Save Us, Johnny Turbo!
August 10, 2005
The video games of the 1990s have been consistently remembered for a number of reasons, some of which are memorable advertisements. Sega had the Sega Scream ("SEGA!"), Nintendo had "Play It Loud!", and NEC/Hudson's Turbografx-16 had Johnny Turbo. Don't remember Johnny Turbo? That's him up there on the right, the rotund bearded man in the green and yellow costume. And yellow goggles; can't forget those.
Johnny Turbo's mission in life is simple. He must warn the children of the world that the FEKA corporation's new CD gaming system is inferior to the TurboCD. He does this by kicking the asses of FEKA employees, invading the dreams of others to promote Lords of Thunder, and praising games such as Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective. Johnny Turbo appeared in all TurboCD advertisements, on the TurboCD box, at trade shows, and anywhere else that truth, justice, and Turbografx tread.
And now, a rare look into gaming's past. When the Sega CD launched, Johnny Turbo went on the offensive, appearing in a series of four page comic advertisements in major gaming magazines everywhere. Let's join Johnny Turbo for Episode 43, "The Master Plan", originally from Electronic Gaming Monthly circa 1993.