Pop Culture | Video Games | 90s | 80s

12 Characters Anybody Who Grew Up With A Computer Loved More Than Mario

While some kids grew up playing games on consoles like a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis (we all fought in the console wars at some point), plenty of kids had parents who wouldn't get them those. Instead, they got a huge library of computer games that people playing Mario and Sonic never even heard of!

We didn't really mind though, because these games were actually pretty amazing, with tons of memorable characters that we loved controlling. In particular, these 12 characters defined our keyboard-clacking childhoods!

Putt-Putt

Humongous Entertainment

The little purple car had plenty of adventures that we got to go along with, and every one of them was a great way for a kid to unwind after a long day at school.

Sam & Max

Lucasarts

The dog and rabbit cop duo were the best at solving mysteries, and each time a new game came out, it meant we were gonna spend hours racking our brains trying to solve them ourselves.

Freddi Fish

Infogrames

Freddi Fish was basically the best franchise for kids. He lived in a colorful world, had a huge cast of friends, and got into some of the most epic adventures a fish could get into. Great stuff.

Commander Keen

id Software

Did you know the people who made this franchise went on to make DOOM? How weird is that?!

Math Blaster

Davidson

Whenever school had "computer class" (which I'm pretty sure was just a way to get us to calm down and focus on something for an hour), everybody wanted to play this awesome game that tried to educate us.

These next few characters were probably a big part of your childhood...

Spy Fox

Humongous Entertainment

Back when we were too young for James Bond, Spy Fox was the international super spy that we all adored. He always had a cool gadget and a snappy one-liner ready for any situation.

Pajama Sam

Humongous Entertainment

I actually never played this one, but some folks from the office insisted it NEEDED to be on here, so here you go!

Duke Nukem

3D Realms

Before he starred in hyper-violent, overly sexualized first-person shooters, Duke was a cartoony guy who fought aliens in cute little platformers. Oh how times have changed.

Jazz Jackrabbit

Epic Games

Back when every major character had to be a walking, talking animal that knew how to fight (thanks TMNT), Jazz was one of the cooler entries into that genre.

Sir Graham of Daventry

Sierra

The King's Quest series challenged our puzzle-solving skills and our patience, but was all worth it to see Sir Graham grow from a lowly knight. all the way to the King of Daventry!

Lemmings

Imgur

Let's get real here, we all just tried to find the most creative ways to kill the little jerks instead of actually trying to save them.

Leisure Suit Larry

Sierra

This was the one our dads all tried to keep hidden from us, but you know that you snuck down to the computer room after your folks went to sleep so you could play it. It's okay, you can tell us, we won't judge.

Which of these characters did you love as a kid?