Nintendo had Mario, Sega had Sonic and NEC had Bonk. So, what cute and cuddly mascot character would Sony choose for their brand new PlayStation? Maybe a panda? What about a jockey, those guys are so adorable? Oh wait, I know, they would go with a Sony Seagull. Nope, each of those are wrong (though the Sony Seagull definitely shows promise), instead they introduced us to a tough-as-nails, dominatrix Amazon chick, Sofia! That's right, Sofia, and you better like it, boy!!

Sofia is from the first-generation fighter, Battle Arena Toshinden. Early adopters will remember the game as that 3D fighting game that every PS1 owner played until Tekken came out. Published by Sony, Battle Arena Toshinden felt like the perfect fit in a world dominated by Street Fighters, Killer Instincts and Mortal Kombats. However, the game was terrible and was quickly overshadowed by every other fighting game on the market. However, for a very brief moment this fighting game's main girl, Sofia, was the poster girl for Sony.

There was just one big problem with Sofia's chest ... er, Sofia. That problem is the fact that this busty, dominatrix was just a little too sexy for the local variety stores. Large companies like Sears, Target and Wal-Mart refused to put up posters and cardboard cut-outs of Ms. Sofia. In fact, for many gamers this very advertisement found in game magazines was likely the first exposure they had to Sofia's charm. The problem is, there's nothing about Sophia that sets her apart from the crowd. Oh sure, she has cone-shaped breasts, but Madonna had done that years earlier. Besides, the Saturn had Virtua Fighter. Sarah may not be as busty as Sofia, but we know Sarah. We love Sarah. Okay, this is just getting creepy, let's just agree that this early PlayStation advert is terrible and get the heck out of here!

FROM: Will Work For Bad Advertising