The Existential Horror of Sonic the Hedgehog

Summary

The video script delves into the evolution and identity crisis of Sonic the Hedgehog, a character originally designed as a marketing gimmick by Sega to rival Nintendo's Mario. Despite Sonic's initial success, the character's lack of a cohesive origin story and Sega's lax control over licensing led to a fragmented fanbase and multiple, often conflicting, versions of Sonic across different media. The script critiques Sonic's attempts to stay relevant by constantly chasing trends, which has resulted in an identity that is both dated and irrelevant. It contrasts Sonic's hollow character with Mario's enduring appeal, suggesting that enduring icons create trends rather than chase them.

Takeaways

• 🎮 Sonic the Hedgehog was created as a marketing gimmick by Sega to compete with Nintendo's Mario.
• 🦊 Longclaw, introduced in the Sonic movie, is not part of the original Sonic mythos and was a creation for the film.
• 💡 Sonic was designed to capitalize on the 'edge' of the 90s and to be as iconic as Mickey Mouse, with a focus on speed as a key selling point.
• 📈 Sega leveraged the 'blast processing' marketing term to differentiate their Genesis console from Nintendo's SNES, despite the SNES outperforming in most other areas.
• 📺 Sonic's character was licensed widely, leading to various TV series with different tones and interpretations, which resulted in a lack of a unified Sonic identity.
• 👾 The Sonic franchise has struggled to maintain relevance, often chasing trends and failing to create a lasting impact like Mario has managed to do.
• 🧩 Sonic's supporting cast, introduced in games like Sonic Adventure, has not been as memorable or well-received as other gaming mascots.
• 🕹️ The Sonic games often penalize speed, which contradicts the character's marketed identity, leading to a disjointed gameplay experience.
• 📉 Sonic's attempts to innovate, such as Sonic Boom, have often been based on flawed market research and have not resonated with fans.
• 🔄 Sonic's constant evolution and lack of a core identity have made him feel dated and irrelevant, in contrast to enduring icons like Mario.
• 🌐 Despite his struggles, Sonic has a niche following, including furries and gamers, and has become a part of internet culture.

Q & A

What was the viewer's initial reaction to the Sonic the Hedgehog movie's portrayal of Sonic's origin?

The viewer was confused and concerned about the changes to Sonic's origin story, particularly the introduction of Longclaw as Sonic's mentor, which deviated from the traditional Sonic canon.

What realization did the viewer come to regarding Sonic's origin story?

The viewer realized that Sonic doesn't have a well-defined origin story and that the character's background is essentially hollow and lacks depth.

How did the viewer describe Sonic's character in terms of his purpose and soul?

The viewer described Sonic as a character with no soul and no purpose, comparing him to an endless black void.

What was Sonic originally designed to be, according to the script?

Sonic was originally designed as a marketing gimmick to replace Sega's first failed mascot, Alex the Kid, and to be an iconic character that could give Sega an edge against Nintendo.

What was the 'blast processing' campaign mentioned in the script, and how did it relate to Sonic?

The 'blast processing' campaign was a marketing buzzword used by Sega to differentiate their Genesis console from Nintendo's SNES, emphasizing the Genesis's higher CPU speed. Sonic was used as the mascot to promote this advantage.

What was the outcome of Sega's marketing strategy involving Sonic during the 1991 holiday season?

The bundling of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game with the Genesis console led to its popularity skyrocketing, outselling the SNES by a factor of 2 to 1 during October to December of 1991.

How did the script describe the difference between Sonic and Mario in terms of enduring popularity?

While Mario has endured because Nintendo has been careful with his use and kept him event-driven, Sonic has tried everything to stay relevant but suffers from a lack of a unified identity and quality control.

What was the script's view on the various adaptations of Sonic in different media?

The script viewed the various adaptations of Sonic, including TV series and toys, as contributing to an identity crisis due to the lack of quality control and a unified canon.

What did the script suggest about the reason for Sonic's inability to maintain relevance?

The script suggested that Sonic's inability to maintain relevance stems from his constant chasing of trends and his lack of a core identity, making him feel dated and irrelevant.

What was the viewer's opinion on the 3D era of Sonic games and the Sonic Adventure series?

The viewer felt that the 3D era of Sonic games, particularly the Sonic Adventure series, tried to create an anime epic but ended up being a mix of late 90s edginess and poor storytelling, aging poorly.

How did the script conclude about Sonic's enduring presence despite his flaws?

The script concluded that despite being a gimmick without a real core identity, Sonic endures, attracting a niche audience and becoming a part of internet culture, similar to how Shrek has become a deranged mascot of cringe culture.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Sonic's Identity Crisis

The script discusses the confusion surrounding Sonic the Hedgehog's origin story, particularly the introduction of Longclaw in the movie, which deviates from the traditional narrative. It questions the lack of a solid background for Sonic, a character that has been around for nearly thirty years, and compares this to other iconic characters like Mario. The author reflects on Sonic's creation as a marketing gimmick to compete with Nintendo, highlighting Sega's focus on speed and the 'blast processing' marketing campaign. The paragraph also touches on the various TV series and merchandise that contributed to Sonic's identity crisis due to the lack of quality control.

05:01

🏃‍♂️ The Relentless Pursuit of Relevance

This paragraph delves into Sonic's struggle to remain relevant in the gaming industry. It contrasts Sonic's ever-changing character with Mario's enduring image, which has been carefully managed by Nintendo. The script points out that Sonic's character has been adapted into various media forms, from cartoons to comics, but lacks a unified canon. It criticizes the character's attempts to chase trends, resulting in a lack of a distinct identity. The paragraph also discusses the 3D era of Sonic games, which tried to create an epic narrative but often failed to resonate with fans, and how Sonic's constant evolution has led to a series of forgettable characters and games.

10:02

🔄 The Enduring Enigma of Sonic

The final paragraph reflects on Sonic's enduring presence despite his identity issues. It likens Sonic to Shrek, another character that was created as a counterculture icon but has aged poorly. The script suggests that Sonic's gimmick-based origin and his constant need to be trendy have prevented him from developing a core identity. Despite this, Sonic continues to have a following, particularly among niche groups like furries. The author ends with a personal note of gratitude to their patrons and an invitation to join their live stream podcast for entertainment during quarantine.

Keywords

💡Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game character created by Sega. The character is known for his speed and has become an icon in the gaming industry. In the video, Sonic represents the theme of a character that has been adapted and reimagined across various media but struggles to maintain a consistent identity. The script discusses Sonic's origin story and how it has been altered in different adaptations, including the movie where he is mentored by Longclaw, which deviates from the 'sonic cannon'.

💡Longclaw

Longclaw is a character introduced in the Sonic the Hedgehog movie as Sonic's mentor. This character was not part of the original games and represents a departure from the established Sonic lore. The mention of Longclaw in the script highlights the changes made to Sonic's origin story and the confusion it caused among fans who were attached to the original narrative.

💡Sonic cannon

The term 'sonic cannon' refers to the established and accepted storyline and characteristics of the Sonic the Hedgehog character. The script uses this term to express the idea that the movie's deviation from this cannon was controversial and upset fans who expected a certain level of fidelity to the original games and previous adaptations.

💡Origin story

An origin story is the narrative of a character's background, explaining their roots and how they came to be. In the context of the video, the discussion around Sonic's origin story addresses the lack of a definitive backstory for the character and how this openness has led to multiple, sometimes conflicting, interpretations in various media.

💡Marketing gimmick

A marketing gimmick refers to a promotional strategy intended to attract attention and increase sales. The script describes Sonic as being created as a marketing gimmick by Sega to compete with Nintendo. This keyword is crucial as it sets the stage for understanding Sonic's creation and the commercial motivations behind his design.

💡Blast processing

Blast processing was a marketing term used by Sega to promote the Genesis gaming console as faster than its competitors. The script mentions blast processing to illustrate how Sega differentiated its product in the market and how this concept was tied to the character of Sonic, who was designed to embody speed.

💡Mascot

A mascot is a character or symbol adopted by an organization to represent its identity. In the video, Sonic is discussed as Sega's mascot during the era when gaming consoles were expected to have mascot characters. The script contrasts Sonic's role as a mascot with that of Mario from Nintendo, highlighting the different approaches to character development and branding.

💡Live service games

Live service games are video games that receive continuous updates and support after their initial release, often including additional content like DLCs or loot boxes. The script mentions this concept to contrast the current gaming landscape with the era when mascot characters like Sonic were more prevalent.

💡Sonic Adventure

Sonic Adventure is a video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series released for the Sega Dreamcast. The script uses Sonic Adventure as an example of Sega's attempt to create a more complex narrative for Sonic, which included introducing many new characters and an 'anime epic' style. However, it is also pointed out that these additions did not age well and contributed to Sonic's identity crisis.

💡Sonic Boom

Sonic Boom refers to both a game series and a TV show that were attempts to reinvent Sonic for a new audience. The script discusses how Sonic Boom was based on focus group feedback that suggested the games were too fast, leading to a series that ultimately failed to resonate with fans and is seen as a symbol of Sonic's struggle to stay relevant.

💡Cringy

Cringy is a slang term used to describe something that is awkward or embarrassing. In the script, the term is applied to Sonic's attempts to be edgy or relevant, which often come across as outdated or out of touch. The video argues that Sonic's efforts to chase trends make him 'cringy' and that enduring icons like Mario do not chase trends but create them.

Highlights

The origin story of Sonic the Hedgehog was changed in the movie, introducing a mentor named Longclaw.

Sonic's true origin story is questioned, as he has no defined background or origin story in the games.

Sonic was designed as a marketing gimmick to replace Sega's first mascot, Alex the Kid.

Sega's strategy was to create a character as iconic as Mickey Mouse to compete against Nintendo.

Sonic was created to capitalize on the 'edgy 90s kid' persona, in contrast to Nintendo's more wholesome image.

Sega's marketing focused on the Genesis' faster CPU speed, coining the term 'blast processing'.

Sonic's character was licensed widely, leading to a lack of quality control and an identity crisis.

Sonic's various TV series had different tones, from comedic to dark and grimy.

Sonic's character has been compared to Poochie the Dog, an infamous parody character from The Simpsons.

Sonic games are criticized for having slow sections that go against the fast-paced gameplay they advertise.

The 3D era of Sonic games attempted to create an epic narrative but was filled with forgettable characters.

Sonic has tried to be relevant by chasing trends, but this has led to a lack of enduring identity.

Sonic's character is seen as always trying to be cool and relevant, which paradoxically dates him quickly.

The video compares Sonic to Shrek, both aging poorly as counterculture icons.

Sonic's enduring presence is attributed to a niche but dedicated fanbase, including furries and weeb culture.

The video suggests that enduring game franchises are built by passionate creators, not by committee or focus testing.

The video ends with a call to join the creator's live stream podcast for more entertainment during quarantine.

Transcripts

so I was watching the Sonic the Hedgehog

movie and during the beginning I was

confused as they told a new version of

his origin story how he was apparently

mentored by an owl named Longclaw

I was deeply confused who the hell is

Longclaw how dare Sony Pictures messed

with the legendary fabled sonic cannon

and twist the sonic mythos for their own

selfish gains because we all know that

Sonic's true origin story is then it hit

me what was Sonic's origin story did he

even have one some kind of background

what was the true essence of Sonic as a

character that's existed for nearly

thirty years was i overthinking things

shouldn't a character that's been in the

gaming and pop cultural consciousness

have some kind of defined background or

origin story but he really doesn't

there's just nothing there it's all

Hollow and as I stared into the blank

prickly solved the blue hedgehog with

his two eyes that are actually one there

was nothing staring back she's did an

endless black void of nothing this

creature has no soul no purpose and it

began to dawn on me on how truly

terrifying

Sonic the Hedgehog really is

[Music]

sonic is a bit of an interesting beast

as far as the world of gaming is

concerned of course many remember the

playground rivalries of the Sega versus

Nintendo with their respective mascot

characters but that was a different time

when gaming consoles were still expected

to have mascots an era that has been

effectively dead and buried in our new

current era of live service games loot

boxes and DLC but the thing is Mario

still stands he manages to endure

because Nintendo has largely been much

more careful in how he's used when

there's a new mainline Mario platforming

game it's an event while Sonic has tried

everything to stay relevant but that

comes back to the core of his creation

Sonic was never a character who's built

around gameplay function like Mario he

was always designed as a marketing

gimmick created under the auspices of

replacing Sega's first failed mascot

Alex the Kid sonic was commissioned to

be developed in-house to create a

character as iconic as Mickey Mouse

something that would help give them the

edge against Nintendo Sega specialized

to be the edgy 90s kid to the more stuff

being straight-laced Nintendo they were

gonna be the Burger King kids club kid

vid to McDonald's Ronald and they pushed

this marketing gimmick of speed given

through the Genesis have a seven point

six seven Hertz CPU speed compared to

the SNES is two point six eight Hertz

although if you look at all the specs

the SNES easily outpaced as the Genesis

and just about every other category but

this one tiny edge was enough for Sega

to latch on but the made-up buzzword of

blast proccesing as a way to

differentiate themselves from Nintendo

you would see the many infamous

commercials from that era Sega Genesis

has blast processing Super Nintendo

doesn't

sowhat's blast proccesing do

[Music]

and what if you don't have blast

proccesing

this out brand new 16-bit Super Nintendo

is super Mario what's this one oh this

is a Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega

Genesis we kid that game Sonic and

Genesis jokes president of hag it's bad

enough that Sega Genesis has the most

16-bit games but this new Sonic the

Hedgehog oh here really

bye guys they say he's incredibly fast

well what's the hurry mister yeah why

can't it be more like that nice boy

Mario

well brand-new sega does what

nintendon't right and for a time at work

the bundling of the original Sonic the

Hedgehog game caused the consoles

popularity to skyrocket October to

December of 1991 the Genesis outsold the

SNES by a factor of 2 to 1 for a brief

period of time at its peak Sega

controlled 65% of the console market

Sonic inspired a legion of imitators in

the animals with attitude mascot

sub-genre with bubsy the cat arrow the

Acrobat James pond earthworm jim zero

the Kamikaze squirrel radical rex gex

and crash bandicoot and unlike nintendo

who learned a very harsh lesson after

the infamous super mario film and kept

the rights to their creations under a

very tight lock and key Sega didn't care

they wanted Sonic to be everywhere so

anyone and everyone could get the rights

to the sonic license so they had several

animated Sonic TV series of various

tones from the original more comically

focused Looney Tunes esque sonic cartoon

into the dark and grimy but fondly

remembered SatAM sonic where he became

the leader of a group of teenage freedom

fighters and then there was of course

the Sonic Underground TV show where he

battled robot to the power of radical

musical numbers along with two siblings

who no one talks about anymore

[Music]

not to mention all the toys comics ice

cream pops Sonic was completely

inescapable but it was this lack of

quality control that ultimately caused a

huge identity crisis the disparate fan

base scattered throughout so many

different versions of the characters

there any kind of unified real cannon

what is the real Sonic is it the video

game version that doesn't talk

is it the chili dog munching Jaleel

White cartoon that warns kids not to

smoke also teaching them about

non-traditional family relationships

yeah my mom you're my dad and here my

picket fence whoa you're not gonna use

the l word are you well then I will

because it's a great word I love you

little bro there's not much of a cannon

to Mario but every main element of him

is always derived from the core series

of games

well Yoshi the dinosaur the flood pack

or even most recently camping the cap

each of those elements always serves as

some sort of core gameplay functions but

then finds itself in other mediums the

characters featured in and it's a strict

quality control that means you can walk

out in public with a Mario t-shirt and

not feel horribly humiliated

he's like Mickey Mouse and then he's an

indelible icon accepted by the

mainstream and appropriate for all ages

but Sonic is like an eternal Poochie the

dog the infamous parody character

featured on The Simpsons to help boost

the ratings of the Itchy and Scratchy

show ok how many of the kids would like

Sonic the Hedgehog to deal with

real-life problems like the ones you

face every day we're gonna get there and

who would like to see Sonic the Hedgehog

them do just the opposite getting into

far-out situations involving robots and

magic powers

so you want a realistic down-to-earth

show that's completely off the wall and

swarming with magic robots watching

these a relic that's always trying to

fit in with the now to be relevant to

the generation of today but because

these are characters always following

trends of gaming or trends of pop

culture he doesn't have any sort of

identity of his own you can find Sonic

the Hedgehog everywhere but he is

nothing just an empty hollows hole of a

character design and even in the early

Sonic games you can see that as well

these are characters designed to go as

fast as possible but in the Sonic games

you're always meeting obstacles and

hazards that constantly get in the way

of the action and literally penalizing

you for going fast and doing what the

game's advertised at view hell most of

the original Sonic games feature very

slow lengthly sections that move at a

snail's pace I think nothing is more

emblematic of this than the 3d era of

Sonic the Hedgehog that tried to go big

in terms of creating some kind of anime

epic with the sonic mythos and

introducing more characters than ever

before especially in the Sonic Adventure

series but honestly does anyone like or

remember any of the Sonic's supporting

cast any fans of Amy Rose or Biggs the

cat or e1 o to gamma or how about jet

the Hawks or the Babylon Rhodes I could

go on forever talking about the extended

number of characters from the various

sonic cannons but none of them stick

they all look like animals with

attitudes that are trying far too hard

to be cool the fact that there was no

mainland Sonic game for the 32 or 64-bit

generation while Sega continued to

flounder into the final Dreamcast era

with Sonic Adventure which was just a

smorgasbord of trihard late 90s edge

combined with anime style storytelling

and throwing everything at the wall to

see what sticks but even going super

saiyan to the 90s power ballad of live

and learn wasn't enough and Sonic

Adventure has aged much more poorly than

mario 64 even mario sunshine but the

lesson was never learned Sonic would

continue to chase trends ooh

Sonic's not edgy enough how about Shadow

the Hedgehog you know he means business

because he's got guns

there's absolutely nothing sonic does in

the present that will not become

something cringy two years after the

fact he's an eternal Poochie like the

famous Steve Buscemi clip from 30 rock

how do you do fellow kids what's always

trying to be relevant cool with the kids

of today but failing miserably because

truly enduring icons don't chase trends

they make them that's why Mario honestly

was celebrated but each new sonic

releases largely received groans or been

ignored by the larger gaming populace

and Sonic has tried everything to be

relevant he's become a knight a werehog

he's gone to the Arabian Nights been in

a Bioware RPG a fighting game eraser

he's even tried to wear a hipster scarf

but even that didn't work look for

anything about sonic boom games they

were designed to be a rebirth for Sonic

but they too were based on focused

testing research about how people said

they thought sonic games were too fast

and the patient be slowed down yes an

entire failed game series and TV show

are created from the fact that focus

groups didn't like the only thing that

defines Sonic you kids don't know what

you want that's why you're still kids

cuz you stupid Sonic has tried anything

and everything but nothing ever seems to

really stick because nobody even knows

what they want out of a good sonic

anything I was so surprised about the

initial backlash against the movie sure

the design was bad but was anyone really

that invested in anything that sonic

does anymore to feel like their

childhoods have been ruined that's where

you get into the true horror of Sonic

the fact that he's always racing forward

always running in a loop

speeding head but ultimately getting

nowhere because he's always running

towards the next thing which means he

can never stay in place or stand firm

like mario has managed to for the past

few decades and remain relevant he will

always be a Pucci trying to remain cool

hip in the now but because he's always

trying to be cool and relevant he will

always be instantly dated and irrelevant

and ultimately forgotten you could say

that about gaming as a whole most of the

best gaming franchises have endured a

groan aren't the ones made by committee

or forged through focus testing their

franchises that were created by

passionate people building characters

and worlds to suit their gameplay

mechanics it's why there's practically

no more licensed games in the triple-a

development space because gaming has

grown into more than just a toy or a

gimmick that's the core problem with

Sonic he was built from the ground up is

nothing more than a gimmick and because

of that he is no real core identity but

despite that he endures there's

something about him

always manages to attract a weird

cross-section of furries and weaves and

just sticks into the internet like a

malignant tumor that will never

disappear in many respects he's kind of

like Shrek which was made as the sort of

anti Disney edgy CGI cartoon but because

it was supposed to be the counterculture

anti Disney programming it's aged

terribly but because it's aged terribly

shrek has become a deranged mascot of

cringe culture much like how sonic will

never seem to go away just like hey you

can type in whatever your name is and

add the hedgehog and see what kind of

weird OC character comes up what if I

type in lobster the Hedgehog if I'll

find anything god damn it thanks so much

for watching this video

super appreciated hope this keeps you

entertained over the very very long

quarantine and I everyone's gonna be

stuck in for a little while so

appreciate it hope you enjoyed this

little look at a good old Sonic the

Hedgehog I'd love to give a special

thank you towards my wonderful patrons

aaron tony the hedgehog carla hoffman

the hedgehog joseph multi the hedgehog

and walking the steps the hedgehog thank

you for being my patrons especially now

with the disastrous it that we're

probably all gonna have to endure with

the economy so thank you so much this is

the part where i try and pitch you on

joining them to become a part of the

lobster pot but at this point I'm just

happy for the people who are still

sticking with me given the uncertain

hardships that are coming up in the

not-too-distant future so thank you so

much for supporting my content and

keeping the dream alive and if any of

you are interested because we have also

much spare time now I've started doing a

live stream podcast called the rambling

ranting review hour of my buddies

whenever I dragged them in to talk about

stuff that we're watching so come on in

say hello during a live stream and I'll

also be posting seemed archived episodes

up on my second channel so if you want

to catch a broadcast that you missed you

can go on over there I'll include a link

to that at the end of this video so come

on over there and kill some time to try

and prevent yourself from going

stir-crazy because at this point you

need as many voices as you can to

simulate social Khan

while your social distancing so hope to

see you over there and let me know in

the comments below I'm gonna ask a few

informal questions in the community tab

of this channel about when the best time

to try and run these live streams are

because it's definitely something I'm

kind of new to and I want to keep on

experimenting with and getting better so

let me know what time is generally the

best to try and run these things and

when would be best for you since we've

all got a lot of spare time let's try

and kill that time together as we keep

ourselves isolated from the rest of

public society and also keep ourselves

safe so thank you for watching this

video and remember lobsters antennas but

don't you grab it

[Music]