Major Console company mascots.

[Gorez]

ok.. im just curious. I cannot think of Playstation's 'mascot'.

Nintendo - Mario.
Sega - Sonic.
Xbox - Master Chief.
Playstation - ????

it could be many characters but which one really sticks out?

[Richter Belmount]

Psp has racist mexican stereotype dustballs oh yeah and squirrels

[Snapple]

Well, it used to be Crash Bandicoot, before Naughty Dog sold the franchise to whoever ruined it, I can't remember.

Remember commercials like these?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wCKr1IKFcO0

[Nebagram]

Presumably Jak and/or Ratchet now. Gran Turismo doesn't count, does it? :)

[diskoboy]

polygon man!!! http://userpic.livejournal.com/22923037/893569

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygon_Man

Actually - I don't think Sony ever really had an actual mascot. But In the early days, I'd give the honors to either Crash or Jumping Flash.

[kaedesdisciple]

I always thought it was Crash Bandicoot, but I could be wrong...

[Lady Jaye]

According to Wikipedia, Alex Kidd was Sega's mascot before Sonic was created, although I dunno if that was actually the case (it could have been Wonder Boy too). Anyone knows for sure?

[agbulls]

I think the whole idea of console mascots is long gone with the obvious exception of Mario. In the early to mid 90's mascots were king. But the introduction of Playstation really made this concept fade. Some would argue Sony tried to position Crash Bandicoot as their mascot. I think they did try and make him their mascot for the system's launch. But, they soon (smartly) distanced the company's image from the character.

From a marketing perspective, I can tell you this is a very good idea. Mascots in general have become less of a marketing tool due to their "I like/don't like" nature. In other words, some people like Mario. Others hate him. This opinion directly influences your feelings on the company's overall product line. This is a big risk to take--especially for an electronics company like Sony.

Additionally, there is always the risk that a mascot's game (Crash Bandicoot is the perfect example) is not critically well-received. In this situation, not only does the game potentially do poorly sales wise but it also affects the company's overall image negatively. This is a very bad thing to have happen. Sony was able to distance themselves from Crash before this occured.

Some will argue this DID happen to Nintendo with Mario Sunshine. The game was well received--but did not have the amazing "wow" factor of previous titles. This led to less third party support and the decline of the Gamecube. Generalizing? Yes, of couse. But, don't expect to see new mascots supported by the industry any time soon. Master Chief seems to be Microsoft's "mascot"---but I can GUARANTEE you that Microsoft brass will never define him as such.

[diskoboy]

According to Wikipedia, Alex Kidd was Sega's mascot before Sonic was created, although I dunno if that was actually the case (it could have been Wonder Boy too). Anyone knows for sure?

I'd say Sega has had alot of mascot's in their day.

Actually, I'd give Zaxxon the credit for being their first. Maybe even Frogger (It put Sega on the map in the US, even though Frogger was developed by Konami).

[Snapple]

I think the whole idea of console mascots is long gone with the obvious exception of Mario. In the early to mid 90's mascots were king. But the introduction of Playstation really made this concept fade. Some would argue Sony tried to position Crash Bandicoot as their mascot. I think they did try and make him their mascot for the system's launch. But, they soon (smartly) distanced the company's image from the character.

From a marketing perspective, I can tell you this is a very good idea. Mascots in general have become less of a marketing tool due to their "I like/don't like" nature. In other words, some people like Mario. Others hate him. This opinion directly influences your feelings on the company's overall product line. This is a big risk to take--especially for an electronics company like Sony.

I don't think there even is an argument as to Sony's intentions. Sony couldn't have made it more bluntly obvious that they wanted Crash to be Sony's Mario. The only thing they could've done more was put a red hat on his head. They even had Crash openly challenge Mario.

They distanced themselves from Crash after the series went downhill, because it would be dumb to have a character that nobody likes anymore as your unofficial mascot. I don't think they did it because of a philosophical stance on mascots. They just couldn't support the mascot they had anymore, and they didn't have anyone suitable to replace him, so they simply have no mascot now.

You say that mascots are dead, but that does not seem to be the case, as Mario and Master Chief are still very fine representatives of their respective companies. Sony is the only one who can't find a lovable character with mass appeal across multiple games. They can't even use a GTA guy, because he's not exclusive to Sony anymore.


Additionally, there is always the risk that a mascot's game (Crash Bandicoot is the perfect example) is not critically well-received. In this situation, not only does the game potentially do poorly sales wise but it also affects the company's overall image negatively. This is a very bad thing to have happen. Sony was able to distance themselves from Crash before this occured.

Some will argue this DID happen to Nintendo with Mario Sunshine. The game was well received--but did not have the amazing "wow" factor of previous titles. This led to less third party support and the decline of the Gamecube. Generalizing? Yes, of couse. But, don't expect to see new mascots supported by the industry any time soon. Master Chief seems to be Microsoft's "mascot"---but I can GUARANTEE you that Microsoft brass will never define him as such.

I don't think there's a risk. If the franchise goes downhill, you change mascots. Dropping Crash from their marketting strategy didn't hurt Sony, and dropping Alex Kidd for Sonic certainly didn't hurt Sega. I don't think any game company has ever been hurt by choosing a mascot, so again I say I don't think Sony doesn't have a mascot because they think mascots are bad. They don't have a mascot because they don't have anyone suitable to be their mascot at the moment. If Sony starts a new franchise with an instantly identifiable main character, could they start using him or her as a mascot? Absolutely.

Maybe Microsoft will never call Master Chief their official mascot, or maybe they will. I don't know. But they don't pretend for even a second that Halo isn't the flagship, the main franchise for Xbox. They brag about Halo every chance they get. That's part of what makes Master Chief the defacto mascot of Microsoft's game division. Sony does not have a singlular, overwhelming franchise that they can market in the same way that Microsoft markets Halo or that Nintendo markets Mario and Zelda games.

The closest thing Sony has to that is Final Fantasy, except Final Fantasy games are on other current-gen systems (FFTA, 4, 5, and 6 for the GBA, FF3 for the DS, Crystal Chronicles for the Gamecube, etc), the characters change with every installment, and not everyone likes Final Fantasy. So again, no opportunity to make a mascot out of that.

[heybtbm]

The closest thing Sony has to that is Final Fantasy, except Final Fantasy games are on other current-gen systems (FFTA, 4, 5, and 6 for the GBA, FF3 for the DS, Crystal Chronicles for the Gamecube, etc), the characters change with every installment, and not everyone likes Final Fantasy. So again, no opportunity to make a mascot out of that.

Final Fantasy has its own mascot, the Chocobo.

[Lady Jaye]

The closest thing Sony has to that is Final Fantasy, except Final Fantasy games are on other current-gen systems (FFTA, 4, 5, and 6 for the GBA, FF3 for the DS, Crystal Chronicles for the Gamecube, etc), the characters change with every installment, and not everyone likes Final Fantasy. So again, no opportunity to make a mascot out of that.

Hmm, little problem with that: you can't have a mascot for whom you don't own the rights, and last I checked Square-Enix doesn't belong to Sony.

[agbulls]

They distanced themselves from Crash after the series went downhill, because it would be dumb to have a character that nobody likes anymore as your unofficial mascot. I don't think they did it because of a philosophical stance on mascots. They just couldn't support the mascot they had anymore, and they didn't have anyone suitable to replace him, so they simply have no mascot now.

Correct me if I'm wrong--but isn't their #1 flagship title now God of War? And, doesn't Sony entirely own that franchise? It has been critically acclaimed everywhere and Kratos seems to be really liked by the gaming community. He also fits perfectly with Sony's older demo/edgy/more expensive marketing angle on the system. If that isn't them avoiding choosing a new mascot, I don't know what is.

Before you go talking about God of War being rated "M" remember that Halo is as well. I don't about this one. I really don't think Sony has ANY desire to go back to the mascot route ever again. Just my opinion :)

[Spartacus]

I don't think the Master Chief is the official Xbox mascot. Raven was chosen in 2000 to be the mascot for the Xbox and that's probably about the last anyone has heard from her. Here's a link to some pics of Raven and her robot dancing partner Rex.

http://www.planetxbox.com/games/demos/

At the 2000 E3 convention, Microsoft even hired a woman to imitate Raven and make appearances for them.

[Raccoon Lad]

I believe Opa-Opa was Sega's Mascot for the short period before Alex Kidd gained popularity.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

From a marketing perspective, I can tell you this is a very good idea. Mascots in general have become less of a marketing tool due to their "I like/don't like" nature. In other words, some people like Mario. Others hate him. This opinion directly influences your feelings on the company's overall product line. This is a big risk to take--especially for an electronics company like Sony.
I don't know about this. If someone claims to "hate" Mario so much that they wouldn't play any Nintendo system, it's probably the case that they just in general don't like Nintendo and their hate for Mario comes out of that, not the other way around. Of course, there's plenty of people out there who just plain don't love the Mario games (rather than actively hating the character), but in those cases I don't see that that feeling has any affect on how they feel about Nintendo in general.


Additionally, there is always the risk that a mascot's game (Crash Bandicoot is the perfect example) is not critically well-received. In this situation, not only does the game potentially do poorly sales wise but it also affects the company's overall image negatively. This is a very bad thing to have happen. Sony was able to distance themselves from Crash before this occured.
That's a good point.


According to Wikipedia, Alex Kidd was Sega's mascot before Sonic was created, although I dunno if that was actually the case (it could have been Wonder Boy too). Anyone knows for sure?
While the Wonder Boy games are closely associated with the Master System, Wonder Boy was never really their mascot, mostly because the Wonder Boy games were not actually developed in-house, while Sega owns the publishing rights and copyright, the games were developed by the independent developer Westone.

Alex Kidd was definitely their main mascot during the Master System era, though Opa Opa from the Fantasy Zone games was used a lot, too. Earlier, Pengo and Flicky were sometimes by Sega used as company mascots of a sort.


...word is bondage...

[Frica89]

I can see characters from Little Big Planet or whatever it's called becoming Sony's mascots

[Nebagram]

Maybe Dante could be Sony's mascot.

...oops! :)

[agbulls]

I don't know about this. If someone claims to "hate" Mario so much that they wouldn't play any Nintendo system, it's probably the case that they just in general don't like Nintendo and their hate for Mario comes out of that, not the other way around. Of course, there's plenty of people out there who just plain don't love the Mario games (rather than actively hating the character), but in those cases I don't see that that feeling has any affect on how they feel about Nintendo in general.



I don't understand what you're trying to say here. Don't you think (generally speaking) that people who strongly dislike Mario also dislike Nintendo? I don't know any Nintendo fans who have any ill-feelings towards him.

Conversly, almost EVERYONE (I would guess around 95%) who dislikes Nintendo in general doesn't like Mario. I think arguing otherwise would be really difficult.

This just seems to prove my point. Can you explain your perspective differently?

[diskoboy]

How 'bout Loco Roco? It's still Sony, it's just on a handheld...

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

I don't understand what you're trying to say here. Don't you think (generally speaking) that people who strongly dislike Mario also dislike Nintendo? I don't know any Nintendo fans who have any ill-feelings towards him.

Conversly, almost EVERYONE (I would guess around 95%) who dislikes Nintendo in general doesn't like Mario. I think arguing otherwise would be really difficult.
The question is, do they dislike Nintendo because they dislike Mario or do they dislike Mario because the dislike Nintendo. I think you were claiming the former when you said that having a mascot was a risky thing. I think it's much more likely to be the latter.

No one who doesn't already have some sort of fanboyish love or hate for a video game company can feel more than passing fondness or indifference towards that company's mascot.

By the way, I know plenty of people who like Nintendo and who do not necessarily like the Mario games. Of course, I don't know if those people would be described as "Nintendo fans" nor if they have "ill-feelings" towards Mario as a fictional individual outside of his games.


...word is bondage...

[Gorez]

still doesnt seem Sony has its 'bread&butter' character. bandicoot is probably the closest. nothing compared to the other 3 companys though. just curious on what everyone had to say....didnt expect it to be a rant about mascots arent around anymore or whatever.

[PapaStu]

Sony has had a trove of 'mascots' over the years

Firstly there was Polygon Man, and that made way into Crash Bandicoot (who was owned by Universal, not Naughty Dog they just developed the games), Sweet Tooth, Blasto!, Lara Croft, Spyro and a bunch of other PS characters that i'm forgetting at the moment.

They migrated to PS2 characters pretty quickly once they lost Crash, Spyro, Laura and others as those franchises started to go downhill and had lost their exclusivity and moved on to Jak/Daxter, Ratchet/Clank, Sly Cooper, and even kept Sweet Tooth around for Twisted Metal Black. Kratos has become a mascot of theirs along with the Loco Roco Blob.

The Hot Shots Golf kids have come in and out of being mascots as have the Ape Escape apes (and the kid from Ape Escape as well).

[Stark]

I never thought of Master Chief as the official mascot of the X-box.

[AMG]

ok.. im just curious. I cannot think of Playstation's 'mascot'.

Nintendo - Mario.
Sega - Sonic.
Xbox - Master Chief.
Playstation - ????

it could be many characters but which one really sticks out?

I associate Crash Bandicoot with the PSX, he was the mascot for that console. I loved the old Crash commercials where he would call out Mario. :D

I don't think Sony has a mascot now.

[Iron Draggon]

this is Sony's mascot: :bareass:

U R not E

[ubersaurus]

Yeah, I'd say it's a safe bet to consider God of War, Jak and Daxter, and Ratchet as Sony's big flagship game series these days.

Microsoft has made no bones about Halo being their big series, although they appear to be trying to "branch out" with viva pinata, gears of war, and crackdown.

[Zap!]

According to Wikipedia, Alex Kidd was Sega's mascot before Sonic was created, although I dunno if that was actually the case (it could have been Wonder Boy too). Anyone knows for sure?

Yes he was (Alex Kidd), and although Sonic was a much bigger success in terms of money, Alex Kidd was a far greater mascot, and his games were much better. Dare I say it, the first Kidd game (Miracle World) was probably better than Super Mario Bros.

[Zap!]

The reason Sony doesn't have a known mascot is the same reason Microsoft doesn't have one (at least a well-known one): because both are not true video game companies. They have never been known to have made highly successful arcade and home software titles before they got into the hardware business. Nintendo, Sega, and Atari were well known for their arcade hits before they started making hardware. Sony and MS just jumped in, having next to no experience at all making well known games. Remember, mascots must be first-party (not third or even second), and Sony and MS are not known for their first-party games.