Asterion ("Aster" for short) was created in 1988 as the mascot for Daedalus Games, a small chain of in-person stores which sold console games and early gaming and educational software. Originally he had very little personality, intended just to be a cheery face on the logo, but gained more character when he was introduced as the host of their gaming tips-and-tricks magazine Aster's Archives, which soon grew in popularity beyond those who had visited the stores themselves.

Half-bear and half-bull but far from a vicious beast, he was far more interested in chowing down on cheese puffs than adventurer's skulls. He had an approchable low-key attitude, and was the "cool older brother" type known for his dad jokes and brightly colored Hawaiian shirts. His namesake - the Minotaur of greek legend - and theming matched the rest of the store, and his designs often featured cheesy pixelated versions of patterns seen on Greek pottery. He got a few pieces of promotional merchandise, mainly smaller items like branded keychains and pins, but I've seen a couple bigger things like lunchboxes and plushes. And of course, the magazine issues.

In 1996, the company re-located their California flagship store into The South Coast Plaza. A brand-new animatronic Aster was positioned in front of the store to catch the attention of potential shoppers. He was waist-up only, with the rest of him positioned behind a fake cashier's desk. The desk and surrounding shelves were covered in merchandise and fake snack wrappers with mythology-based pun names. By 2003, the store's themeing and vibes had become dated and their sales struggled as the internet took over the market, so the company had a massive overhaul and re-branding. In the change, Aster as a character was dropped and his likeness laregely removed from stores, including the animatronic itself.