Sonic the Hedgehog (franchise): Difference between revisions

{{Real world}}

{{Infobox Crossover

|image              = Sonic the Hedgehog logo.png

|debut              = [[23 June (releases)|23 June]] [[1991 (releases)|1991]]

|creator            = {{w|Yuji Naka}}, {{w|Naoto Ohshima}}, {{w|Hirokazu Yasuhara}}

|medium              = Video games, comic books, television, film

|genre              = Platforming game

|time                = [[2016 (releases)|2016]]

|trailer            = Sonic the Hedgehog Joins LEGO Dimensions!

}}{{Dab page|Sonic the Hedgehog (disambiguation)}}

The series follows the adventures of [[Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|the titular character]], an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds. He battles against the evil plots of [[w:c:sonic:Doctor Eggman|Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik]], who is intent on conquering the world with his robotic minions.

The series comprises video games as well as a vast variety of spinoff media such as comic books, television series, theatrical films, and other merchandise.

==Crossovers==

This inclusion allowed players to control Sonic and have him play through the ''A Dalektable Adventure'' and ''Dalek Extermination of Earth'' levels, and explore the ''Who''-themed adventure world, as well as operate [[K9 (LEGO Dimensions)|K9]] and interact with [[the Doctor's TARDIS]].

In [[2022 (releases)|2022]], Sonic was alluded to in the ''[[Redacted (audio series)|Redacted]]'' audio story, ''[[Recruits (audio story)|Recruits]]''; when [[Joel (Recruits)|Joel]] explains the [[sonic mascara]] to [[Shawna Thompson]], she asks if it's "like the hedgehog?"

==DWU references in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' media==

One apparent reference to ''Doctor Who'' can be found in the 2003 game, {{wi|Sonic Heroes}}, during the Team Chaotix story. When the group first encounter Dr. Eggman, Espio the Chameleon identifies the villain to his team mates, which prompts Charmy Bee to ask, "[[The Question|Dr. ''who''?]]"

Outside of this instance, the vast majority of ''Who'' references occur during Sonic's extensive run in comic books.

The UK-based series published by [[Fleetway Publications|Fleetway]], {{wi|Sonic the Comic}}, which ran from [[1993 (releases)|1993]] to [[2002 (releases)|2002]], offered an inherently British style of story and characterisation to Sonic's world, including what began as a very unintentional nod to the [[Dalek]]s. Among the comic's extensive rogues gallery was a group called the [[w:c:sonic:Brotherhood of Metallix|Brotherhood of Metallix]], in which the comic took Robotnik's singular [[w:c:sonic:Metal Sonic|robotic Sonic-Doppelgänger]] from the games, and turned it into a fearsome, very Dalek-like, warmongering species who had a habit of demanding Sonic's "[[extermination]]", and were led by a red-and-gold "[[w:c:sonic:Emperor Metallix|Emperor Metallix]]". {{w|Nigel Kitching}}, one of the comic's most prolific writers, and creator of the group, acknowledged the similarity after older readers began to pick up on it. Kitching explained that he did not initially set out to "rip off" the Daleks, but chose to run with the idea as the group were developed. He further stated that, since ''Doctor Who'' was off the air at the time, he believed the similarity was unlikely to jar the series' readership.<ref>http://sonicthecomic.proboards.com/thread/9482?page=8#355593</ref>

On the other side of the pond was Sonic's most prolific comic book run: the {{w|Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics)|American Archie Comics series}} that ran continuously for a record-breaking twenty-four years, from [[1993 (releases)|1993]] to [[2017 (releases)|2017]]. A subtle ''Doctor Who'' nod occurred toward the end of ''[[w:c:sonic:Worlds Unite|Worlds Unite]]'', a massive crossover between Sonic and Archie's {{wi|Mega Man (Archie Comics)|Mega Man}} comic book (based on the {{w|Capcom}} {{w|Mega Man|game series of the same name}}). At the end of this multiverse-spanning plot that was ultimately undone by a time travel paradox, ''Sonic'' character [[w:c:sonic:Sticks the Badger|Sticks the Badger]] finished off the story by explaining her own theory about time and space, during which she used the first half of the (in)famous phrase first coined by the [[Tenth Doctor]] and popularised by the [[Eleventh Doctor|Eleventh]]: "[[Wibbly wobbly, timey wimey|wibbly wobbly]]".

After the aforementioned comic's cancellation, the American Sonic comic license was picked up by former [[American comic book|American ''Doctor Who'' comic publisher]], [[IDW Publishing]], during which ''Doctor Who'' has, so far, been referenced twice.

In ''Crisis City: Part 1'' ([[w:c:sonic:IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 19|issue 19]]), the robot character [[w:c:sonic:E-123 Omega (IDW)|E-123 Omega]] was seen taking out a barrage of enemies while exclaiming "[[exterminate]]" in a manner very similar to the Daleks.

For the UK-based developer [[TT Games]], ''[[LEGO Dimensions (video game)|LEGO Dimensions]]'' was far from being the only ''Sonic''-related game that they had a hand in, having previously developed two pivotal titles in Sonic's series: in the late 1990s, they developed the games {{wi|Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island}} (''3D Blast'' in the US) and {{wi|Sonic R}}, two of the earliest games in the series to depict Sonic's world in 3D.

Both ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' and ''[[Doctor Who]]''-themed avatar accessories have been officially released on the video game platform ''[[Roblox]]'', on which an official ''Sonic'' game, ''[[w:c:sonic:Sonic Speed Simulator|Sonic Speed Simulator]]'', was released. It is possible to dress an avatar in both ''Doctor Who'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog''-themed accessories at the same time.

=== Archie Comics series ===

=== IDW comic series ===

=== Literature ===

[[Jonathan Green]], a prolific gamebook writer who wrote the final ''[[Decide Your Destiny]]'' book, ''[[The Horror of Howling Hill (novel)|The Horror of Howling Hill]]'', co-wrote the last two books in Fantail's ''Sonic'' gamebook series, ''{{iw|sonic|Sonic the Hedgehog Gamebook 5: Theme Park Panic|Theme Park Panic}}'', and ''{{iw|sonic|Sonic the Hedgehog Gamebook 6: Stormin' Sonic|Stormin' Sonic}}''.

[[LEGO]] went on to make official sets for both ''Doctor Who'' and ''Sonic'' following their appearances in ''LEGO Dimensions''.

Presently, all voice actor connections between the two franchises exist in the form of characters from other franchises that interacted with DWU elements in ''LEGO Dimensions'' and related media.

[[Frank Welker]], who voiced a handful of characters, previously provided additional voices for Sonic's {{w|Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)|Saturday morning cartoon series}} in 1993.

[[Laura Bailey]], who voiced [[Wonder Woman]], formerly voiced [[w:c:sonic:Blaze the Cat|Blaze the Cat]] and [[w:c:sonic:Omochao|Omochao]] (the latter she also played in ''Dimensions'').

[[Liam O'Brien]], who voiced [[Gollum]], voiced [[w:c:sonic:Zazz|Zazz]] in {{wi|Sonic Lost World}}, and [[w:c:sonic:Infinite|Infinite]] in {{wi|Sonic Forces}}.

=== Miscellaneous ===

== Trivia ==

* The [[1993 (releases)|1993]] games, {{wi|Sonic Spinball}} and {{wi|Sonic Chaos}}, were released in the United States on [[23 November (releases)|23 November]], the day of ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s 30th [[anniversary]]. The former was released in the United Kingdom three days later, on the [[26 November (releases)|26th]], the day that the first part of ''[[Dimensions in Time (TV story)|Dimensions in Time]]'' was originally broadcast.

* [[Lew Stringer]]'s reoccurring location name, [[Skegpool]], also appears in one of his ''Sonic the Comic'' strips, as the setting of the [[w:c:sonic:Sonic the Comic Issue 111|issue 111]] story, ''Hero of the Beach''.

=== Competition prizes ===