Back in the '90s, cartoons dominated TV. Let's face it: there wouldn't be an immense army of 20-somethings complaining about how much worse cartoons are today if shows like Tiny Toon Adventures, X-Men and Animaniacs never existed.
Regardless of your opinion on '90s TV, it's safe to say that cartoons from studios like Disney and Warner Bros. helped shape a lot of childhoods.
Of course, it wasn't just about animated series - not only did Nintendo continue to dominate the market, but the PlayStation made its grand debut. Naturally, Sony needed a mascot for its console, and it wasn't long before they had one: if Mario's platforming adventures represented Nintendo, then Crash Bandicoot's would do the same for Sony.
So, how does all of this relate? Well, back when Sony was first pushing Crash Bandicoot, it was looking into a medium that Nintendo had abandoned long before: cartoons. That's right: Sony was developing a Crash Bandicoot TV show to run alongside the game, but it was cancelled before it went into production. That's not to say all was lost: after nearly 20 years of hiding in obscurity, the first footage from Sony's canceled Crash Bandicoot series has made its way online:
"This video is test animation that was done for Crash Bandicoot. Produced by Universal Animation early in the development of the game. It was based on ideas for where we were going with this IP at that time. It was probably too ambitious in nature and was also trying to be humorous. It was never used or even embedded in the game as a hidden "easter egg" treat."
That's from David Siller, a former senior producer at Universal Interactive Studios, the same studio that develped the Crash Bandicoot animated series.
When Siller says "early in development," he's not kidding: Crash's design in the cartoon is based off early concept art for the character. As development on the game continued, Crash's character was simplified into the model fans remember - though it looks like the animation test was already finished before that happened.
At this point, it seems like Crash Bandicoot will remain an icon of the '90s: aside from his now-defunct TV show, Sony's former mascot hasn't starred in a game in years (and it's been even longer since the last decent one), and it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon.
Who knows, maybe Crash Bandicoot will make a big return someday ... just don't hold your breath.
Be sure to follow T-Lounge on Twitter and visit our Facebook page.
