Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog | |
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Directed by |
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Voices of |
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Theme music composer | Clark Gassman |
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Country of origin |
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Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
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Executive producers |
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Producer | Kent Butterworth |
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Running time | 22 minutes |
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Release | September 6 – December 3, 1993 |
Release | November 24, 1996(Special) |
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Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is an animated series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, produced by Sega of America, [1] DIC Animation City, Bohbot Entertainment and the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A. in association with Spanish network Telecinco. Airing during the fall of 1993, 65 episodes were produced. It was syndicated by Bohbot Entertainment in the United States.
A spin-off video game, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine , was developed, featuring several original characters from the series. Furthermore, other elements, such as Sonic's fondness for chili dogs, would be featured in later video games and media of the franchise. Additionally, on November 24, 1996, USA Network aired Sonic Christmas Blast, a Christmas special which was produced to promote Sonic 3D Blast (originally meant for the ultimately cancelled Sonic X-treme ).
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is a comical, light-hearted and gag-driven adventure series based on the titular character Sonic the Hedgehog, an arrogant and mischievous yet kind-hearted teenage hedgehog with the power to move at supersonic speeds. Sonic, along with his idolizing young friend Tails, regularly oppose the main antagonist Dr. Robotnik, his robot henchmen Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts, and thwart their plans to conquer their home planet of Mobius. [2]
The series features a short PSA segment titled "Sonic Says" at the end of each episode excluding "Sonic Christmas Blast"; these segments were written by Phil Harnage. [3]
No. | Title | Sonic Says segment | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [ citation needed ] |
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0 | "Pilot" | Looking before you cross the street | Kent Butterworth | August 20, 1992 (initial test screening) March 4, 2009 [7] (online) | 238-100 |
This is the pilot that was used to sell the show. Note: While Sonic is voiced by Jaleel White, the voices of Dr. Robotnik and Scratch are provided by Jim Cummings, the voice of Tails is provided by Russi Taylor, and Gary Owens plays the narrator. One of the scenes from the pilot was later reused for the ending credits of the show. Additionally in the episode "Untouchable Sonic", Scratch and Grounder can be seen watching clips from the pilot on TV. |
No. | Title | Sonic Says segment | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [8] [9] [10] |
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1 | "Best Hedgehog" | Reading | Martha Moran | September 6, 1993 | 238-113 |
Sonic and Tails rescue Lucas, Robotnik's first prisoner, and attempt to reunite him with his girlfriend, Lucinda. However, Robotnik is also in love with Lucinda and pursues Lucas. | |||||
2 | "Tails' New Home" | Running away | Bruce Shelly and Reed Shelly | September 7, 1993 | 238-116 |
When Sonic decides to find Tails a suitable foster home to ensure his safety, Robotnik finds out and has two of his Badniks pose as Tails' long-lost parents. Note: For unknown reasons, the background music in this episode is lower pitched compared to other episodes in the series. | |||||
3 | "Birth of a Salesman" | False advertising | Bruce Shelly, Reed Shelly, and Steven J. Fisher | September 8, 1993 | 238-112 |
An energetic salesman named Wes Weasley sells Robotnik numerous gadgets to help Scratch and Grounder capture Sonic. However, Robotnik later comes to regret it when Weasley's gadgets keep backfiring. | |||||
4 | "Submerged Sonic" | Shallow water | Bob Forward | September 9, 1993 | 238-126 |
Robotnik attacks the city of Submerbia in the Labyrinth Zone with the intent of obtaining its fabled Power Pearls. Sonic and Tails are enlisted by a local citizen to thwart his plans. | |||||
5 | "Pseudo Sonic" | Poison ivy | Cliff MacGillivray | September 10, 1993 | 238-122 |
Plotting to tarnish Sonic's reputation, Robotnik creates a robotic Sonic suit that he forces his unwilling laboratory rat to operate. | |||||
6 | "Over the Hill Hero" | Wisdom of elders | Francis Moss | September 13, 1993 | 238-117 |
When the overweight and elderly superhero, Captain Rescue, bungles in his attempts to help Sonic, he grows tired of his incompetence. Robotnik then uses Captain Rescue to successfully imprison Sonic in an impenetrable force field and he and Tails must save him. | |||||
7 | "Robolympics" | Being active | Jeffrey Scott | September 14, 1993 | 238-146 |
An asteroid is heading for Turtle Town and Robotnik offers to save it, but only if Sonic agrees to play in the Robolympics against him and his robots. | |||||
8 | "Lovesick Sonic" | Sexual harassment | Bruce Shelly and Reed Shelly | September 15, 1993 | 238-103 |
When Sonic saves a female hedgehog named Breezie, he falls in love. Sonic does not know that Breezie is a robot that Dr. Robotnik created to keep Sonic occupied while he floods a village near his fortress. | |||||
9 | "Subterranean Sonic" | Sharing | Robert Askin | September 16, 1993 | 238-102 |
Sonic and Tails escape underground from Scratch and Grounder, but they are held captive there by a miserly mole named Spelunk. | |||||
10 | "Grounder the Genius" | Using your brain | Doug Molitor | September 17, 1993 | 238-123 |
Grounder accidentally puts a "genius chip" in his head and it makes him so intelligent that he easily captures Sonic and even takes over Robotnik's operations. | |||||
11 | "High Stakes Sonic" | Dares | Robert Askin | September 20, 1993 | 238-105 |
Sonic and Tails infiltrate Robotnik's new Casino Night Zone to stop him and his henchmen from scamming a group of sheep into becoming Robotnik's slaves. | |||||
12 | "Blank-Headed Eagle" | Seat belt safety | Dennis O'Flaherty | September 21, 1993 | 238-118 |
Scratch suffers a blow to the head and believes that he is his television idol, Edgar Eagle. Sonic uses this as an advantage to foil another one of Robotnik's schemes. | |||||
13 | "Boogey-Mania" "Dream On [8] " | Sleep | Rowby Goren | September 22, 1993 | 238-127 |
Robotnik reconfigures a machine created by Professor Von Schlemmer capable of bringing figments of dreams into reality and unleashes a dream monster upon Mobius. | |||||
14 | "Big Daddy" "King Coconuts [10] " | Telling parents where you are going | Jess Borgeson | September 23, 1993 | 238-110 |
After being exiled by Robotnik, Coconuts finds a lost baby gorilla who thinks he is his father. Coconuts attempts to use the gorilla to stop Sonic. The baby gorilla's father is under the control of Robotnik and Sonic has to save him. Note: Pierre De Celles, an animation director, described "Big Daddy" as an episode he felt "really proud of," though he described the editing as "poor." He described the animation process as taking "4 times longer than usual" since the animator of the episode was a deaf-mute; He described his translator as "just great." [11] | |||||
15 | "The Robotnik Express" | Strangers | Doug Booth | September 24, 1993 | 238-114 |
En route to stop a runaway train from arriving at Robotnik's ammunition facility, Sonic and Tails must deal with a duo of bears named Big Griz and Mad Mike after they mistake Scratch and Grounder for them. | |||||
16 | "Momma Robotnik's Birthday" | Trees | Francis Moss | September 27, 1993 | 238-109 |
Robotnik's obnoxious and abusive mother visits her son on her birthday and expects a present. After he fails to destroy a nearby forest as a present, however, she decides to capture Sonic as her own gift. | |||||
17 | "Slowwww Going" | How to get out of quicksand | Eleanor Burian-Mohr and Jack Hanrahan | September 28, 1993 | 238-104 |
Sonic must save a family of sloths from Robotnik's slow-motion ray, but when he himself is affected by the device, Tails and the sloths must take action. | |||||
18 | "So Long Sucker" | Pets | Cydne Clark and Steve Granat | September 29, 1993 | 238-120 |
Tails adopts a squishy creature from another dimension named Goobster, who turns out to be a black hole. | |||||
19 | "Robotnik's Rival" | Cheating | Gordon Bressack | September 30, 1993 | 238-136 |
Robotnik and a rival named Doctor Brandon Quark try to cooperate in capturing Sonic. However, Sonic tricks them into becoming enemies, and they eventually try to outdo each other. | |||||
20 | "Trail of the Missing Tails" | Remembering your phone number | Bob Forward | October 1, 1993 | 238-107 |
Robotnik's insane cousin, Doctor Warpnik, captures Tails and lures Sonic into the Warp of Confusion in order to enact revenge on Robotnik for banishing him there. | |||||
21 | "Momma Robotnik Returns" "Mama Robotnik's Return [10] " | Obeying laws and going to court | Francis Moss | October 4, 1993 | 238-132 |
Momma Robotnik visits her son, and after he fails once again, she disowns him and decides to adopt Sonic as her own son in order to capture him. In a turn of events, Sonic ends up living the life of Cinderella. | |||||
22 | "Too Tall Tails" | Healthy diets | Rowby Goren | October 5, 1993 | 238-115 |
After defeating Coconuts, Sonic and Tails visit Wienerville, the "weenie capital of Mobius". Robotnik attempts to use Professor Von Schlemmer's size enhancement machine for his next scheme. However, the machine backfires and instead enlarges Tails. Unable to control his appetite, Tails now begins to cause chaos for Wienerville. Sonic must return Tails to his former size as Robotnik tricks the citizens into thinking that Sonic is responsible for it, while he is planning to save the town. | |||||
23 | "Super Special Sonic Search & Smash Squad" | Emergency calling | Bruce Shelly and Reed Shelly | October 6, 1993 | 238-101 |
When Sonic and Tails are captured by Scratch and Grounder, Sonic creates a diversion by telling the duo the story of their creation. | |||||
24 | "Magnificent Sonic" | Gun safety | Jeffrey Scott | October 7, 1993 | 238-147 |
Sonic becomes the sheriff of Tranquil Gulch, in hopes of keeping Robotnik's cronies from harassing the locals. | |||||
25 | "Zoobotnik" | Wildlife | Rowby Goren | October 8, 1993 | 238-140 |
An intergalactic huntress visits Mobius, capturing various citizens and falling in love with Robotnik. | |||||
26 | "Tails in Charge" | Home safety | Martha Moran | October 11, 1993 | 238-124 |
When Scratch and Grounder use Robotnik's latest invention to turn Sonic to stone, Tails attempts to foil the duo to ensure Sonic's safety. | |||||
27 | "Musta Been a Beautiful Baby" | Tumble dryers | Gordon Bressack | October 12, 1993 | 238-128 |
Robotnik's attempt to cause Sonic to age rapidly with his newest device backfires, turning him and Tails, and later himself, into toddlers. Now stuck in a daycare, the infantile Sonic and Tails must try to keep Robotnik under control, while Scratch and Grounder attempt to get him back. | |||||
28 | "Sonic the Matchmaker" | Playground safety | Robert Askin | October 13, 1993 | 238-138 |
Robotnik pursues Breezie and Robotnik Jr. in order to find out why they betrayed him with the intent of building a perpetually loyal robot wife. In a subplot, Junior falls in love with Breezie and enlists Sonic's help in winning her affection. | |||||
29 | "Attack on Pinball Fortress" | Stupidity | Bob Forward | October 14, 1993 | 238-141 |
Robotnik has unleashed his Stupidity Ray on Mobius, knowing that those affected by it will be too unintelligent to stop him. As Sonic and Tails make their way to Robotnik's new lair, the Pinball Fortress, they find themselves competing with Wes Weasley and Sergeant Doberman, both of whom want to capture the device for their own purposes. | |||||
30 | "The Last Resort" | Walking alone | Gordon Bressack | October 15, 1993 | 238-135 |
Robotnik seemingly announces his surrender to Sonic and he invites him to a resort in his gratitude. Unbeknownst to Sonic, the resort is just another trap created by Robotnik. | |||||
31 | "Coachnik" "The Coachnik [10] " | Warming up | Doug Molitor | October 18, 1993 | 238-143 |
Robotnik constructs a pushy robot coach in an attempt to increase Scratch and Grounder's fitness. This leaves Robotnik time to create a football-like bomb in order to defeat Sonic by secretly placing it in Grounder's head. | |||||
32 | "Sonic Gets Thrashed" | Pollution and non-recyclable packaging | Cydne Clark and Steve Granat | October 19, 1993 | 238-121 |
When Robotnik opens up a resort to make resident Mobians his slaves, Sonic enlists the help of some robots from an area of Mobius called Scrap Valley. | |||||
33 | "Close Encounter of the Sonic Kind" | Sunburns | Douglas Zip Purgason | October 20, 1993 | 238-108 |
Sonic and Tails help an alien prince fix his space shuttle so he can return to his home planet for his coronation - before his younger brother is crowned in his place and has Mobius destroyed. | |||||
34 | "Tails Prevails" | Using your imagination | Bob Forward | October 21, 1993 | 238-139 |
On Sonic's birthday, Tails builds a flying bicycle. Realizing Tails' potential with mechanics, Professor Von Schlemmer invites Tails to be his research assistant, but then Robotnik captures and impersonates him to get Tails to build his latest anti-Sonic weapon. | |||||
35 | "Robotnik, Jr." | Peer pressure | Robert Askin | October 22, 1993 | 238-129 |
Robotnik constructs a robot son in order to help him with his conquest of Mobius. Robotnik Jr., however, is inspired by Sonic and helps him thwart his latest plan. | |||||
36 | "The Magic Hassle" | Money | Douglas Zip Purgason | October 25, 1993 | 238-137 |
Coconuts acquires a magic wand and magical gadgets from Wes Weasley (after agreeing to forward all payments to Robotnik) and attempts to master them. Meanwhile, Robotnik tries to reshape the Mobius Mint's Sonic-themed banknotes in his image. | |||||
37 | "Black Bot the Pirate" | Caution with sharp objects | Jeffrey Scott | October 26, 1993 | 238-148 |
Robotnik goes time-traveling to find the four Chaos Emeralds that bestow the user unlimited power. His first stop is the time of Blackbeard the Pirate, where he enlists the pirate's help to find the first emerald. However, with help from a local scientist, Sonic and Tails go after him, and thwart his attempts to obtain the emerald. | |||||
38 | "Hedgehog of the 'Hound' Table" | Swimming alone | Jeffrey Scott | October 27, 1993 | 238-149 |
Robotnik's next stop in his search for the Chaos Emeralds is the Middle Ages, where the second emerald is. Sonic follows him, but Robotnik, with the unwilling help of a local wizard, obtains the emerald and rises to power. | |||||
39 | "Robotnik's Pyramid Scheme" | Skateboard safety | Jeffrey Scott | October 28, 1993 | 238-150 |
In his next time-travel stop, Robotnik plans on erasing Sonic's family tree while he attempts to get the third emerald in Ancient Mobigypt. Sonic manages to prevent Robotnik from interfering with his ancestors' meeting and then races to the crypt of Robotnik's ancestor Robotnikhotep, where the emerald is kept. | |||||
40 | "Prehistoric Sonic" | Electrical appliance safety | Jeffrey Scott | October 29, 1993 | 238-151 |
Despite the intervention of Sonic and Tails, Robotnik obtains the fourth and final emerald in prehistory. With the emeralds gathered together, Robotnik uses them to become an all-powerful being. | |||||
41 | "Untouchable Sonic" | Gangs | Dennis O'Flaherty | November 1, 1993 | 238-144 |
Sonic comes to the rescue of a town that is held for ransom by Robotnik's crime syndicate. | |||||
42 | "Sonic Breakout" | Graffiti | Douglas Zip Purgason | November 2, 1993 | 238-106 |
Robotnik imprisons a satirical cartoonist for making fun of him in his comic book, much to the chagrin of his biggest fan Sonic, who purposely allows his own capture as well, but does not expect to be placed in a maximum-security jail cell. Robotnik angrily sends Sonic in the cell for interfering with his plans once again. | |||||
43 | "Sonically Ever After" | Library | Gordon Bressack | November 3, 1993 | 238-165 |
Scratch and Grounder use Robotnik's latest invention to transport him, Sonic and Tails into a book of fairy tales. When some of the fairy tales come to life under Robotnik's control, Sonic and Tails have to try to give them happy endings to stop Robotnik. | |||||
44 | "The Mystery of the Missing Hi-tops" | Stealing | Ed Ferrara and Kevin Murphy | November 4, 1993 | 238-119 |
During a fair in his honor, Sonic's shoes are stolen and he and Tails use detective intellect to find the perpetrator. | |||||
45 | "Super Robotnik" | Chemicals | Rowby Goren | November 5, 1993 | 238-145 |
A chemical accident caused by Coconuts ends up giving superpowers to Robotnik, who quickly uses them to threaten Mobius's world leaders and publicly humiliate Sonic. However, Robotnik is not completely invincible, and Sonic must find a way to exploit the weak spot in Robotnik's newfound powers in an Olympics-style gladiator match. | |||||
46 | "Mass Transit Trouble" | Bicycle safety | Ed Ferrera and Kevin Murphy | November 8, 1993 | 238-142 |
Robotnik threatens to demolish an airport, a lighthouse, and a train station. Sonic is forced to travel to all three places in order to remove the bombs. Note: This episode ran for approximately a year and a half before the Oklahoma City bombing forced the episode's withdrawal from circulation. Later, as the incident died down, Toon Disney picked the episode up again, only to have it removed from circulation after about three years of airtime due to the September 11th attacks.[ citation needed ] | |||||
47 | "Spaceman Sonic" | Common colds | Bruce Shelly and Reed Shelly | November 9, 1993 | 238-133 |
Robotnik sends Scratch and Grounder into space to pillage an asteroid belt, with Sonic and Tails in pursuit. When the spaceship runs out of power, they are stranded at an abandoned space station, pursued by a residing alien. | |||||
48 | "MacHopper" | Currents and riptides | Doug Booth | November 10, 1993 | 238-131 |
Robotnik attempts to brainwash MacHopper, a friend of Sonic's, into doing his dirty deeds, but an explosion causes his memory to become unstable. | |||||
49 | "Baby-Sitter Jitters" | Babysitting | Jeffrey Scott | November 11, 1993 | 238-152 |
Sonic and Tails babysit a trio of unruly baby beavers who end up being abducted by Scratch and Grounder. Robotnik uses the beavers as bait to capture Sonic and Tails, but the beavers become resourceful and help their friends thwart Robotnik. | |||||
50 | "Full Tilt Tails" | Smoking | Robert Askin | November 12, 1993 | 238-130 |
Robotnik makes chewing gum that makes the consumer as fast as Sonic. However, the gum ends up in Tails' possession. | |||||
51 | "Lifestyles of the Sick and Twisted" | Vandalism | Kevin O'Donnell | November 15, 1993 | 238-162 |
When Throbbin Screech features Sonic on his talk show, Lifestyles of the Very Good, Robotnik kidnaps his niece in order to be featured on the show. | |||||
52 | "Road Hog" | Calling for help | Jeffrey Scott | November 16, 1993 | 238-157 |
Sonic and Tails are arrested for speeding as a result of Robotnik's latest creation – artificial pollen that causes brainwashing. | |||||
53 | "The Mobius 5000" | Car safety | Jeffrey Scott | November 17, 1993 | 238-155 |
Sonic and Tails enter a car race in order to save an orphanage that Robotnik threatens to put out of business. | |||||
54 | "Honey, I Shrunk the Hedgehog" | Recycling | Jeffrey Scott | November 18, 1993 | 238-153 |
Sonic, Tails and a group of mole miners are hit by Robotnik's shrink ray and must work together to reverse the effects. Note: This episode is inspired by the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" franchise. | |||||
55 | "Sonic's Song" | Hearing | Donald P. Zappala and Kevin Donahue | November 19, 1993 | 238-111 |
Outraged by a popular song about Sonic, Robotnik outlaws all music in Mobius and takes the song's composer captive with the intent of creating his own song. | |||||
56 | "Sno Problem" | Bicycle safety check | Sandra Ryan | November 22, 1993 | 238-125 |
Robotnik introduces the "Ultra Freeze-O-Matic", announcing his plan to freeze every citizen on Mobius so that he can install "Servitude Chips" into the frozen citizens and make them unquestionably obedient. Sonic and Tails must foil the scheme. | |||||
57 | "Sonic is Running" | Tooth pain | Doug Molitor | November 23, 1993 | 238-163 |
When Momma Robotnik threatens her son into campaigning for the Mobius presidency, Sonic decides to run against him. | |||||
58 | "Mad Mike, Da Bear Warrior" | Medicine | Doug Booth | November 24, 1993 | 238-134 |
Robotnik forces a starving village of rabbits into building a statue of himself. With help from Da Bears, Sonic manages to save the day. | |||||
59 | "Robotnikland" | Cooking | Jeffrey Scott | November 25, 1993 | 238-154 |
Robotnik takes control of a local amusement park on Sonic's birthday and uses it in an attempt to defeat him. | |||||
60 | "The Little Merhog" | Matches | Jeffrey Scott | November 26, 1993 | 238-156 |
Sonic and Tails help a mermaid-like hedgehog named Merna save her kingdom from the wrath of an evil sea captain. | |||||
61 | "Robo-Ninjas" | Road safety | Francis Moss | November 29, 1993 | 238-164 |
Robotnik captures a martial arts master and uses him to turn Scratch and Grounder into effective ninjas to defeat Sonic. | |||||
62 | "Fast and Easy" "48 Hour Sonic [8] " | Breakfast | Bruce Shelly and Reed Shelly | November 30, 1993 | 238-161 |
A bully named Easy Eddie picks at Robotnik's Chaos Emerald ring, much to his anger. Sonic must keep Eddie hidden so that he can discard the ring. | |||||
63 | "Tails' Tale" | Computers | Bruce Shelly and Reed Shelly | December 1, 1993 | 238-159 |
When Sonic mysteriously vanishes, Tails, Professor Von Schlemmer and a pilot named William le Due search for him. | |||||
64 | "The Robots' Robot" | Fire | Jess Borgeson | December 2, 1993 | 238-158 |
Scratch and Grounder build a robot of their own who soon runs away and ends up befriending Sonic. | |||||
65 | "Hero of the Year" | Alcohol | Bruce Shelly and Reed Shelly | December 3, 1993 | 238-160 |
Wes Weasley pretends to host a roast (actually a clip show) to Sonic that Robotnik uses to force his surrender. |
No. | Title | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
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N–A | "Sonic Christmas Blast" | Bruce Shelly and Reed Shelly | November 24, 1996 | N/A |
Robotnik disguises himself as Santa Claus in order to force him into retirement and con the children out of presents during Christmas. During a visit to Robotropolis, Sonic and Tails rescue the real Santa Claus, who presents Sonic with a speed run test due to a ring Sally Acorn gave him as a gift serving as a key. After passing the test, Santa chooses Sonic to be his successor. Sonic now becomes Sonic Claus. This special includes aspects of the Saturday-morning Sonic TV show, such as Robotropolis and SWATbots (neither of which appear as they did in that series) and Sally Acorn. Said series had aired concurrently with the original run of "Adventures", but in a different time slot, and had stopped producing new episodes by the time "Christmas Blast" premiered. Despite this, the special maintains the humorous tone of "Adventures" rather than the darker one of the Saturday morning series. Note: The letters page of issue #41 of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book promotes the special as "An X-Tremely Sonic Christmas" as this episode was originally going to be a tie in for Sonic X-treme on Sega Saturn. However, the game was cancelled, and the title was changed to tie in with Sonic 3D Blast instead.[ citation needed ] This is also the only episode not to feature a Sonic Says segment at the end. |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog was created by DIC Animation City (in association with Sega of America whose CEO Tom Kalinske and newly appointed consumer products director Michealene Risley licensed the characters to DIC), which produced a total of 65 episodes for its one-season, and was syndicated by Bohbot Entertainment, later known as BKN International (in the original run, every episode began and ended with the "Bohbot Entertainment Presents" logo), and the Italian Reteitalia S.p.A., part of Fininvest. The show's animation was outsourced to four animation studios:
Additionally, some of the storyboards were done by the Spanish animation studio Milimetros Dibujos Animados, which also worked on the animation for the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon and the main title animation for Sonic Underground. Pre-production stages of the show (as well as the first season of the Saturday morning cartoon) were handled by Canadian Studio B (later known as DHX Media Vancouver).
According to Robby London, DIC originally made a deal to produce only the Saturday morning Sonic series for the ABC network, which was originally planned to air in the Fall of 1992. [14] The cartoon was to be more light-hearted compared to the final product, as reflected by the episode "Heads or Tails", early promotional material found in Fleetway's Sonic the Comic [15] [16] and the early issues of Sonic the Hedgehog comics by Archie, which were based on the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon. However, DIC also wanted to expand the show and produce additional episodes for weekday syndication as well, similar to what DIC has previously done with The Real Ghostbusters , but Mark Pedowitz, ABC's senior vice president of business affairs and contracts, expected Sonic to air exclusively on ABC and rejected the idea, telling London "If you guys want to do syndication, be our guest, go with God, but you won't be on our network." ABC would not agree to the deal until London came up with a proposition that DIC would produce a separate, vastly different Sonic show for syndication instead, the result of which became Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Afterward, ABC was at first willing to air only a single half-hour episode as a prime-time special scheduled for March 1993 (which would become the episode "Heads or Tails") before ultimately delaying it and including it as part of the show which ABC picked up again for a full season, this time airing in the Fall of 1993, alongside Adventures airing in syndication at the same time. During that time, the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon received a makeover and was made darker and more serious in order to differentiate itself from the syndicated Sonic cartoon. [17] [18] [19] The two shows would be connected through Family Matters star Jaleel White portraying Sonic in both series; ABC itself was airing Family Matters during both shows' run, keeping White busy playing Sonic on two different series alongside his Family Matters role as Steve Urkel.
The theme song is composed by Clark Gassman and it is a combination of the main theme from the 1991 video game as well as In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg and Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. [20]
The series was shown through syndication in the United States in the fall of 1993 on either weekday afternoons or mornings, depending on the TV station. In the United Kingdom, the series was screened on Channel 4 in 1993 on Sunday mornings at 9:00, but with the "Sonic Says" segments edited out. They were also edited out on The Children's Channel and the UK VHS releases of the series. The weekday morning airings in Australia on Seven Network as part of Agro's Cartoon Connection retained the segments. The cartoon was broadcast in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ Two from 12 September to December 1994 on weekday afternoons with the segments retained also. [21]
USA Network re-aired the original episodes of the show in the United States from 1994 to 1996 (with an additional Christmas special ordered by Sega to be produced for the Christmas season of 1996 to ride on the coattails with the release of Sonic 3D Blast ). The series later returned to syndication as part of the BKN block from 1997 to 1998, and later BKN Kids II from 1999 until 2000. Toon Disney would start broadcasting the series in September 1998, and aired on the channel until 2002.
This TV subsequently aired the first 13 episodes of the show from 2010 to 2011 on their Cookie Jar Toons block. The series was also available on Netflix, and contains 20 episodes. From December 2018-November 2020, reruns of the series began airing on Starz. Later starting on September 3, 2019, the show aired its reruns on the streaming service Pluto TV for the first time. In 2024, MeTV Toons will air the Christmas special as part of the network's "Tis' the Season for Toons" event.
In the UK, Pop re-aired the show with the "Sonic Says" segments restored.
In Italy, the show aired on Italia 1.
In Spain, the show aired on Telecinco.
The show was re-aired on in Australia on Saturday mornings on Network Ten as part of Cheez TV from 1993 to 1999, and also aired on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.
In Brazil, the show aired in January 1996, on Rede Globo on the block TV Colosso . Only the first 22 of 65 episodes aired in Brazilian Portuguese, as well as the Christmas special. The show also aired in Sweden on TV3, in Portugal on SIC, in The Netherlands on RTL4, in Germany on Kabel 1 and RTL II and in 2000 in Arab countries on Spacetoon and Qatar Television.
In September 2003, DIC revealed a new international package consisting of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog and the Sonic Christmas Blast special, titled "Totally Sonic!". The package would also feature digitally re-mastered, color-enhanced versions of the shows with new contemporary music, as well as bonus director's cut "Secret Sonic" episodes. [22] [23]
The series also aired on KidsCo, as with many other DIC-produced cartoons.
In the Philippines, it aired on Yey! in 2020 everyday at 2:00 pm.
In 1994, Buena Vista Home Video through their DIC Toon-Time Video label, released 6 VHS tapes of the series each containing 2 episodes.
Shout! Factory has released all 65 episodes of the series on DVD in Region 1 in three-volume sets. The first volume, released on July 17, 2007, features the first 22 episodes along with two featurettes: "A Conversation With Artist Milton Knight" and "How to Draw Sonic the Hedgehog". The second volume was released on December 9, 2008, and features episodes 23–44 with the featurette "How to Draw Dr. Robotnik". The third volume was available on March 16, 2010 exclusively via Shout! Factory's website as a Shout! Select title and contains the final 21 episodes of the series, plus the "Sonic Christmas Blast" special and the featurette "How to Draw Tails". These episodes were compiled in production order instead of airdate order. All three sets were discontinued in 2012 along with Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Underground after Shout!'s deal with Cookie Jar Entertainment expired.
Between 2008 and 2010, NCircle Entertainment released a number of single disc releases of the series, each containing 4 episodes (in random order), as well as two volumes of 4-disc collections in 2012, with each volume containing 16 episodes.
Invincible Pictures re-released the complete series set on August 13, 2019 (originally scheduled for April 9, 2019 and July 16, 2019). [24]
The series along with its successors Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Underground is available on the streaming services Paramount+ and Tubi, as well as the official WildBrain YouTube Channel.
Under license from 41 Entertainment and Invincible Entertainment Partners, Discotek Media released the complete series on standard definition Blu-ray on February 22, 2022. The unaired pilot and the Christmas special Sonic Christmas Blast were included as bonus features, as well as commercial bumpers and commentary by storyboard artist Milton Knight. [25] [26]
DVD name | Episodes | Release date |
---|---|---|
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Volume 1 | 1–22 | July 17, 2007 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Volume 2 | 23–44 | December 9, 2008 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Volume 3 | 45–65, Sonic Christmas Blast | March 16, 2010 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Volume 1 | 1–16 | May 22, 2012 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Volume 2 | 17–32 | October 9, 2012 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Animated Series | 1–65 | August 13, 2019 [27] |
Blu-ray name | Episodes | Release date |
---|---|---|
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series | 1–65, Sonic Christmas Blast, pilot | February 22, 2022 [28] |
Throughout 1993–1994, Abbey Home Entertainment through their Tempo Video label released 8 VHS volumes of the series each containing an assortment of episodes. PolyGram Video through their 4Front Video label would also release a VHS tape of the series in 1997.
In Region 2, Delta Home Entertainment released Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series on DVD in the UK on June 11, 2007, [29] as well as a number of single disc releases of the series, each containing 4 episodes (in production order).
DVD name | Episodes | Release date |
---|---|---|
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series | 1–65 | June 11, 2007 [29] |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic Search & Smash Squad | 1–4 | 2007 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: High Stakes Sonic | 5–8 | 2007 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Momma Robotnik's Birthday | 9–12 | 2007 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Best Hedgehog | 13–16 | 2007 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Over the Hill Hero | 17–20 | 2007 |
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog received a mixed reception. Randy Miller III of DVDTalk said, "While it's obvious that The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog [sic] won't ever be mentioned in the same sentence with Disney, Pixar or Studio Ghibli (except for this one), there's enough goofy fun here to entertain any resident of the 16-bit gaming era." [30] Michael Rubino of DVD Verdict criticized the series for being dated, contrived, and bloated with chili dog jokes. [31] GamesRadar listed the series as one of "the worst things to happen to Sonic." It commented that it "made Ren & Stimpy look like a rigid, strictly story-driven opus of animation", and criticized the supporting cast as "wholly uninteresting, unfunny and just all around annoying." [32]
Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the series an overall rating of 3/5 and noted that while the show's pace is "frantic", "the series emphasizes positive themes for kids about personal safety and interpersonal relationships." [33] Bob Mackey of USgamer wrote that the show's attempts to emulate Looney Tunes and The Ren & Stimpy Show "were done in by the lack of quality control that typically plagued 65-episode syndicated series", and that "the zippy, timing-reliant slapstick Adventures relied on never stood a chance against the animation sweatshops DIC regularly used to pump out their nearly endless supply of televised content." [34]
Ian Flynn, writer for the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series by Archie Comics, remarked that Adventures was the closest to "[getting] Sonic right" despite "fail[ing] on the details", although he observed that the show's gags were "polarizing" and that the guest characters "ranged from tired tropes (Breezie) to Saturday Night Live knockoffs (Da Bears)". [35] Pierre DeCelles, who worked on the show as a Senior Animation Director at Hong Ying animation studio, has described the show as "fun and humorous". [11]
Robotnik's remark "Snooping as usual, I see" from the episode "Boogey-Mania" gave rise to the internet meme "Pingas," first featured in a 2007 YouTube poop. [36] The quote has been widely referenced on YouTube since the late 2000s, both in videos and in music remixes. [36]
Sonic the Hedgehog is a character created by the Japanese game developers Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima. He is the star of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and the mascot of the Japanese video game company Sega. Sonic is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speed. He races through levels, collecting rings and avoiding obstacles, as he seeks to defeat his archenemy, Doctor Eggman. He is accompanied by supporting characters, such as his best friend and sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower, self-proclaimed girlfriend Amy Rose, and friendly rival Knuckles the Echidna.
Knuckles the Echidna is a character from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is a red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna who is Sonic's secondary best friend and former rival. Determined and serious, but sometimes gullible, he fights his enemies using brute force and strength. His role is established as the guardian of the Master Emerald, a large gemstone which controls the series' integral Chaos Emeralds, and is the last living member of his tribe, the Knuckles Clan.
Sonic Adventure is a 1998 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It was the first main Sonic the Hedgehog game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and E-102 Gamma in their quests to collect the Chaos Emeralds and stop Doctor Robotnik from unleashing Chaos, an ancient evil. Controlling one of the six characters—each with their own abilities—players complete levels to progress the story. Sonic Adventure retains many elements from prior Sonic games, such as power-ups and the ring-based health system. Players can play minigames such as racing and interact with Chao, a virtual pet.
Miles "Tails" Prower is a character created by Japanese game designer Yasushi Yamaguchi. Part of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, he is the first character to consistently appear by Sonic's side in the series, appearing in nearly every mainline and spin-off game since his debut. His role as Sonic's best friend and sidekick is analogous to Luigi from the Mario series. The name "Miles Prower" is a pun on "miles per hour", a reference to the famed speed of Sonic the Hedgehog. Prower is a two-tailed anthropomorphic fox cub, hence the nickname.
Sonic the Hedgehog is an animated television series that aired from 1993 to 1994 based on Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise. It was produced by DIC Productions, Sega of America, and the Italian studio Reteitalia in association with Telecinco, and is the second of DIC's Sonic cartoons, following Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. To distinguish it from other Sonic media, fans commonly refer to the series as "Sonic SatAM", in reference to its Saturday morning timeslot.
Sonic the Hedgehog is an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, in partnership with Sega. Although this continuity was based on Sega's video game franchise, it had much more in nature with the American 1993 animated series of the same name. After initially beginning with a four-issue miniseries from February to May 1993, the first full-length issue of the comic was published in July 1993. The series ran for 290 issues for over 20 years, earning a place in the 2008 Guinness World Records for being the "longest-running comic series based on a video game" in U.S. history.. It became the longest-running franchise-based comic series in 2015 before it was confirmed cancelled in July 2017, following Sega and Archie Comics' decision to discontinue their business relationship. The series features a cast of hundreds of characters, consisting of both those derived from the Sonic games and those original to the comics, with stories focused on a crime-fighting organization called the Freedom Fighters, led by Sonic, as they face off against series antagonist Doctor Eggman alongside a variety of other villains.
Sonic the Comic was a British children's comic published by Fleetway Editions between 1993 and 2002. It was the UK's Sega comic, featuring stories about its mascot Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters, as well as comic strips based on other Sega video games, along with news, reviews, and tips for games released for Sega systems.
Sonic the Hedgehog or Sonic the Hedgehog the Movie, is a two-part 1996 Japanese original video animation (OVA) based on the video game franchise by Sega. Produced by Pierrot and directed by Kazutaka Ikegami, it was released in Japan on January 26, 1996 and March 22, 1996.
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is a falling block puzzle game developed by Compile and published by Sega. It was released for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive in North America and Europe in November 1993, and ported to the Game Gear in 1993 and Master System in 1994.
Sonic Underground is an animated television series co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. and TF1. It is the third Sonic the Hedgehog animated series, and the last to be produced by DIC. It follows a main plot separate from all other Sonic the Hedgehog media, where Sonic has two siblings, Sonia and Manic, that are collectively part of a royal family who were forced to separate from their mother, Queen Aleena, upon Doctor Robotnik's takeover of Mobius due to a prophecy told by the Oracle of Delphius. Along the way, they encounter other resistance groups against Robotnik and powerful artifacts that could wreak havoc on the world, all the while searching for their long-lost mother, Queen Aleena.
Sabrina: The Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the Archie Comics series Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Produced by Savage Studios Ltd. and Hartbreak Films in association with DIC Productions, L.P., the series is an animated spin-off of the 1996–2003 live-action series Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Inspector Gadget is a media franchise that began in 1983 with the DIC Entertainment animated television series Inspector Gadget. Since the original series, there have been many spin-offs based on the show, including additional animated series, video games, and films.
Super Mario World is an animated television series based on the video game of the same name by Nintendo. It is the third series based on the Mario video game series. Thirteen episodes of the show were aired as part of a block with Captain N: The Game Master, called Captain N and the New Super Mario World, on NBC. The animation was provided by Pacific Rim Productions.
Doctor Ivo"Eggman"Robotnik is a character created by the Japanese game designer Naoto Ohshima. He is the main antagonist of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Eggman is a mad scientist who seeks to steal the mystical Chaos Emeralds, defeat Sonic the Hedgehog, and conquer the world. Eggman and his "Badnik" brand of military robots serve as bosses and enemies in the Sonic platform games. His distinctive characteristics include his red-black-yellow clothing, baldness, pince-nez sunglasses, and large mustache.
Sonic Boom is an animated television series produced by Sega of America, Inc. and Technicolor Animation Productions in collaboration with Lagardère Thématiques and Jeunesse TV, respectively for Cartoon Network, Canal J and Gulli. Loosely based on the video game franchise Sonic the Hedgehog created by Sega, the series is the fifth animated television series based on the franchise and the first to be produced in computer-generated imagery animation and in high-definition.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 2022 action-adventure comedy film based on the video game series Sonic the Hedgehog published by Sega. The sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), it was directed by Jeff Fowler from a screenplay by Pat Casey, Josh Miller, and John Whittington, based on a story by Casey and Miller. Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, and Jim Carrey reprise their roles, with Idris Elba joining the cast. In the film, Sonic and Tails must find the Master Emerald before the villainous Dr. Robotnik (Eggman) and his partner Knuckles the Echidna.
Sonic Prime is an animated television series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, co-produced by Sega of America, Netflix Animation, WildBrain Studios and Man of Action Entertainment. It is the sixth animated television series based on the franchise, and shares continuity with the main video game series.
Sonic the Hedgehog, the most fearless hero on Planet Mobius, uses his supersonic speed and teenage irreverence to thwart the comedically despicable Dr. Robotnik. Sonic's idolizing little buddy, Tails, tags along on every fast-action, gag-driven adventure.
Quotations related to Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog at Wikiquote