Creating a mascot for a video game can be like catching lightning in a bottle. When it works, the mascot can become wildly successful and create a franchise that will live through the ages. Unfortunately, however, things don't always work out that way.

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When it doesn’t work out as intended, the mascots can fall into obscurity and fade from memory. That doesn’t mean that these characters should be forgotten though. Quite the opposite, in fact. Despite not being the most memorable characters, this list will honor their memory, and celebrate their place in video game history.

10 Dynamite Dux

Dynamite Dux Fighting Fire Boss and Sega Master System Box Art

Sega was responsible for some incredible side-scrolling beat em’ ups in the 90s. The Streets of Rage and Golden Axe series are two of the most notable. One side-scrolling beat em’ up which is slightly less known is Dynamite Dux. Produced by legendary Sega game designer Yu Suzuki, Dynamite Dux is quite possibly one of the most obscure games from his esteemed catalog of classics.

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Originally released in the arcade in 1988, and later on the Sega Master System and home computers, the player must save Lucy from the evil Achacha. Dynamite Dux features some quite frankly bizarre enemies, including dogs with lots of teeth and no legs, roller skating foxes, and sumo pigs! Dynamite Dux is well worth seeking out even just to experience something a little different from Sega’s long and celebrated history.

9 James Pond

James Pond Gameplay & James Pond Sega Genesis Box Art

James Pond had a decent run in the 90s as a video game mascot. In his first outing released in 1990, James Pond sees the titular hero facing off against the bad guy “Doctor Maybe,” which is an obvious pun on the 1962 James Bond movie, Dr. No. The levels in the game also spoofed various 007 movies including “Leak and Let Die,” and “A View to a Spill.” James Pond was a success, so a year later James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod was released. The game even featured a rendition of the famous RoboCop theme as heard in the movie. The final game of the trilogy, James Pond 3 was released in 1993.

James Pond has also appeared in The Aquatic Games and the platforming game Rolo To The Rescue, both of which were released in 1992. Despite James Pond's success coming mainly in the 90s, a new game was released in 2011 for iPad and iPhone called James Pond in the Deathly Shallows. James Pond 2: Codename RoboCod is also now available for Nintendo Switch, so this 90s hero’s legacy can still be enjoyed today.

8 Rick Dangerous

Rick Dangerous Gameplay & Rick Dangerous Box Art

Released in 1989, Rick Dangerous is a platforming game that fairly blatantly copies elements of the Indiana Jones movies. Rick himself wears a hat that is much like Indy’s and the opening level sees him being chased by a boulder.

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Rick Dangerous 2 was released the following year and changed up the style slightly so that the character and levels resembled something similar to Flash Gordon. These days, super-hard platformers such as Super Meat Boy, Celeste, and Cuphead are extremely popular. Rick Dangerous deserves to be remembered and included in the conversation when gamers discuss their favorite difficult platforming games.

7 Superfrog

Superfrog Gameplay & Superfrog

The prince and his bride are enjoying a day out when the evil witch kidnaps the princess and turns the prince into a frog. With a quick drink of Lucozade (thanks to some hand video game product placement) the slimy frog is transformed into the hero Superfrog.

Released in 1993 by Team 17, platformer Superfrog received praise for its fun gameplay and music. In 2013, two decades after its initial release, an HD remaster became available on PSN. Unfortunately, however, the game was removed from the store in 2016, meaning Superfrog is confined to a brief moment in history.

6 Prehistorik

Prehistork Gameplay & Prehistorik

The caveman platform game genre has surprisingly more entries than most people might think possible. Games including Chuck Rock, BC Kid, Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja, and Big Nose The Caveman all feature prehistoric heroes.

Released in 1991 by Titus Interactive, Prehistorik is another entry in this packed genre, which seems the titular hero on a quest for food. Titus released a sequel called Prehistorik 2 in 1993 for the Amstrad CPC-464 and MS-DOS. Incredibly, Titus made yet another caveman game called Prehistorik Man, which was released for the SNES in 1995.

5 Soccer Kid

Soccer Kid Gameplay & Soccer Kid Box Art

If nothing else, the story of Soccer Kid is quite inventive. A trophy-obsessed Alien has stolen the World Cup which has broken into different pieces. These have been scattered around the globe, and it is up to Soccer Kid to save the day. Originally released in 1993 for the Commodore Amiga, Soccer Kid was later ported to multiple systems including the SNES, and the 3DO.

Soccer Kid attempted to combine soccer with platforming and the results were mixed. Despite being a platformer, Soccer Kid used his ball to damage enemies. The fiddly controls and harsh difficulty were the main criticisms leveled against the game. Soccer Kid can still be played today and is part of the Evercade Piko Collection 2, along with several other titles.

4 Boomerang Kid

Boomerang Kid Gameplay & Boomerang Kid

Codemasters has been making games for over 35 years. They are more well known now for their fantastic driving games including the Dirt series and F1 racing games. Codemasters was bought by EA in 2021 for approximately $1.2 million, no doubt with an eye on their expertise to revitalize the Need For Speed franchise.

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However, their rich and varied history includes games like the classic Micro Machines and many platforming titles such as the little-known Boomerang Kid. Released in 1991 for the NES, Boomerang Kid is a surprisingly fun platform game with jaunty music.

3 CJ's Elephant Antics

CJ's Elephant Antics Gameplay & CJ's Elephant Antics Box Art

CJ Elephant (AKA Columbus Jumbo) enjoyed a brief period of success, featuring in three platforming games in the ’90s. These were CJ’s Elephant Antics, CJ In The USA, and CJ: Elephant Fugitive.

CJ’s Elephant Antics sees him trying to find his way home to Africa after escaping from a plane that was transporting him to a zoo. CJ can fire peanuts from his trunk and also throw a limited supply of bombs. CJ also carries an umbrella that slows him down if he falls from a great height.

2 Titus The Fox: To Marrakech And Back

Titus The Fox Gameplay & Titus The Fox Box Art

It’s no surprise that game developer Titus Interactive created a platforming game called Titus The Fox. Their mascot was a fox, and they were well known for making platformers with varying degrees of quality.

The aim of the game was for Titus to make his way through numerous levels to rescue his girlfriend. His main method of attack was to find various items lying around and throw them at his enemies. As well as being available for home computers, Titus The Fox was also released for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color.

1 Bonanza Bros.

Bonanza Bros Gameplay & Bonanza Bros Box Art

Couch Co-op games are very popular these days with titles such as It Takes Two, Overcooked, and Moving Out requiring players to work together to complete their objectives. Bonanza Bros was released by Sega in 1990 and was fairly innovative at the time as the game's screen was split, meaning both players had to work together to achieve their goal.

Taking the role of either Robo or Mobo (AKA Mike and Spike) the objective is to break into various buildings and steal items. Various enemies stand in the players' way. As well as stunning them with a gun, players could also use doors to knock enemies out.

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