Top 10 Video Game Character Cameos Movies and TV
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Top 10 Video Game Character Cameos in Other Media
We just can’t help but go full geek when we spot our favorite gaming icons. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Video Game Character Cameos in Other Media!
For this list, we’re looking at cameos of gaming’s icons across movies, television, and even advertising. Keep in mind, we’re only considering appearances, not indirect references or mentions.
“The Simpsons” (1989-)
We like to think our favorite video game heroes always do the right thing and encourage others to act their best. However, “The Simpsons” had an entirely different idea. In the episode “Marge Be Not Proud”, Bart becomes conflicted with shoplifting a copy of BoneStorm, only to be greeted by some familiar faces. Mario, Luigi, DK, and Sonic encourage Bart to steal the game, with the only stickler being the titular character of “Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge”. But, who is he really gonna listen to: gaming’s biggest legends or the putz who putts? We’re sorry to say we’d probably listen to the legends, too.
Subway commercial
Of all the things Nathan Drake can do, we never expected him to be a sandwich spokesperson. Despite the commercial lasting no more than twenty seconds, we see Nathan clinging onto that Subway cup for dear life. Look at him! He’s freakin’ climbing into the bottom of a plane, running from a flood, and falling out of cargo, and he STILL clings to the cup! It’s bizarre in every sense of the word to see something like this, but it managed to successfully make us start thinking about a night of playing “Uncharted” and eating a good sub. Hey, its where winners eat! Nate said so!
“Robot Chicken” (2001-)
It isn’t irregular for a show like “Robot Chicken” to parody video games, especially Mario. Of all the parodies the plucky plumber has appeared in, this is the best one. When Mario and Luigi take a wrong turn, they end up in the world of “Grand Theft Auto”. During their time in Vice City, they pick up a prostitute, kill someone’s pet turtle, and are introduced to a different kind of shroom. The plumbers soon find themselves running from the fuzz, resulting in their deaths. Well, it couldn’t have gone worse than Yoshi’s road trip to Raccoon City…
“The Powerpuff Girls” (1998-2005)
It is obvious that the Mayor is not fit for a position of power such as his. So, why Professor Utonium would be asking him to babysit the PowerPuff Girls is beyond us. However, there’s a part to his life we never saw before in the episode “Child Fearing”. Seems like the Mayor plays a lot of Nintendo 64, specifically “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”. We’re briefly shown the Mayor failing spectacularly at controlling Link, as he manages to lose FIVE lives and accidentally kill Navi. He may not be great at video games, but at least he feels the same hatred for Navi as we do.
“City Hunter” (1993)
What better spot for “Street Fighter” references than a martial arts movie starring Jackie Chan? In one scene, Ryo Saeba (played by Chan) enters a gaming parlor and is thrown into an arcade cabinet by Kim (played by Gary Daniels). The electrocution causes Ryo to hallucinate, thinking Kim is actually Ken Masters. Ryo takes on the form of E. Honda, and the two engage in mortal comba—I mean, street fighting…whatever. But, the fighting doesn’t stop after Ryo loses. For Round 2, Ryo fights in a Chun Li costume. Yeah, folks…this is Jackie Chan in a Chun Li costume. Soak it in while you can!
“Skylanders Academy” (2016-)
Fans of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot have always wanted a crossover. While those GBA games weren’t exactly what we were looking for, “Skylanders Academy” had a different idea. When Crash is mysteriously teleported into the Skylanders world, Spyro and friends must help him find a way home. While we’re still wondering why Crash is talking, the episode redeems itself by giving us an incredibly heartwarming moment. Before Crash leaves, he and Spyro share a hug. *sniffle* Oh, the tears are coming on again! Next entry, please, before the floodgates open!
“South Park” (1997-)
During the development of “Stick of Truth” and “The Fractured But Whole”, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have shown that they are big-time gamers, and it shows in a few episodes, especially the “Imaginationland” trilogy. Throughout the battle between good and evil, we spot Mario, Link, Wario, Ganondorf, Bowser, Goro, Akuma, Sagat, the ghosts from “Pac-Man”, and the terrifying Sinistar. These cameos may be brief, but it is awesome to see Parker and Stone include these guys with the likes of Jason Voorhees, Joker, and the Terminator.
“Futurama” (1999-2013)
When Professor Farnsworth creates a machine that can display “what if” questions, Fry asks what life would be like as a video game. We’d be lying if we said we haven’t asked that either. What follows is Ambassador Donkey Kong proclaiming war against Earth on behalf of Planet Nintenduu 64. Luckily, we got General Colin Pac-Man on our side. (Wait…his first name is Colin?) He recruits Fry in fending off the space invaders (yes, those space invaders). To be under the command of General Pac-Man would be really cool, and the cameo was a perfect touch to this nostalgia trip.
“Ready Player One” (2018)
When the first trailer for “Ready Player One” released, YouTube was flooded with analysis videos. Even we missed some bits in our first couple of viewings! And with each new finding, our excitement for the movie grew even more. In the first trailer alone, we saw Chun-Li standing with Tracer from “Overwatch”, Lara Croft, a light cycle from TRON, and even the Battletoads. We could go on with a longer list, but we’d be here all day. Who knows, maybe we’ll make a Top 10 References in “Ready Player One”?
“Wreck-it Ralph” (2012)
This was a Disney movie any gamer could love! On top of the touching story about a villain wanting to be the good guy, we saw a slew of cameos from various characters. Sonic the Hedgehog was promoting the rule of staying in your game. We saw Pac-Man partying with Fix-It Felix. Even Q*Bert had a bigger part in the movie than we expected. But, the most iconic scene was the cameo-filled BAD-ANON meeting, led by Clyde from “Pac-Man”, with members Bowser, Zangief, Dr. Eggman, M. Bison, and even “Mortal Kombat’s” Kano. Many consider this one of the most memorable scenes cinema and gaming, and we couldn’t agree more.
We just can’t help but go full geek when we spot our favorite gaming icons. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today, we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Video Game Character Cameos in Other Media!
For this list, we’re looking at cameos of gaming’s icons across movies, television, and even advertising. Keep in mind, we’re only considering appearances, not indirect references or mentions.
#10: Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, & Sonic the Hedgehog
“The Simpsons” (1989-)
We like to think our favorite video game heroes always do the right thing and encourage others to act their best. However, “The Simpsons” had an entirely different idea. In the episode “Marge Be Not Proud”, Bart becomes conflicted with shoplifting a copy of BoneStorm, only to be greeted by some familiar faces. Mario, Luigi, DK, and Sonic encourage Bart to steal the game, with the only stickler being the titular character of “Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge”. But, who is he really gonna listen to: gaming’s biggest legends or the putz who putts? We’re sorry to say we’d probably listen to the legends, too.
#9: Nathan Drake
Subway commercial
Of all the things Nathan Drake can do, we never expected him to be a sandwich spokesperson. Despite the commercial lasting no more than twenty seconds, we see Nathan clinging onto that Subway cup for dear life. Look at him! He’s freakin’ climbing into the bottom of a plane, running from a flood, and falling out of cargo, and he STILL clings to the cup! It’s bizarre in every sense of the word to see something like this, but it managed to successfully make us start thinking about a night of playing “Uncharted” and eating a good sub. Hey, its where winners eat! Nate said so!
#8: Mario & Luigi
“Robot Chicken” (2001-)
It isn’t irregular for a show like “Robot Chicken” to parody video games, especially Mario. Of all the parodies the plucky plumber has appeared in, this is the best one. When Mario and Luigi take a wrong turn, they end up in the world of “Grand Theft Auto”. During their time in Vice City, they pick up a prostitute, kill someone’s pet turtle, and are introduced to a different kind of shroom. The plumbers soon find themselves running from the fuzz, resulting in their deaths. Well, it couldn’t have gone worse than Yoshi’s road trip to Raccoon City…
#7: Link & Navi
“The Powerpuff Girls” (1998-2005)
It is obvious that the Mayor is not fit for a position of power such as his. So, why Professor Utonium would be asking him to babysit the PowerPuff Girls is beyond us. However, there’s a part to his life we never saw before in the episode “Child Fearing”. Seems like the Mayor plays a lot of Nintendo 64, specifically “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”. We’re briefly shown the Mayor failing spectacularly at controlling Link, as he manages to lose FIVE lives and accidentally kill Navi. He may not be great at video games, but at least he feels the same hatred for Navi as we do.
#6: Street Fighter characters
“City Hunter” (1993)
What better spot for “Street Fighter” references than a martial arts movie starring Jackie Chan? In one scene, Ryo Saeba (played by Chan) enters a gaming parlor and is thrown into an arcade cabinet by Kim (played by Gary Daniels). The electrocution causes Ryo to hallucinate, thinking Kim is actually Ken Masters. Ryo takes on the form of E. Honda, and the two engage in mortal comba—I mean, street fighting…whatever. But, the fighting doesn’t stop after Ryo loses. For Round 2, Ryo fights in a Chun Li costume. Yeah, folks…this is Jackie Chan in a Chun Li costume. Soak it in while you can!
#5: Crash Bandicoot
“Skylanders Academy” (2016-)
Fans of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot have always wanted a crossover. While those GBA games weren’t exactly what we were looking for, “Skylanders Academy” had a different idea. When Crash is mysteriously teleported into the Skylanders world, Spyro and friends must help him find a way home. While we’re still wondering why Crash is talking, the episode redeems itself by giving us an incredibly heartwarming moment. Before Crash leaves, he and Spyro share a hug. *sniffle* Oh, the tears are coming on again! Next entry, please, before the floodgates open!
#4: Various Characters
“South Park” (1997-)
During the development of “Stick of Truth” and “The Fractured But Whole”, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have shown that they are big-time gamers, and it shows in a few episodes, especially the “Imaginationland” trilogy. Throughout the battle between good and evil, we spot Mario, Link, Wario, Ganondorf, Bowser, Goro, Akuma, Sagat, the ghosts from “Pac-Man”, and the terrifying Sinistar. These cameos may be brief, but it is awesome to see Parker and Stone include these guys with the likes of Jason Voorhees, Joker, and the Terminator.
#3: Pac-Man
“Futurama” (1999-2013)
When Professor Farnsworth creates a machine that can display “what if” questions, Fry asks what life would be like as a video game. We’d be lying if we said we haven’t asked that either. What follows is Ambassador Donkey Kong proclaiming war against Earth on behalf of Planet Nintenduu 64. Luckily, we got General Colin Pac-Man on our side. (Wait…his first name is Colin?) He recruits Fry in fending off the space invaders (yes, those space invaders). To be under the command of General Pac-Man would be really cool, and the cameo was a perfect touch to this nostalgia trip.
#2: Too Many to List!
“Ready Player One” (2018)
When the first trailer for “Ready Player One” released, YouTube was flooded with analysis videos. Even we missed some bits in our first couple of viewings! And with each new finding, our excitement for the movie grew even more. In the first trailer alone, we saw Chun-Li standing with Tracer from “Overwatch”, Lara Croft, a light cycle from TRON, and even the Battletoads. We could go on with a longer list, but we’d be here all day. Who knows, maybe we’ll make a Top 10 References in “Ready Player One”?
#1: Various Characters
“Wreck-it Ralph” (2012)
This was a Disney movie any gamer could love! On top of the touching story about a villain wanting to be the good guy, we saw a slew of cameos from various characters. Sonic the Hedgehog was promoting the rule of staying in your game. We saw Pac-Man partying with Fix-It Felix. Even Q*Bert had a bigger part in the movie than we expected. But, the most iconic scene was the cameo-filled BAD-ANON meeting, led by Clyde from “Pac-Man”, with members Bowser, Zangief, Dr. Eggman, M. Bison, and even “Mortal Kombat’s” Kano. Many consider this one of the most memorable scenes cinema and gaming, and we couldn’t agree more.
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