Video Game Mascots That Are Basically Dead

Certain video game characters become timeless icons for the companies that create them, as well as for entire gaming franchises and console brands. Mario is the prime example – many companies try to achieve the same level of popularity and recognition he has. He’s a character virtually everyone, young or old, recognizes in some way.

Lots of video game characters have reached the same level of fame as Mario, like Pikachu from Pokémon and Sonic the Hedgehog. However, many others haven’t lasted. Some were popular at first but disappeared, and others never really caught on. Let’s take a look at some of the video game mascots that have been forgotten and probably won’t be coming back.

Bonk

The PC Engine’s Caveman Icon

First Major Game Appearance: Bonk’s Adventure
Developer: Red Company/Atlus
Publisher: Hudson Soft (Japan)
Platform: PC Engine
Debut: December 15, 1989 (Japan)

I always thought Bonk was a really cool mascot for the PC Engine, even though he didn’t get a ton of attention here in North America. The Bonk games themselves were fantastic! You play as this caveman, Bonk, who gets all sorts of strange abilities as he jumps and runs his way through each level. The original, Bonk’s Adventure, first came out in Japan in 1989, and we finally got it over here a year later.

Although the PC Engine is no longer around, Bonk remained popular for about ten years. His last appearances were in a few simple mobile games released in Japan around 2008. Konami now owns the Bonk franchise, having acquired Hudson Soft in 2012, but they haven’t released any significant new games or content featuring the character since then.

Toro And Kuro

PlayStation’s Japanese Mascots

First Major Game Appearance: Doko Demo Issyo
Developer: Bexide
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan
Platform: PS1
Debut: July 22, 1999 (Japan)

Over the years, Sony has tried many characters to be the face of PlayStation, but hasn’t quite found one as iconic as Mario. Their closest attempt, particularly in Japan, is the pair of cats, Toro and Kuro. These characters appeared in PlayStation commercials and starred in several games centered around fun, simple mini-games. Toro first appeared in his own game, Doko Demo Issyo, on the PlayStation 1 in 1999, and Kuro joined the fun in Doko Demo Issyo: Toro and More Parties for the PlayStation 2 in 2004.

The Toro’s Friend Network series started with a game for the PS Vita in 2013, but it was more of a social app for finding friends than a traditional video game. These characters popped up in several other PlayStation titles, including PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Everybody’s Golf 6, and Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten. Most recently, they even made a cameo as robots in Astro Bot in 2024. While they’re still occasionally seen, they aren’t as prominently featured as PlayStation mascots like they once were. One of their final games was a mobile app called Toro and Friends: Onsen Town, released in 2019, but it was removed from app stores in 2021.

Segata Sanshiro

The Sega Saturn’s Biggest Reason To Exist

First Major Game Appearance: Segata Sanshiro Shinken Yugi
Developer: Ecole Software
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Sega Saturn
Debut: October 29, 1998 (Japan)

Segata Sanshiro was a live-action character used in Sega’s commercials for the Saturn gaming console, starting in 1997. These commercials were known for being hilarious and helped make Segata Sanshiro a popular internet meme even after the Saturn was discontinued. Although not a cartoon character, he’s a significant part of Sega’s legacy. In his last appearance, he dramatically ‘sacrificed’ himself to promote the upcoming Sega Dreamcast in 1999. Years later, in 2020, Sega briefly featured Segata Sanshiro’s fictional son, Sega Shiro, in some ads, but the campaign wasn’t successful.

Segata Sanshiro wasn’t just the face of Sega’s advertising; he also made appearances in a few video games. He starred in a collection of mini-games for the Sega Saturn called Segata Sanshiro Shinken Yugi in 1998, and had cameo roles in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012) and as a playable character in the 2016 tactical RPG Project X Zone 2. While Sega could feature him in future games, Project X Zone 2 is likely to be his most significant gaming appearance to date.

Titus The Fox

A Forgotten Developer

First Major Game Appearance: Titus the Fox: To Marrakech and Back
Developer: Titus France
Publisher: Titus France
Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, MS-DOS
Debut: 1992

If you played video games between the 1980s and the early 2000s, you probably remember Titus the Fox. He was the mascot for Titus Interactive, a company that existed for twenty years, from 1985 to 2005. You’d see that red fox on the packaging and loading screens of their games. While Titus didn’t develop many original, well-regarded games – they mostly published games based on licenses – they were responsible for a few famously bad titles.

The company produced some notoriously bad games, including Superman: The New Superman Adventures for the N64 and the 2003 RoboCop game. However, they also had a few successes, like Incredible Crisis, which was only released in North America for the PlayStation 1. They even made a game starring their mascot, Titus the Fox: To Marrakech and Back, now simply called Titus the Fox on Steam. Originally released in 1991 for platforms like the Amiga, though the company is no longer around, Titus the Fox continues to be remembered – for better or worse.

Nester

Nintendo Power’s Early Icon

First Major Game Appearance: Nester’s Funky Bowling
Developer: Saffire
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Virtual Boy
Debut: February 1996

Nester was a popular character who first appeared in comics published in Nintendo Power magazine. He was a regular feature from 1988 to 1993, becoming well-known to readers. Beyond the comics, Nester also showed up in other Nintendo ads within the magazine and even made appearances or references in some Nintendo games, solidifying his place as an iconic figure.

You know, I always thought Nester first showed up in that old NES Play Action Football game back in 1990 – he was just the guy announcing the scores, so it was more of a quick appearance. But he really got his own moment with Nester’s Funky Bowling on the Virtual Boy in ’96. It wasn’t a bad game, honestly, but poor Nester couldn’t even save that system! Sadly, we didn’t see him much after that, though he’d pop up now and then to celebrate big things with Nintendo Power – which, sadly, ended in 2012 too. It’s a shame, but I still remember Nester fondly!

Jazz Jackrabbit

An Epic Debut

First Major Game Appearance: Jazz Jackrabbit
Developer: Epic MegaGames
Publisher: Epic MegaGames
Platform: MS-DOS
Debut: August 1, 1994 (Episode One)

Epic Games, now a major force in the gaming world, started as a small company called Potomac Computer Systems in 1991. It later became Epic MegaGames in 1992 and then simply Epic Games in 1999. While they never had an official company mascot, their early success was closely tied to the character Jazz Jackrabbit, which first appeared in their games and became popular with players. Interestingly, Cliff Bleszinski, who later became famous for creating the Gears of War series, helped design Jazz Jackrabbit.

The first Jazz Jackrabbit game came out in 1994, with additional levels released soon after. A sequel, Jazz Jackrabbit 2, followed in 1998, and in 2002 a Jazz Jackrabbit game was released for the Game Boy Advance, though it wasn’t developed by Epic Games themselves. Epic once planned a 3D Jazz Jackrabbit game between the second game and the GBA title, but that project was canceled. Aside from a few hidden references, like one in Fortnite, the character hasn’t been a focus for Epic Games for many years.

2025-11-08 14:40