Sonic the Hedgehog (franchise)

This article is about the franchise which began with a video game. For its title character, see Sonic the Hedgehog (character){{#switch:{{#sub:Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|-1}}|!=|.=|?=|.}} For a list of other meanings, see Sonic (disambiguation).

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game for the Sega Mega Drive about the character of the same name. Sgt. Savage likes it.

Fiction

2005 IDW continuity

Sgt. Savage used the fact that he spent his 20s playing Sonic and watching The Matrix to point out the fact that he was more of a '90s kid than a '40s one. When Eagles Scream

Toys

16-Bit Mega Drive Megatron (2014)

Mega Drive Megatron includes a small replica of the Japanese Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge.

Sega Genesis Megatron (2015)

The replica cartridge with the redeco/slight retool of the above figure depicts the North American release of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Collaborative

Wingtail & Blue Booster (Multi-pack, 2025)

Accessories: Ring shield, item capsule, engine thruster/blaster, blue fire effect part
Known designers: Brian Parrish (Hasbro){{#if: |, {{{2}}}}}<ref>December 9, 2024 Interview with Hasbro designer Brian Parrish on the "Triple Takeover" podcast, from their YouTube channel.</ref>

Transformers Collaborative Blue Booster and Wingtail were unveiled at Cybertron Con on December 5, 2024, and were then given a proper announcement the following day. They went up for pre-order as a Target exclusive (with limited quantities on Hasbro Pulse) on December 10, and shipped on June 23, 2025, the date of the Sonic franchise's 34th anniversary. However, units were reported showing up on shelves as early as two weeks prior.

Blue Booster is a roughly Deluxe Class sized figure based on Sonic, transforming into the Speed Star race car from the modern Sonic racing games (most closely based on its appearance in [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Team Sonic Racing|{{#if:||Team Sonic Racing}}]]) in 27 steps. The robot mode features additional 5 mm ports on the back of the hands, intended for mounting its accessories. The vehicle features an opening dome canopy, not part of the Speed Star's original design.

The figure comes with a large shield based on the series' iconic rings, along with a handheld "jewel" resembling the item capsules that appear in the series' post-[[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Sonic Adventure|{{#if:||Sonic Adventure}}]] entries; the symbol inside can be rotated, with the Autobot insignia on one side and the invincibility power-up icon on the other. A handle can also flip out from the bottom, allowing it to be held or attach to the back of Blue Booster's hands. The capsule has a 5 mm port on the back for storing the shield, as neither accessory can be attached to the vehicle mode; instead, they can be set aside as a prop. Additionally, the capsule's flip out handle can attach to the extra port on Wingtail's booster, combining all three accessories into an undocumented super weapon.

Wingtail is based on Tails, and transforms into the games' iconic Tornado biplane (based on its appearance in more recent games like [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Sonic Frontiers|{{#if:||Sonic Frontiers}}]]) in 32 steps. 5 mm ports are located on the lower set of wings, which are attached to the arms in robot mode. The vehicle mode features an opening dome canopy, not part of the original design of the Tornado.

The engine thruster attached to the bottom of the alt-mode acts as a blaster in robot mode, with a fiery blue blast effect completing the look in either mode. Unusually, this blast effect is cast in hard plastic rather than rubberized material, and uses a 5mm peghole as opposed to the smaller pegholes traditionally used. The underside of the booster appears to have clips intended for an unknown purpose, plus an extra 5mm port just above the booster which allows the blaster and Blue Booster's accessories to combine into an undocumented super weapon.

Though not intended for removal for transformation, Wingtail's wing assemblies are not permanently affixed to the figure and merely held on with 5 mm posts, making them being prone to popping off while handling the figure (especially when transforming from plane to robot mode), possibly done for safety reasons.

Notes

Writer Ian Flynn, writer/artist Evan Stanley, and artist Adam Bryce Thomas are all primarily known for their work on the Sonic franchise, chiefly the various comic books produced by [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Archie Comics|{{#if:||Archie Comics}}]] and IDW Publishing.
Sonic once fought a very Transformers-inspired robot named Speed 5000 in issue #20 of Archie Comics' [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Sonic X|{{#if:||Sonic X}}]] series, written by former Dreamwave Productions writers James McDonough and Adam Patyk.
In the backup story of issue #119 of Archie's main Sonic the Hedgehog series, text on Rotor's notes and equipment features no less than 35 different Transformers references, including character namedrops ranging from Ironhide and Mirage to Star Convoy and Ginrai, a thank you note to Pat Lee, and most bizarrely, a set of books with the title "Beast Wars R4 Dummies". Guess we know where Nelson Ribiero's allegiances lie.
In issue #44 of the IDW Publishing Sonic the Hedgehog comic, the Matrix of Leadership can be seen on a shelf in Dr. Starline's lab, in a panel where he refers to Belle the Tinkerer as "more than meets the eye".
To promote the release of the third Sonic film, a special poster print of Shadow the Hedgehog was given away to the first 300 Transformers One ticket holders at participating theaters.<ref>https://kotaku.com/sonic-3-shadow-print-transformers-one-theater-showtimes-1851649010</ref>
Dan Jolley, the writer of G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II, Revenge of the Fallen: The Junior Novel, and a few video games, later went on to lead the writers' room for the 2026 audio serial Sonic the Hedgehog Presents: The Chaotix Casefiles.

References

External links

[[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Sonic the Hedgehog|{{#if:||Sonic the Hedgehog}}]] at Wikipedia

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