
- Taito – Bubblun, Space Invader
- Studio MDHR – Cuphead
- Sunsoft – Aero the Acro-Bat[36]
- Tengen – Awesome Possum[3]
- Titus Software – Titus the Fox[3]
- WayForward Technologies – Shantae[37]
- Xbox Game Studios – Master Chief[8]
- Xbox – Blinx the Time Sweeper[38]
- Xbox 360 – Marcus Fenix[8]
- Yacht Club Games – Shovel Knight
Specific series mascots[]
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- 808 – Hi-Fi Rush
- Angry Birds – Red[39]
- Animal Crossing – Villagers, Isabelle
- Ape Escape – Pipo Monkeys
- Banjo-Kazooie – Banjo & Kazooie[3][5]
- Battletoads – Rash, Zitz, Pimple[3]
- BioShock – Big Daddy[40]
- Bomberman – Bomberman[5]
- Bonk – Bonk[3]
- Bubsy - Bubsy the Bobcat
- Castlevania – Simon Belmont[15]
- Conker – Conker the Squirrel[3][5]
- Crash Bandicoot – Crash Bandicoot[15][7][5][29]
- Croc – Croc[3]
- Danganronpa – Monokuma[25][34]
- Disgaea – Prinny[41]
- Donkey Kong – Donkey Kong[15]
- Dragon Quest – Slime[8]
- Gex - Gex
- Fallout – Vault Boy[42]
- Fate/stay night – Saber[34]
- Final Fantasy – Chocobo,[8] Moogle,[34] Cloud Strife[35]
- Glover – Glover[3]
- God of War – Kratos[15][2]
- Halo – Master Chief[15]
- Jet Grind Radio – Beat and Gum
- Jazz Jackrabbit – Jazz Jackrabbit[43]
- Katamari Damacy – The King and The Prince[5]
- Kid Icarus – Pit
- Kingdom Hearts – Sora[44][45]
- Kirby – Kirby[15]
- Klonoa – Klonoa[10]
- LittleBigPlanet – Sackboy[46]
- Mega Man – Mega Man[15]
- Mega Man Legends – Servbot[47]
- Metal Gear – Solid Snake[15]
- Metroid – Samus Aran[15][2]
- Minecraft – Steve, Creeper
- Mortal Kombat – Scorpion[15]
- Pac-Man - Pac-Man[48]
- PaRappa the Rapper – PaRappa the Rapper
- Pikmin – Pikmin and Captain Olimar
- Plants vs. Zombies – Sunflowers, Peashooters, Zombies
- Pocky & Rocky – Pocky & Rocky[3]
- Pokémon – Pikachu[15]
- Q*bert – Q*bert
- Ratchet & Clank – Ratchet & Clank
- Raving Rabbids – Rabbids
- Rayman – Rayman[15][7][5]
- Resident Evil – Jill Valentine[15]
- Ristar – Ristar
- Skylanders – Spyro the Dragon, Master Eon
- Sly Cooper – Sly Cooper
- Sonic the Hedgehog – Sonic the Hedgehog[15]
- Space Channel 5 – Ulala
- Spyro – Spyro the Dragon[5]
- Star Fox – Fox McCloud[15]
- Street Fighter – Ryu[15]
- Super Monkey Ball – AiAi
- Super Mario – Mario, Luigi[15]
- The Legend of Zelda – Link[15]
- Tomb Raider – Lara Croft[15]
- Twisted Metal – Sweet Tooth[15]
- Uncharted – Nathan Drake[15]
- Yoshi – Yoshi[15]
See also[]
- List of computing mascots
- List of mascots
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "A History of Videogame Mascots". Paste. July 30, 2014. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 "The Top Ten Best Video Game Mascots That You Probably Didn't Even Know Were Meant To Be Mascots". cinemablend.com. July 2, 2009. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 "15 Forgotten Video Game Mascots From the 1990s". mentalfloss.com. October 4, 2017. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Wehner, Mike (June 9, 2017). "One of the worst video game mascots is getting his first new game in 20 years". bgr.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Hartwig, Alex (March 22, 2016). "10 Lost Video Game Mascots: Where Are They Now?". Nerd Much. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Semrad, Ed, ed. (May 1993). "Feedback - New Mascots". Super NES Buyer's Guide (Sendai Publishing) 3 (3): 8. https://archive.org/stream/Super_NES_Buyers_Guide_Volume_3_Issue_3_May_1993#page/n7/mode/2up.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Martin, Liam (January 16, 2011). "Feature: Gaming's Most Iconic Mascots". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 "A History of Videogame Mascots". Paste. July 30, 2014. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Did You Know The Origin Stories of These Famous Video Game Mascots?". smosh.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2018.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 McWhertor, Michael (October 30, 2008). "Klonoa May Get Poochied For American Wii Release". kotaku.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "E3 2011: Halfbrick Studios Demos 'Machine Gun Jetpack,' 'Fruit Ninja Frenzy' and 'Fruit Ninja Kinect'". gamerant.com. June 9, 2011. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ McWhertor, Michael (September 5, 2011). "Stop What You're Doing and Get Jetpack Joyride for Your iPhone Now". kotaku.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Hideo Kojima reveals the character behind the new Kojima Productions logo". Polygon. May 17, 2016. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "2024年に30歳を迎える大谷翔平選手がKONAMI野球ゲームアンバサダーに就任". Konami. January 16, 2024. Archived from the original on January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 15.14 15.15 15.16 15.17 15.18 15.19 15.20 15.21 15.22 15.23 15.24 15.25 Knight, Rich; Turner, Gus (August 23, 2013). "The Best Video Game Mascots of All Time25. Crash Bandicoot". Complex. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "What did we do to deserve the PC-FX? (And the PC-FX GA)". Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Freidly, Damien (14 January 2022). "What Everyone Forgets About Pikachu". ScreenRant. https://screenrant.com/pokemon-why-pikachu-scared-poke-balls-ash/.
- ↑ Kaliroff, Marc (5 January 2022). "In 1993, Kirby's Adventure and Sakurai's "Kirbyism" Broke Ground". Goomba Stomp Magazine. https://goombastomp.com/kirbys-adventure-and-sakurais-kirbyism/.
- ↑ "Super Sonico Celebrates Her 10th Anniversary with Sanrio". crunchyroll.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Fahey, Mike (July 10, 2016). "Being A Virtual Gravure Idol's Personal Photographer Isn't Easy". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Yeung, Karlie (30 August 2010). "Pants vs. Pants, A Cultural Divide - Blog". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/23941/pants-vs-pants-a-cultural-divide.
- ↑ Luke Plunkett (April 6, 2011). "Remembering Sega's Exiled Mascot". Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2020.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ McWhertor, Michael (25 March 2020). "Sega has a new mascot with a cool history". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ ""Angry Birds, Happy Planet" climate action campaign honored with The UN Foundation's Global Leadership Award". Rovio. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Shephard, Kenneth (February 17, 2017). "NIS America's Annual Press Event Brings News of 2017 Lineup". CGMagazineOnline.com. CGMagazine. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved February 17, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 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. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. 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.
<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles> - ↑ Purchese, Robert (August 13, 2008). "Sony grooming Sackboy to be face of PS3". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2008.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "The Making Of: PlayStation - Edge Magazine". Next-gen.biz. 24 April 2009. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Generation gone: Where PlayStation mascot Crash Bandicoot is today". Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Review: Astro's Playroom". November 6, 2020. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Astro-Bot spinoff Astro's Playroom confirmed for PS5". Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Here's Why PlayStation is Using Astro Bot in a Non-VR Game". October 6, 2020. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2020.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Is Astro Bot the Mascot of the PS4 Era?". October 3, 2018. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 "Our 10 Favourite Japanese Video Game Mascots". ricedigital. August 4, 2020. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 "15 Thing You Never Knew About Final Fantasy VII". screenrant. January 23, 2017. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Aero the Acro-Bat - Sunsoft". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sendai Publishing) 6 (49): 96. August 1993. https://archive.org/stream/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_49#page/n97.
- ↑ Isaac, Chris (December 2, 2015). "Interview: Shantae Co-Creator Matt Bozon Discusses the Series' Future & Shantae in Super Smash Bros". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Be Kind, Rewind: The Real Story Behind Blinx, Xbox's Mediocre Mascot". GamesRadar. April 4, 2017. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Loh, Peggy (July 21, 2016). "Meet red, the Angry Birds mascot". New Straits Times. Malaysia. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Pirrello, Phil and Monfette, Christopher (2008-05-12). Big Screen Big Daddy Archived December 8, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. IGN. Retrieved on 2020-04-16
- ↑ Tanaka, John (2008-08-29). "Disgaea Mascot Featured in New PSP Title". IGN. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved 2008-11-27.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "The 50 Greatest Video Game Characters". Empire. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "The lesser-known videogames of famous designers". Den of Geek. May 14, 2013. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "20 Most Popular Anime/Game Names to Give Children". animenewsnetwork. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2021.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Video Game Characters You Can Meet (Or Could Have Met) In Theme Parks". TheGamer. September 19, 2020. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2021.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (9 November 2012). "The rise of Sackboy, the mascot PlayStation has been searching for". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Neil Foster (February 20, 2016). "Misadventures of Tron Bonne, The". Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "A History of Videogame Mascots". Paste. July 30, 2014. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2020.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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