Words from the author
Note: Because of the source material, these icons will look better
on dark backgrounds
I'm having a really hard time writing an introduction to this set without
sounding too nostalgic. It seems kind of funny, but unless you were growing
up in the late '70s and early '80s you can't imagine the impact that video
games had on our childhood. Gen X may not know where it was when Kennedy
was shot, but we probably all remember where we used to go to play
Asteroids.
At first, Pong and Breakout were the only games you could find, occasionally
at a local pizza parlor. When Space Invaders was released in 1979 you
started to see the games around more; when Asteroids was released you
started to see games everywhere.
I can't remember even going to an Arcade before 1980 (except for the
Penny Arcade at Walt Disney World, which at that time had an array
of mechanical games) but by that summer every kid in the neighborhood
was begging their parents for a ride to the local arcade. There we would
play Pac Man, Galaxian, and the countless bootleg and rip-off variations
the arcade owners hustled in to keep kids playing instead of just watching.
No arcade had every game you wanted to play, so you had to split your
time between the mall (or malls, since each one was different), your local
arcade (which for us was a small, trailer like building with a dirt parking
lot and wood siding), ice cream parlors/pizza places, and the local
convenience store. Only then could you play every game you liked. As the
games caught on giant arcades became more of the norm, and companies
with money combined large game rooms with mini-golf or go-kart racing.
In Orlando, where I grew up, there was a warehouse-sized game room
named "The Fun Machine" across town with 3 to 5 of each game so you
didn't have to line up the quarters in the slot where the games' backlit
title fit into the cabinet. It was like heaven. And 45-minute drive for my
parents. They were the best.
The really odd thing to me is that although most of the games we think
of as classics were all released about the same time, it seemed to take
forever between new machines back then. remember when Pole Position
and Centipede arrived at the local arcade. We couldn't believe our eyes.
The owners of the local arcade always put new games in a special place,
and whatever was there before got moved. Everytime a new game came
out, it had better graphics, sound, voices, cool controls, bonuses.
Then you waited a year for a watered-down version for your Atari 2600.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
OK, enough nostalgia. Thanks to projects like MAME and shrinkwrapped
software like Microsoft Arcade and the Namco Classics series for
Playstation, you can play any of your old favorites any time you want.
It occured to me, during a heated game of Bosconian, that the designers
of these early games were the only people really pushing computer art
at the time. They faced a lot of constraints: limited palletes (usually of
16 colors), limited sprite sizes (often 16x16 pixels, which was then
doubled for display on the monitors)Ñhey, wait a minute, that sounds
just like the same limitations we icon artist face! These people laid the
groundwork for everything we do! They even had to create 8x8 'super-
mini' icons in some games to represent extra lives!
So in the spirit of those early days, and the designers, programmers,
and companies that brought us the games we treasure today, we
present this tribute to the very first icon designers; and to the
happiness, frustration, and inspiration their work brought us all.
BTW, the games were selected for the "iconability" and because they
were my favorites. That's why there's no DefenderÑtoo many buttons.
Is there a classic game you'd like to have icons for? Make your own,
it's easy!
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Aligator
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Another Fireball
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Another Hammerable Fireball
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Apple Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Aqua Alien
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Asteroid 1
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Asteroid 2
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Asteroid A
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Asteroid B
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Asteroid C
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Asteroid D
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Banana Bonus
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Barrel Front View
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Barrel Side View
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Base
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Bashfull Inky
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Bell Bonus
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Bell Pepper Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Bird
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Blue Barrel Front View
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Blue Barrel Side View
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Blue Robot
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Blue Snapjaw
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Blue Worrior
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Board 1 Flower
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Board 11 Flowers
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Board 20 Flowers
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Bosconian
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Bottom Row
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Bounder
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Burwor
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.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Buzzard
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Captured Ship
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Carrot Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Caught by Lava Troll
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Centipede
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Cherry Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Chicken Intruder
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Command Ship
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Cosmo Mine
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Cucumber Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Dead Frog
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Dig Dug Digging
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Dig Dug
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Donkey Kong Jr
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Donkey Kong
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Dot
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Drones
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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E Type Missle Leader
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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E Type Missle
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Edible Ghost
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Egg
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Eggplant Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Evil Otto
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Falling Egg
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Fireball
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Five Level Badge
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Flagship Hit Once
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Flagship
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Flea
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Fortress
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Frog Makes It Home
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Frog
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Fuel Tank
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Fygar
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Galaxian Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Galaxip
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Garwor
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Globe
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Green Robot
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Hammer
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Hammerable Fireball
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Hat
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Heartbroken
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Hornets
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Hunter
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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I Type Missle Leader
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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I Type Missle
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Insect
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Intruder
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Jack
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Jet
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Key Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Key
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Keyhole
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Lady Frog
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Large Alien Robot Saucer
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Laser Base
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Launching Rocket
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Lava Troll
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Log
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Magic Mushroom
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Mango Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Mario Dead
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Mario Jumping
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Mario Running
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Mario Standing
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Mario with Whip
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Marios Love
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Middle Row
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Ms Pac Man
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Mushroom Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Mystery Base
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Nitpicker
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Oil Barrel
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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One Level Badge
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Onion Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Orange Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Ostrich Rider
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Otter
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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P Type Missle Leader
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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P Type Missle
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Pac Man
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Parasol
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Pauline
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Pear Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Pie
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Pineapple Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Poison Mushroom Patch
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Pokey Clyde
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Pooka
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Power Pill
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Pretzel Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Purple Alien
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Purple Robot
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Purse
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Red Alien
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Red Robot
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Red Snapjaw
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Rock
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Rocket
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Rutabaga Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Scorpian
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Shadow Blinky
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Shadow Lord
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Ship
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Small Alien Robot Saucer
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Snake
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Spark
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Speedy Pinky
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Spider
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Sports Car
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Springboard
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Spy Ship
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Stork Rider
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Strawberry Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Thorwor
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Tomato Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Top Row
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Tractor
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Traveling Fygar
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Traveling Pooka
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Turtle
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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UFO
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Unbeatable Pterodactyl
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Waiting for a pickup
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Walking Buzzard
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Wand
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Watermelon Bonus
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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White Race Car
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Wizard of Wor
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Worluk
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Yellow Race Car
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Yellow Robot
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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Yellow Worrior
Download as .ico file /
.png file
Use as aim buddy icon
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