Polygon Man Playstation Internal Promotional Shirt

Polygon Man was an early marketing character for Sony's PlayStation in North America. Created in 1995 by advertising company Chiat/Day and then-Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) president Steve Race, the character was meant to be an "edgy" spokesperson for the console and target audiences that they feared would be put off by the PlayStation name. Appearing in print advertisements and heavily at the 1995 Electronic Entertainment Expo, global head of the PlayStation brand Ken Kutaragi reacted negatively to the character, feeling it not only misrepresented the PlayStation's abilities but also that funds had been used on an alternative brand. The character was quickly shelved, replaced with the character Sofia from Battle Arena Toshinden while SCEA considered other character options.

Reception to Polygon Man was negative, with publications calling him "scary" and feeling it was a poor way to market the console to consumers. However, others voiced approval for the campaign and saw it as Sony attempting to reach teenage audiences through it. The character later appeared as the final boss of the 2012 fighting game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, with sources such as PlayStation LifeStyle feeling he was a poor fit for the title and too similar to Super Smash Bros. character Master Hand, while others such as Edge appreciated the humor brought by the character and the acknowledgement of the schism between the North American and Japanese branches of Sony Computer Entertainment. He has since appeared in other titles and promotions, such as in 2022 for a digital collectible statue in Sony's "PlayStation Stars" loyalty program.

This shirt was given out directly to Sony staff, tech representatives, and internal marketing teams in North America during the mid-1990s launch cycle. It was printed to promote Polygon Man, the short-lived, edgy North American mascot created by the advertising agency Chiat/Day to drum up excitement leading into the 1995 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

en.wikipedia.org

Because the character was famously hated and immediately scrapped by PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi right after seeing it at E3, the character's promotional run was completely canceled. As a result, these shirts were never widely distributed to the general public or retail customers.

Here is a view of the Playstation Event Stage from E3 in 1995, its launch year:

Here is Michael Jackson playing the Playstation at E3 in 1995: