Mike the Ox

Mike the Ox is a character that appears in the Sonic Boom franchise. He is an anthropomorphic ox and the residential village buffoon of Hedgehog Village. He also runs a small shop which doubles as a pet shop and an everyday store.

Appearance
Mike is an anthropomorphic ox of average height. He has a slightly large and round torso and head, relatively thin arms, a bushy tail with a black tip, and slightly stubby legs. He also has grey fur with pale white skin on his front torso and wide muzzle, a medium-sized black snout, almost cylinder-like ears, a pair of short white horns with black tips, three bangs of hair sticking up on his head, and magenta eyes. For attire, he wears white gloves, a thin yellow neckerchief with flannel patterns, a green rope around his waist with a pouch attached, and green shoes.

In the Archie Comics, Mike has a different color scheme. In this media, he has purple fur, black eyes, peach skin, a yellow neckerchief and belt, and blue and white shoes.

Season one
Mike was one of the candidates signing up to be Sonic's new sidekick, but did not make the cut. During a later visit in the Village Center, Mike visited the Ice Cream Vendor when he and the villagers were attacked by Fire Bot. Fortunately, he was saved by Team Sonic.

Having sold an umbrella to Dr. Eggman, Mike refused to refund it for Eggman after he destroyed it, forcing him to call the police. The next day, Mike met Eggman's lackeys, Orbot and Cubot, at his shop. As he had them leave, he told them about Eggman. Soon after though, he saw the duo perform a horrible street act. With life going on, Mike found time to visit T.W. Barker's Circus of Wonders. One day, Mike and the villagers were rounded up by Dr. Eggman when he invaded the island. Just as they were left to face the Mega though, Mike and the villagers were saved by Knuckles, whose serious case of bad luck made the Mega destroy itself when he joined Eggman.

Later on, Mike took some time to go to Meh Burger and see a colossal ball of twine. He was almost caught in a rockslide at the latter, but was saved by Sonic. When Dr. Eggman then sued Sonic for injuring him, Mike became a part of the jury to monitor the trial. However, after Mike and his fellow jurors had deliberated and made a verdict, Eggman was revealed to uninjured, leaving their decision moot.

Mike later found Eggman selling his own Eggman's Tomato Sauce which Sonic unwillingly admitted was non-toxic. Mike brought some cans of the sauce for himself, but a few weeks later, he got attacked by his vacuum cleaner, which had been turned into a weapon by Eggman's sauce cans. Fortunately, he was saved when Team Sonic stopped Eggman. Eventually, Mike paid a visit to Meh Burger, only for him and everyone else to be caught in a time loop created by Eggman. Mike would thus relive the same day over and over, without any recollection of this, until the loop was broken. While Mike was in the Village, he and the other residents were attacked by Eggman's rampaging robots when the Lightning Bolt Society deployed them, until Team Sonic and Eggman put it to an end.

Mike was later at Meh Burger where he got sucked into the Battle of the Buns between Chez Amy and Meh Burger. Over the next period, he regularly switched between these establishments, depending on their gimmicks, before settling at Chez Amy until Eggman destroyed it. Sometime later, Mike met Swifty the Shrew and was captivated by the hip shrew. Mike thus rooted for Shifty in his race against Sonic, who lost to the shrew and got banished from the Village as per the rules. No sooner though, Mike was betrayed by Swifty when Eggman revealed he was a robot agent of his. However, Sonic came to Mike and the villagers' rescue after being brought back, and got rid of Eggman's invading forces. While Knuckles served as deputy mayor, Mike came to him to have a number of permits approved, right up until Team Sonic and Eggman stopped Knuckles' reckless usage of power.

When Mike was going see a movie with Knuckles, Sonic came to get Knuckles for a battle. Mike wanted to join them, but Sonic declined since he was "just a guy." Believing Sonic was being insensitive, Mike was insulted (as was the rest of the Village), but accepted Sonic's apology after he convinced Sonic to let him join the next fight with Eggman. When it came however, Mike got his leg broken. Regardless, Mike gave Sonic a heads-up on a sneak attack from Eggman while he was handling a sheep stampede. This not only saved Sonic, but also let him herd the sheep home. Mike was then praised as a hero by Sonic for his help, much to his delight.

On New Year's Eve, Mike joined the party in the Village Center where he participated in a conga line. Amidst the celebration, Dr. Eggman used his Slow Motion Machine to slow down time long enough for him to beat Sonic in something before New Year, though Mike did not see Eggman's victory as it happened too fast for him to see it. Mike later saw Eggman having a fit at the post office, but left after Eggman called in Decimator Bot. Back in the Village Center, Mike had a laugh at Tails when he was doing a dance, only to run away again when Eggman began an attack which Tails averted.

When Bro-Down Showdown was holding auditions, Mike attended with the Old Monkey. In the end, Mike was selected, but let himself get paired up with Knuckles instead. Due to Mike's impairments and Knuckles' current grudge at Sonic though, the pair got eliminated after the first round. Mike would later follow Comedy Chimp's fan signing and photo shooting, during which Knuckles began a trash can head trend. Mike would thus adore Knuckles and pick up his trend during Knuckles' time of fame. As Mike later joined a tour of Eggman's lair, he was both disappointed to hear Eggman's Particle Accelerator had been stolen and shocked when Sonic was accused for the theft. Mike later came to the Robot Battle Royale, where he saw Eggman steal Tails' Hypnobot at the end. He would also make a short appearance at Puppy Con.

When Eggman struck with his new Obliterator Bot, Mike made himself a primary target by mistake. Fortunately, Team Sonic saved Mike and he saw the heroes receive the Greatest Role Model of All Time Award for their efforts. Mike later showed up to A Rose Without Thorns, a play put on by Team Sonic. Though he applauded the play, a storm broke out after the finale, and Mike took Sonic's offer to take shelter in Amy's House. Some time later, Mike came to see a fight between Knuckles and the new villain Charlie, with Knuckles winning the fight.

Season two
A fan of Tommy Thunder, Mike came to the movie star's latest movie promotion. He was also among those that showed up to see Tommy after he "beat" Obliterator Bot. Hearing later that an asteroid would impact the earth, Mike showed up to buy a spot in Eggman's bunker to ride out the impending apocalypse in. Although Mike did not get a spot, Team Sonic would stop the asteroid. Mike would also show up to see Sticks' interview of Mayor Fink after the badger got her own TV news gig. Mike was later in the Village Center where Sonic passed by him before entering another plane of existence. Another time, Mike went to Meh Burger before going to the post office, where he had to deal with Mark the Tapir's impudence, which was followed by a trip to the movies. He would also come to Meh Burger Karaoke Night, where he saw Tails perform.

While subtly hypnotized by Dreamcaster's TV broadcasts, Mike was disturbed in his sleep by Sticks' unlikely story about Dreamcaster on TV. Mike soon after became Dr. Eggman's zombie slave, who had him and the hypnotized villagers build a world-controlling satellite. He would later attack Sticks when she came to the rescue, but was freed when Team Sonic foiled Eggman's plan. When Tails later made a Village defense against Eggman, Mike would praise the fox (and ask for pie) at his trophy ceremony until Eggman arrived through a hole in the defense. With Tails' defense backfiring while Eggman was stopped, Mike would scorn Tails afterward. Mike soon after took a job as Eggman's minion at Eggman's job fair to earn some cash. Grasping the housework at Eggman's lair, Mike went with Eggman to the Ice Cream Vendor (after telling Sonic that he needed no rescue from Eggman), where he proved too disobedient for Eggman's taste. His resignation came when he fled after being ordered to fight Sonic.

Back in the Village Center, Mike would get scammed by T.W. Barker during a crime wave. He soon after went to Meh Burger, where Sonic cut in front of him in his mech suit. Some time afterwards, Mike would also come to an edition of the Comedy Chimp Show, where he lost the show's give-away prize to Knuckles. When the Village then had a power outage, Mike would eventually begin rioting, but he calmed down once Team Sonic got the power back on. Learning later that their village was named after Sticks' evil ancestor, Jebediah Badger, Mike began scorning Sticks. As a vote between Amy and Eggman's propositions for a new town name then came underway, Mike got enticed by Eggman's campaign. After Eggman used the referendum to get elected as Village leader though, Mike watched Eggman attempt to destroy the Village. As Sticks helped her team stop Eggman's plan and remove him from power however, Mike regretted scorning Sticks, who gave the Village a proper name.

The day after he saw Dave the Intern lose his job to one of Meh Burger's new robot employees in a contest, Mike attended the reopening of the improved Meh Burger. There, he and the villagers got trapped in a force-field and sent towards space in Meh Burger by Eggman. Thanks to Team Sonic and Dave though, Mike was rescued, along with Meh Burger. Afterwards, Mike would take a trip to the movies. When Tails later seemingly proved Muckfoot's existence with a photo, Mike would praise Tails as a hero and take part in the ensuring Muckfoot Mania. However, he would scorn Tails when the fox showed that his "Muckfoot" was just Knuckles covered in mud. Mike would afterward spent some time chilling out on the beach. Following that, he would run from a widabit stampede coming through town. Mike later resorted to cowering in fear when the Village got overrun by malware-infected robots, but was soon inspired by Knuckles to help Team Sonic and the villagers fight the robots. Ultimately, the Village prevailed when the robots withdrew. After then seeing the Lightning Bowler Society beat the Pin Dashers, Mike became a fan of the former. He thus came to the Lightning Bowlers' next public appearance as the team rose to stardom.

Archie Comics
Mike was among the villagers who came to the Eggtoberfest, hosted by Dr. Eggman. As Mike began to appreciate Eggman's efforts, he discovered that none of the rides worked and joined an angry mob of villagers who made Eggman make the rides operational. However, Mike and the villagers were soon after attacked by Eggman's army when Eggman grew hostile over their dislike of him. Fortunately, they were saved by Team Sonic.

Personality
Mike is described as a "regular Joe". A simple-minded fellow (something which he is not happy to admit), Mike is usually very laid-back, easy-going and casual, going as far as to rest on a blanket near a dangerous fight after having been allowed to watch. Normally, Mike is rather unruffled by others, holding little ill will at Sonic for being insensitive towards him or Knuckles for ruining their chances at winning Bro-Down Showdown. In his shop however, he is a strict businessman and has no tolerance for attempts to trick him.

Mike has shown a good understanding of responsibility, being perfectly willing to accept that handling Dr. Eggman takes priority over his own needs. When properly motivated, Mike can also be a dedicated laborer, although he recognizes when he is in too deep. Mike also likes to take his time, though he does display a subtle degree of impatience which comes off as annoying to other people.

Dr. Eggman
As one of the villagers on Seaside Island, Mike does not trust Eggman the slightest under normal circumstances since he is an evil genius who is always destroying his stuff and has poor personal hygiene. He especially holds his own personal distaste of the doctor due to how he tried to make him refund an umbrella he broke (which in Mike's opinion was Eggman's most evil scheme yet). Nonetheless, it does not make him any less willing to get involved in Eggman's activities.

Orbot and Cubot
Because of their association with Eggman, Mike holds equally dislike of both Orbot and Cubot, telling them that they got some nerve coming to his shop after Eggman tried tricking him.

Knuckles the Echidna
Mike is friends with Knuckles the Echidna. The two seem to get along fine, having met up a couple of times to either hang out or compete together. Unlike most of Team Sonic, Mike does not get frustrated with Knuckles' bothersome nature, and instead chooses to support him, like when they competed in Bro-Down Showdown.

Trivia

 * Mike_error.png Mike's debut in "The Sidekick", his attire, ears and horns were mis-colored grey, presumably due to an animation error. This error has since reappeared in later episodes such as "Hedgehog Day".
 * Mike uses a thirty day return policy for the products in his store unless the product is destroyed.
 * Mike suffers from color blindness.
 * Mike once worked on the Comedy Chimp Show by dressing up as Sonic for a sketch.
 * Mike's character model has been reused for various other background characters in the Sonic Boom television series, such as Mr. Slate and the DangerCo Deadly Equipment Warehouse Worker.
 * Over the course of the Sonic Boom television series, Mike has had different English voice actors that often change between the episodes. According to Bill Freiberger, this is because the developers are still in the development of the characters' voices while the episodes are being produced.