Sonic the Hedgehog

***Sonic the Hedgehog*** is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created and owned by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main *Sonic the Hedgehog* games are platformers mostly developed by Sonic Team; other games, developed by various studios, include spin-offs in the racing, fighting, party and sports genres. The franchise also incorporates printed media, animations, a 2020 feature film, and merchandise.

The first *Sonic* game, released in 1991 for the Sega Genesis, was developed after Sega requested a mascot character to compete with Nintendo's mascot Mario. Its success helped Sega become one of the leading video game companies during the 16-bit era of the early 1990s. Sega Technical Institute developed the next three *Sonic* games in addition to *Sonic Spinball* (1993). After a hiatus during the unsuccessful Saturn era, the first major 3D *Sonic* game, *Sonic Adventure*, was released in 1998 for the Dreamcast. Sega exited the console market and shifted to third-party development in 2001, continuing the series on Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation systems.

While *Sonic* games often have unique game mechanics and stories, they feature recurring elements such as the ring-based health system, locations, and speedy gameplay. Games typically feature Sonic setting out to stop Eggman's schemes for world domination, and the player navigates levels that include springs, slopes, bottomless pits, and vertical loops. While Sonic and Eggman were the only characters introduced in the first game, the series would go on to have a large cast of characters; some, such as Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and Shadow the Hedgehog, starred in self-titled spin-offs. The franchise has also been represented in crossovers such as *Sega All-Stars* and Nintendo's *Super Smash Bros.* series.

*Sonic the Hedgehog* is Sega's flagship franchise and one of the bestselling video game franchises, selling 89 million by March 2011 and grossing over $5 billion by 2014. Series sales and free-to-play mobile game downloads totaled 920 million by 2019. The Genesis *Sonic* games have been described as representative of the culture of the 1990s and listed among the greatest of all time. Although later games have been criticized for a perceived decline in quality compared to earlier installments, *Sonic* is influential in the video game industry and is frequently referenced in popular culture.

## Plush Lines:

### SEGASonic:

Sonic the Hedgehog and Friends Set

Sonic Kart (1992)

Dressing Up Sonic and Friends (1993)

SegaSonic Mini plushes (90s)

Festival Sonic & Tails (1993)

Rocky (1994)

Sonic & Tails (1994)

Sonic & Tails Summer Version (1994)

X'mas Sega Sonic (1994)

Sega Sonic Sports Version (1995)

Jumbo Sega Sonic (1995)

Basket Sega Sonic (1996)

Sonic the Fighters (1997)

Sonic & Tails Pale Color Plush Doll (1998)

Sonic and Tails (1998)

### Modern:

Sonic Adventure Set

Sonic Adventure 2 Set

JP Sonic X Set

Sanei Set\*

GE Sonic X Set

Great Eastern Entertainment Set\*

Jazwares Set\*

Tomy Modern Sonic Set\*

Tomy Sonic Boom Set\*

Hello Kitty X Sanrio Sonic Set\*

## References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic\_the\_Hedgehog