Mr. Sandman (Punch-Out!!)
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character in the Punch-Out!!
video game series. He is an African American
boxer hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in the United States
. He was first created by Shigeru Miyamoto
in the Punch-Out!! game for the arcades
, and then by Makoto Wada in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Punch-Out!!. He appeared in Super Punch-Out!!
as one of the three boxers returning from the NES Punch-Out!!. His most recent appearance was in the Wii
Punch-Out!!
, where he was drawn by Eddie Viser and voiced by Riley Inge. His design was noted as similar by GamePro Germany
as being similar to real life boxer Joe Frazier
, who also hails from Philadelphia.
Since appearing in Punch-Out!! for the arcades, Mr. Sandman has received generally positive reception. He has been noted as a favourite of the series by UGO Networks. While The Escapist
editor Sumantra Lahiri described him as a stereotype of black people, describing him as "ruthless and a bit ignorant," GamesRadar
felt that he lacked any ethnic stereotypes. He has also been described as a difficult opponent, with IGN
describing him as "nigh-impossible," while Paul Vale at the Daily Star called him a "big, ugly brawler who’ll have you on toast." However, Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod felt that he was not the toughest opponent in Punch-Out!!, giving that award to Great Tiger
.
boxer hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in the United States
. He was first created by Shigeru Miyamoto
in the Punch-Out!! game for the arcades
, and then by Makoto Wada in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Punch-Out!!. He appeared in Super Punch-Out!!
as one of the three boxers returning from the NES Punch-Out!!. His most recent appearance was in the Wii
Punch-Out!!
, where he was drawn by Eddie Viser and voiced by Riley Inge. Whereas most characters in Punch-Out!! are noted for being ethnic or region stereotypes, Sandman is noted as having no major stereotypes. His appearance has been noted as similar to real life boxer Joe Frazier
, who also hails from Philadelphia.
, Mr. Sandman has received generally positive reception. He was featured as part of a series of Punch-Out!!
Topps
trading cards. UGO Networks editor called him an "old favorite." GamePro Germany
commented that he appeared to be based on boxer Joe Frazier
, who also comes from Philadelphia. GameDaily
editor Chris Buffa described him as an "off the wall character." Writer Sumantra Lahiri, in discussing racial stereotypes in Punch-Out!!, cited the stereotype of black people being "ruthless and a bit ignorant." However, GamesRadar
editor Brett Elston noted that Mr. Sandman acts as a counter to Disco Kid
, a fellow black Punch-Out!! character, stating that he lacks any ethnic stereotypes. Before the release of Punch-Out!!
for the Wii
Sarcastic Gamer
editor Havok Saunders commented that Mr. Sandman would have to appear in it for him to validate purchasing it. Humour web site The Onion
wrote an article about a series of interviews with Mike Tyson
and other Punch-Out!! characters. Of Tyson's fictional exploits, the author suggests that Tyson defeated Mr. Sandman "even though all his friends said it was the most impossible thing ever." In a humour article, ESPN
created several parodies of Punch-Out!! characters based on real-life "punch-worthy palookas", including one of Mr. Sandman called "Mr. Rocketman."
editor Jesse Schedeen described Mr. Sandman as "nigh-impossible." MeriStation called him the toughest fighter in the game. GameSpot
echoed these sentiments, citing his quick and powerful attacks. However, Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod felt that Sandman was not the strongest, adding that he found Great Tiger
to be the most difficult. Fellow Operation Sports editor Matt Gagnon commented that he was a "beast and a pain in the backside to beat," adding that it brought satisfaction when Sandman was defeated. Nintendo World Report editor Neal Ronaghan described him as "strong" and "punishingly tough." Video game developer Ron Alpert described him as a "big truck of a dude," stating that he and Mike Tyson were the only characters he couldn't beat. Times & Transcript
described showing the power of Little Mac's super uppercuts to Mr. Sandman as "satisfying." Daily Star described him as a difficult opponent, commenting that he is a "big, ugly brawler who’ll have you on toast." In discussing the loss of reflex in video games with age, Dan Hsu
referenced fellow video game journalist Michael Donahoe's troubles with Mr. Sandman; Donahoe commented that after the fight, his hands were "all sweaty and shaking." Giant Bomb
editor Ryan Davis stated that while Mr. Sandman was a "fine opponent," fighting Mike Tyson in the Wii Punch-Out!! for the belt instead would have been "one of the few improvements that could have been made."
Punch-Out!!
is a 1983–1984 boxing arcade game by Nintendo. It was the first in a series of successful Punch-Out!! games that produced an arcade sequel known as Super Punch-Out!!, a spin-off of the series titled Arm Wrestling, a highly popular version for the NES originally known as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!,...
video game series. He is an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
boxer hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was first created by Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
in the Punch-Out!! game for the arcades
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
, and then by Makoto Wada in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
Punch-Out!!. He appeared in Super Punch-Out!!
Super Punch-Out!!
is a 1984 arcade game by Nintendo. It is a boxing game with the same gameplay and digitized speech of its arcade precursor, Punch-Out!!. This second game in the Punch-Out!! series introduced recurring video games characters such as Bear Hugger, Dragon Chan, Vodka Drunkenski, Great Tiger and Super...
as one of the three boxers returning from the NES Punch-Out!!. His most recent appearance was in the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
, where he was drawn by Eddie Viser and voiced by Riley Inge. His design was noted as similar by GamePro Germany
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
as being similar to real life boxer Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
, who also hails from Philadelphia.
Since appearing in Punch-Out!! for the arcades, Mr. Sandman has received generally positive reception. He has been noted as a favourite of the series by UGO Networks. While The Escapist
The Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
editor Sumantra Lahiri described him as a stereotype of black people, describing him as "ruthless and a bit ignorant," GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
felt that he lacked any ethnic stereotypes. He has also been described as a difficult opponent, with IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
describing him as "nigh-impossible," while Paul Vale at the Daily Star called him a "big, ugly brawler who’ll have you on toast." However, Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod felt that he was not the toughest opponent in Punch-Out!!, giving that award to Great Tiger
Great Tiger
is a fictional character in the Nintendo-produced Punch-Out!! video game series. He is an Indian boxer, hailing from Mumbai. He first appeared in Super Punch-Out!! for the arcades, then returned in Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and again in Punch-Out!! for the Wii...
.
Concept and appearances
Mr. Sandman is a blackAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
boxer hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was first created by Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
in the Punch-Out!! game for the arcades
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
, and then by Makoto Wada in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
Punch-Out!!. He appeared in Super Punch-Out!!
Super Punch-Out!!
is a 1984 arcade game by Nintendo. It is a boxing game with the same gameplay and digitized speech of its arcade precursor, Punch-Out!!. This second game in the Punch-Out!! series introduced recurring video games characters such as Bear Hugger, Dragon Chan, Vodka Drunkenski, Great Tiger and Super...
as one of the three boxers returning from the NES Punch-Out!!. His most recent appearance was in the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
, where he was drawn by Eddie Viser and voiced by Riley Inge. Whereas most characters in Punch-Out!! are noted for being ethnic or region stereotypes, Sandman is noted as having no major stereotypes. His appearance has been noted as similar to real life boxer Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
, who also hails from Philadelphia.
Reception
Since appearing in Punch-Out for the arcadesArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
, Mr. Sandman has received generally positive reception. He was featured as part of a series of Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!!
is a 1983–1984 boxing arcade game by Nintendo. It was the first in a series of successful Punch-Out!! games that produced an arcade sequel known as Super Punch-Out!!, a spin-off of the series titled Arm Wrestling, a highly popular version for the NES originally known as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!,...
Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
trading cards. UGO Networks editor called him an "old favorite." GamePro Germany
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
commented that he appeared to be based on boxer Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
, who also comes from Philadelphia. GameDaily
GameDaily
GameDaily was a video game journalism website based in the United States. Launched in 1995 by entrepreneur Mark Friedler under the name Gigex and focused on free game demo downloads, The site changed its business model from a flat fee per download CDN distributed service network to an...
editor Chris Buffa described him as an "off the wall character." Writer Sumantra Lahiri, in discussing racial stereotypes in Punch-Out!!, cited the stereotype of black people being "ruthless and a bit ignorant." However, GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
editor Brett Elston noted that Mr. Sandman acts as a counter to Disco Kid
Disco Kid
Disco Kid is a fictional African American boxer in the Nintendo-produced video game Punch-Out!! for Wii. He was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Donny Lucas. He is described as flamboyant and as a fan of clubbing, disco, and exercise...
, a fellow black Punch-Out!! character, stating that he lacks any ethnic stereotypes. Before the release of Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! is a boxing video game for the Wii. It is the latest game in the Punch-Out!! series. It was developed by Canadian developer Next Level Games. Game designer Shigeru Miyamoto served as the game's producer. It was first revealed at Nintendo's conference on October 2, 2008...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Sarcastic Gamer
Sarcastic Gamer
SarcasticGamer.com is an independent video gaming related blog and community site. A part of the GamerCast Network, a community of independent podcasters, the website focuses on parodying the latest events happening in the gaming industry. Although the website is best known for its satirical news...
editor Havok Saunders commented that Mr. Sandman would have to appear in it for him to validate purchasing it. Humour web site The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
wrote an article about a series of interviews with Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
and other Punch-Out!! characters. Of Tyson's fictional exploits, the author suggests that Tyson defeated Mr. Sandman "even though all his friends said it was the most impossible thing ever." In a humour article, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
created several parodies of Punch-Out!! characters based on real-life "punch-worthy palookas", including one of Mr. Sandman called "Mr. Rocketman."
Difficulty
Mr. Sandman has been noted as a difficult opponent in the series. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
editor Jesse Schedeen described Mr. Sandman as "nigh-impossible." MeriStation called him the toughest fighter in the game. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
echoed these sentiments, citing his quick and powerful attacks. However, Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod felt that Sandman was not the strongest, adding that he found Great Tiger
Great Tiger
is a fictional character in the Nintendo-produced Punch-Out!! video game series. He is an Indian boxer, hailing from Mumbai. He first appeared in Super Punch-Out!! for the arcades, then returned in Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System , and again in Punch-Out!! for the Wii...
to be the most difficult. Fellow Operation Sports editor Matt Gagnon commented that he was a "beast and a pain in the backside to beat," adding that it brought satisfaction when Sandman was defeated. Nintendo World Report editor Neal Ronaghan described him as "strong" and "punishingly tough." Video game developer Ron Alpert described him as a "big truck of a dude," stating that he and Mike Tyson were the only characters he couldn't beat. Times & Transcript
Times & Transcript
The “Times & Transcript” is New Brunswick's largest newspaper circulation daily newspaper with an average paid daily circulation of approximately 40,000, and readership of approximately 110,000. It serves Metro Moncton and eastern New Brunswick. Its offices and printing facilities are located on...
described showing the power of Little Mac's super uppercuts to Mr. Sandman as "satisfying." Daily Star described him as a difficult opponent, commenting that he is a "big, ugly brawler who’ll have you on toast." In discussing the loss of reflex in video games with age, Dan Hsu
Dan Hsu
Dan "Shoe" Hsu is the former editorial director of the 1UP Network, as well as former editor-in-chief of the video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly, a position he held from 2001 to 2008. Hsu attended the University of Michigan. His nickname, "Shoe", refers to the pronunciation of his...
referenced fellow video game journalist Michael Donahoe's troubles with Mr. Sandman; Donahoe commented that after the fight, his hands were "all sweaty and shaking." Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb
Giant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...
editor Ryan Davis stated that while Mr. Sandman was a "fine opponent," fighting Mike Tyson in the Wii Punch-Out!! for the belt instead would have been "one of the few improvements that could have been made."