Crash Bandicoot (character)
Mutant bandicoot who spins to defeat foes.
Crash Bandicoot is the title character and main protagonist of the Crash Bandicoot franchise, a mutant eastern barred bandicoot genetically enhanced by Doctor Neo Cortex. He escaped from Cortex's castle after a failed experiment and opposes Cortex's schemes for world domination. His most distinctive technique is a tornado-like spin that knocks away almost anything he strikes.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Crash Bandicoot
- First game
- Crash Bandicoot (1996)
- Creator
- Andy Gavin, Jason Rubin
- Designer
- Charles Zembillas; Joe Pearson
- Species
- Eastern barred bandicoot
- Nationality
- Australian
Facts from the source article.
Concept and creation
Naughty Dog chose to develop Crash Bandicoot for the Sony PlayStation partly because Sony lacked an existing mascot to compete with Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Nintendo's Mario. Although video game mascots were seen as increasingly unimportant, Sony wanted to cover all bases. In Japan, Sony had used Captain Rock from Motor Toon Grand Prix as a de facto mascot, while SCEA introduced Polygon Man, then Sofia from Battle Arena Toshinden. Sony also released the platformer Hermie Hopperhead: Scrap Panic in 1995, but it stayed in Japan due to SCEA's policy against releasing 2D games in America. For the lead character, Naughty Dog wanted to incorporate an existing animal that was appealing and obscure, similar to Sega and Warner Bros. with Sonic the Hedgehog and the Tasmanian Devil. The team bought a field guide on Tasmanian mammals and considered the wombat, potoroo, and bandicoot. They used 'Willy the Wombat' as a temporary name, never intending it to be final because it sounded 'too dorky' and another property already used it. The character was effectively a bandicoot by October 1994 but was still called 'Willie the Wombat' until a final name was chosen. Gavin and Rubin chose not to base Crash around a single attribute like 'fast' or 'cute', wanting multi-dimensional depth.
Characteristics
Crash was genetically engineered using Cortex and Doctor Nitrus Brio's Evolvo-Ray. Before escaping Cortex's island fortress, he became romantically attached to a female bandicoot named Tawna, another of Cortex's experiments; his separation from Tawna at Cortex's hands is the primary root of his antagonism. Crash is emotional, quick to laugh and cry, with a danger-loving, fearless nature, though he prefers relaxing in the sun and rarely seeks trouble. He is prone to impolite habits like belching or scratching his posterior, to Crunch's ire and Coco's amusement. Crash is generally silent, except for exclaiming 'Whoa!' upon losing a life. In Radical Entertainment games, he speaks unintelligible gibberish, but in Skylanders Academy he speaks full sentences with an Australian accent. In Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, he narrates the epilogue in a fully articulate voice described as 'Morgan Freeman-esque'. Initially, his only offensive maneuvers were jumping on enemies and his tornado spin. Later games expand his abilities, including a powerful splash, double jump, Death Tornado Spin, a Wumpa Fruit bazooka, increased speed, tip-toeing on explosive crates, and high jumps. In Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind over Mutant, he learns new fighting moves from Mojo. In Skylanders: Imaginators, he throws TNT crates and uses a yo-yo to pull enemies into spin attacks.
Appearances
Crash Bandicoot (1996) shows Crash's origin as an ordinary eastern barred bandicoot taken by Doctor Neo Cortex and subjected to the Evolvo-Ray to become a general for Cortex's army. Deemed unworthy, he escapes and travels through the Wumpa Islands to rescue Tawna, defeating Cortex's henchmen and eventually Cortex himself. In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (1997), a supposedly reformed Cortex recruits Crash to gather crystals. Crash Bandicoot: Warped (1998) has Crash and his sister Coco thwarting Cortex's plot across time periods. In Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (2001), they collect crystals to defeat a genetically engineered super-soldier. Crash Twinsanity (2004) forces Crash and Cortex to team up against the Evil Twins. Crash of the Titans (2007) and Crash: Mind over Mutant (2008) feature a redesigned Crash in beat 'em up gameplay with the ability to jack Titans. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (2020) returns to original trilogy gameplay, following Warped, as Crash and Coco seek four Quantum Masks to save the multiverse. Crash appears in racing titles Crash Team Racing (1999), Crash Nitro Kart (2003), and Crash Tag Team Racing (2005), as well as party titles Crash Bash (2000), Crash Boom Bang! (2006), and Crash Team Rumble (2023). Handheld appearances include Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure (2002), Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced (2003), crossover titles Crash Bandicoot Purple and Spyro Orange (2004), and DS versions of Crash of the Titans and Crash: Mind over Mutant.
Cultural impact
Crash has been featured in two series of action figures by Resaurus, including a 'Jetboard Crash' and 'Jet Pack Crash' for Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and three figures for Crash Bandicoot: Warped, one bundled with Aku Aku and Coco. A Crash figurine was included in the Skylanders: Imaginators starter pack for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in October 2016, playable across all platforms. Various shirts, keychains, and other merchandise were officially licensed from Activision with Numskull Product Design. Paleontologists named an extinct bandicoot from the Miocene of Australia after the character, Crash bandicoot, using the name unaltered without Latin or Greek roots. As a mascot, Crash has drawn comparisons to Mario and Sonic. Dave Halverson of GameFan praised his animations, appearance, and mannerisms as '100% perfection'. A GameRevolution reviewer called his mannerisms 'always refreshing', and John Broady of GameSpot described him as 'disarmingly cute and fuzzy'. Doug Perry of IGN was critical, calling him 'insanely capitalistic' and a 'copycat mascot'. Louis Bedigian of GameZone disliked his voice. Ryan Davis of GameSpot analyzed Crash's running style and attacks as establishing an 'empty-headed but enthusiastic character', comparing his facial contortions to comedian Red Skelton.
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