To state the obvious, there are a lot of video game characters. There are all kinds of characters, from grey-haired war heroes to boomerang-throwing elves to whatever Fall Guys is expecting. But there are also characters that can be considered mascots, representing both their game and their platform.

Nintendo has Mario. Sega has Sonic. And Sony? Sony has that weird orange triangle on his denim shorts, aka Crash Bandicoot.

Crash came to PlayStation in 1996. Since then, its debut game, Crash Bandicoot, has become the eighth best-selling PlayStation game of all time, selling over six million copies. With a new installment in the Crash Bandicoot series just released, you might want to brush up on your knowledge of the weird and wonderful backstory of Sony’s marsupial mascot. Join us on a profitable trip to the Wampa Islands. But first, we’ll have to stop in Los Angeles.

CHASING SONIC’S ASS

It all started with two 24-year-old boys and a dream. Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin met as kids and bonded over their love of video games. They then turned their shared passion into an actual company, JAM Software. With Rubin as the artist and Gavin as the programmer, they worked together to create the classic educational game Math Jam, which they released in 1985. They then changed their name to the more catchy “Naughty Dog.”

Naughty Dog released several more titles and eventually merged with Universal Interactive, Universal Studios’ new video game division, in 1994. This was a pretty big change for the duo in a few ways. First of all, they had to move from Boston to Los Angeles (which, in case you didn’t know, is pretty far away). It was time for a road trip.

So Gavin and Rubin packed everything they owned into a Honda Accord (and a Honda Accord trailing truck, because Honda Accords aren’t that big) and headed west while developing ideas for a new game. And unlike the California settlers of yore, the duo discovered gold before they arrived.

Halfway through the journey, inspiration took over the proverbial wheel. The world needed a 3D platformer. There was nothing like it yet. Even the biggest games of the time (Mario, Sonic, Donkey Kong, etc.) were still in 2D. They jokingly called the idea the “Sonic Butt Game” because the player would be looking at the character’s butt the whole time. With the perfect name already decided upon, Gavin and Rubin were ready to get started. They were entering new territory, but they couldn’t find a checkpoint.

CRASH’S BIG BANG

As soon as the Naughty Dog duo arrived at Universal, they began working on developing a Sonic ass game, hiring a team to help them develop a Sonic ass game. Aiming for a “Saturday morning cartoon” feel, they enlisted the help of two old-school animators, Charles Zembiras and Joe Pearson, to create the overall look of the game. They also worked with several other industry professionals, including texture artist Charlotte Francis and sound engineer Dan Kollmorgen. Crash went through several drafts before the team got it just right. The research team pored over books about Tasmanian marsupials, and eventually came up with a character called “Willy the Wombat.” In a way, Willy the Wombat walked so Crash Bandicoot could turn really fast. Willy the Wombat was stocky and Weasley-like, with a big nose, a goofy grin, and (for some reason) a Zorro mask. Through the editing process, Willie got stretched, slimmer, and crazier, eventually giving us the triangular, denim-wearing Crash we know and love today.

Of course, translating 2D concept sketches into ’90s 3D game design is incredibly difficult. The artists were instructed to keep Crash under 600 polygons. (They managed 532.) Due to the team’s technical limitations, many levels had to be discarded because they were too large. To solve this problem, programmer Dave Baggett developed “Dave’s Level Editor,” a Photoshop-based level-editing tool that streamlined the design process and allowed for more complex graphics. The team also added scenery like rocks, statues, and trees, creating richer, more visually interesting environments while reducing polygons throughout the levels. Artists worked on the graphics for eight months before any code was written. The result? A game with breathtaking, unique graphics unlike anything seen before.

SPEAKING OF CRATES…

It was also really, really boring.

“There’s a moment when you have what’s called the ‘first alpha’, and then you have the ‘first playable version’, and nobody talks about ‘first fun,’” Baggett told Polygon. “If you can’t get to that moment, you’re kind of lost. The game just isn’t good at all.”

Unfortunately, Crash hadn’t quite reached “first fun.” No matter how appealing it looked, the levels were sparse and uninteresting to play. Naughty Dog needed a simple solution that didn’t use too many polygons and gave players dynamic elements to interact with in each level.

That’s where boxes came in. Thanks to their boxy design with fewer polygons and less demanding code, boxes proved to be the perfect solution. The team developed a ton of different kinds of boxes — exploding TNT boxes, question mark boxes, bouncing boxes — and programmed them into the entire game within two days. Baggett said, “The game was fun from Friday to Monday.”

Finally, it was time for the alpha.

CRASHING ONTO THE SCENE

The team initially wanted to develop Crash Bandicoot as a cross-platform game, but concluded that many of the other systems they considered, including the Sega Saturn, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, and Atari Jaguar, were too clunky for the beloved free-roaming bandicoot. For them, Crash would only feel comfortable on one system: Sony’s PlayStation, which, in Gavin’s opinion, was the only system that was “sexy” enough for the game. Naughty Dog decided to make the triangle-chested hero Sony’s new (unofficial) mascot.

The world officially met Crash at E3 1996. Their booth was glamorous and eye-catching, located directly across from the exhibit hall for Nintendo’s new 3D platformer, Super Mario 64. But being close to the world’s most popular plumber was a benefit for Naughty Dog. Their booth was packed with consumers and industry professionals alike. Even Shigeru Miyamoto himself stopped by to check out Crash.

First impressions were overwhelmingly positive. The public enjoyed the gameplay and were impressed with the graphics. “I think the first few times we showed it, a bunch of programmers from other teams were hanging out trying to figure out how we could make so many pictures,” Kollmorgen told Polygon.

SPINNING “CRASH”

Sony was a relatively new player in the gaming industry, and the marketing team, led by Ami Blair, needed to find a way to leverage that competitive edge. And as it turned out, the solution was literally right in front of them: Nintendo.

They came up with a plot of sorts: a superfan dressed as the Crash Bandicoot mascot would go to Nintendo and “challenge” Mario. “Your time has come, plumber boy,” he says to himself as he drives through Seattle in his Crash suit. He parks in front of a house and argues the merits of buying a PlayStation. He shouts into a megaphone at the Nintendo building and is escorted out of the parking lot by security, to whom he explains that Bandicoot is Australian. He was funny, crazy and the perfect embodiment of the game Crash Bandicoot.

The campaign was well received; the edgy and unique product perfectly embodied Sony’s brand image at the time and established the company as a cool, rebellious competitor to giants like Nintendo and Sega. After a successful marketing campaign, Crash was ready to be introduced to the world.

CRASH COMES HOME

The game tells the story of Crash, a bandicoot who is captured by the villain Dr. Neo Cortex and his assistant Dr. Nitrus Brio and used as a test subject for their experiments. Crash escapes the lab and spends the game attacking the villains with spin attacks and smashing crates in hopes of saving his girlfriend Tawna and defeating Cortex.

It’s fair to say that the initial release of Crash Bandicoot went well. Crash was released in September 1996 and was a huge critical and box office success. Over 1.5 million units were sold domestically in the first six months of its release, establishing the PlayStation as a worthy contender in the console wars. Crash received mixed reviews for its gameplay, but the graphics were generally praised, and it was clear that audiences expected more from Crash.

CRASH COMES HOME… AGAIN

Development of Crash Bandicoot’s sequel, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, began in October 1996, just one month after the release of the first game, and was released a year later in October 1997. By all accounts, the game was better than its predecessor in every way. Next Generation stated: “Crash 2 is a charming game that can be frustrating at times, but always rewards a job well done. And it’s an addictive combination for a serious platformer. The plot was interesting, the gameplay was smoother, and the graphics were great.” More advanced. The game also helped expand Crash’s world and introduce new characters, such as Coco Bandicoot, Crash’s sister.

The second game paved the way for Crash to appear in the manga – he appeared in Crash Bandicoot – Dance! Jump! from CoroCoro Comics. na Daiboken is loosely based on the events of Cortex Strikes Back (sadly, only two volumes were published).

The Naughty Dog team took a bit of a breather before starting development on the third Crash game, Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped, in January 1998. The game saw Crash continue to thwart Dr. Cortex’s evil plans, this time through time travel. The game received generally positive reviews; Official US PlayStation Magazine even called it “the best 2.5D platformer ever released,” while GamePro declared it “a very strong contender for Game of the Year.”

Naughty Dog stepped up a gear for their final Crash game, releasing CTR: Crash Team Racing in September 1999. Racers could race as popular characters from the series, including Crash, Coco, and Cortex. The game featured both single-player and multiplayer modes, and was again well-received by both critics and the box office.

THE END OF AN ERA

And so Naughty Dog’s contract with Universal Interactive ended. The two companies separated. Naughty Dog continued to produce popular hits such as Jak & Daxter, Uncharted, and The Last of Us, while Universal attempted to build on the series’ previous success with several more Crash releases.

Crash was passed from developer to developer, each one trying their hand at the franchise, but none could match Crash’s Naughty Dog glory days. In 2008, Activision took over the series and released Crash: Mind Over Mutant for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, and Xbox 360. The game received mostly mediocre reviews, who disliked its shallow gameplay and unpredictable controls. Andrew Reiner of Game Informer called it “a chaotic game, a new low for the once-popular marsupial.”

The magic of the Crash Bandicoot series seemed to be over.

…OR WAS IT?

Over the past four years, Crash Bandicoot has experienced a dizzying resurgence. During Sony’s press conference at E3 2016, Sony announced that it would be re-releasing the first three Crash games. These games were released collectively as the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, first for PlayStation 4 in June 2017, and then for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One in June 2018. Crash also renewed its license for another racing game, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled. Both games received positive reviews from critics and fans alike, putting an end to Crash’s fall from grace.

Crash also makes several appearances in the TV series Skylander Academy, in which he (and sometimes Coco) must team up with Spyro the Dragon to save the world. Can he turn, act and drive? It’s a triple threat!

Last year, Sony released Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, an all-new time-traveling adventure starring everyone’s favorite triangular marsupial. The game offers new moves, old friends and (possibly) all the boxes you can break. I don’t know about you, but I’m already wearing cheer jeans.