History Main / Mascot

** The creepy, silent [[Advertising/TheBurgerKing Burger King]], who shows up in the most random places ([[BedmateReveal like your bed]]) to give people BK food (Actually a {{subversion}} of an earlier version of the King, who was played straight as a cheerful kids' mascot a la Ronald [=McDonald=]). He talked, too.

** Though this happened because each of the five was one of the M&M's types (Red is milk chocolate, Yellow is peanut, Blue is almond, Green is peanut butter, and Orange is crispy and pretzel)... meaning Brown is only there to complete the set.

** The [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom Disk System]] had a critter called Diskun, who occasionally made cameos in games for the peripheral and starred in the last-ever FDS game, ''Janken Disk Shiro''.

* The [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem Famicom Disk System]] had a critter called Diskun, who occasionally made cameos in games for the peripheral and starred in the last-ever FDS game, ''Janken Disk Shiro''.

** Similarly, Konami tends to cycle through characters from several of their franchises, though out of all of them, [[VideoGame/MetalGear Solid Snake]], [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Simon Belmont]] and [[VideoGame/GanbareGoemon Goemon]] tend to be their three biggest and most notable picks. Though in the wake of Konami dissolving Creator/HudsonSoft, VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} and VideoGame/{{Bonk}} has also risen to a similar rank.

* WesternAnimation/BugsBunny, for WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes, as well as Warner Bros.' entire animation division.

* The creepy, silent [[Advertising/TheBurgerKing Burger King]], who shows up in the most random places ([[BedmateReveal like your bed]]) to give people BK food (Actually a {{subversion}} of an earlier version of the King, who was played straight as a cheerful kids' mascot a la Ronald [=McDonald=]). He talked, too.

* Most video game companies use a character from one of their most popular franchises as an unofficial mascot. Out of all of them, the only ones that are undeniably official mascots and usually considered equal to Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny are [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] for Creator/{{Nintendo}}, Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog for Creator/{{SEGA}}, and [[VideoGame/PacMan Pac-Man]] for what was originally [[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]]. They're usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about their respective companies and, at least during each of their heydays, had their images or associated sound effects plastered on logos, commercials, and company products outside their own series.
** Sonic the Hedgehog, in particular, infamously led to the creation of an entire subtype of Mascot: the MascotWithAttitude.
*** Before Sonic's introduction, Alex Kidd was considered to be Sega's mascot, In Japan, the company had another mascot specifically for the [[UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn Saturn]]: Advertising/SegataSanshiro, a badass martial artist who would beat up people for not playing the Saturn. He eventually got his own video game, which was the last first-party game released for the Saturn.
** While The Pokémon Company operates separately from Nintendo, Pikachu is not too far behind Mario, being the face of the Pokémon franchise, appearing in every game of the series and nearly every episode of ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''. Pikachu also became [[http://soccerly.com/article/salvadorborboa/pikachu-named-japans-official-mascot-in-brazil-2014-world-cup Japan's Official Mascot for Brazil 2014 World Cup.]]
*** Let's take a survey: ask anyone off the street if 1) they play Pokemon & 2) if so, which Pokemon is their favorite. If the answer to #1 is "yes", see how many answer "Pikachu" to #2. The results may surprise you.
** Aside from Pac-Man, Bandai Namco also has [[VideoGame/{{Tekken}} Heihachi]] trailing behind.
** Before 1991, SNK had the now pretty much unknown [[http://pagesperso-orange.fr/neogeospirit/dossiers/gmantle/dossier_gmantle.htm G-Mantle]]. After rebranding itself as "SNK Entertainment" in 2016, they brought in a new mascot named [[https://www.snk-entertainment.com/company/ Enta Girl]].
*** [[VideoGame/PsychoSoldier Athena Asamiya]] was viewed as the more recognizable face of SNK before she was pushed to the sidelines for the more popular Terry Bogard. This gets used as a joke in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' where she has a bitter rivalry with him. Though by ''XIII'' she seems to have gotten over it and has nothing but respect for him. [[Franchise/TheKingOfFighters Kyo Kusanagi]] and [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Nakoruru]] are usually not too far behind.
** ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' was at one point considered the unofficial mascot of the [=PlayStation=] and Sony Computer Entertainment, as he was made to be the console's answer to both Sonic and Mario. The American commercials featuring the guy in the Crash suit taking shots at Nintendo only cemented this.
*** In North America, the [=PlayStation=] was originally going to have a mascot named Polygon Man who appears in the early marketing of the console, but was completely absent in the console because Ken Kutaragi was disappointed with his design so he's absent in the final release and fell to obscurity. He returned unexpectedly in ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' as the final boss.
** Capcom is a bizarre case, in which it has ''several'' unofficial mascots, but not one who is the entire face of the company. To many gaming fans, ''[[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Mega Man]]'' is usually considered to be the mascot for Capcom due to his series being one of Capcom's earliest successes and a family-friendly face on par with his contemporaries (which didn't go unnoticed in the recent ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' titles). He's since been OutOfFocus ever since Keiji Inafune left and possibly because of the abundance of [[LegacyCharacter several different versions of Mega Man]]. While [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]] predates him by a few months, it wasn't until four years later that his series played a significant part in gaming history and revolutionized the fighting genre forever. However, his series was put on a long hiatus after the late 90s once the arcade scene and the fighting game genre started to lose steam. Alongside them were '''Cap'''tain '''Com'''mando, who appeared in packaging and game manuals before starring in [[VideoGame/CaptainCommando his own self-titled video game]] (even taking center stage over the two in the opening of the first Marvel Vs. Capcom), and Mobi-chan, a tiny version of the player character from ''VideoGame/HyperDyneSideArms'' who appeared as an easter egg throughout several Capcom games, including those within the ''Mega Man'' and ''Street Fighter'' series. Capcom's attempt at a true mascot in recent years has since diminished, with the company being confirmed by former community manager Seth Killian to have never had an official mascot, even if fans refuse to believe it, instead preferring to use them as an ensemble while pushing its current best-selling franchises, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' and ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' as its two flagship series.
** Similarly, Konami tends to cycle through characters from several of their franchises, though out of all of them, [[VideoGame/MetalGear Solid Snake]], [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Simon Belmont]] and [[VideoGame/GanbareGoemon Goemon]] tend to be their three biggest and most notable picks. Though in the wake of Konami dissolving Hudson Soft, VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} has also risen to a similar rank.
** Back when Creator/{{Compile}} was still around, Carbuncle, a character from ''[[VideoGame/MadouMonogatari Madou Monogatari 1-2-3]]'' found himself in the SeriesMascot role for its MorePopularSpinOff series, ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo''. That series eventually got so big that Carbuncle was eventually promoted to being the mascot for Compile as a whole, often appearing on or near several of the company's logos. That sadly changed as Compile was facing a slow financial demise, and the ''Puyo Puyo'' series was eventually bought by Sega, who put Carbuncle in the back seat for a while and started to focus more on the Puyos themselves.
** Creator/{{Atlus}} uses Jack Frost and his brothers from ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei''. However, as of the massive success of ''VideoGame/Persona5'', it seems that Atlus has been pushing the main character of the game, Joker, as their mascot more and more, with his costume appearing in other Sega and Atlus games and the character himself being featured as DLC for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
** Creator/KoeiTecmo's de facto mascot is [[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ryu Hayabusa]], whose appeared not only in ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'', but also in ''VideoGame/WarriorsOrochi'', ''VideoGame/WarriorsAllStars'', and had his ancestor appear in ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}''.
** Creator/ArcSystemWorks has its mascot position shared by [[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Sol Badguy]] and [[VideoGame/BlazBlue Ragna the Bloodedge]].
** Creator/SquareEnix has several:
*** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud Strife]] is the poster boy of the company, being featured in such games as ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', and is generally considered by many to be the most iconic character from ''Final Fantasy''. Square would later try to recreate Cloud's success with [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII Lightning Farron]], but Cloud has continued to stay in the spotlight. And speaking of ''Kingdom Hearts'', Sora also counts as a mascot, both for Square Enix and the franchise.
*** From the ''Franchise/DragonQuest'' games, [[MascotMook Slime]] is undeniably the most iconic and recognizable character from the franchise, appears in a good majority of the merchandise sold for it, and is often used to represent the franchise in crossovers such as ''VideoGame/FortuneStreet''.
*** Lara Croft is this for Creator/EidosInteractive, even after their acquisition by Square Enix in 2009.
** Creator/{{Ubisoft}}'s mascots are VideoGame/{{Rayman}} and [[VideoGame/SplinterCell Sam Fisher]], even after years of both characters not receiving brand new games. [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreed2 Ezio Auditore]] and [[VideoGame/FarCry3 Vaas Montenegro]] are also mascots, to a lesser extent.
** [[VideoGame/{{Halo}} Master Chief]] is usually seen as this for Creator/XboxGameStudios.
* Fictional example: "Vault Boy", the wavy-haired boy in the vault-dweller jumpsuit who serves as the smiling figurehead for Vault-Tec in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}''. Fans call him "Fallout Boy" (no relation to [[Music/FallOutBoy the band]] or the fictional character on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''), and he's come to serve as a mascot for the game series, as well.
** Not to be confused (although he often has been, even the developers of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout Tactics|BrotherhoodOfSteel}}'' made this mistake) with "Pip-Boy", who is the redheaded pixie in the yellow and orange spacesuit, visible on the logo of the Pip-Boy 2000.
* The Companion Cube for ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}''. ''VideoGame/Portal2'' uses Atlas and P-Body, the robots from the game's co-op mode.
** Creator/{{Valve|Software}} have also used other characters as mascots, with the Heavy Weapons Guy or the Soldier representing ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. The announcement for the Steam platform coming to the Mac used one of ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'''s [[EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture iPod-esque]] turrets to resemble the Mac and the Engineer's solidly mechanical turret from ''[=TF2=]'' for the PC.

** Capcom is a bizarre case, in which it has ''several'' unofficial mascots, but not one who is the entire face of the company. To many gaming fans, ''[[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Mega Man]]'' is usually considered to be the mascot for Capcom due to his series being one of Capcom's earliest successes and a family-friendly face on par with his contemporaries (which didn't go unnoticed in the recent ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' titles). He's since been OutOfFocus ever since Keiji Inafune left and possibly because of the abundance of [[LegacyCharacter several different versions of Mega Man]]. While [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]] predates him by a few months, it wasn't until four years later that his series played a significant part in gaming history and revolutionized the fighting genre forever. However, his series was put on a long hiatus after the late 90s once the arcade scene and the fighting game genre started to lose steam. Alongside them were '''Cap'''tain '''Com'''mando, who appeared in packaging and game manuals before starring in his own self-titled video game (even taking center stage over the two in the opening of the first Marvel Vs. Capcom), and Mobi-chan, a tiny version of the player character from ''VideoGame/HyperDyneSideArms'' who appeared as an easter egg throughout several Capcom games, including those within the ''Mega Man'' and ''Street Fighter'' series. Capcom's attempt at a true mascot in recent years has since diminished, with the company being confirmed by former community manager Seth Killian to have never had an official mascot, even if fans refuse to believe it, instead preferring to use them as an ensemble while pushing its current best-selling franchises, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' and ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' as its two flagship series.

* Figment from ''Ride/JourneyIntoImagination'' is frequently used as the mascot of [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Epcot]].

* The ''[[Ride/CedarFairEntertainment Cedar Fair]]'' parks tend to use the ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} in their advertisements, Snoopy in particular, who usually has his own children's land "Camp Snoopy".

* Franchise/{{Superman}} and Franchise/{{Batman}} have generally served as co-mascots for Creator/DCComics, though with preference to the former due to Superman's brighter nature.
* ''Franchise/MarvelComics'' has Franchise/SpiderMan, ''the'' most famous and iconic character in the roster. However, others do point towards characters like [[ComicBook/XMen Wolverine]] or possibly ComicBook/CaptainAmerica as other possible candidates or runner-ups. Many even consider ''Creator/StanLee'' himself as Marvel's true mascot, being the beloved face of the industry for decades and having [[TheCameo/StanLee numerous appearances across media]] to go with it.

* The first UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup mascot was in 1966, in England. It was a lion named World Cup Willie. Every World Cup since has had a mascot.

* The San Diego Chicken was originally a mascot for local radio station KGB, and was originally known as the KGB Chicken. After appearing at games for the San Diego Padres promoting the station, the Padres decided to make the character a mascot for the team, rther than the station. Thus, The San Diego Chicken was born -- and he single handedly created the profession of sports mascots. He is now the patron saint of all sports mascots.

* The San Diego Chicken was originally a mascot for a local radio station. He single handedly created the profession of sports mascots. He is now the patron saint of all sports mascots.

** In North America, the [=PlayStation=] was originally going to have a mascot named Polygon Man who appears in the early marketing of the console, but was completely absent in the console because Ken Kutaragi was disappointed with his design so he's absent in the final release and fell to obscurity. He returned unexpectedly in ''VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale'' as the final boss.

* Most video game companies use a character from one of their most popular franchises as an unofficial mascot. Out of all of them, the only ones that are undeniably official mascots and usually considered equal to Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny[[note]]basically meaning that they're usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the company and whose images are plastered on company products outside their own series[[/note]] are [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] for Creator/{{Nintendo}}, VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog for Creator/{{SEGA}}, and [[VideoGame/PacMan Pac-Man]] for what was originally [[[Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment Namco]].

*** [[VideoGame/PsychoSoldier Athena Asamiya]] was viewed as the more recognizable face of SNK before she was pushed to the sidelines for the more popular Terry. This gets used as a joke in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' where she has a bitter rivalry with him. Though by ''XIII'' she seems to have gotten over it and has nothing but respect for him.

** Other notable mascots include Creator/{{SNK}}'s [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]] and [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Nakoruru]], and Creator/XboxGameStudios' [[VideoGame/{{Halo}} Master Chief]].

* Most video game companies use a character from one of their franchises as a mascot. Out of all of them, the only ones that are usually considered equal to Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny[[note]]basically meaning that they're usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the company and whose images are plastered on company products outside their own series[[/note]] are [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] for Creator/{{Nintendo}}, VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog for Creator/{{SEGA}}, and [[VideoGame/PacMan Pac-Man]] for Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment (At least during the pre-merger years). Other notable mascots include Creator/{{SNK}}'s [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]] and [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Nakoruru]], and Creator/XboxGameStudios' [[VideoGame/{{Halo}} Master Chief]].
** Sonic the Hedgehog in particular led to the creation of an entire subtype of Mascot: the MascotWithAttitude.

** Capcom is a bizarre case, in which it has ''several'' mascots, but not one who is the entire face of the company. ''[[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Mega Man]]'' used to be considered the mascot for Capcom due to his series being one of Capcom's earliest successes and a family-friendly face on par with his contemporaries (which didn't go unnoticed in the recent ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' titles). He's since been OutOfFocus ever since Keiji Inafune left and possibly because of the abundance of [[LegacyCharacter several different versions of Mega Man]]. While [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]] predates him by a few months, it wasn't until four years later that his series played a major part in gaming history and revolutionized the fighting genre forever. Alongside them were '''Cap'''tain '''Com'''mando, who appeared in packaging and game manuals before starring in his own self-titled video game (even taking center stage in the opening of the first Marvel Vs. Capcom), and Mobi-chan, a tiny version of the player character from ''VideoGame/HyperDyneSideArms'' who appeared as an easter egg throughout several Capcom games, including those within the ''Mega Man'' and ''Street Fighter'' series. Capcom's usage of mascot characters in recent years has since diminished, instead preferring to use its characters as an ensemble while pushing its current best-selling franchises, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' and ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' as its two flagship series.
** Similarly, Konami tends to cycle through characters from several of their franchises, though out of all of them, [[VideoGame/MetalGear Solid Snake]] and [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} Simon Belmont]] tend to be their two biggest and most notable picks. Though in the wake of Konami dissolving Hudson Soft, VideoGame/{{Bomberman}} has also risen to a similar rank.

* Music/Hinatazaka46 has Poka the sky blue bird, which was born from the egg given to one of them by none other than Santa Claus as reward for SavingChristmas in 2020.

* Music/Hinatazaka46 has Poka the sky blue bird, which in-universe was born from the egg given to one of them by none other than Santa Claus's workers, as reward for SavingChristmas.

* In the Canadian Football League, Gainer the Gopher is the well known mascot for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

* UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup and the UsefulNotes/OlympicGames have pretty much always had mascots.

** The Advertising/TrixRabbit, who had to put up with almost 40 years of [[DesignatedHero punk kids]] denying him Trix Cereal. [[{{Catchphrase}} "Silly Rabbit, Trix are for Kids"]]

** Capcom is a bizarre case, in which it has ''several'' mascots, but not one who is the entire face of the company. ''[[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Mega Man]]'' used to be considered the mascot for Capcom due to his series being one of Capcom's earliest successes and a family-friendly face on par with his contemporaries (which didn't go unnoticed in the recent ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' titles). He's since been OutOfFocus ever since Keiji Inafune left and possibly because of the abundance of [[LegacyCharacter several different versions of Mega Man]]. While [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]] predates him by a few months, it wasn't until four years later that his series played a major part in gaming history and revolutionized the fighting genre forever. Alongside them were '''Cap'''tain '''Com'''mando, who appeared in packaging and game manuals before starring in his own self-titled video game (even taking center stage in the opening of the first Marvel Vs. Capcom), and Mobi-chan, a tiny version of the player character from ''VideoGame/HyperDyneSideArms'' who appeared as an easter egg throughout several Capcom games, including those within the ''Mega Man'' and ''Street Fighter'' series. Capcom's usage of mascot characters in recent years has since diminished, with its current best-selling franchises, ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' and ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' being pushed as its two flagship series.

* Creator/{{Dreamworks}} and Creator/DreamworksAnimation's mascot is the Moon Child, a sillhouette of a young kid fishing on a cresent moon.