Sonic the Hedgehog (character)

This article is about the video game character. For other uses, see Sonic the Hedgehog.

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Sonic's character design has been altered through the years. At left is official Sonic artwork from the original Sonic the Hedgehog and at right is an official render from the newer Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sonic The Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Sonikku Za Hejjihoggu) is a video game character who appears in a series of games released by Sega, as well as numerous spin-off comics, cartoons and books. The first game in the franchise was released in 1991 in order to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's flagship character Mario.

Sonic is a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog with the ability to run at the speed of sound, a talent which forms a major part of the gameplay of the series. He is 15 years old, 110 centimeters (3 ft 3 in) tall, and weighs 35 kilograms (77 lb). Some earlier sources state that Sonic is 16 years old, however his official profile suggests that Sonic's age has been retconned and that on these earlier occasions he was actually 15 years old in the continuity.

Character

Design

In April 1990, Sega requested a game capable of selling over one million copies and a character to replace Alex Kidd as the company's mascot. Several character designs were submitted by its AM8 research & development department, including an armadillo (who was later developed into Might the Armadillo, a charater for Team Chaotix, a group of Sonic's friends who appeared in numerous games, comics and TV shows), a dog, an oversized Theodore Roosevelt in pajamas (which would later be the basis of Doctor Eggman's design) and a rabbit. Eventually, Naoto Ohshima's spiky hedgehog was chosen as the new mascot. A group of fifteen started working on Sonic the Hedgehog, and renamed themselves Sonic Team. The game's soundtrack was composed by Masato Nakamura of the band Dreams Come True; Sega sponsored the group's "Wonder 3" tour, painting Sonic on the tour bus and distributing pamphlets advertising the game.

Sonic's precise age, weight, height and other physical characteristics vary depending on the continuity in which he appears and the style he in which he is drawn. In early artwork, Sonic had no visible irises, but with the revamp he received for Sonic Adventure, they were shown to be green, though his eyes are visibly red when he is in his "Super Sonic" form and in motion in some earlier games.

His cobalt blue pigmentation has never been explained in the games; however, explanations were offered as the character was transferred to other media. One origin story was provided in a promotional comic for the original game featured in Disney Adventures, which was later elaborated upon in Mike Pattenden's Stay Sonic, a book about the character published in the UK. This explanation, in which the shockwaves Sonic experienced when he first ran at supersonic speed turned him blue and streamlined his spikes, later became the basic origin for all subsequent UK publications.

Personality

Sonic is noted for being heroic, adventurous, and free-spirited. He enjoys relaxation, but is never one to rest in the face of injustice. He is extremely benevolent, and would willingly put himself at risk for others, taking on any challenge that confronts him without hesitation. Sonic is not generally modest when it comes to his abilities. In fact, he is often portrayed as being narcissistic and self-absorbed; nevertheless, he is always shown to be caring and selfless when it comes to his actions.

The British Sonic the Comic presented him as being bossy and arrogant, and characters regularly referred to his strange sense of humor. Sonic frequently made cruel jokes at the expense of his friend Tails, behavior contrary to that seen in most of the continuities. This personality seemed to be heightened as a result of a storyline in which Sonic and his friends were displaced in time, returning to their own time to discover that, in their absence, Doctor Robotnik had succeeded in his goal of conquering Mobius.

American TV shows and comics often state Sonic's favorite food as chili dogs. This is also canonical in the game universe, as it is mentioned in the official Japanese Sonic Advance 3 manual.

Sonic is shown to have an interest in rock music and was a vocalist in his own rock band in the cartoon Sonic Underground. It's also rumored that he has a personal hobby as a DJ.

Home

Sonic's home varies greatly depending on continuity. In the games, Sonic's home planet is Earth. He lives on an island known as South Island, located in the Pacific Ocean, and (according to early written material from Sonic Team) was originally born on Christmas Island. Strictly speaking, this makes Sonic an Aussie. However, many of the comics, books, cartoons, and game manuals outside of Japan refer to Sonic's home planet as Mobius (revealed in some incarnations to be Earth in the far future). His home in the Sonic X anime series is an unnamed planet in an alternate reality that shares the same space as Earth.

Abilities

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The fastest hedgehog alive.

Sonic is known as "the fastest thing alive", with the ability to run at speeds higher than Mach 1. The source of this ability is not given in the games, although Stay Sonic (which gave his fastest recorded speed as 761mph) and later British publications explained that it was achieved through training on a treadmill. In both Stay Sonic and the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon, Sonic's distinctive "Power Sneaker" shoes are used to protect his feet from the heat arising from the friction involved when running at such speeds. This reduction in air friction also gives him most of his super speed.

Many of his abilities are variations on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into a tight ball for protection. His primary offensive maneuver is the spin jump or "Sonic Spin Attack"; as Sonic jumps, he curls up and spins round, damaging any enemies which come into contact with him. This ability was enhanced in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 with the introduction of the "Double Spin Attack", which allows Sonic to momentarily surround himself with a spherical force field, giving him a split-second's worth of invincibility and slightly increasing his attack range while jumping. (In Sonic the Comic, he claims he achieves this effect by "vibrating the molecules of air around me at supersonic speeds".)

He can also curl into a ball while running, allowing his momentum to carry him along in an equally dangerous attack. Although well-protected, in this position he cannot maintain his top speed, and curling up limits the amount of control he (and the player) has over his movements. The "Spin-Dash", introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, allows Sonic to quickly accelerate into this roll from a stationary position. The "Super Peelout" introduced in Sonic CD accelerates him in a similar manner, but allows him to remain running in an upright position.

Sonic can run or bounce across the surface of water, but he can't actually swim. In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, a water shield allows Sonic to breathe underwater, but in the 3D Sonic games, landing in water is usually the equivalent of instant death. In the Fleetway comic book Sonic the Comic, his inability to swim was one of his major weaknesses for a long time. Sonic's fear of water is often alluded to in the anime series Sonic X.

In Sonic Adventure and later installments of the series, he possesses a much broader range of abilities, including the Homing Attack, which allows him to propel himself towards the nearest enemy while jumping; the Light Dash, which allows him to run along a path of rings, even through the air; the Light Speed Attack, in which Sonic charges up by Spin Dashing and homing attacks everything in range at light speed. He is able to hold the charge, but doing so significantly slows him down.

In Sonic Adventure 2 he is also seen using new abilities:

• The bounce attack, in which he jumps in the air, rolls up, quickly falls, and then bounces a little higher than he can normally jump. This works in the same way as the Water Shield in Sonic 3.
• The fire somersault, in which Sonic rolls in a fiery ball.
• The magic hand, an attack in which he traps non-boss enemies in a small, throwable, explosive ball.
• The mystic melody, which causes something to happen once played in front of a certain kind of strange object.

He also gains abilities from the Chaos Emeralds:

• Chaos Control, a manipulation of time and space.
• Sonic Wind, which creates a blue swirl of hazardous energy.

Three of his abilities gained in Sonic Heroes:

• The Rocket Accel, which allows Sonic to be pushed forward by his teammates to accelerate.
• The Blue Tornado, which sweeps enemies off their feet and is used to spin up poles.
• The Triangle Jump, where Sonic jumps between walls within close proximity at high speed to advance forward.

In Sonic Advance 3, Sonic can perform the new dash attack, in which he balls up and then dashes, either upward or forward, but this attack was only seen in that game. If performed forward, it will home in on nearby enemies.

In his latest 2-D game (with some 3-D elements), Sonic Rush, Sonic is able to perform two new tricks. His Hop Jump trick is performed when he's in mid-air, and it allows him to perform a vertical hop. His Humming Top trick, also performed in mid-air, allows him to perform a horizontal hop, with his right leg extended out to the right.

In episode 13 of the most recent series, Sonic X, Sonic displays a superior degree of strength compared to other characters. This might prove that he has some power in his arms like Knuckles, but, more than likely, not as much.

Transformations

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Super Sonic in the television show Sonic X

Main article: Super Sonic

Since the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic has had the ability to transform into a more powerful form known as Super Sonic. As Super Sonic he is even faster than normal, can jump higher, can fly in certain situations, and is invincible to most attacks/obstacles. Sonic's appearance also changes; his body becomes yellowish gold, he becomes a bit taller, his quills rise and get wilder, and his eyes turn a lime green or red. The transformation is triggered by collecting all of the 7 Chaos Emeralds. In Sonic X, he is shown to be able to turn into what's called 'Dark Sonic'. He triggers this by drawing on the power of artificial Chaos Emeralds created by the Metarex. His body turns black and he has a black smoky effect. This transformation also allows him to have extreme speed and attacking power, but this super mode appears to last only a few minutes. Sonic 3 and Knuckles introduced the even more powerful Hyper Sonic. Hyper Sonic glows with the colors of the Chaos Emeralds, is surrounded by glowing sparks, and leaves afterimages in his wake. Unlike Super Sonic, he cannot drown underwater and wields the devastating "lightning flash" attack called Sonic Boom which can be used to "double-jump" in any direction, and when performed, destroys all enemies on-screen with a bright flash. Hyper Sonic was only available in Sonic 3 and Knuckles.

In most games made after Sonic Adventure, Super Sonic has only been available in the climactic boss battles at the end of the games. Super Sonic is also a secret character on the spin-offs Sonic R, Sonic Shuffle and Sonic Riders.

Relationships

Sonic is familiar with more characters in the series than those discussed here, notably Cream, Blaze, the Chaotix, and many minor characters.

Friends

Sonic's best friend is a fox called Miles "Tails" Prower. Tails idolizes, which is really thick for such a smart fox, Sonic and sees him as a mentor, while Sonic views Tails as a little brother. This is particularly prevalent in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog TV series, in which Sonic takes in Tails, an orphan unaware of who his parents are. This weakness of Tails is used a few times by Doctor Robotnik to lure and capture him, using him as bait to capture Sonic.

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Sonic the Hedgehog with Amy Rose

In the video games, Amy Rose believes she is Sonic's girlfriend. Although Sonic does not dislike Amy, he is still quite repelled by her constant advances. However, in the anime series Sonic X he has a bit more patience for her, and at times there is a mutual fondness between the two.

Another friend, and friendly rival, of Sonic is Knuckles the Echidna. They first met as enemies in Sonic 3, and although they are now allies, it's usual to find them fighting. Knuckles still dislikes Sonic's carefree nature, while Sonic sees Knuckles as being far too serious and perhaps even a bit thickheaded, on occasion referring to him as 'Knucklehead'.

Enemies and rivals

Sonic's eternal enemy is Dr. Eggman, also known as Doctor Robotnik. Eggman is a brilliant scientist who uses his numerous machines to attempt to conquer the world, but Sonic has always intervened. In Sonic X, it is shown that Dr. Eggman does not want to kill Sonic, but only defeat him. Recently Eggman has lost his post of "Main bad guy", and now is more a rival (even helping Sonic many times) than a villain.

Sonic's most formidable rival to appear is Shadow the Hedgehog, the "Ultimate Life Form". They became enemies in Sonic Adventure 2, and they have fought and argued with each other whenever they meet in every game since. Although they fight for different reasons, they battle with a certain amount of respect that was learned over time. When they were enemies in Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic found Shadow to be violent, humorless, and arrogant, while Shadow found Sonic to be foolhardy, irritating and arrogant. Near the end of Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow willingly fought the Biolizard while Sonic went off to stop the Chaos Emeralds, and in Sonic Heroes, they joined forces in the battle against Metal Sonic, showing that they wouldn't hesitate to work together when the situation warranted it.

Before Shadow's introduction, Metal Sonic was one of Sonic's greatest adversaries. During the older days, Eggman tried to beat Sonic at his own game by creating numerous Sonic robots to destroy his nemesis. Though they all tried and failed, Metal Sonic was by far Eggman's most successful creation, having the same capabilities as his counterpart. Even with Shadow in the spotlight now, Metal Sonic still remains a serious threat, as the storyline in Sonic Heroes demonstrated.

Another one of Sonic's rivals is Jet the Hawk from Sonic Riders. Jet mocks him for being inexperienced with Extreme Gear and doesn't consider Sonic to be the "fastest thing alive", sparking a rivalry between them. Later, after Sonic beats Jet in a race, they became more friendly, yet still competitive as racing rivals. Jet finally admits that Sonic is the fastest, but warns him to be ready the next time they meet.

Outside the games

While Sonic has no relatives in the games, his family members appear in some continuities.

Archie Comics

• Grandfather: Olgilive Hedgehog
• Mother: Bernadette Hedgehog
• Father: Jules Hedgehog
• Uncle: Sir Charles Hedgehog (Chuck)
• Dog: Muttski

'Archie's "25 years later" stories

• Wife: Princess Sally Acorn
• Daughter: Sonia
• Son: Manic

Sonic Underground

• Uncle: Uncle Chuck
• Mother: Queen Aleena
• Sister: Sonia
• Brother: Manic
• Father: Zokar (not in series)

Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM

• Uncle: Uncle Chuck

In Sonic 2, there was a debug code version of the game where you could play as a certain "Ashura the Hedgehog." Ashura is supposedly Sonic's older brother. Ashura wishes for Sonic to die, and has been quiet since Sonic 2. He now sees Shadow, Sonic's biggest rival at the moment, as a threat just as he sees Sonic. He is faster than both Sonic and Shadow and much stronger than Knuckles the Echidna or Mighty the Armadillo. He uses guns, just like Shadow, and has both a Super and Hyper form. He is afraid to transform into Hyper Ashura as it is rumored he could destroy anything and everything in it. To play as Ashura in Sonic 2, you must first enter the Stage Select and the Debug Mode codes, the instant Super Sonic code is optional. Enter either Emerald Hill Zone 1 or 2 using the same method as you would to use the Debug code. When you start the stage, change Sonic into an object by pressing the "B" button. Change through the objects using the "A" button until you get to a set of four vertical rings, now press the "A" button one more time. You should not see an object at this point. Now start producing this object (it's a waterfall) using the "C" button like mad! Confine the area in which you produce the object to half a screen away from the screen where you began the stage. You'll know when you produced enough of the object when your ring counter in the upper left of the screen acquires a blue edge. When that happens, change back into Sonic (now Ashura) using the "B" button. Run out of the flicker (you'll see what I mean when you do the trick) and you'll be Ashura.

In Sonic the Comic, Amy Rose followed true to the mindless fangirl stereotype. After numerous adventures with her crush, she later came to see he wasn't quite what she had originally imagined. Amy matured and began to show an interest instead in fellow freedom fighter Johnny Lightfoot, a relationship which suited Sonic just fine.

The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon features a girlfriend named Breezie Hedgehog, while in the Saturday morning cartoon, Sonic's love interest is Princess Sally Acorn. The Archie Comics series includes Sally Acorn, Amy Rose, and a new character, Mina Mongoose. For the most part, Sonic's love interest was Princess Sally. Eventually, Sally broke up with Sonic because of her duty as the princess and Sonic's constant war with Robotnik. However, it has been shown in recent issues that Sonic very much misses Sally, and she feels the same.

In Issue #156, Prince Elias returns to assume the throne, in order to prevent an evil Antoine from marrying Sally and becoming king. King Elias allows Sally, now free of both the impostor and much of her royal duties, to seek her own romantic endeavors. However, the strain on their relationship has been dramatic, and Sonic seems to be involved with Fiona Fox.

Voices

The earliest voice of Sonic was Takeshi Kusao in the game SegaSonic the Hedgehog, a June 1993 arcade release starring Sonic the Hedgehog, Mighty the Armadillo, and Ray the Flying Squirrel.

In September 1993, DiC Entertainment cast Jaleel White, more popularly known as portraying the character of Steve Urkel, as Sonic in their simultaneously released shows Sonic the Hedgehog and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. White would later be cast as Sonic for DiC's 1999 show Sonic Underground.

In 1996, when the Sonic the Hedgehog OVA was produced in Japan, Sonic was voiced by Masami Kikuchi. The 1999 English-language dub featured Martin Burke in Sonic's role.

Starting with the 1999 game Sonic Adventure, all of Sonic's video games feature voice acting. Sonic was played by Junichi Kanemaru, who later went on to play Sonic in the Japanese version of Sonic X. Ryan Drummond performed the role of Sonic in Sonic Adventure and continued to play the role for several games. However, 4Kids Entertainment decided not to use Drummond's voice in their US/UK dub of Sonic X, instead choosing their own Jason Griffith. Despite this, Drummond continued to provide the voice of Sonic in the series until 2005, when Sega replaced all their Sonic voice actors with their 4Kids counterparts, in order to keep his voice the same in all media forms. Effectively, this meant that beginning with Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Rush, Griffith became the official game voice actor for Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehog, as well as Jet the Hawk in Sonic Riders.

Appearances

Games

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog series

See also: List of games featuring Sonic the Hedgehog

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Title screen of the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game

Sonic started his battle against his nemesis Doctor Eggman/Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. After venturing out on his own in the first game, he was given a sidekick in Miles "Tails" Prower for the sequel, who would run behind Sonic as he sped through each zone as they continued the fight against Eggman. The sequel was also the first game to feature Sonic's Super Sonic form. Sonic would be solo once again for Sonic CD, in which Sonic would use his unrivaled speed to travel through time to defeat Eggman and ensure a good future for the world. Sonic CD also introduced Amy Rose, Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend. She would play only minor roles in several Sonic-themed spinoff games until Sonic Adventure. It also introduced Metal Sonic, who wouldn't have another major role until Knuckles Chaotix.

Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles would see Sonic and Tails battle Eggman yet again, with the additional threat of Sonic's newfound nemesis, the misguided Knuckles the Echidna. Sonic would eventually team up with Knuckles to defeat Eggman once again. Sonic 3D Blast, the first Sonic game to feature 3D pre-rendered graphics was a diversion for Sonic as he rescued birds called Flickies on an island.

Sonic Adventure featured Sonic returning from vacation to find the city of Station Square under attack by a new foe named Chaos, under the control of Doctor Eggman. The game was the first true 3D Sonic game and was the debut of Sonic's homing attack (although it could be used in Sonic 3D after acquiring a power-up, Sonic Adventure was the first title to feature it as a standard move). In addition, Sonic was also able to collect power-ups that gave him extra abilities. The game also featured Sonic interacting with non-playable characters and objects in 3D "Adventure" sequences, where the game world could be freely explored. Sonic Adventure was the first video game title that featured a voice-over for Sonic.

Sonic Adventure 2 involved Sonic being framed for a robbery he didn't commit and on-the-run from the military. He also faces a new rival in Shadow the Hedgehog. However, the two must put their differences aside and save the world from destruction yet again. The game featured power-ups just as the original Sonic Adventure had, but had two parallel stories: "Hero" and "Dark". Despite the title, it did not have 3D "Adventure" sequences.

Sonic's third 3D action game was Sonic Heroes, which featured four different teams made up by three characters in each. This game marked the return of the group of characters known as Team Chaotix, as well as Sonic's longtime rival Metal Sonic.

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Sonic in Sonic Riders

In addition to these games, Sonic has been featured in a variety of 8-bit console and handheld games as well. Sonic Triple Trouble saw Sonic and Tails face off against Fang the Sniper for the first time. Sonic Advance and Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure for the Game Boy Advance and the Neo Geo Pocket respectively were the first games to feature Sonic on a non-Sega game platform. Two sequels to Sonic Advance were released and Sonic has continued his appearances on Nintendo handheld game units with Sonic Rush for Nintendo DS.

Sonic has also been a featured character in several spin-off titles. The arcade SegaSonic the Hedgehog had Sonic as one of three playable characters. Sonic has also been featured in some pinball games including Sonic Spinball. He is also a selectable character in Sonic R, Sonic Riders and the Sonic Drift racing games. Sonic is a selectable fighter in both Sonic Battle and Sonic Championship. He also appears as a Hero Side mission partner in the game Shadow the Hedgehog.

Screenshots and some newly released information has revealed that a brand new Sonic game is in development for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Naka has claimed that Sonic Team is going back to their origins, nearly fifteen years ago, to recreate Sonic's personality and attitude, as well as the gameplay style, to make the title feel more like the original games. Another Sonic title was rumored (by IGN) to be in development for the upcoming Nintendo Revolution console, which is, from sources, reported as an entirely different game than the one being released for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 and will utilize the new functions of the Revolution console. A sequel to Sonic Riders for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 was also mentioned by Takashi Yuda (Creator of the original Sonic Riders game, as well as the original designer of Knuckles the Echidna), but no official announcements have been made by Sega as of yet.

Television series

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Sonic's character design in Sonic X was influenced by his design in the newer Sonic games.

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Sonic in the Sonic X anime.

There have been several animated television series featuring Sonic. Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog featured Sonic, voiced by Jaleel White, and Robotnik, voiced by Long John Baldry. It had a very comical take on Sonic's adventures and battles with Robotnik. Sonic the Hedgehog, originally broadcast on Saturdays on ABC, was broadcast concurrently with the syndicated Adventures series in the United States. Sonic was voiced by Jaleel White, and Robotnik was voiced by Jim Cummings. The series was far more dark and brooding than Adventures and found a devoted following.

Sonic Underground, a show in the US, UK and France, ignored the continuity of the previous series and introduced two siblings and Sonic's mother. White returned to voice Sonic, while Robotnik was voiced by Gary Chalk.

Additionally, there was Sonic the Hedgehog Anime in Japan which featured Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Eggman and Metal Sonic. Sonic was voiced by Masami Kikuchi in Japan, and Martin Burke in the United States.

The latest animated Sonic television series, Sonic X, is an anime that features Sonic being transported from his world to the human world. It loosely follows the storylines from the Sonic Adventure game series. Sonic is voiced by Jun'ichi Kanemaru in the Japanese version, and by Jason Griffith in the English language version.

Sonic also made a cameo appearance in The Simpsons's episode "Marge Be Not Proud", voiced by Dan Castellaneta. He appears trying to convince Bart Simpson to steal a video game.

Books

Comic books

Several comic books have also been released, each establishing a different storyline about Sonic.

• Sonic the Hedgehog (Shogakukan, Japan)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics, US)
• Sonic X (Archie Comics, US)
• Sonic the Comic (Fleetway, UK)

Sonic fan-made dōjinshi made by a variety of artists (including Rikdo Koshi) have also been released in Japan.

Gamebooks

A series of six Sonic Adventures gamebooks were published in the UK between 1993 and 1996 by Puffin under the Fantail label.

• Book 1 - Metal City Mayhem, James Wallis (ISBN 0140903917)
• Book 2 - Zone Rangers, James Wallis (ISBN 0140903925)
• Book 3 - Sonic v Zonik, Nigel Gross and Jon Sutherland (ISBN 0140904069)
• Book 4 - The Zone Zapper, Nigel Gross and Jon Sutherland (ISBN 0140904077)
• Book 5 - Theme Park Panic, Marc Gascoigne and Jonathan Green (ISBN 0140378472)
• Book 6 - Stormin' Sonic, Marc Gascoigne and Jonathan Green (ISBN 0140378480)

Novels

Stay Sonic by Mike Pattenden developed the "Kintobor origin", first introduced in the Disney Adventures comic book, in much greater detail. This background was used as the basis of most subsequent UK Sonic stories.

James Wallis, Marc Gascoigne, and Carl Sargent wrote four Sonic the Hedgehog novels based on his origin established in Stay Sonic. They were published in the UK by Virgin Publishing.

• Book 1 - Sonic the Hedgehog in Robotnik's Laboratory
• Book 2 - Sonic the Hedgehog in the Fourth Dimension
• Book 3 - Sonic the Hedgehog and the Silicon Warriors
• Book 4 - Sonic the Hedgehog in Castle Robotnik

Michael Teitelbaum has also written a series of Sonic novels:

• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Robotnik's Revenge
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Fortress of Fear
• Sonic the Hedgehog: Friend or Foe?
• Sonic & Knuckles
• Sonic X-Treme

Two novels have been written based on the episodes "Meteor Shower Messenger" and "Spaceship Blue Typhoon" from the third season of Sonic X.

Others

• Where's Sonic? Using a similar idea to the Where's Wally?/Where's Waldo? books, each page presented the reader with a different puzzle, each one inspired by a different level from Sonic 2 on the Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive. Published by Ladybird Books Ltd.
• Where's Sonic Now?
• A series of other children's books were written by Ladybird. These include two puzzle books, a coloring book and the picture books Robotnik's Oil and The Invisible Robotnik. Sonic the Story was a book explaining Sonic's transformation from brown to blue.

Sonic cameos/references

For game cameos, see List of games featuring Sonic the Hedgehog

• In the 1996 movie Jingle All The Way, in the scene where Jamie arrives at the parade, Sonic can be seen as a character marching in the parade.
• In the show Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, in the episode "Camp Capers", Ami is captured by Bigfoot. Yumi pretends it is a video game, and she runs through a 16-bit forest area, jumps on a crab (thus killing it) then goes at sound-barrier-breaking speeds and runs over a checkered loop, obviously a reference to Sonic the Hedgehog's Green Hill Zone.
• In the show "15/Love", in Adena and Tannis' dorm room, there is a poster with the cover of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game in it.
• An episode of Megas XLR spoofed Sonic with a parade balloon called Auggie the Adorable Aardvark (that also spoofs Mickey Mouse by wearing the same clothes), that was mutated and could do Sonic attacks such as the Spin Dash.
• In the movie Hitch, on the side of an ice cream truck, there is a picture of a Sonic popsicle[1].
• In Spyro: Year of the Dragon, Moneybags threatens to turn Spyro into a blue hedgehog if he replies that he won't pay him to continue through a level.

Trivia

• One of a class of genes involved in fruit fly embryonic development, called hedgehog genes, has been named "sonic hedgehog" after the character.
• In 1996, Sonic was the first video game character to be seen in a Rose Parade.
• Sonic was also the first video game character to be featured as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• The NBA team the Seattle SuperSonics is often nicknamed the "Hedgehogs" in reference to this character.
• After having been around only 3 years, he had already surpassed Nintendo's Mario in popularity according to a June 1993 Q-Survey in Gameplayers magazine.
• In the October 1996 issue of Ultra Gameplayers, Sonic the Hedgehog's world-wide popularity was claimed to have surpassed even that of Disney's Mickey Mouse.
• Between 1993 and 1997, Sega sponsored the JEF United Ichihara Chiba football team. During this period, Sonic appeared on the team's uniform.
• During the 1993 Formula One championship, Sega sponsored WilliamsF1, which won the season. Sonic was featured in the cars and helmets, and rival McLaren used to paint a squashed hedgehog after winning races over Williams. The 1993 European Grand Prix featured a Sonic balloon and Sonic billboards. The trophy was a statue of the hedgehog.
• Some of the rejected designs for the mascot character were later reused by Sega. The sketch of an obese Theodore Roosevelt later became the basis of Doctor Eggman's design; the armadillo influenced the design of Mighty the Armadillo. Aspects of the rabbit design, intended to use its extendable ears to collect objects, were later incorporated into Ristar.
• In the original 2D games, once Sonic had reached his top speed, he ran with his arms fixed pointing forwards. However, in the 3D titles and the Sonic Advance series, his top-speed running animation was altered so that his arms trailed behind him and that he bent over more. This animation is copied by most other super fast characters.
• In April 2002, EGM made a hoax that Sonic and Tails were the last two secret characters in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Some players even tried the "cheats" published, before the magazine revealed it was an April Fool's joke.
• In the Archie comics, Sonic's real name is revealed to be Olgilvie Maurice the Hedgehog. He tries desperately to protect that information, possibly out of embarrassment. This name doesn't apply to the game series, however, and he is simply known as Sonic The Hedgehog.
• In the Archie comics, after issue 40 every front cover has a hidden "Spaz Mario" in odd areas such as clouds of dust.

See also

• List of games featuring Sonic the Hedgehog
• Anthropomorphic Superheroes
• Sonic the Hedgehog series
• Kemono
• Funny Animal

External links

• Sonic Central - Official Sonic the Hedgehog microsite at Sega.com
• Sonic Channel - Official Japanese website
• The Sonic Stadium
• Sonic Ultimate - Containing information mostly about Sonic from the comic book
• Concept-Mobius Research-based character profile
• Sonic HQ
• Sonic World