Who would have thought we'd be writing about the 20th anniversary of Crash Bandicoot? Or that we'd have to wait until 2017 for the remasters to arrive?

Well, regardless, it's 20 years since the original came out (on the original PlayStation), so we thought it was a great time to look back over the series and highlight 20 secrets that you might not know about Crash and co.

Related: All the Crash Bandicoot games ranked

1. Crash was almost a wombat

The founders of developer Naughty Dog - Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin - decided that their platformer title would centre around the adventures of a marsupial after being inspired by Taz the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes.

Until they discovered bandicoots in an Australian wildlife guide, Crash was actually called Willie the Wombat.

2. It was the first platformer where the camera sat behind the hero

Although the various scenes where Crash runs towards the camera legging it from a boulder have become iconic, Crash Bandicoot – which mostly features him running away from the camera – was actually the first platformer that wasn't a 2D side-scroller a la Sonic the Hedgehog.

Because of that, Crash Bandicoot's working title was actually "Sonic's Ass Game".

3. The boulder levels were added so you could see Crash's face

Most of the gameplay in the Crash Bandicoot series takes place with the camera behind Crash, but Naughty Dog believed that players wouldn't connect with him unless they could see his face.

And thus, those forward-facing boulder scenes were born.

4. There's a reason Crash doesn't have a neck

Back in 1996 when the first Crash Bandicoot was released, graphic tech wasn't quite as sophisticated as it is now. So for Crash's design, Naughty Dog had to be very practical.

He's got a giant face and no neck because Naughty Dog wanted players to be able to see every one of Crash's whacky facial expressions even on a '90s TV screen.

Crash is also orange – despite real bandicoots being brown – because Naughty Dog had to find a colour that wouldn't blend in with any of the colourful environments. That's also the reason why the first game lacks lava levels.

5. Fake Crash isn't only from Crash Team Racing

You might remember the buck-toothed, bushy-eyebrowed version of Crash from Crash Team Racing. But the real secret is that he doesn't just exist there. Apparently Fake Crash Bandicoot is based on a cheap toy version of the marsupial sold in Japan.

Naughty Dog thought the (obviously unofficial) toy was so hilarious they actually turned it into a character.

Eagle-eyed gamers might have also spotted Fake Crash dancing in Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped in levels such as Makin' Waves and Toad Village, if you managed to collect all the crystals and gems.

6. Crash's end level dance was a product of the Japanese marketing team

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Speaking of dancing, Crash always does the same dance whenever you finish a level. However, this wasn't created by developer Naughty Dog, it was actually inspired by an ad from the Japanese advertising and marketing team.

A man in a Crash suit can be seen busting the now trademark moves in the Japanese commercials for the game, and Naughty Dog loved the jig so much it was added into the Crash Bandicoot sequels.

7. Sony's CEO at the time hated Crash Bandicoot

Although Sony's CEO at the time, Ken Kutaragi, was heralded for making PlayStation what it is today, he was reportedly not a fan of Crash Bandicoot at all.

Kutaragi apparently despised the character and the original Crash Bandicoot game, even going so far as to have a full-on row with a Naughty Dog representative over the game's core design.

Reportedly, the CEO wanted the PS One to stand apart from family-focused titles like Super Mario and Crash Bandicoot didn't fit in with that vision.

Thankfully, the majority vote won out and the Crash Bandicoot series went on to earn a place in gaming history.

8. Crash's girlfriend was based on Pamela Anderson…

Crash spends the entire first game attempting to rescue his then girlfriend, called Tawna, from Doctor Cortex's experiments.

The blonde, big-boobed bandicoot was based on Pamela Anderson.

…But was deemed too sexy and got the old heave-ho

However, Tawna was deemed far too sexy for the rest of the Crash Bandicoot series and was axed.

She was replaced with girl-next-door type Coco Bandicoot for subsequent games. Slut-shamers.

9. Although it was Crash that appeared in Soho phone boxes

This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Spoof phone box prostitute card marketing. Soho, London. 1996 #4theplayers #crashbandicoot #playstation pic.twitter.com/TcJj90RxaY — Geoff Glendenning (@GeoffG2) February 27, 2015

The advertising geniuses here in Blighty thought it would be a great idea to make spoof prostitute-style cards in phoneboxes around Soho in London to advertise the original Crash Bandicoot, seeing as Soho is traditionally known as London's red-light district.

Sadly, the phone number no longer works, so if you want to call the "young randy bandicoot" you'll have to try another service.

10. Crash had a Japanese anime makeover

If you thought Crash was far too good-looking – it's the eyebrows, isn't it? – well you'll be intrigued to learn there's a cutesier version of him out there on the other side of the world.

It turns out that the Japanese audience didn't take to Crash's bushy eyebrows or angular features, so they gave him an anime makeover.

Cue larger eyes and a much friendlier, more adorable appearance. Awwww, he looks like baby Crash.

11. The intro was originally a cartoon

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The first Crash Bandicoot games were co-published by Universal Interactive and it turns out Universal Cartoon Studios created this Saturday morning cartoon intro/ad for the original game.

It came complete with ultra cheesy theme song, but Sony abandoned it in favour of pushing the 3D aspects of the game.

The footage wasn't publicly seen until 2015, when that cartoon leaked online.

12. Crash actually has a bandicoot named after him

Yes that's right, Crash has a bandicoot named after him and it's not just some critter at a zoo somewhere. It's an entire sub-species.

Crash did so much to highlight the bandicoot species that when scientists discovered the fossilised remains of a previously unknown bandicoot, they called it the Crash bandicoot.

13. Most of the characters are voiced by one man

One man is responsible for most of the characters in the Crash Bandicoot game. Brendan O'Brien provides the monosyllabic reactions from Crash himself, the voice of Dr Neo Cortex, Dr Nitrus Brio and henchmen like Koala Kong and Pinstripe Potoroo.

Ripper Roo though is one exception, as he's voiced by Dallas McKennon. His maniacal laugh is a sped-up sample of McKennon's voice, and is the same laugh used for the hyena from Disney's Lady and the Tramp.

14. But there's a reason Crash doesn't speak

There's a reason why Crash never utters more than a "Whoa" or a "Yeehah" in the series.

"We felt that he should be goofy and fun-loving, and never talk – on the theory that voices for video game characters were always lame, negative, and distracted from identification with them," explained Crash Bandicoot co-creator Andy Gavin in an extensive blog post.

It wasn't until Radical Entertainment took over the franchise that Crash spoke in 2007's Crash of the Titans. Well, he uttered "Pancakes" in the closing sequence, but fans REALLY weren't happy.

15. The item boxes were a late addition

One of the major parts of the Crash Bandicoot gameplay is tornado-ing through and bouncing on wooden item boxes, releasing the precious Wumpa fruit within.

However, they weren't added into the game until very late in the original title's development as a way of adding some puzzles to otherwise straightforward levels.

16. Aku Aku was named after a restaurant

Crash Bandicoot's guide through every game was a Tiki mask called Aku Aku, but the famous floating face got his name from a restaurant in Boston near where the developers worked.

"The name Aku Aku comes from a Polynesian restaurant that resided near the Alewife T Station when Andy (Gavin), Jason (Rubin), and I lived in the Boston area," explained Dave Baggett, ex-Naughty Dog developer (and first employee). "It had a giant tiki statue out front and, as I recall, fairly terrible food."

17. The soundtrack was almost very different indeed

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What really finished off the first Crash Bandicoot was its memorable soundtrack full of strong jungle rhythms, didgeridoos and funky bass.

However, the original idea was to the score the game with an "urban chaotic symphony" including sound effects like grunts, car honks, birds and even farts.

Thankfully, the soundtrack we know and love was brought together at the last minute, just in time to get stuck in our brains forever.

18. They're Wumpa Fruit, not apples

Nearly everyone who played Crash Bandicoot thought that Crash had an insatiable appetite for apples. But it turns out that they're Wumpa Fruit. Not apples.

The fictional fruit is kind of a hybrid between an apple and a mango, though the Wumpa Fruit actually does taste like apples – according to developer Dave Baggett.

19. One level got deleted entirely from Crash Bandicoot

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Although Crash Bandicoot was amazing, there's no getting away from the fact it was rock hard. Irregular save points meant that the Game Over screen could mean hours of lost gameplay.

For the developers, that frustration reached breaking point in a level called Slippery Climb, where one mistimed jump could wipe out a whole lot of progress.

However, there was originally an even tougher version of the level called Stormy Ascent, but it was so tricky that the developers chose to bin it entirely.

20. Dr. N. Gin's was inspired by a real-world issue

In Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Dr. Neo Cortex has a new friend called Dr. N. Gin. He's a bonkers cyborg who has a massive missile in his head that causes him to have explosive tantrums.

Apparently the missile got lodged during a botched experiment and is still active, causing the Doc to have severe headaches.

This little design and story feature was actually inspired by creator Jason Rubin's own vicious migraines. Poor fella.

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