Some video game mascots it will live forever for game companies, franchises, console manufacturers and so on. Mario is the main and ultimate character that most companies try to emulate in terms of market share and presence. There isn't a child or adult alive who doesn't know who Mario is or what he looks like on some level.
Although there are plenty of mascot characters that are on par with Mario, like Pikachu Pokemon and Sonic for Sega, other mascots have come and gone. Some were successful and went out of business, while others were never as popular. Let's take a walk forgotten and obscure video game mascots who may never return.
Bonk
Caveman PC Engine icon
- First main game skin: Bonk's Adventure
- Developer: Red Company/Atlus
- Publisher: Hudson Soft (Japan)
- Platform: PC Engine
- Debut: December 15, 1989 (Japan)
Bonk he was the mascot of the PC Engine console, which was not well received in North America. That means series Bonk games on the PC Engine and other consoles were excellent. They featured the titular Bonk, a caveman who acquired various strange powers during his platforming adventures. Bonk's Adventure was the first game in the series to be released in 1989 in Japan for the PC Engine and a year later in North America.
Even after the PC Engine left, Bonk maintained a decent decade of relevance, but the last known titles it appeared in were a series of basic mobile games released in Japan around 2008. Konami owns Bonk franchise since it was acquired by parent company Hudson Soft in 2012, but they haven't done anything major with the franchise or the character since then.
Toro and Kuro
Japanese PlayStation mascots
- First main game skin: Doko Demo Issyo
- Developer: Bexide
- Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
- Platform: PS1
- Debut: July 22, 1999 (Japan)
Sony has had many mascot characters over the years because they never found their Mario equivalent. A duo of white and black cats, Toro and Kurocome close, at least for Japan. They have appeared in various PlayStation advertisements in Japan and appeared in several games dedicated to them, usually based on minigames. Toro's first game was Doko Demo Issyo for the PS1 in 1999, while Kuro debuted Doko Demo Issyo: Toro and other parties for the PS2 in 2004.
Toro's Friend Networkto for the PS Vita in 2013, was the first game in the series to reach North America, and resembled more of a glorified friend-finding app than an actual video game. The characters have also appeared in other games, e.g PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Everyone is a golf 6, and Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten. They certainly got around and even showed up Astro Bot in 2024, albeit in robotic form. So technically they still exist, but they don't have mascot status to promote PlayStation like they used to. One of their last games was a mobile app in 2019 he called Toro and Friends: Onsen Citywhich was removed in 2021.
Segata Sanshiro
The Sega Saturn is the biggest raison d'etre
- First main game skin: Segata Sanshiro Shinken Yugi
- Developer: Ecole Software
- Publisher: Sega
- Platform: Sega Saturn
- Debut: October 29, 1998 (Japan)
Segata Sanshiro was a Japanese fictional human mascot for Sega Saturn commercials and print ads starting in 1997. They are some of the funniest video game commercials ever made, making the mascot a trending meme long after the Sega Saturn disappeared. Although he is not a cartoon mascot, he is still an important figure in the history of Sega. His final ad appearance saw him literally sacrifice himself to save the Sega Dreamcast before its launch in 1999. Decades later, Sega ran some ads in 2020 featuring Segata Sanshiro's fictional son, Sega Shiro, but it didn't take off.
Apart from being a publicity man, Segata Sanshiro has also appeared in some games. It appeared in a collection of minigames released for the Sega Saturn in 1998 in Japan titled Segata Sanshiro Shinken Yugi. Other examples include the creation of a portrait in 2012 Sonic Transformation & All-Stars Racingand become a member of the party v Project X Zone 2, which was a tactical RPG released in 2016 in North America. Sega could bring him back in more games but Project X Zone 2 it will probably be his last big hurray.
Titus Liška
Forgotten developer
- First main game skin: Titus the Fox: To Marrakesh and Back
- Developer: Titus France
- Publisher: Titus France
- Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, MS-DOS
- Debut: 1992
Titus the fox will be recognizable to anyone who grew up in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. He was the red fox mascot character for Titus Interactive SA, which went through several names and iterations, but this version of the company lasted an impressive twenty years, between 1985 and 2005, before dying out. Anyone who grew up around this time must have seen the familiar red fox on game boxes or splash screens. The developer didn't have many good games as they mostly worked with licenses, but they certainly made some infamous titles.
They include Superman: The New Superman Adventures for N64 and 2003 RoboCop game, both of which are considered some of the worst games ever made. But there were some gems like An incredible crisiswhich they only released in North America for the PS1. Titus the Fox got his own game, Titus the Fox: To Marrakesh and Backwhich is currently available on Steam as just Titus the fox. It was originally a 1991 game on obscure platforms like the Amiga. So, while the company and the mascot are now dead, Titus the Fox will at least live on in infamy.
Nester
The first Nintendo Power icon
- First main game skin: Nester's Funky Bowling
- Developer: Sapphire
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Platform: Virtual boy
- Debut: February 1996
Nester was a child character who began to appear in Nintendo Power comics. His greatest run was from 1988 to 1993, so readers got used to seeing his face. He wasn't just in comics; appeared in other Nintendo advertisements in the magazine. It became so iconic that it even started appearing or being mentioned in Nintendo games.
Technically speaking, it first appeared in 1990 NES Play action soccerwhere Nester announced the results of each game. It's more like a cameo, but Nester got his own game in 1996 Nester's Funky Bowling for the unfortunate virtual boy. It wasn't the worst game on the system, but no one could save the Virtual Boy, not even Nester. While his run was winding down, Nester made random appearances from time to time to celebrate major milestones in the Nintendo Power legacy, which also went the way of the dinosaur in 2012.
Jazz Jackrabbit
Epic debut
- First main game skin: Jazz Jackrabbit
- Developer: Epic MegaGames
- Publisher: Epic MegaGames
- Platform: MS-DOS
- Debut: August 1, 1994 (episode one)
Before Epic Games became the gaming juggernaut it is today, it began humbly in 1991 as Potomac Computer Systems. It was renamed Epic MegaGames in 1992 and finally Epic Games in 1999. They never had an official mascot for the company, but Jazz Jackrabbit was the first mascot character to appear in games and became a hit for them. The mascot is notable for being helped design by Cliff Bleszinski, who is best known today for creating it Gears of War series.
The title character's first game, Jazz Jackrabbitwas released in 1994, with new episodes debuting later. This then led to a sequel in 1998, Jazz Jackrabbit 2and then simply called the 2002 Game Boy Advance game that Epic didn't develop Jazz Jackrabbit. There were plans to create a 3D Jazz Jackrabbit adventure between the second game and the GBA title, but that was scrapped. Save for Easter eggs every now and then, including one Fortnitethe character has ceased to be something meaningful to Epic Games for decades.
