The Official Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook (1994)

The Official Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook (1992) was a hardback annual publication published by Grandreams Ltd in the United Kingdom. A softback version was released later.

Although frequently referred to as the 1992 annual, as this was the date of its copyright, it was actually released in the Christmas period of 1993, a year after the so-called 1991 Yearbook. In the Yearbook, Doctor Robotnik resembles the version of the character from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, which first aired in September 1993. (Sonic the Comic, another British publication, eventually transformed their version of Robotnik to resemble the Adventures version in Sonic the Comic #22, first published in April 1994.)

The staff working on the annual were uncredited, with the exception of editor Barry Tomlinson.

Synopsis
In a laboratory in the Emerald Hill Zone, Doctor Robotnik brews a brown concoction in a metal cauldron. A rabbit notices this and runs to tell Sonic and Tails what he's seen. They go to investigate, but when Sonic leaps on a spring he finds himself stuck in place. It's because Robotnik has coated the spring with his new special instant glue.

Robotnik appears to gloat before activating the Drill Eggman vehicle, with the intention of running Sonic over. Tails flies off to fetch a spare pair of Power Sneakers from an item box, avoiding badniks and question by his animal friends. Sonic dodges Robotnik by leaping out of his glued sneakers and nimbly into the outstretched new pair in Tails' hands during his descent. Absorbed by the incredible acrobatic display, Robotnik loses sight of where he is going and drives the Drill Eggman off of a cliff. He hits another spring at the bottom, but this one has no glue on it so the spring catapults him straight up.

While Robotnik is in the air, Sonic and Tails collect a few rings. However, when Tails stops to collect a ring he missed, he is nearly crushed by Robotnik's vehicle, which finally comes in to land. Sonic snatches Tails out of the way, and Robotnik continues to bounce around the landscape. He hits a palmtree and is flung straight into his glue factory, destroying both it and his vehicle. Robotnik himself is left in the wreckage of the factory, covered in his own instant glue. He asks if Sonic will help him get unstuck, but the two heroes decide to leave and let Robotnik stew for a while.

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Doctor Robotnik
 * Badniks:
 * Two Buzz Bombers
 * Crawl
 * Coconuts
 * Animal friends:
 * Brown rabbit
 * Walrus
 * Pig
 * Female squirrel
 * Penguin
 * Bluebird

Synopsis
Tails is in the Casino Night Zone, having decided that he is going to be the hero of this story and Sonic won't even appear. He'll get 150 gold rings (and thus extra energy) if he can get three jackpots in the slot machine. He misses the target once, but tries again and lands right in the cage... and still no sign of Sonic! But Tails' face falls when the slots turn up Sonic... Sonic... and Sonic! Sonic was in the story after all, and Tails breaks down in tears!

Sonic himself appears in the last panel, saying you can't keep a real hero out of a story. Besides, it's his Yearbook.

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Sonic the Hedgehog

Trivia

 * The landscape appears lifted directly from the Casino Night Zone graphics from Sonic 2. The slot machines, bumpers and maze-like tunnels are all depicted on a 2D plane, which Tails can fly in and out of.

Synopsis
In the Hill Top Zone on Planet Mobius, Doctor Robotnik has constructed a space rocket. He intends to capture Sonic and launch him into space. Nearby, Sonic encounters some badniks and falls through a concealed hole into a pool of molten plastic, which quickly solidifies in a block around him. Robotnik removes the block containing Sonic and leaves it in the rocket with the launch controls on automatic. Inside the rocket, Sonic tips over the block onto the heater unit, turning it to its maximum setting.

Robotnik watches the rocket take off, realising too late that a piece of string has one end tied to his leg and the other end tied to the rocket... He is yanked up into the sky as the rocket takes off, but fortunately for him the rocket jets burn the string and he falls back to Mobius, where he knocks himself out on a see-saw. Sonic is there waiting for him, having escaped using the emergency exit when the heat melted the plastic block. Sonic destroys the badniks and races off to tell Tails about his adventure.

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Doctor Robotnik
 * Spiker
 * Rexon
 * Animal friends (a grey rabbit and a yellow bird)

Synopsis
In the Aquatic Ruin Zone, Sonic and Tails encounter a giant Grounder badnik, which is immune to their Spin Attacks. Doctor Robotnik arrives in his Hammer Eggman machine to gloat. Sonic and Tails use a spring to leap onto a column and then Spin Attack from height onto the Grounder's head, destroying it and releasing three of Sonic's friends.

Angry, Robotnik attacks them himself, forcing Sonic and Tails into the lake below, where they are attacked by a giant Chop Chop. They swim away at high speed. Robotnik tries to trap Sonic and Tails between his hammer and the Chop Chop, only for Sonic and Tails to get out of the way, leading to Robotnik colliding with the giant badnik and destroying it. Robotnik decides giant badniks weren't such a good idea after all.

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Doctor Robotnik
 * Badniks:
 * Giant Grounder
 * Giant Chop Chop
 * Animal friends:
 * Female squirrel
 * Grey rabbit
 * Pig

Trivia

 * The landscape appears lifted directly from the Aquatic Ruin Zone graphics from Sonic 2. Sonic and Tails run along narrow ledges and logs in a 2D plane. Furthermore, Sonic and Tails do not grab hold of the rings they collect - as in the game they merely run into them and the rings disappear.
 * Sonic and Tails use three phrases for which a lingo translation is provided:
 * chanked = Not good.
 * We gotta be jammin = We must leave.
 * thrashed = Beaten.
 * Sonic is shown to be able to swim in this story.

Other features

 * Sonic's Diary - A week in the life of Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Robotnik's Badniks - Info on the badniks from Sonic 1 and Sonic 2
 * High-Flying Sonic! - Promotional photoshoot with celebrities posing with a Sonic character
 * Sega Reviews - Including Sonic 3, Sonic Spinball, Sonic CD and Sonic Chaos
 * Sonic's Quiz - Twenty questions relating to the content of the Yearbook