Sonic the Hedgehog (character)

• 1. Introduction

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  Sonic the Hedgehog, the blue hero of Sega's video games, was tested on strangers in New York City's Central Park before most of the world had heard of him. The designer Naoto Ohshima carried several of Sega's internal character sketches on a trip there. He asked random passersby which one they liked best. The spiky hedgehog came out on top. Ohshima believed people chose it because it "transcends race and gender and things like that". Sega was hunting for a character who could stand up to Nintendo's Mario. The answer arrived through an informal street poll. What other odd ingredients went into him, from a pop star's boots to an American governor's attitude? Why can the world's fastest hedgehog not swim? And how did a mascot who began with fifteen programmers grow into a figure with comics, cartoons and blockbuster films?

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• 2. Designing a Mascot

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  Sega's research and development department had not limited itself to hedgehogs. Its experiments produced an armadillo, a dog, and a rabbit that gathered objects with extendable ears. That rabbit idea was later reused in a game called Ristar. Another sketch showed a Theodore Roosevelt look-alike in pajamas, who would eventually become the basis for Doctor Eggman. In the Central Park poll, that Roosevelt character placed second, and the dog came third. Back in Japan, Ohshima pitched the hedgehog to the department, and it was chosen as the new mascot.

  The detailed design had to be easy for children to draw and familiar on sight. It also had to feel "cool" in a way that represented the United States at the time. Sonic's blue was picked to match the cobalt blue of Sega's logo. His shoes began as a design inspired by both Santa Claus and Michael Jackson's boots. The red came from the contrast of colors on Jackson's 1987 album Bad. His personality borrowed the "Get it done" attitude of Bill Clinton, then Governor of Arkansas and later President of the United States.

  To win over Sega's executives, Ohshima wrapped the pitch in a story. He described a fictional fighter pilot nicknamed "Hedgehog" because of his spiky hair, who decorated his plane with images of Sonic. After retiring, the pilot married a children's book author, who wrote stories about the character. The first of those stories supposedly became the plot of the first game. Ohshima said the influence shows in the game's logo, where Sonic sits inside a pilot's wing emblem. Turning the sketch into something that could actually run was the job of a programmer named Yuji Naka.

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• 3. Making the First Game

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  The draft that became Sonic dates to 1989, when Naoto Ōshima created an early version of the idea. Yuji Naka then came up with a character that could run inside loops. His algorithm let a sprite glide smoothly along a curve by working out its position with a dot matrix. The designer Hirokazu Yasuhara later fleshed the concept out.

  Naka also made a mistake that shaped the hero for good. He wrongly assumed that hedgehogs cannot swim, so Sonic was built without the ability. In deep water he sinks like a rock. The only exception is the Sonic the Hedgehog Adventure Gamebooks, where he can swim.

  A group of fifteen people started on the first game and renamed themselves Sonic Team. Masato Nakamura of the band Dreams Come True composed the soundtrack. Before release, Sega sponsored the band's "Wonder 3" tour. Sonic was painted on the tour bus, pamphlets advertised the game, and footage of it played above the stage.

  His first appearance came in 1990, in the arcade racing game Rad Mobile, as an ornament hanging from a rearview mirror. He also turned up as a villain in an unlicensed game called The Adventures of Quik & Silva. His first playable role was the 1991 platform game Sonic the Hedgehog, which also introduced his nemesis Dr. Robotnik.

  The early concepts looked different. They gave Sonic fangs and put him in a band with a human girlfriend named Madonna. A team from Sega of America, led by Madeline Schroeder, who calls herself "Sonic's mother", softened the character for an American audience. That removed those elements and sparked a heated dispute with Sonic Team. Naka later admitted it was probably for the best. The short, round hero of that first release would not stay that way for long.

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• 4. Faces and Voices

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  In his debut, Sonic was short and round, with short quills, a round body and no visible irises. Akira Watanabe drew artwork in that style for the package of Sonic the Hedgehog. When Sonic the Hedgehog 2 arrived on the Mega Drive, his head-to-height ratio changed from 1:2 to 1:2.5.

  Yuji Uekawa redesigned him for Sonic Adventure in 1998, as the series moved to 3D computer graphics. The new Sonic had longer legs, a less spherical body, longer drooping quills and green irises. The look was more mature, meant to appeal to older players. A 2006 game made him taller and more adult-like for the next generation of players. He was also now meeting humans more often, and the design had to fit.

  Sonic Unleashed introduced the Werehog, a form that stressed melee fighting over speed. Tetsu Katano acknowledged the large negative fan response, yet he believes the form could return. Sonic Boom took another path. Bob Raffei, CEO of the developer Big Red Button, called that version "very different... both in tone and art direction." It has blue-furred arms, more quills, a brown neckerchief, and sports tape on the wrists and shoes.

  The voice has changed hands many times. In Japan, the designer Masato Nishimura supplied a few samples in Sonic CD. Takeshi Kusao was the first true voice actor, in the arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog. Jun'ichi Kanemaru has voiced him continually since Sonic Adventure, and also in Sonic X, Sonic Boom and the Japanese dub of the Wreck-It Ralph films. Tomokazu Seki voiced the Werehog form in Sonic Unleashed.

  The first English voice was Jaleel White, in the DiC series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic SatAM and Sonic Underground. Sam Vincent provided the singing voice in Sonic Underground. Ryan Drummond took over with Sonic Adventure. Jason Griffith followed from Sonic X, and voiced Sonic in the games starting with Shadow the Hedgehog in 2005. Roger Craig Smith began with Sonic Free Riders and Sonic Colors. On the 29th of January 2021, he announced on Twitter that he would stop, and Sega confirmed it the same day. On the 26th of May 2021, he and Sega confirmed he was voicing Sonic again. Ben Schwartz voices Sonic in the live-action films, and the Canadian actor Deven Mack voices him in Sonic Prime.

  The loudest design controversy came from the first live-action film. Its first trailer, released in late April 2019, drew heavy criticism of Sonic's appearance, especially his teeth and legs. The director, Jeff Fowler, announced a redesign. That pushed the release from the 8th of November 2019 to the 14th of February 2020. The second trailer, released on the 12th of November 2019, showed the new look and won a far more positive response from fans and critics alike. Paramount marketing president Marc Weinstock said the backlash changed how video game adaptations are handled at the company. The rejected design lived on in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, voiced by Tim Robinson. There he is "Ugly Sonic", a washed-up actor trying to make a comeback after being kicked off the film.

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• 5. Speed and Temperament

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  Sega's official materials describe Sonic as "like the wind". He is a drifter who lives as he wants and turns life into a series of adventures. He hates oppression and staunchly defends freedom. He is mostly quick-witted and easygoing, but he has a short temper and little patience for slower things. He is a habitual daredevil who is honest, loyal to friends and keeps his promises. He dislikes tears. He took the young Tails under his wing like a little brother. He shows no interest in the marriage proposals of Amy Rose. In a crisis, he focuses so intensely that his personality seems to change.

  His greatest strength is his running speed, which makes him the world's fastest hedgehog in his own universe. Many of his abilities build on the way hedgehogs roll into tight balls for protection. Since 1991, his main attack has been the Spin Attack. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 added the Spin Dash, where he spins on the spot and then blasts off at full speed. Sonic Adventure officially introduced the Homing Attack, in which he dashes at a target in midair.

  Then there is Super Sonic. Once all the Chaos Emeralds are collected, Sonic can transform by collecting 50 rings. In this form he is nearly invincible, runs faster and jumps farther. He loses one ring per second, though, and reverts to normal when the rings run out. When all seven emeralds are collected and used, the transformation is faster, stronger and invulnerable, and he can fly. His irises turn red and his body turns golden. The emeralds that power him are also the prize that his archenemy, the mad scientist Doctor Eggman, keeps trying to steal.

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• 6. Worlds and Crossovers

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  Sonic CD, released in 1993, introduced Amy Rose, his self-appointed girlfriend, and the robotic double Metal Sonic. Sonic traveled through time in it to secure a good future for the world. Tails, the two-tailed fox, had joined him a year earlier in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, both released in 1994, brought in Knuckles, who is tricked by Robotnik into seeing Sonic as a threat.

  Sonic Adventure in 1998 marked Sonic Team's return to the character for a major game. Sonic comes back from vacation to find Station Square under attack by a foe named Chaos, controlled by Dr. Robotnik, now known as Dr. Eggman. It was the first Sonic game with complete voice-over. Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001 put him on the run from the military group G.U.N. after he was mistaken for Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonic Generations in 2011 offered two playable versions of him. The younger "classic" Sonic plays in the style of the Mega Drive and Genesis games, while the present-day "modern" Sonic plays like Unleashed and Colors.

  Some games moved him into storybooks. Sonic and the Secret Rings in 2007 is set in the world of One Thousand and One Nights. Its sequel, Sonic and the Black Knight in 2009, takes place in the realm of Arthurian legend. There were also racing games such as Sonic R and Sonic Riders, fighting games such as Sonic the Fighters, and a role-playing game, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Critics and fans have questioned why he uses vehicles in the racing games. Sega and some official media explain that it lets him compete fairly with others. Over his career he has appeared in over 100 video games.

  He also wanders into other people's games. He is a power-up in Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, and he appears in the main hallway of Phantasy Star Universe. He is playable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl in 2008, and again in the 2014 and 2018 entries. He is also playable in Lego Dimensions in 2015 and Cookie Run: Kingdom in 2021. He features in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, and has skins in Fall Guys and Minecraft. Even Nintendo joined the joke. In Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Sonic's shoes sit beside a trash can labeled "No Hopers".

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• 7. Screens and Pages

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  The first animated Sonic series came from the company DiC. Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog premiered in 1993 and follows Sonic and Tails against Doctor Ivo Robotnik on the planet Mobius. A second series that year, simply titled Sonic the Hedgehog, shows Sonic leading rebels in a futuristic Mobius. Sonic Underground followed in 1999, with Sonic beside his siblings Sonia and Manic.

  Sonic X began airing in 2003 and ran for 78 episodes. It follows Sonic and his human friend Chris Thorndyke as they guard the Chaos Emeralds from Eggman. A CGI series, Sonic Boom, ran for 104 episodes of 11 minutes each between 2014 and 2017. Netflix announced Sonic Prime in February 2021, aimed at children aged six to eleven and longtime fans. In it, Sonic breaks the Paradox Prism and splits the universe into alternative dimensions. He cameos in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph in 2012, its sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet in 2018, and the 2018 film Ready Player One.

  The live-action film was announced on the 10th of June 2014. Neal Moritz produced it with Takeshi Ito and Mie Onishi, and Pat Casey and Josh Miller wrote it. Paramount Pictures and Marza Animation Planet made it together, and filming took place in 2018. In the story, Sonic befriends a sheriff named Tom Wachowski to stop Dr. Robotnik. The sequel, released on the 8th of April 2022, sends Sonic and Tails racing to keep Robotnik and Knuckles from the Master Emerald.

  Print came early. Sonic's first comic was a promotional one in Disney Adventures magazine, also given away with Mean Machines magazine. It told how kindly Dr. Ovi Kintobor became the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik. British publications built on that premise, including four Virgin Books novels and Sonic the Comic, which ran from 1993 to 2001. Archie Comics published Sonic the Hedgehog from 1993 to 2017, the second longest-running licensed comic in American history, behind Marvel's Conan. Guinness World Records recognized Sonic the Comic as the longest-running comic based on a game. Archie also ran a twelve-part Mega Man crossover starting in 2013, and IDW Publishing took over in 2018. Two manga existed too, one about a hedgehog boy named Nicky who can change into Sonic. In 2025, the miniseries DC X Sonic the Hedgehog teamed him with the Justice League against Darkseid. Sonic partners with the Flash, and the two keep debating which of them is faster.

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• 8. Fame and Legacy

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  In 1993, Sonic became the first video game character to have a balloon in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 1996 he was the first to be seen in a Rose Parade. In 2005 he joined Mario and Link in the inaugural class of the Walk of Game. Scientists even named a fruit fly embryo gene "sonic hedgehog" after him.

  Sega used him to sponsor sports. From 1993 to 1997, he appeared on the uniform of the football team JEF United Ichihara Chiba. In 1993, Sega sponsored the Williams Grand Prix team in Formula One. Williams won the Constructors' Championship and its lead driver, Alain Prost, won the Drivers' Championship. Sonic appeared on the cars and helmets, and rivals McLaren painted a squashed hedgehog after beating Williams. The 1993 European Grand Prix featured a Sonic balloon and billboards. In 1992, Sega of America marketing director Al Nilsen claimed Sonic was more recognizable than Mickey Mouse among children aged six to eleven, based on Q Scores. Marketing Evaluations, Inc., the developer of Q Score, could not confirm it.

  Popularity has not been a straight line. Sonic failed to place in Electronic Gaming Monthly's Coolest Mascot of 1996, beaten by Mario, Crash Bandicoot and Sega's own Nights. In a 2008 poll of 500 people, though, he was voted the most popular video game character in the UK, with 24 percent against Mario's 21. Nintendo Power listed him as its sixth favorite hero, and he won a Golden Joystick Award in 2004. Empire ranked him 14th greatest in 2011. In 2024, a BAFTA poll of around 4,000 respondents named him the fourth most iconic video game character, behind Lara Croft, Mario and Agent 47.

  Some moments drew criticism. His apparent romance with Princess Elise in the 2006 game brought major criticism. GameDaily called it one of the worst moments in video game characters' history. Sonic Boom fared better, as Patrick Lee of The A.V. Club and Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media praised its portrayal of Sonic and his relationship with Eggman.

  Ken Balough, Sega's former associate brand manager, said Sonic endures because he is "a gaming legend, first and foremost". An Internet meme called "Sanic", based on a poorly drawn Sonic, pairs his catchphrases with bad grammar. Sega's official Sonic Twitter account has referenced it, and it appeared in Sonic Forces downloadable content. It also shows up as a drawing in the live-action film.

  The oddest honor came in 2022. A Japanese team built the Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation instrument for the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft, launched by ESA and Airbus. With Sega's approval, they put Sonic on its logo in his classic design, redrawn from the Japanese and PAL box art of the first game.

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