Mascots like Mario and Sonic have always been a crucial part of the video game industry. When the medium rose to prominence in the nineties, they helped boost sales, presented merchandise and licensing opportunities, and lent their face and personality to the brands they represented. Some of the most popular mascots left a deep mark on pop culture, becoming as instantly recognizable as animation legends like Disney's Mickey Mouse and Warner Bros.' Bugs Bunny.

But for every Mario and Sonic there at least a dozen characters that never made it off the drawing board. Both were the result of extensive brainstorming sessions among executives, each of which sentenced many an infantile icon to the dustbin. Even when a character did manage to escape development hell, their future was by no means set in stone. Starring in a handful of lackluster titles, they often left the industry as soon as they had entered.

Related: Is Nintendo Wasting Mario's 35th Anniversary?

Why do some video game mascots become famous and some don't? This question does not have an easy answer. If it did, studios would have little need of visual artists. Some things are time-dependent, others timeless. Successful mascots and characters (as recently displayed by Fall Guys' character designs) not only suit the needs of the developers, they have to speak to their audiences. As such, figuring out what makes one long-lasting not only sheds light on the inner workings of the video game industry itself, but the larger culture they exist in, too.

The Building Blocks Of Video Game Icons

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For starters, a unique design can help companies easily distinguish their mascots from the competition. When Ubisoft was developing their next icon, they initially settled for a young boy. Fearing that such a standard and straightforward design would not imprint itself into the minds of customers (while also simultaneously accommodating the needs of their development team) they erased the kid's arms and legs, and thus created the character Rayman.

Relevance is another key component. Having a relatable mascot may boost sales in the short term, but promises trouble later down the road. While Sonic embodies the counterculture of the nineties like no other, his snarky demeanor and rebellious personality have remained pertinent well into the twenty-first century. Crystal Dymanics, by contrast, defined their former mascot Gex the Gecko by a love for traditional television and Austin Powers-like satire, which younger generations found increasingly difficult to relate to.

Last but not least, they have to fill a certain niche. From his earliest inception, Mario made himself known as a family friendly character, one whose video games could be enjoyed by people of all ages. Sonic, in turn, defined himself largely by being what Mario wasn't: his movements were fast, his disposition snarky, and design was edgy. These elements combined to make Sonic more appealing to kids, and less to adults. During the nineties, Nintendo created the character of Bubsy to fill a similar niche. Unfortunately, competing with the blue hedgehog proved too difficult for this not-so-agile cat. As a result, Bubsy, Gex, and many other characters like them slowly sank into oblivion, while Mario and Sonic are just as popular, if not even more so, today.

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