Why We Still Love Sonic the Hedgehog

After two decades of ups and downs, we can’t help but love Sega’s blue blur.

By: Nadia Oxford
November 1, 2011

If you’re up on your video game zoology, then you know that the fastest mammal in the digital realm is the Erinaceus mobiaeus caeruleus, more commonly identified as the blue Mobian hedgehog. The most notable member of the species is Sonic the Hedgehog, a hardy little ‘hog who’s been running, jumping, and rolling on game consoles, PC, and even the iOS since his birth on Sega’s Mega Drive in 1991.

As might be expected from any long-lived animal, Sonic’s journey through life has been a little rough at times. For the most part, his games have provided us with fun, magic, a sense of speed, and adventures in a surreal world, but he has undeniably bumped over a few potholes, blazed through a few plate glass windows, and run over one or two of those severe tire damage spike strips.