Alex Kidd

Alex Kidd (アレックスキッド), a video game character, is a monkey-like boy with big ears in a red jumpsuit and was commonly regarded as Sega's mascot until Sonic the Hedgehog debuted in 1991. His games spanned various platforms, and appeared in the arcade and on the Sega Master System and the Mega Drive/Genesis home consoles.

History
The game for which he is best known, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, was released in 1986. It was rereleased in 1990 and was built into later versions of the Master System and the Master System II model, replacing the Snail Maze/Safari Hunt/Hang-On games of the first model. This version reversed the attack and jump buttons from the earlier version to conform to that of other popular action games of the day.

Most games in the Alex Kidd series differ dramatically from one another, the sole exception being Miracle World and its direct sequel, Enchanted Castle. While most games in the series were still platform-based, the only elements that tied the series together was the name and the title character.

After the release of Alex Kidd in Shinobi World in 1990, Sega decided to remove the Alex Kidd series in favor of Sonic the Hedgehog as their new mascot, due to the mass popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog series. Alex Kidd has made some minor cameos since then.

Although he was replaced by Sonic the Hedgehog as Sega's mascot in 1991, Alex Kidd was not Sega's original mascot (and has never been officially recognized as a mascot at all). Opa-opa, of the Fantasy Zone series, was Sega's original mascot according to the manual of Zillion, another Master System game.

Video Games Released
The Alex Kidd franchise included:
 * Alex Kidd in Miracle World - 1986, Master System
 * Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars - 1986 Arcade Version and 1989, Master System
 * Alex Kidd BMX Trial - 1987, Master System (Only released in Japan)
 * Alex Kidd in High-Tech World - 1989, Master System
 * Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle - 1989, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
 * Alex Kidd in Shinobi World 1990, Master System

Cameos

 * There is an homage to Alex Kidd in Altered Beast, where the names of Alex and Stella (Alex's girlfriend from the arcade version of Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars) appear on gravestones in the first round.


 * Alex Kidd's face can be seen hidden in the screen in the third round of Kenseiden for the Master System. It is mold in the scenario, on the ground, near a dead end, next to a lava pit.


 * Alex appears several times as collectable toys in the Dreamcast game, Shenmue, and the Dreamcast/Xbox sequel Shenmue II, this marked the first time Alex has ever appeared on a non-Sega console.


 * One of his most recent appearances was in the Dreamcast game Segagaga, where he works in a video game store. He also narrates about his competition against a certain rival company's mascot and his fall from grace due to Sonic The Hedgehog's popularity,  before finally being forgotten. His appearance in the game is based on his appearance in all games in his series prior to the Enchanted Castle.


 * A warrior named Alex is shown in the intro sequence of Golden Axe, who is then killed by enemy soldiers. However, he does not appear in any ports of the game, only the arcade version. He also bears no visual resemblance to Alex Kidd whatsoever.


 * Alex Kidd has made a comeback, appearing as a playable character in Sega Superstars Tennis. His appearance in the game is based on his appearance in the Enchanted Castle. Not counting ports from some of his older games and Shenmue II, it makes this the second appearance of Alex Kidd ever on Non-Sega consoles, and the first game he has been playable since the year of 1990.

Current status
Aceland Studios is currently attempting to gauge interest in bringing back the Alex Kidd series and SEGA looks like it supports the idea, since the character appeared in SEGA Superstar Tennis.

"Alex Kidd" is the current ring name of EastNampa Championship Wrestling Superstar A. Cervantez.