Seesaw

The Seesaws are reoccurring gimmicks in Sonic the Hedgehog series that first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). It is a metallic board with a damaging object on the other side, which is used to give the player an aerial boost to reach higher pathways.

Description
In their numerous games appearances, the seesaws are usually depicted as gray metallic boards balancing on the middle on a differently colored cylinder base. On one side of the seesaw is placed either a bomb, a smaller spiked ball, or an enemy that can damage the playable character upon touch. Seesaws are usually set on the ground, but can also be placed in mid-air.

When the player hops onto the open end of the seesaw, the object/enemy on the other end is flung into the air and falls back down, sometimes on the opposite end of the seesaw. In the latter case, the player must therefore move over to the other end. When the object/enemy lands on the seesaw again while the playable character stands on the opposite end, the playable character is thrown into the air. Sometimes, the player can reach higher elevations by consecutively repeating the process of bouncing the object/enemy off the seesaw.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Seesaws were first seenin Star Light Zone in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, where a gray spiked ball sat on one end. While usually set on the ground, some seesaws were positioned in the air. During the boss fight with the Egg Mobile, Robotnik drops mines onto the seesaws, which the player can launch back at the Egg Mobile or use to launch Sonic into the Egg Mobile.

A different looking seesaw also appears in the Bridge Zone in the 8-bit version of the game. The object on these seesaws are light blue libra weights. The seesaw itself is set on a long pole with a brown orb on top of said pole.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Seesaws made appearance in Hill Top Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The boards are colored light blue, with a green bottom base with small pole being set under it. The object on the seesaw is a red Gohla without fire projectiles, that can hurt the player if he/she touches it. These seesaws are usually set on the ground but sometimes float dangerously above a lava pool.

Sonic the Hedgehog CD
A different type of seesaw appears at Metallic Madness in Sonic the Hedgehog CD. The player is only able to stand on the front plate, as the other plate is seen behind it with a spike ball on it. If the player jumps to the front plate, it will launch the spiked ball in the air. The player must move Sonic before the spike ball lands on the front plate.

Sonic & Knuckles
Mushroom-type seesaws appear at Mushroom Hill Zone in Sonic & Knuckles. These types of seesaws have two mushrooms, as the object on these seesaws is a small metallic libra weight. However like in Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit), the libra weight doesn't bounce to other side of seesaw where the playable character stands, but instead lands on its original place. These objects also do not increase their height with each successive bounce, so the player cannot go any higher than they were originally launched.

Sonic Advance 3
Red and white colored seesaws appear in Sonic Advance 3. These seesaws are featured in Route 99 and Chaos Angel. The objects on these seesaws are black spike balls. Some of them also are seen floating in the air, which the player has to reach by jumping.

Sonic Generations
Seesaws appear in console/PC versions of Sonic Generations, as being featured at few challenge acts such as Rouge: The Bombardier and Rescue the Animals 2!. They have a detailed appearance with a red base in the middle. The objects on these seesaws are grey spike-balls, similar to the ones in Star Light Zone. One of the challenges in which seesaws are featured is the Rouge: The Bombardier challenge, where the player has get to the Goal Plate by avoiding purple Heart Bombs by Rouge the Bat and use seesaws to get upper levels of the challenge act.

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic
In the Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 2's story ''Clash!! South Island'', as Sonic, Ricky and Cucky are hurrying up to the Star Land Zone and discover Egg Capsule above, Sonic notices seesaw with spike on its other side, as he knows it's hard to reach to the capsule. Sonic then used seesaw and bounces straight up to capsule but Orbinaut gets to the way. Despite that, Sonic defeats the Orbinaut with Spin Attack and lands to near of capsule.

Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook 1992
Single seesaw make brief appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook 1992 '  story "Space-Hedgehog", as Sonic gets freed from space rocket where Robotnik locked him, while he suddenly got tied up from foot to the launched space rocket's rope, which only few moments later gets cut. Sonic gets out of rocket and lands to the empty seesaw at Hill Top Zone. After that, Robotnik lands to the other side of seesaw which bounces Sonic to the air, while Robotnik is seen been fainted and sleepy on seesaw at the end of story.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
In the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode "Super Special Sonic Search &amp; Smash Squad" a seesaw appeared where Sonic made Scratch and Grounder open their mouth then Tails dropped a seesaw then Sonic jump on it making the two anvils flying inside Scratch and Grounder's mouths. In the episode "Slowwww Going" Sonic made a seesaw which it was made by wood to launch the wood to the Sloth's Home.

The seesaw reappeared in the episode "Close Encounter of the Sonic Kind" it appear when Prince Charmock was walking on the other side where Sonic stop him, Scratch and Grounder use the magnet which accidentally aim at the rock which made the seesaw moved upward which it released the rock and hit them. When Scratch and Grounder was trying to get the nose from Sonic they fell on the ground and the side of the seesaw fell on them.

Archie Comics
The Seesaw briefly appears in Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, where it was used by Sonic the Hedgehog, Sally Acorn and Rotor Walrus, when they were passing through the Star Light Zone.

Trivia

 * In Simon Wai's prototype of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, seesaws are seen to have a generic orb on the other side of it, instead of Gohla without fireballs from the final version.
 * In Sonic Generations, Spike ball can hit Rouge, if the player launches it to the mid-air on right time.