Blinx the Time Sweeper
Back before Microsoft had firmly settled on being the “adult” console and having their de-facto mascot being a hulking man in power armor, the company was trying to fit a previous mold. Like Nintendo, Sega, and even Sony before them, Microsoft wanted a cute cartoon mascot. This is where Blinx the cat entered the scene and he is the most EXTREME kitty you’ve ever seen. Blinx was Microsoft’s desperate attempt to imitate successes like Mario and Sonic but it failed miserably.
The games surrounding Blinx weren’t all that bad. Blinx was given the title of a Time Sweeper, so there were actually some pretty clever gameplay ideas about time travel buried under Blinx’s aggressive early ’00s fashion sense. The problem with Blinx is that it was such a transparent attempt at mascot fame and the character himself didn’t inspire any loyalty from gamers. Blinx hasn’t had a game since the original Xbox and Microsoft has even abandoned the trademark so it’s safe to say that Blinx, his googles, and his time sweeping guitar are well and truly dead.