In 1997, Parappa the Rapper released on the PlayStation® introducing the music genre to console gaming. The game was a living cartoon, where players would listen to catchy rap songs and attempt to “rap” by pressing buttons to the beat. Video gamers instantly fell in love with it's innovative gameplay, quirky art style, and the adorable character himself. Parappa quickly became a video game icon and has been considered an unofficial mascot of PlayStation ever since.