Back in the early 1990s, Bubsy, an adorable, wisecracking cat, hopped his way into the hearts of gamers as a platforming hero. He barely stood a chance in the 16-bit console wars, with fellow platformers Mario and Sonic battling it out for the king of all video games, but still managed to make a name for himself… for a few short years, anyway.

While Sonic and Mario are still going strong today, Bubsy faded into obscurity after making an unpleasant leap from two to three dimensions in his last adventure, PS1’s Bubsy 3D. After his popularity took such a severe nosedive, Bubsy was overwhelmed with emotional issues that threatened to destroy his entire life.



However, this all started long before his decline in fame. As a child, Bubsy had a crippling inferiority complex, as he constantly felt like he wasn’t as good as other cartoon cats. He started to use humor and sarcasm as a defense mechanism, and while this worked for awhile, others got tired of hearing the same old jokes over and over. Bubsy’s adolescence was a lonely one.

While spending his friendless youth alone in his bedroom, Bubsy dreamed of being famous. He wanted to go on adventures, defeat evil adversaries, and be known as a brave and capable cat. He thought that it was the only way to get people to like him. He became obsessed with other well-known heroes, and thought that if a blue hedgehog and simple Italian plumber could overcome the odds and save their respective worlds, why couldn’t he?

He got his chance when his town was invaded by Woolies, tan rabbit-like creatures who came from the planet Rayon to generally wreak havoc. He managed to defeat them all, and along the way discovered a new vice: balls of yarn. He collected hundreds of them during his first adventure, and still wanted more. After ridding the land of those pesky Woolies, Bubsy was revered as a local hero, and some even called him “the next Sonic the Hedgehog”.



Now at the height of his popularity, Bubsy didn’t want to stop there. He finally had what he always wanted: the respect and admiration of others. He started seeking out other adventures, looking to right wrongs and put an end to evil-doers. He also found that he had an increasingly addictive personality, for he found it very easy to become obsessed with collecting various things. First it was the balls of yarn, then trading cards, and later, rockets and atoms.

The public’s interest in Bubsy’s escapades started waning after a few years. Desperate to hold on to his fleeting fame, he decided to go back to where it all began, with defeating the Woolies. However, there were no more left on his planet. The only option was to go to Rayon and defeat them. This quest would be his last. It turned out to be not only disastrous, but completely unnecessary. He returned home in shame, having lost his last bit of esteem forever.



After that, things spiraled out of control for the cat. No longer satiated by balls of yarn or other trinkets, Bubsy turned to drinking to numb his sadness. He spent much of the next couple of years in a drunken downward spiral. For awhile, it seemed like he would never recover. All he could think about were his lost glory days and the adventures he’d had.

Once it became clear that he was about to hit rock bottom, Bubsy took the effort to get himself sobered up by entering a 30-day rehabilitation program. He then entered counseling to work on his lifelong self-esteem issues. Now clean and sober, Bubsy is happier than he’s ever been, and content to be who he is. He no longer feels the need to impress everyone around him. Still, he’ll never forget about the time he saved everyone from the Woolies, and he’s still got his yarn ball collection to remind him.