America's most popular video game characters may not be who you expect. New research suggests that it's not Mario or Pikachu. Nor is it a beloved icon in video game history, like Pac-Man.
A study performed by CasinoBonusCA takes Google search data in the United States from the past five years. Researchers used that information to compile a list of America's ten most popular video game characters.
Mario, the famed Nintendo mascot and star of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, doesn't even crack the top ten, according to the study. So despite the new Mario Bros. movie set to release later this year, he's on the outside looking in.
The search data being compiled is only from the past five years. Since excitement for the upcoming Super Mario Bros. movie began more recently, it likely didn't impact the numbers.
Another popular gaming franchise that didn't make the cut is Final Fantasy. You'd think that Cloud and Sephiroth would be an automatic inclusion in any list of the most popular video gaming characters. In this case, however, you'd be mistaken.
As mentioned earlier, Sonic the Hedgehog tops the list with an impressive 1,102,400 monthly Google searches. No other character in this list breaks the 1,000,000 search mark.