In 1983, as the Vectrex console tried to carve out a spot in a booming market, GCE (General Consumer Electronics) launched Passport, an official newsletter for console owners. In this small booklet, nestled between technical info and news updates, appeared a character as strange as he was fascinating: Vecto, a mascot as intriguing as he is forgotten…
The Passport Magazine : Giving the Vectrex a Soul
The launch of Passport, the official magazine of the Vectrex Owner’s Club, met a strategic need : to foster a sense of belonging, build player loyalty, and above all, anchor the Vectrex in a coherent imaginary world. Visuals were just as important as the content.
The project was entrusted to a renowned illustrator : John Alvin, famous for his movie posters such as E.T. and Blade Runner. Although the exact attribution of Vecto’s creation remains uncertain, Alvin did sign several illustrations in Passport, casting an artistic mystery over the character’s origin.
The Wizard from Elsewhere
Vecto is like the extraterrestrial Gandalf of the Vectrex. He’s literally an old space wizard… recognizable by his large red cape billowing in the wind, black boots, white gloves, wild white hair and eyebrows pointing skyward (along with a pronounced bald spot), and large pointed ears, almost elfin, but clearly from another world.
This old wizard is somewhere between a fantasy RPG sorcerer and a sci-fi alien mentor. Some even suspect he “landed on Earth” as a being sent to share vector-based technology.
A Mascot Between the Curious and the Childlike
Vecto’s creation fulfilled a need : to personify the Vectrex in the collective imagination, during an era when every console was searching for its own Mario or Pac-Man. But Vecto never had a chance to shine beyond the pages of Passport… largely because of the magazine’s short lifespan.
Some lament that he wasn’t more distinctive or used in the games. You could say he was fairly generic (resembling any old wizard) but he still had that controlled weirdness that works well : strange enough to spark curiosity, but not so odd as to scare or repel.
A Ghost in Video Game History
Today, Vecto remains a cult character for a few enthusiasts and a retro curiosity tucked away in the yellowed pages of an official fanzine. While he never left a mark on the mainstream, he embodies a time when visual storytelling and console identity were shaped by strange, sometimes forgotten, but always fascinating experiments.
