Video game mascots may seem a little like a thing of the past – from back when video games were for kids. M-rated titles weren’t yet a thing really, and the few that were around certainly didn’t have any mascots. Had they had one…well no, boob-jiggle physics weren’t quite advanced enough back then.
Now that we are grown adults – and still gamers – we have a new-found appreciation for the cute little mascots that we took for granted as kids. Now, what makes a mascot a mascot? It’s not just a popular character or a cartoon, but it is in essence, summation of a series, or even a company.
An example: Toro, Sony’s new mascot.
It’s not just companies that have mascots though – consoles, franchises, all sorts of things have these. Here are some of our favourites.
1. Mii
The Mii came to us with the Wii – surprising, we know. They first appeared in Wii Sports, and they were extremely popular. Despite the fact that it’s been a couple years, there are still websites where you can create mock-characters, and who didn’t at the time created a whole city of Miis?
Back then, these little critters were a great way to turn your standard character into a distinctive and personal image. Sure, it lacked a little in realism, but hey, it’s the Wii.
2. Yoshi
Well, the default mascot for Mario should probably be Mario, but let’s face it, Yoshi is way cuter. He first appeared in Super Mario World, and if you played that all the way to the end, you know that the Princess actually thanks Yoshi for his help in rescuing her.
He’s appeared in pretty much every Mario-themed game, he has his own Amiibo figure, he even has his own dedicated game in the form of Yoshi’s Woolly World. As far as Nintendo’s mascots go, Yoshi is definitely a front-runner.
3. Kirby
Yet another Nintendo creation with it’s own fabric-themed game. Despite originally being but a placeholder for a later character, he has now turned into one of the most popular characters ever. How could anyone say no to that face?
We don’t know either – that’s probably why Kirby’s Epic Yarn is an actual game you can play. Spoiler: Kirby is just as adorable as a ball of yarn.
4. Pikachu
Clearly, Nintendo has mascots all figured out. The Pokemon franchise is chuck full with adorable little critters – yet Pikachu is perhaps the most famous and well-loved. Who hasn’t got a mother/aunt/older relative that refers to any and all Pokemon and maybe Yoshi as Pikachu.
Actual Pikachu has even spent some time as Nintendo’s overall mascot – a well-deserved role for one of our favourite mascots.
5. Sonic
Finally a break from Nintendo’s creations – Sony belongs to Sega. Starting out in Sonic the Hedgehog, there have been dozens of games featuring the character since then. He’s definitely lost a lot of his popularity since back then, and we still love him.
Sure, not all of his games were good, but the same can be said for Mario can’t it? Go Sonic!
6. Pac-Man
Pac-Man, unsurprisingly from the game Pac-Man is a Namco creation. Namco probably isn’t the first thing you think of when you hear Pac-Man – generally, that is the fact that he was first called Puc-Man. The company changed it out of fear that people would mess with the boxes.
Smart decision Namco. The little pellets-eating guy is still a great mascot and we love him and his simple ways!