TrekMD Posted July 23, 2023 Report Share Posted July 23, 2023 Just watched this video. It asks an interesting question. For me, Bentley Bear would have been a great mascot for the company... DegasElite, socrates63, RickR and 4 others 7 Quote 🖖 Going to the final frontier, gaming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted July 23, 2023 Report Share Posted July 23, 2023 I agree that Bentley Bear would've been a great mascot. I've been surprised though that when I show him to friends and colleagues they more often than not think that Bentley Bear isn't mascot worthy and couldn't have been in the same league as a Mario or a Sonic. And then they ALL say something unsurprising yet very interesting: "I thought Pac-Man was Atari's mascot?" It's wishful thinking but it would've been nice for Atari to acquire all rights to Namco in North America - for everything - all arcade and home video game system games, and keep Pac-Man as the Atari mascot. Everyone loved to talk about "E.T. ruining the video game industry" but Atari made countless unforced errors leading up to the crash. I would argue one of the biggest mistakes was allowing their most popular 2600 games and characters that defined the system to be from other companies: Pitfall Harry, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Dig Dug, etc. Charlie Chuck from Food Fight would've been a fun mascot for the 7800. Atari should've had one de facto mascot running across all systems. The closest thing to that, again, has been Pac-Man. At one point in the Jaguar years Sam Tramiel discussed Major Havoc as a mascot for Atari moving forward. I'd say it was also a mistake to have the cartoon Jaguar mascot in all of the Jaguar print advertisements, and yet he didn't have a name, nor was he in Trevor McFur, Cybermorph, or any other Jaguar launch title. They could've built an entire game around him, or come up with a different character. He was just a random cat jumping at Mario and Sonic. The most powerful thing about video game mascots isn't just the mascot, it's the world they come from and the other characters around them. When you see Mario, he represents and reminds you of the entire "World of Nintendo" - green pipes, power flowers, mushrooms, green hills, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and other "World of Nintendo" characters like Link, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, Hogan's Alley, you name it. DegasElite, Jinroh, Sabertooth and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted July 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2023 Wow, people actually think Pac-Man was Atari's mascot? Interesting considering the arcade game was not theirs. It would have been interesting had Atari gotten al rights and made it their mascot. Bentley Bear could have used in more games. Cyrstal Quest is a homebrew title that shows that more could have been done with the character. He does show up in Atari Karts too but can you imagine if he had been used to theme pinball games, puzzle games, and other types of games? Sabertooth, DegasElite, MaximumRD and 4 others 7 Quote 🖖 Going to the final frontier, gaming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted July 23, 2023 Report Share Posted July 23, 2023 As mentioned, another missed opportunity. A lot of their most enduring games never got a follow up. "Adventure". Adding a hero -- ("Link" comes to mind) and adding more depth for the dragons. BOOM. Instant franchise. How about a follow up to Asteroids...the pointy ship lands on a large Asteroid to infiltrate the base and destroy the enemy base. Side scroller! ("Samus" comes to mind). BOOM! Another one with a rich history already built in. Haunted House -- a follow up game that introduces a detective character that gets scared easily. So many ideas for games in this genre. socrates63, Jinroh, DegasElite and 4 others 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socrates63 Posted July 23, 2023 Report Share Posted July 23, 2023 That was a fun video. Thanks for sharing, Dr. Trek. Sabertooth, Justin, DegasElite and 3 others 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted July 24, 2023 Report Share Posted July 24, 2023 21 hours ago, TrekMD said: Wow, people actually think Pac-Man was Atari's mascot? I get that all the time from people outside of our little "bubble" - people who know what Atari is, and instantly think of Pac-Man and Space Invaders. You can't really blame them - some may remember when both the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 came with Pac-Man as the pack-in title when you buy the system. It would've been advertised. And of course remember "Atari National Pac-Man Day". It seems like Pac-Man was synonymous with Atari for a while. Jinroh, Sabertooth, MaximumRD and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted July 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2023 Yep, that makes sense. Then Atari missed on the opportunity to really make the Pac their mascot. One of many missed opportunities. MaximumRD and Jinroh 2 Quote 🖖 Going to the final frontier, gaming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post D r Clu Posted September 8, 2023 Popular Post Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 Now that Atari has Accolade (who released the Bubsy series) totally BUBSY BOBCAT! 😄 socrates63, Sabertooth, MaximumRD and 6 others 4 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinroh Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 11 minutes ago, D r Clu said: Now that Atari has Accolade (who released the Bubsy series) totally BUBSY BOBCAT! 😄 More Bubsy is always good. Good to see you around these parts @D r Clu. 😎 Sabertooth, D r Clu, MaximumRD and 1 other 3 1 Quote Free to download--> Carrot Kingdom™- - Released 5/11/2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DegasElite Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 Since I am a Crystal Castles fan, I will go with Bentley. You could never knock the "Bentster!" Did you know he was originally going to be named Braveheart Bear? Atari decided on Bentley because they didn't want to racially offend the indigenous people in North America. I think it was a smart idea to name him Bentley. It fits. Thanks for letting me share. :) MaximumRD, Sabertooth, socrates63 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DegasElite Posted September 8, 2023 Report Share Posted September 8, 2023 (edited) Plus, I also have great respect for indigenous people. That was a good PR move for Atari at the time. Edited September 8, 2023 by DegasElite Sabertooth, MaximumRD and Jinroh 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabertooth Posted September 9, 2023 Report Share Posted September 9, 2023 Bubsy: What could possibly go wrong? DegasElite, MaximumRD, Jinroh and 1 other 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted September 9, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2023 You know, Atari (the current Atari) still have a chance to do this! They need to choose a mascot and run with it! D r Clu, MaximumRD, sramirez2008 and 3 others 6 Quote 🖖 Going to the final frontier, gaming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Wraith Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Definitely Bentley Bear. He has all of the right qualifications. 1: He is an original character created by Atari themselves. 2: He has been in multiple games across multiple platforms. 3: He is cute and cuddly (in a pixelated sort of way). I think it's very clear that Bentley Bear should be the Atari mascot. DegasElite, Jinroh, TrekMD and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D r Clu Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 2 hours ago, Neon Wraith said: Definitely Bentley Bear. He has all of the right qualifications. 1: He is an original character created by Atari themselves. 2: He has been in multiple games across multiple platforms. 3: He is cute and cuddly (in a pixelated sort of way). I think it's very clear that Bentley Bear should be the Atari mascot. He's a cool enough character. Was there any backstory for Bentley? He always reminded me of Disney's Gummy Bears. MaximumRD, DegasElite, Jinroh and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinroh Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 On 9/8/2023 at 10:55 PM, TrekMD said: You know, Atari (the current Atari) still have a chance to do this! They need to choose a mascot and run with it! I would be willing to let them use Jinny. 😛 I think she'd make a good mascot. 😄 TrekMD, DegasElite, MaximumRD and 2 others 5 Quote Free to download--> Carrot Kingdom™- - Released 5/11/2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D r Clu Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 Wow, finding Bentley Bear material is a bit challenging. Found this on Deviantart... Jinroh, - Ω - and DegasElite 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
- Ω - Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 I had never heard of Bentley Bear before. If it were not for you telling us who it was, and the B on his belt, I would have taken the image as Winnie the Pooh eating out of his honey pot. I guess we learn something new every day. So now I'll return the favor, have you ever heard of Doraemon? He's as popular in Asia as Mickey Mouse is here in The States. D r Clu, Smell Dawg, Jinroh and 1 other 4 Quote <<< My YouTube Page >>> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DegasElite Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 33 minutes ago, - Ω - said: So now I'll return the favor, have you ever heard of Doraemon? He's as popular in Asia as Mickey Mouse is here in The States. I have. It looks like a funny anime and manga. :) Jinroh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D r Clu Posted September 12, 2023 Report Share Posted September 12, 2023 (edited) 8 hours ago, - Ω - said: I had never heard of Bentley Bear before. If it were not for you telling us who it was, and the B on his belt, I would have taken the image as Winnie the Pooh eating out of his honey pot. I guess we learn something new every day. So now I'll return the favor, have you ever heard of Doraemon? He's as popular in Asia as Mickey Mouse is here in The States. I believe I have. I believe that character showed as a mascot suit in another movie I was watching once. Kawaee! As for Bentley Bear, ok for the longest I pushed for Bubsy as the mascot, at least for the Atari Jaguar. I think Bentley Bear IS the unspoken mascot for Atari. At least over time he has gotten a lot of screen time and fairly well represented over the various Atari platforms. Check this out, I was actually quite amazed! Atari 2600 - Crystal Castles Atari (5200?), 400/800, XL, XE - Crystal Castles Atari 7800 - Bentley Bear Crystal Quest (homebrew) Atari ST - Crystal Castle Bentley Bear's Alphabet Tutor Bentley Bear's Equation Builder Bentley Bear's General Store Bentley Bear's Magical Anagrams Bentley Bear's Magical Math 1 Bentley Bear's Magical Math 2 Bentley Bear's Magical Math 3 Bentley Bear's Memory Master Bentley Bear's Memory Master II Bentley Bear's Spelling Bee Bentley Bear's Typing Tutor Atari Jaguar - Atari Karts Other appearances: And I like how Bentley Bear is the main show character for Atari Mania cover art. (Haven't had a chance to look at the actual game or whatever it is) Three appearances in 50th Anniversary with the arcade Crystal Castles, 2600 Crystal Castles, and Atari Karts. Bentley Bear apparently made an appearance in Wreck-It-Ralph. Not a great likeness, but the basics are there... So yeh, I think Bentley Bear is already the unspoken mascot for Atari. And you know what, I'm ok with that. He's kinda cute, and I like how there is still a lot to know about the character. Edited September 13, 2023 by D r Clu Jinroh, DegasElite, TrekMD and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D r Clu Posted September 13, 2023 Report Share Posted September 13, 2023 Posted an article about Bentley Bear on my Atari Jaguar Mascots Blog. TrekMD, Jinroh and Justin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted September 13, 2023 Report Share Posted September 13, 2023 22 hours ago, D r Clu said: Wow, finding Bentley Bear material is a bit challenging. Try seating for "Crystal Castles" and it becomes even more challenging Jinroh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrekMD Posted September 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2023 13 hours ago, D r Clu said: Posted an article about Bentley Bear on my Atari Jaguar Mascots Blog. I wasn't aware of all those games including Bentley Bear. So, yes, he is Atari's mascot! 🙂 D r Clu and Jinroh 1 1 Quote 🖖 Going to the final frontier, gaming... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D r Clu Posted September 15, 2023 Report Share Posted September 15, 2023 Found an article showing the mascots across various companies and platforms. Been a Mac user since 1989 and never heard of their mascot. 😮 https://gameconsole.fandom.com/wiki/Just_For_Fun/Company_Mascots TrekMD and Jinroh 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinroh Posted September 15, 2023 Report Share Posted September 15, 2023 5 hours ago, D r Clu said: Been a Mac user since 1989 and never heard of their mascot. 😮 https://gameconsole.fandom.com/wiki/Just_For_Fun/Company_Mascots I never heard of this Dogcow either. 😅 Though I was never a Mac user. My friend though was. He got the Mac when the primary school was throwing them away to upgrade to Apple IIGS models. I guess a Dogcow looks good on a Monochrome screen though. 😂 Quote Free to download--> Carrot Kingdom™- - Released 5/11/2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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