That Time in 1993 When Alfred Chicken Ran for Elected Office

[@TimAllen624]

I remember calling that Alfred Chicken number as a little kid and getting so afraid when he actually picked up. 😂

[@dondonpachi1205]

same here!

[@GTV-Japan]

Ahh the days when messing around on the telephone were fun!

[@Exi0n]

This was a fantastic video. Growing up, my siblings and I loved Alfred Chicken. I have a feeling this marketing ploy played a major role in our love for the game :)

[@GTV-Japan]

I’m finding now that Alfred did have many fans🐓🐓

[@GTV-Japan]

I have to say, putting together those music video clips was the most fun I had editing in a long time

[@jimmykewley8386]

It's actually quite common for people in animal suits/larpy gear to run for parliament in the UK. For example, look up Lord Buckethead.

[@GTV-Japan]

Is he related to buckethead from Guns N’ Roses? I wonder! 🐓🐓🐓

[@napoleonfeanor]

Darth Vader ran for election in Ukraine.

[@pferreira1983]

@@GTV-Japan No he's from the 1984 movie Hyperspace aka Gremloids.

[@pdthorn]

I could listen to 90s animal mascot names be listed off for like a solid hour

[@GTV-Japan]

That would be torture to record.

[@TherealDCAvenger]

This channel has to be one of the best in the platform and that's saying something Super well produced content, funny, enlightening, attention grabbing and no clickbait Rated 5 stars

[@HeresWhyItsCool]

Oh man... the weird stuff I learn on your channel.... and I love every minute of it.. Keep 'em comin', GTV Japan!!!!!!

[@GTV-Japan]

As long as I live and breathe! And don’t forget to support muh sponsor! Sakapuupii! The adult diapers made entirely out of origami! 🐓🐓

[@WallyWallcakes]

Great video. This is one of those games that I saw ads and marketing for during my younger years, but NEVER played. Glad to see it getting some great storytelling here. Thanks for the video!

[@GTV-Japan]

No problem that’s what I’m here for

[@AggelosKult]

Well I remember a few years ago in the UK elections some equally ridiculous candidacies! Great video!

[@GTV-Japan]

Who was it? Big the cat? 😂

[@J_Cadaverous]

As a kid, the advertising certainly worked on me! I F'n loved Alfred Chicken! I had the NES version and I must have called that 800 # a dozen times while grinning like a dork each time 😂

[@GTV-Japan]

Get out! That’s awesome! It was weird wasn’t it? I wonder who the guy was and how he felt after adlibbing that stuff every time 🐓

[@J_Cadaverous]

He had to have been bribed with some kind of bonu$. No one would do that for free 😂

[@GTV-Japan]

Paid in eggsposure

[@deceiver444]

That was a surprisingly informative and enjoyable video.

[@GTV-Japan]

Great! Glad you enjoyed it 🐓

[@The_Boctor]

I don't even want to imagine how much floating money would just be strewn around in the air, had a Europlatformer mascot been elected. Falling through non-solid sidewalk tiles and onto hidden paths every day is already frustrating enough.

[@GTV-Japan]

Massive hyperinflation 💎 🐓

[@dynomythead88]

I remember playing Alfred chicken on the nes. Getting to the green robot scared me.

[@GTV-Japan]

You’re pretty good at the game I see!🐓🐓🐓

[@dylan.t180]

Love your videos for story’s like these

[@GTV-Japan]

Cheers! 🐓

[@pferreira1983]

One of my favourite videos you've done. I remember the game coming out for Amiga and Nintendo platforms but never bought it. Great to see the game covered in some detail. Also 9:04 - 'a Martin McNeil original photo'. 😂

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah. Well. I don’t have that kind of money.

[@pferreira1983]

@@GTV-Japan Neither do I, especially for a photo. 😂

[@daisukegori2112]

Oh, that reminds me, I wanna try Billy Hatcher.

[@Better_callMe]

I loved playing super Alfred Chicken

[@GTV-Japan]

It’s certainly the best version 🐓

[@HandlebarOrionX]

That answering machine message sounds like an old chris chan video

[@GTV-Japan]

At least it’s not the opening of “Robby’s Home Planet” from Smile’s Sleepover EP!

[@CushionSapp]

To actually comment on what was discussed in the video, I've heard people describe certain platformers as "a very U.K. platformer", but never a western style platformer. However, I think the sentiment is the same, and I still didn't really understand what people meant by that. So thanks for clarifying the difference between Japanese style platformers and western style platformers.

[@GTV-Japan]

Well some of the games I listed were designed in the US or had some US staff so it wasn’t accurate to say European or UK but certainly not Japanese

[@JSantie]

I literally just picked up one of my old 90's Disney Adventures magazines earlier this week and started leafing through it. There was an article in it on Alfred Chicken, and I thought about how it sounded interesting back then, but I never got around to ever knowing anything else about it...

[@GTV-Japan]

Serendipity 🐓🐓🐓🐓

[@pferreira1983]

An early memory for me is buying an issue of the Batman comic and it be advertised at the back. Alfred Chicken in a comic featuring Azrael Batman. Quite a contrast. 😂

[@________________6325]

“and assumed room temperature” never heard that one before lol

[@GTV-Japan]

Really? I stole it from El Rushbo. He said it all the time 🐓

[@raziyatheseeker]

Gotta say, it's a great expression.

[@GTV-Japan]

I have this tick where I don’t like using the same words over and over so sometimes colorful phrases come about!

[@kveitehitmaker6316]

You make excellent video game videos! I am enjoying the tone being so nice, especially when the world is collapsing around us. Thank you✌

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks I appreciate that! And yes we do live in “interesting times” unfortunately. 🐓

[@FeralInferno]

I was mulching some leaves earlier and randomly thought of your skits mocking the shill ads KZbinrs do. PAID was one of the best. Needed a laugh and sure enough GTV doesn't disappoint! "He needs some milk!" 😂

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for watching to the end! There was a second take of paid shiller legends I made but was a collage of the biggest offenders. But I decided against it because it could have been a copyright strike. Oh well. Anyway I have a 10% off code for sakapuupii if you ever need it.

[@grinbrothers]

As both a Brit and a reader of Retro Gamer, I'm aware of the story of Alfred Chicken's brief fling with politics. It's a funny tale and I'm sure you'll reveal even more info and trivia on this bizarre (but hilarious) moment. 0:41 - To be fair, we continued to have some pretty bizarre video game marketing attempts to follow. 1:30 - So nice to see the Amiga get mentioned on your channel. Alfred Chicken has a lovable design and his gameplay design screams euro-platformer; shame he didn't more games (was it 2 or 3 he got?) 2:56 - I believe (from what I recall hearing) both the open level design and sheer amount of collectables was often a case of showing off between developers, proving how vast they could make the levels and how much they could put in them. Perhaps with a slight bit of evolution to it, but a 3D example of this type of PAL region platformer can be seen in Banjo Kazooie. 4:00 - "Every time the election was mentioned" makes this crazy idea sound rather ingenious. To be fair, it is a memorable moment in both gaming and politics. 5:17 - Which means Alfred the Chicken's party didn't come in last. Can you imagine how hilarious it would have been if he actually won the seat though? 7:06 - Amazing that this recording has been preserved. That's wonderful!

[@GTV-Japan]

I’m glad you like the video! I wonder where the chicken suit is these days? 🐓🐓🐓

[@fiskburk2908]

What a fantastic video, I have learned in this channel a lot of weird stuff from a chocolate mascot with a multimedia franchise to a guy dressed as chicken running for a public office, whats next, the angelique franchise or the daisenryaky obssesed fans from japan 😅, amazing work dude!!

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for the support! Who knows what’s next?🐓

[@dc9662]

I've gotta say, the fact that no robots have run for office in Japan makes me a little disappointed in them.

[@GTV-Japan]

I am not lying when I tell you I had a friend from high school come visit me and ask me seriously “where is my robot?” And he was upset when I said I don’t have one and most people don’t

[@geraq0]

And even then Alfred Chicken came out second-to-last in that election! I'd be really ashamed of myself if I'd lost an election to a videogame mascot.

[@GTV-Japan]

Alfred just wanted it more.

[@GimblyGFR]

That must be one of the weirdest publicity stunts in gaming history. That being said, my country is facing elections on this same month, and I think Alfred Chicken would be a far better candidate that the ones we have. Heck, I think I might vote for him anyway! Great video, man. Thanks for the entertainment.

[@GTV-Japan]

I think so too 🐓

[@julioagua]

Argentina?

[@GimblyGFR]

@@julioaguaYep!

[@julioagua]

Ay que dolor, jaja@@GimblyGFR

[@GimblyGFR]

@@julioagua ¿Vos de donde?

[@DontKnowDontCare6.9]

It's always funny how game devs back then were more interested in building a mass media empire based on a mascot rather than focusing on making a good mascot game. Oh wait, Keiji Inafune did that too after leaving Capcom. LOL PS That wasn't a fan, (4:34 and 8:54) that was a "Page Three girl" posing for a promotion of Alfred Chicken according to a UK vid game mag i still have to this day.

[@GTV-Japan]

She could still be a fan!! 🐓

[@DontKnowDontCare6.9]

@GTV Japan My bad. She was a "former Page Three model," as she was waaay past the retirement age of a P3 model. She could be a fan, as no one promotes something they don't believe in. Great content as always.

[@KCUFyoufordoxingme]

Good research and sharp eye!

[@pferreira1983]

Who is it?

[@DontKnowDontCare6.9]

pferreira1983 Her name is (according to the Super Pro Dec 1993 mag) Ms. Donna Ewin.

[@Jordan3DS]

I gotta admit, I was not expecting a reference to Gordy in this video. Pig Powa in da House!

[@GTV-Japan]

It was either that or Ed / Dunston Checks in

[@Jordan3DS]

@@GTV-Japan I appreciate that you went with Gordy instead xD

[@GTV-Japan]

@Jordan3DS it’s funny how there are often 2 movies with the same premise made independently at the same time. And Gordy was a the funnier talking pig movie for sure 🐷

[@Jordan3DS]

@@GTV-Japan Hell yeah, glad to see another Gordy fan!

[@thewingedavenger1007]

They called him a nuisance candidate just because he looked and acted slightly differently than the others. It's an injustice, I tell you!

[@GTV-Japan]

It is!! Hear hear! It looks like you still only need £500 but need a set number of signatures.

[@raziyatheseeker]

Alfred Chicken's jump to 3D feeling like his classic games, and not being garbage for going truly 3D? Take that, Bubsy! ...and Earthworm Jim! I do appreciate mentioning Aero in the list of 90s animal mascots. I'd been playing it on and off of late. It's got charm and character. It's also balls hard, and has that Western meandering platformer level design that you mentioned. Jank as the GBA port was, it's a godsend that you can save between levels.

[@GTV-Japan]

I thought Aero was pretty good, the best of this lot anyway!

[@raziyatheseeker]

@@GTV-Japan I agree, definitely the best of them in my opinion. Still, it's challenging. ^^;

[@GTV-Japan]

@raziyatheseeker it’s funny how on this video my stream of consciousness “why are the so many diamonds that do nothing” gets high praise yet when I talked about the high holy Mario 64 in another “why can’t I use the DPad? Why are there no fireflowers?” Gets jeered!! Go fig!

[@CushionSapp]

Don't Blame Me I Voted For King Steve

[@GTV-Japan]

The irony of voting for a king!🐓🐓🐓

[@KasumiKenshirou]

I vaguely remember a game called "Alfred Chicken" existing, but that's it. 6:56 It was very common for people to call the NES a "Nintendo" back then and the SNES a "Super Nintendo". (I only started hearing "NES" and "SNES" after I got on the internet.) "...and I won't (unintelligible)..." I'm not sure he's saying "won't" there. I don't know what he actually IS saying, though.

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah maybe he’s saying want but I made a typo. Yeah I just think it’s funny to say super Nintendo and THEN Nintendo. It sounds weird

[@LizardDude]

He’s saying, “…and I’m not just on Super Nintendo. I’m also on Nintendo Game Boy”

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah maybe. I just ran it thru text transcription and that’s what I got

[@MikeChimeri]

@@LizardDude I heard "and I'm on both the Super Nintendo, and also on Nintendo Game Boy."

[@thomasjohnston9795]

Another event in 1995 in British politics that lead to gaming advertisement, a contest was held to see if the then Prime minister John Major be replaced with another member of the conservative party. In the media gathering outside parliment, a guy dressed as the character from lemmings to promote the newest game. Sega projected a image on parliment photoshopping John major and his opponent John Redwood as Virtual fighter characters to promote Saturn port.

[@GTV-Japan]

Haha get out! I’ll look that up

[@SECONDQUEST]

Yeah that weird European open level gameplay style is so starkly different

[@GTV-Japan]

I originally wrote “European” in the screwups but when I looked further some of those games were American made but yeah it’s all the same 🐓

[@ModelZGolden]

Insane!

[@johnrussell8086]

I remember all of the strange parties going in for election but I don't remember Alfred😂. I was intrigued with the NES port due to the idle animations which was not something you saw much on the console. I was still in primary school then so it's hard to remember much of that time especially politics.

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah the campaign if you can call it that was only about 7-8 weeks so I can’t blame ya for missing it 🐓🐓

[@Morgil27]

I had Super Alfred Chicken as a kid. It was one of several cheap SNES games I got that Christmas.

[@GTV-Japan]

Was it fun at the time?

[@Morgil27]

@@GTV-Japan After I plugged it into a Game Genie so I could get further than level 1.

[@GTV-Japan]

@Morgil27 haha!

[@deathproof8732]

You forgot the American income tax return season when I would get a new game system every year. My dad was a construction worker and received 5000 dollars back every March or April. It was the REAL CHRISTMAS Presents time

[@GTV-Japan]

Dear Lord how is that possible? I always got robbed by Irwin R Shyster.

[@pdthorn]

I didn’t need to be told Alfred was a Brit game, idk why but they all had the same Tex Avery look

[@GTV-Japan]

Haha! That’s the word I was looking for 🐓

[@Prodmullefc]

By far one of your most interesting gaming deep dives. (Funny how only 18 people in all England have a sense of humour.) The part about western games having more emphasis on exploration contrasted with japanese games being about executing well along a linear platform was interesting. I never thought about that before. I wonder if that would make Undertale an RPG tailor made for japanese players?

[@GTV-Japan]

To be fair it was a local election so not all of England could vote I guess just this town. There is something everyone missed in making an action/ platform game. And with super Mario as the template you can’t go wrong. Miyamoto always called it “an athletic game” many commentators miss the point or don’t understand. They use athletic as an adjective not a noun. In Japanese “an athletic” means obstacle course. Especially the kind seen in military training. You’re supposed to manage a single path and survive things knocking you out. The word came from a kind of theme park that was named “field athletic” and Mario as well as tv shows like takeshis castle tried to imitate this. So the “fun” of a super Mario game is meant to be in running as fast as you can to see if you can clear the stage. Things like the coin rooms in pipes like 1-1 and 1-2 were supposed to be rewards and give you a little break. Which is why I point out all the needless diamonds in Alfred Chicken. They serve no purpose and aren’t rewarding. It’s also why I think 3D Mario games aren’t so great because it’s too open world for what I’m used to. I’m working on the next video about new super Mario bros and 3D world and I will talk about this at length for sure. But I can’t count how many videos I’ve seen where people (who do mean well) are talking about super Mario and use the term “athletic game” and you can tell they just pulled from Wikipedia which just took a quote from some interview and they have no idea what it means. Just reading script that goes over their heads. Anyway I’m taking 3 weeks for that so we can talk about it some more at that time for sure 👍🏻

[@Prodmullefc]

@@GTV-Japan that's very interesting actually! so when they use the phrase athletic they mean something akin to an obstacle course then. that's neat because in a way it almost predicts the concept of speedrunning too, because what is an obstacle course if there isn't a time attack element to it. I'll be looking forward to that video though, your anniversary docs are always, imo, where your content really shines.

[@GTV-Japan]

@Prodmullefc that’s what this will be 15 years of 3D world!

[@pferreira1983]

@@GTV-Japan I actually like exploring my platforms and it's why Sonic in 2D worked so well for example. Mario was left to right and not much going on apart from that.

[@UncaJohnny]

Alien robots abducting chickens to clone them... Sounds like KFC hired them.

[@GTV-Japan]

That’s what I don’t get. You clone these chickens and then what? What do you do with them?

[@UncaJohnny]

@@GTV-Japan, make chicken nuggets out of them?

[@GTV-Japan]

@TeKnight2020 so THAT’S what they mean by mechanically separated chicken!!🍗

[@skins4thewin]

Lol now that's smart advertising right there! I wonder how many more copies they sold due to this outlandish act?

[@chavotoons]

>"animal" >Plok >Rayman What?

[@GTV-Japan]

Exactly.

[@CriticalEatsJapan]

I've heard of Lord Buckethead, but not Alfred Chicken...

[@GTV-Japan]

I wonder where good old Alf is today

[@Larry]

hey, what happened to your twitter dude? i can't seem to find you :(

[@GTV-Japan]

Ha? That was like 8 years ago! Anyway I’m here don’t worry.

[@Larry]

@@GTV-Japan Really? Wow how time flies! I was wondering what's the best way to get in touch with you now really :)

[@GTV-Japan]

@Larry just send me a mail

[@daisukegori2112]

Armagedon and Deep Impact in the same summer.

[@GTV-Japan]

Happy Gilmore / Tin Cup

[@Marc_Araujo]

As a kid, I had a friend that stupidly traded in Super Mario World, Final Fantasy II, and a Link to the Past in order to buy Alfred Chicken for the SNES. I was there when he tried the game for the first time and he was very excited...and that excitement died in minutes lol. P.S. That was a real dumbass move, Gary.

[@GTV-Japan]

Wow! What was he thinking 🐓

[@pferreira1983]

Meh, it was an original choice. 🤔

[@retropalooza]

What magazine/publication if u had to choose would have been considered the Japan equivalent of Nintendo power?

[@GTV-Japan]

Nintendo Dream

[@retropalooza]

@@GTV-Japan thank you my friend. Trying to find some foreign articles on Famicom games for a mini documentary I'm co- producing for my network news job which may end up showing on netflix. Not sure if it'll get outta post though if I can't find some quality info on Japan Nintendo products and business

[@GTV-Japan]

@retropalooza nice! But they only started around the 64 era. Really famitsu and famimaga will give you 80s results

[@retropalooza]

@@GTV-Japan that's just what I needed to hear. Thank u good sir. If all goes well I shall see too it your in the special thanks crediting. I was covering long Island New York gaming expo for my NBC affiliate and ended up talking to a media firm who was interested in making a documentary and they asked if I wanted in, so after a no thought yes I ended up co producing, and the check didn't bounce lol...I'll let you know how it's going once I know, thanks again

[@GTV-Japan]

Haha! Well it’s too bad I was not invited to that maybe I could have joined in on the project. Oh well. Maybe next time

[@bananonymouslastname5693]

He's lucky he never had to go up against Vermin Supreme. Politics aside, I've never liked eurostyle platformers. Huge, unfocused stages littered with nothing collectibles just don't do anything for me.

[@GTV-Japan]

I see you notice it too! They all look the same that way!

[@napoleonfeanor]

Banjo Kazooie was great

[@JustJulyo]

This is clucking ridiculous!

[@GTV-Japan]

🐓🐓🐓🐓

[@DuskusCB]

Sorry, but my vote went to Mort.

[@GTV-Japan]

Well, when “democracy” is at stake you do what is necessary…

[@supsollc.3647]

Say whaa?.

[@SDChargers93]

#AlfredChicken2024 I’m voting for Alfred Chicken maybe he can help relations with Russia lol

[@GTV-Japan]

Contain the bear at all costs

[@vix_in_japan]

Adult only diapers lol. Need something to catch the **** being spouted from some KZbinrs. Might need something stronger than paper though for that... I'm from the UK and was (still am to some degree) an Amiga user so this made me chuckle a lot. I got a SNES in 1994 had no idea Alfred Chicken came out for it but it was a bland game from what I recall.

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah it is! But it could be much worse!

[@LeonardGr]

what's that game at 2:20?

[@GTV-Japan]

Jelly Boy

[@aaronko3480]

I love how you made up so many mascot names from the 90’s. Haha. Made up. Right?

[@GTV-Japan]

All of those were real. Some still are.

[@j-555]

interesting video. western games gross me out because a lot of them feel like they're designed to throw an unfair barage of things at you and your success is just luck through frustrating trial and error whereas the Japanese games feel more methodical and no matter how hard they are, you're given enough abilities to really master the patterns of the enemies. And they usually have way more appealing graphics and art direction. It's like night and day. The western games from the 90s feel so dated, especially the movie based ones. There were so many great movies that had terrible games because the studios opted for western developers like Jurassic Park, T2, etc. It's no coincidence the only good JP game was the SEGA arcade shooter. Never see that anymore.

[@GTV-Japan]

There is a reason and I talk about it in the next video coming soon. Short answer the Japanese video game was designed to imitate military training courses.

[@j-555]

@@GTV-Japan wow. damn dude that is fascinating and makes so much sense. It's right up my alley. The Japanese games really do leave the player with a sense of improved reaction time and even ways of thinking about problem solving. I feel like the western games are just cheese with little intentionality but the Japanese games always made me feel like my reflexes were sharpened. Whenever I play a J game to mastery I feel like the experience imparts me with skills beyond the game.

[@j-555]

@@GTV-Japan nd btw u r the realest 1 on youtube, nobody else even come close regardless of genre.

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks I appreciate that! It was one of my goals when I started. To be real. Stay real. Talk to people here. Be honest and never sell out. Now that I’ve earned that trust I’ll try hard not to drop the ball.

[@j-555]

@@GTV-Japan believe me it is appreciated. I've come to accept that I'd rather please like a couple authentic people who are like me rather than masses of bird brained people who just put on videos to fall asleep to. I've been so discouoraged by the apathy and lack of engagement on these platforms and others that I've becomed disillusioned with using the internet in general. And just so tired of people never engaging or answering. I've followed you for at least a year and have always been so warmed by your instant responses. Im the same way: when someone talks to me online, I answer them. I also get how disappointing the analytics can be. Like I put out a video that was almost half an hour of research, but the analytics showed the average view time was less than 2 minutes.

[@Diablokiller999]

Maybe he should candidate again and fix Brexit :D

[@GTV-Japan]

Did that finally happen? I haven’t been following.

[@Diablokiller999]

@@GTV-Japan Years ago, now they complain that no one wants to do the hard, low paid work that was done by foreigners before. But they don't want to raise wages too, so that the rich people can stay rich. Everyone told them not to leave, yet they knew better. They basically want all EU benefits but not the duties. Now sending something to the UK can take months, we have problems for years that parcels stay in UK customs for months and our partner needs the Hardware revisions for development. And the 'leave' voters in spain complain that they need Visa in Spain now and can't live there like before. Who would've known...

[@emajansen]

Alfred Chicken is a rip off of Sonic and WTF this is "kusoge" (like we say in japanese) so creepy 6:31 how on hell did they think it was funny?.

[@GTV-Japan]

洋ゲーなんです。

[@dodgykebaab]

Atari ST > Amiga

[@GTV-Japan]

Well yeah. Muh Atari!

[@pferreira1983]

Nah.

[@trenthoward6800]

Do the British just plain have a genetic obsession with bad sonic clones and bad platformer design?

[@ikagura]

Rareware + DKC being the exception.

[@jetcitykitty]

Fair point - fair rebuttal ❤

[@GTV-Japan]

There still are hundreds of bananas everywhere in DKC for no reason! 🐓

[@pferreira1983]

Not our fault you have bad taste in games. 😆

[@jetcitykitty]

@@pferreira1983 I can tell, it is our fault you have bad taste in cartoons.

[@imjustmrks2554]

with odysee running into issues im glad you have a channel here because with talks from odysee about financial issues i was dreading the possibility of losing out on seeing more of your vids

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for the info. I had no idea they were having trouble. I can see how they could but I was unaware of the situation. If it goes down I’m here. In KZbin goes down I’ll go to something else. Don’t worry!

[@therealseanw.stewart2071]

I thought I was the only person who remembered let alone liked Alfred Chicken.

[@GTV-Japan]

You're with friends here!