Bubsy (character)

Bubsy the Bobcat
Gender	Male
Species	Bobcat
Relations	Terry (nephew) Terri (niece) Arnold (pet/friend)
Allies	Arnold Terry and Terri Oblivia Virgil Poly and Ester (in PoF!) "Woolie"
First Appearance	Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind (1993)
Last Appearance	Bubsy: Paws on Fire! (2019)
Voice Actor	Brian Silva (1993) Rob Paulsen (1993-1994) Lani Minella (1996) ? (see: Trivia) (2017-2019)

"What could possibly go wrong?"
- Bubsy

Bubsy Bobcat is the main protagonist of the video game franchise of the same name, Bubsy.

In 1991, Accolade's Michael Berlyn designed for them a mascot during the ongoing console wars; and Bubsy, as for many other video game characters from the 90s, was a response to the popular Mario and Sonic from Nintendo and Sega, respectively.

Though Bubsy failed to earn himself the same status as said mascots, he became "ironically liked" and managed to stay somewhat relevant over the years.

He made his first official appearance on March 4, 1993, with the release of Bubsy I, but appeared in promotional publications months prior.

Personality

Bubsy has the traits of a joke character and is a talkative, egomaniacal, self-proclaimed hero, characterized by his 4th wall-breaking dialogue and referential humor. With his first game revolving around the debatable crime of aliens visiting Earth to steal yarn, Bubsy's journey was kickstarted over reasons of self-concern; where he worried for his yarn ball collection if he let the creatures roam about.

Though he's woefully ignorant by always presenting the question "what could possibly go wrong" whilst engaging in dangerous situations, he recognizes when things get too hot under his feet and will try to walk away when the role of "hero" has lost its appeal.

In the cancelled TV-series, he shared many traits of his in-game self, though was noticeably childlike and blindly drawn to the concept of adventure, even when fully understanding the risks. His actions often caused unintended harm to others.

Since Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back, he became more of a sarcastic narcissist, where his dialogue and tone of voice perceivably exudes disinterest, or even annoyance. Many of his old mannerisms have been criticized by him, implying he's self-aware, yet part of the series' humor remains he's changed relatively little.

Throughout the game series, Bubsy is depicted to merely be an actor and matches that sentiment by acting like a diva at times.

Appearance

Bubsy is an orange-furred anthropomorphic bobcat with a light-colored muzzle, stomach, and soles, brown-tufted ears, a short tail with a dark tip, clawed hands, and blue eyes. He wears a white T-shirt with a red exclamation mark on it, or alternatively, a jumper.

He's gone through minor alterations over the years, with Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back having implemented the most prominent changes, like his enlarged ears, the inclusion of claws on his feet, and his tan-colored soles now being paw pads. Some of the features from this version were reused for his Paws on Fire design.

Quotes

Bubsy is one of the most talkative retro video game characters and has accumulated a large library of quotes. Below is a short list with examples:

Bubsy I
Quotes from the first game, provided by Brian Silva. For more quotes, check out the game's page.

"What could possibly go wrong?"

"Did.. I mention I don't like heights?"

"My contract does not mention pain!"

"That's it, I'm outta here, you can't make me."

"Wow, are you still playing this thing?"

---

Bubsy (TV show)
Quotes from the cancelled TV show, provided by Rob Paulsen. For more quotes, check out the show's page.

"What could possibly go wrong?"

"It's me, the prince of personality, Bubsy!"

"I LIKE IT!.. Still, it might've been a little nicer to fly horizontally."

"Get a grip, Arnie, I'm busy berating myself."

"Thank you very much, your brain is indeed very, very small."

---

Bubsy II
Quotes from the second game, provided by Rob Paulsen. For more quotes, check out the game's page.

"A penguin saved is a penguin earned."

"Is the writers strike over yet?"

"Another swine mess!"

"Remember, I am a trained purrfessional."

"Who wrote this stuff?"

---

Bubsy in: Fractured Furry Tales
Quotes from the third game, provided by Rob Paulsen.

"Oh, sure, let's all torture the Bubster!"

"Pilot's license? What for?"

"Who do I look like, Flubber?!"

"Keep it up, just keep it up!"

"Nothing can stop me now!"

---

Bubsy 3D
Quotes from the fourth game, provided by Lani Minella. For more quotes, check out the game's page.

"Oh, look! An arrow! Aren't these game designers wonderful; givin' you a guide post to help you find your way! How convenient!"

"Oh! What's the number for 911?"

"Sssssmokin'!"

"I've fallen and I can't get up!"

---

Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back
Quotes from the fifth game, provided by unknown (see: Trivia). For more quotes, check out the game's page.

"Guess who's back.. What could possibly go wrong?"

"So, you read me up on the internet, huh? I just hope you had your filters on."

"How am I gliding, heheh..? ..I have no idea.."

"I think I'm way less annoying than I used to be. I'd really hate to, you know, fall back into old habits."

"If I start singing, you're gonna throw up."

---

Bubsy: Paws on Fire!
Quotes from the sixth game, provided by unknown (see: Trivia). For more quotes, check out the game's page.

"Ugh.. There you two go with your 'uncle' routine again. You know there's no way we're related, right?"

"What the-..? This looks like the worst show ever!"

"Oh, for the love of-.. Will you drop the 'uncle' stuff, already?! I never even married!"

"El Gatos Zapatos, huh? They're pretty gaudy. I LOVE EM!"

"Another day, another baddie behind bars. And I couldn't have done it without.. me."

Trivia

• Bubsy, as a character, was granted the following two awards in 1993;
  • "Most Hype for a Character" by Electronic Gaming Monthly.
  • "Best New Character" by GameFan.
• Bubsy and his first few games were inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog;
  • Michael Berlyn admitted to playing Sonic 14 hours a day on average.
• Bubsy's physical appearance came with little to no forethought;
  • In early drafts, his gender and species hadn't been determined;
  • One of his designs was a bombshell archetype;
  • Bubsy was originally going to wear green tennis shoes.
• Michael Berlyn once explained the original purpose of the exclamation mark on Bubsy's shirt, which was going to be animated and change into a question mark at certain key moments in the game. The programming team could not make this happen in the end.
• Though claimed to be a bobcat, Bubsy doesn't fully resemble the animal;
  • Next to some missing physical features, like spotted fur, the games contain "meow" jokes and Bubsy mimicking the sound, while bobcats do not perform the classic sound of a cat's meow.
• Bubsy's species was changed in other game releases;
  • In the Japanese version, Bubsy is dubbed a wildcat (ヤマネコ: "yamaneko");
  • In a European re-release of the first game, Bubsy is dubbed a desert fox;
  • The German cover description of aforementioned game dubs Bubsy a "desert cat". This is an English translation of the German word, "wüstenkatze", another name for the sand cat.
• In Bubsy I's manual comic, Bubsy claimed to be an endangered species, which bobcats still were in the early 90s.
• Bubsy 3D is the only instance where Bubsy's voice is provided by a female voice actor;
  • This version also has a perceivable Brooklyn accent, or a parody thereof.
• There's confusion on who provided Bubsy's voice in The Woolies Strike Back and Paws on Fire, as these games do not provide in-game voice actor credits;
  • Some of the names credited on other websites, like Vic Mignogna and Dan Castellaneta, have been confirmed by Choice Provision to be incorrect;
  • The other top guess, Doug Erholtz, has yet to be confirmed by official sources.
• In Bubsy II, Bubsy stated to be afraid of heights;
  • Nevertheless, in most games and the TV show, it's made apparent he likes flying.
• In Bubsy 3D, Bubsy admitted not having health insurance.
• In Bubsy 3D, Bubsy remarked he's prone to getting nose bleeds.
• In Bubsy 3D, it's made apparent Bubsy sees the action hero star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as a rival he wishes to surpass.
• In the TV show, it's shown Bubsy tends to call people "babe", regardless of gender or his relationship with them.
• In Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back, it's revealed Bubsy enjoys beer.
• According to Bubsy's Twitter, Bugs Bunny is his idol.
• According to PoF's Kickstarter, Bubsy likes taking naps and showbiz.
• According to PoF's Kickstarter, Bubsy hates Twitter and, ironically, puns.
• Bubsy hates water.
• Bubsy occasionally gives himself the nickname "the Bubster".

Gallery

Concept Art

Early concept art of Bubsy.

Early concept art of Bubsy.

Early concept art of Bubsy.

Early level concept art, featuring Bubsy.

Early concept art of Bubsy by Ken Macklin.

Early concept art of Bubsy by Ken Macklin.

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The Bubsy Trilogy

Official artwork of Bubsy from the first game.

Official artwork of Bubsy from the first game.

Official artwork of Bubsy from the first game.

Official artwork of Bubsy from the first game.

Official artwork of Bubsy from Accolade's promo book.

Bubsy, from the official Bubsy I and II guide book by BradyGames.

Bubsy, from the official Bubsy I and II guide book by BradyGames.

Bubsy, from the official Bubsy I and II guide book by BradyGames.

Bubsy, from the official Bubsy I and II guide book by BradyGames.

Bubsy, from the official Bubsy I and II guide book by BradyGames.

Arnold and Bubsy, from the official Bubsy I and II guide book by BradyGames.

Bubsy I comic with Bubsy.
To read more, click here.

Bubsy II ad, featuring Bubsy.

Bubsy II ad, featuring Bubsy.

Official artwork of Bubsy from the Bubsy II manual.

Official artwork of Bubsy from the Bubsy II manual.

Official artwork of Bubsy from the Bubsy II manual.

Official artwork of Bubsy from the Bubsy II manual.

Official artwork of Bubsy from the Bubsy II manual.

Official artwork of Bubsy from the Bubsy II manual.

Bubsy II comic with Bubsy, Arnold, and his twin cousins.
To read more, click here.

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Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back

Bubsy with a Woolie.

Bubsy with Woolies, parodying James Bond (?).

Bubsy parodying The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Halloween-themed Steam ad, parodying David S. Pumpkins.

Soundtrack banner at Steam, parodying The Matrix.

Mother's Day wishes from the official Bubsy Twitter page.

Christmas ad from the official Bubsy Twitter page.

Christmas ad from the official Bubsy Twitter page with Bubsy parodying The Grinch.

Ad from the official Bubsy Twitter page.

Ask image from the official Bubsy Twitter page.

Official Twitter page's profile image.

Bubsy emoticon from Steam:
":bubsyhappy:"

Bubsy emoticon from Steam:
":bubsysad:"

Bubsy emoticon from Steam:
":bubsyangry:"

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Bubsy: Paws on Fire!

Bubsy.

The cover image of the game's downloadable soundtrack, featuring Bubsy.

Ad from the official Bubsy Twitter page, with Bubsy and a Woolie.

Bubsy's Twitter page answering the hashtag question on who was his "first video game crush".

Valentine wishes and Kickstarter ad from the official Bubsy Twitter page.

4th of July wishes from the official Bubsy Twitter page.

Switch ad from the official Bubsy Twitter page.

After his puns got (assumedly) criticized, Bubsy's Twitter created a poll on whether to stay "punny". His followers chose right, rejoice.

International Cat Day post from the official Bubsy Twitter page.

Halloween wishes from the official Bubsy Twitter page.

Christmas wishes from the official Bubsy Twitter page, with Bubsy and Arnold.

New Year's wishes from the official Bubsy Twitter page, with Bubsy, Arnold, and a Woolie.