Aside from Sonic's 60+ games, five cartoon series and 500+ comic books, the franchise has made a number of cameo appearances and references in other video games, movies, television shows and other non-Sonic related media.
Video games
| Rad Mobile (1991) Arcade | A cross-country racing game similar to OutRun, and Sega's first game on the System 32 hardware. Rad Mobile was actually released several months before the original Sonic the Hedgehog. There's a Sonic ornament hanging from the rear-view mirror, making this Sonic's first cameo appearance as well as his first ever appearance in a video game. |  |
| The AdvenBooktures of Quik and Silva (1991) PC | A platforming game from New Bits on the Ram (also known as Factor 5). The game infringes on multiple rights on video game characters. In the game, Sonic is a villain. |  |
| Sports Talk Baseball (1991) Sega Mega Drive | A Baseball game from Sega. Hit the ball high enough and you can catch a glimpse of Sonic on the billboards above the stadium. |  |
| Joe Montana II: Sports Talk Football (1991) Sega Mega Drive | A football game with copious amounts of digitized speech. The sequel to Joe Montana Football. Sonic occasionally appears on the megatron after a touchdown is scored. |  |
| Art Alive (1991) Sega Mega Drive | A Sega digital art game similar to Wacky Worlds Creativity Studio. Sonic appears in three poses as "paste" graphics. |  |
| Ayrton Senna's Super Monaco GP II (1992) Sega Mega Drive | A Monaco GP racing game featuring the name and likeness of six time winner Ayrton Senna. The sequel to Super Monaco Grand Prix. In the world championship mode, Sonic runs across the bottom of the screen at the rival select menu. |  |
| OutRunners (1992) Sega Mega Drive | The third iteration of Yu Suzuki's seminal 1986 racing game, OutRun. The game was released in a dual cabinet that could be linked with up to 3 others for a total of 8 players. Two years later, the game was ported to the Mega Drive. Giant Sonic billboards line the side of the track in the first area. In the Sega Mega Drive version, Sonic and Tails fly by in a pair of Tornados and sprinkle the Sega logo onto the screen. |  |
| Sega GamePack 4 in 1 (1992) Sega Game Gear | A collection of 4 sports-themed minigames. Only released in Europe. Sonic plays referee in the tennis game. |  |
| F1 (1993) Sega Master System | An F1 racing game from Domark. Only released in Europe. Sonic billboards line the sides of the Imola track. |  |
| Wimbledon Championship Tennis (1993) Sega Mega Drive | A sports title based on the most famous tennis event in the world. Sonic advertisements can be seen on the court borders. |  |
| Tom & Jerry: The Movie (1993) Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear | A platform action game based on the Tom and Jerry animated movie. An ad for Sonic appears on the windows of a bookstore in the background of level 2. |  |
| Ultimate Soccer (1993) Sega Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System | A soccer game from Rage Software. Only released in Europe. Sonic appears in several icon graphics in the main menu. He also appears alongside the Sega logo at the beginning of the game. |  |
| J.League Pro Striker (1993) Sega Mega Drive | A soccer game from Sega. One of the first slew of titles to sport the J.League license, which had only just been established. At the splash screen, a soccer-kicking Sonic messes with the Sega logo. Incidentally, when Sega sponsored J. League team JEF United Ichihara (from the Chiba Prefecture, currently in Division 2), they used that same Sonic logo on the shirt.[1] |  |
| Shining Force II (1993) Sega Mega Drive | The second in Sega's strategy RPG series. The original Shining Force was developed by Climax, but the next two sequels fell into the hands of Sonic! Software Planning which later changed their name to Camelot because they were often mistaken for Sonic Team. After the final battle has been won and the credits have rolled, let the game sit on the closing scene for about 5 minutes. This accesses a secret, super difficult hidden battle. Bring up the map to see that the arena is in the shape of Sonic as he appears in the Sonic! Software Planning logo. |  |
| Popful Mail (1993) Sega Mega-CD | Falcom's comical action RPG where the rambunctious Mail and her companions wreak havoc, hunt treasure, and eventually save the world. In an early cut-scene, the heroine, Mail, examines a bulletin board which features a tiny Sonic drawing in the top-right corner. |  |
| Secret of Mana (1993) Super Nintendo Entertainment System | An RPG created by Squaresoft (now known as Square Enix). An animal enemy in the game named "Pebbler" is most likely based off of Sonic as it has blue quill-like features and red feet. It also attacks by spinning into a ball, like Sonic. |  |
| Formula One World Championship 1993 (1994) Sega Mega-CD | An F1 racing simulator from Sega. The game features a reproduction of the Donington Park Circuit from 1993 (the year of Sega's sponsorship). Sonic and Tails billboards can be spotted in the background of the Donington Park and Sega Park tracks. |  |
| Sega Channel (1994) Sega Mega Drive | A short-lived cable service where you had unlimited access to old and new games for the Genesis. Sonic would appear in the intro while booting up the Genesis with a Sega Channel Adaptor plugged in. |  |
| Crusader of Centy (1994) Sega Mega Drive | An action RPG that is very openly similar to Nintendo's Legend of Zelda games. Stroll along the Anemone Beach area in the early part of the game to encounter Sonic catching some rays on a lounge chair. Talk to Sonic and he says: "Tsk...Tsk...! I'm a gallant hedgehog. Don't mess or you'll get burned" |  |
| Daytona USA (1994) Arcade, PC, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast | A popular Sega racing game, noted for its soundtrack. Sonic is carved into the side of a mountain on the Three-Seven Speedway track. He turns into Super Sonic on the replay. |  |
| The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin (1994) Sega Mega-CD | This is a port of the original Sega Mega Drive action game of the same title, except this version has enhanced music and added full motion videos. In the game's FMV ending, a carving of Sonic's head can be spotted on a cave in the background. |  |
| Wacky Worlds Creativity Studio (1994) Sega Mega Drive | A simple cut & paste storybook game by Sega. Sonic and Tails grace the game's cover, Sonic acts as your guide through the various scenes, and Tails is thrown in as a "paste" graphic in the jungle area. |  |
| Phantasy Star IV (1994) Sega Mega Drive | Finale to the Phantasy Star saga created by Sega and Sonic Team. In the game the player can find a book about a running Hedgehog, a clear reference to Sonic. |  |
| Gale Racer (1994) Sega Saturn | A Japanese port of the arcade game Rad Mobile. There's a Sonic ornament hanging from the rear-view mirror, just like in Rad Mobile. However in this Sega Saturn version, the ornament changes after every 100 races: Sonic is default, followed in order by Tails, Mighty, Eggman, Silver Sonic, Ray, Amy, Metal Sonic, Knuckles and Super Sonic. |  |
| Virtua Striker (1994) Arcade | The first installment of Sega's popular arcade soccer series. The game's match ball, designed after the Adidas Questra (the 1994 World Cup ball), has Sonic drawn in its black triskelions. |  |
| Jazz Jackrabbit (1994) PC | A mascot driven Platform game. In the game's instruction booklet, Jazz wishes he could be like other easy video games that defeat enemies by just jumping on them. Sonic then appears behind him threatening to call his lawyer. |  |
| Mickey Mania (1994) Sega Mega Drive, Sega Mega-CD, Super Nintendo | A 16-bit platformer starring Disney's popular mascot, Mickey Mouse. Both Sonic and Tails' names are featured in the game's credits as nicknames for Tony Parks and Phil Snape. |  |
| Mega Turrican (beta) (1994) Sega Mega Drive | A 16-bit shooter game. In the Beta version, Sonic and Mario are in the background tiles of the first stage. These tiles were never used in the actual game. |  |
| Streets of Rage 3 (beta) (1994) Sega Mega Drive | A Sega brawler game. The 3rd and final installment of the Streets of Rage series. In the Beta version, Sonic appears on a Sega billboard in the background. However this was cut out of the final product for unknown reasons. |  |
| Premier Manager (1995) Sega Mega Drive | A soccer management sim from Gremlin. Only released in Europe. You can decorate your stadium with Chaotix logos. |  |
| Bug! (1995) Sega Saturn | A rail-based 3D platformer created for Sega by Realtime Associates. One of the bonus rounds in stage 2, Reptilia, has the game's hero, Bug, racing head-to-head against Sonic. |  |
| Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) Super Nintendo | Sequel to Rare's hugely popular Donkey Kong Country, a platform action game. In Cranky's Video Game Hero awards, under a sign reading "NO HOPERS" lies an unmistakable pair of red shoes. |  |
| Bugs Bunny Double Trouble (1995) Sega Mega Drive | A Basic platforming game starring cartoon icon, Bugs Bunny. In a level of the game, Bugs will come across Sonic's red sneakers which seem to have been abandoned. The shoes have laces which are untied. |  |
| Virtua Fighter 2 (1995) Sega Saturn | The sequel to AM2's 3D Fighter game, Virtual Fighrter. In the Sega Saturn version, pit Jacky Bryant against Sarah Bryant (or vice versa) to access a hidden stage called Chicago. There's a brick wall in the background with graffiti all over it, including a doodle of Sonic. |  |
| Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995) Super Nintendo Entertainment System | An adventure game centering around the Yoshis trying to help Baby Mario. One of the enemies is named "Harry Hedgehog", who is a fast moving, blue hedgehog, much like Sonic. When Yoshi gets to close, Harry Hedgehog will swell up and become impossible to swallow. Harry Hedgehog could be Nintendo's response to Sega's constant insults toward them. |  |
| Uniracers (1995) Super Nintendo Entertainment System | Unicycle racing video game. Entering Sonic's name into the name selection screen causes the game to call your choice "Not Cool Enough". This is due to Nintendo's rivalry with Sega at the time. |  |
| Cool Riders (1995) Arcade | A 2D/3D racing game from Sega that uses digitized sprites made popular in American arcade games such as the Cruis'n series and Mortal Kombat series, both by Midway. When a player finishes a race and reaches the high score table, there are mini-Sonic and Tails head icons that can be used for a player's initials. |  |
| A Hard Day's Night (1995) NEC PC-98 | An erotic visual novel game released exclusively in Japan. In the background of a room scene a toy that resembles Sonic can be seen. |  |
| Fighters Megamix (1996) Sega Saturn | A 3D fighting game featuring characters from AM2's Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers. A slew of more obscure Sega series is also represented. Bark the Polarbear and Bean the Dynamite from Sonic the Fighters appear as hidden characters, along with the South Island and Aurora Icefield arenas. (Strangely, Aurora Icefield sports the BGM of Flying Carpet.) Bark's alternate costume is a Santa Claus outfit, while Bean's is the original Bin from Dynamite Dux. |  |
| Super Mario RPG (1996) Super Nintendo Entertainment System | A 3D RPG with Mario collecting seven Star Pieces. In Booster Tower, one of the pictures looks somewhat like Eggman, even sporting his famous pince-nez glasses and long red-brown mustache, but has a hat. That picture is on the far left. |  |
| Premier Manager 97 (1996) Sega Mega Drive | The follow-up to Gremlin's soccer management sim. Only released in Europe. You can decorate your stadium with Sonic & Knuckles logos. |  |
| Neko Daisuki! (1996) Sega Game Gear | A virtual pet sim where players raise a kitten into cathood. Only released in Japan. The player, cat character has decorated his/her room with a poster of Sonic. |  |
| Last Bronx (1996) Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, Arcade | A 3D weapons-based fighting game from AM3. In Tommy's stage (Cross Street), you can see a poster of Sonic on one of the buildings in the background. |  |
| Sega Ski Super G (1996) Arcade | A skiing game from Sega. On the first round of the Standard Course (White Forest), a giant Sonic snow sculpture looms over the track. |  |
| WaveRunner (1996) Arcade | A jet ski game from Sega. The player character sports a stylized Sonic insignia on the back of his life jacket. |  |
| Christmas NiGHTS (1996) Sega Saturn | A holiday-themed demo version of Sonic Team's Sega Saturn game, NiGHTS into Dreams. One of the unlockable bonus features puts the player in control of Sonic in a Spring Valley time attack. The boss, Puffy, is replaced with a giant rubbery Dr. Robotnik, along with the Sonic CD final boss music. |  |
| Fighters Vipers (1996) Sega Saturn | A fast paced 3D fighting game. In the opening movie of the Sega Saturn version, Sanman's pile of toys sports a model of the Lunar Fox, the spaceship Tails built to reach the Death Egg in Sonic the Fighters. Also in the pile are toys based on other Sonic the Fighters characters, such as mirror version of Honey the Cat, Mecha Sonic Model No.29 in rocket mode and Bark the Polar Bears body can be seen. |   |
| Sega Super GT (1996) Arcade | A SEGA Racing game, similar to Daytona USA. In the Dolphin Tennul Race Course, right before entering a tunnel, you see a billboard on your left. This billboard depicts Sonic and Tails in a race car, one of the images found in Sonic the Hedgehog The Screen Saver. |  |
| Virtua Striker 2 (1997) Arcade | The second in Sega's popular arcade soccer series. At the team select screen, press: down-right, start, down, left, start, right, start, right, down-left, start, down, start, start, start. This accesses the secret MVP Yuki Chan team, which includes Bean the Dynamite from Sonic the Fighters. |  |
| Harley-Davidson & L.A. Riders (1997) Arcade | A driving game featuring Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The objective is to ride to checkpoints around Los Angeles under a time limit. At the gate of the mansion in Beverly Hills, Sonic is featured on several stone blocks. |  |
| Sega Saturn de Hakken! Tamagotchi Park (1998) Sega Saturn | A 2D tamagotchi game with several Sega character cameos, including Alex Kidd, Flicky and Sonic as Sonictchi. |  |
| Burning Rangers (1998) Sega Saturn | A 3D action video game developed by Sonic Team, set in the future where fire is the primary hazard of mankind and you play as a specialised fire-fighter to save lives and extinguish fires. Lead Phoenix has a blue sticker that resembles Sonic's head on his extinguisher. |  |
| Spike Out (1998) Arcade | A 3D fighting game game for up to 4 players. It was never released in the US or ported to any home consoles. It has had a few sequels and spinoffs. Sonic stands near an elevator in one of the levels. |  |
| Dirt Devils (1998) Arcade | A 3D off-road racing game that was never released for any home consoles. Sonic's head is seen on the "Agile, But Tricky" machine, the Euro-Prototype. |  |
| L.A. Machineguns: Rage of the Machines (1998) Arcade | Follow-up to Gunblade NY. A light gun shooting game with machine guns. Sonic appears along with the Sonic Adventure logo in the form of a neon sign in the Las Vegas stage. |  |
| SEGA Bass Fishing (1999) Dreamcast, Arcade, Wii | A virtual fishing game with a rod & reel controller. A rod & reel peripheral was released specifically for the Dreamcast version. Many years later, the game was released for Nintendo Wii. Complete all 5 tournaments in consumer mode to unlock the Sonic lure. |  |
| NBA 2K (1999) Dreamcast | The first in Visual Concepts' (current 2K Games) popular basketball series. Players can create a team called the "Hedgehogs." The logo features Sonic holding a basketball, and the home court has a giant Sonic textured onto the floor. |  |
| ChuChu Rocket! (1999) Dreamcast | A fast-paced puzzle game from Sonic Team. Clear all 25 puzzles in the Stage Challenge mode, and you can have the normal Chu-chu's replaced with Chao. |  |
| Shenmue (1999) Dreamcast | Players control Ryo Hazuki in his continent-spanning search for the man who killed his father. A very unique and richly detailed adventure game in which traditional mechanics take a backseat to exploration. Scattered around Yokosuka's three major areas you'll find gashapon machines which contain various toys based on Sega lore. In Sakuragaoka in front of Abe's Store you'll find the Sonic machine, where you can obtain figures based on Sonic the Fighters. The series includes two models of Sonic along with one of Dr. Robotnik and the other playable characters such as Tails, Fang, Amy Rose, Knuckles, Bark and Bean. Win fourth prize on the Dobuita Tomato store raffle and you could score the rare Super Sonic or Metal Sonic figurines. In front of the You Arcade in Dobuita and also in the New Yokosuka Harbor Tomato store lounge, you can find the Wakuwaku Sega World machines, which contain figurines from all eras of Sega history. Among the toys in this machine are NiGHTS (two models), as well as a Chao set. |  |
| Pac-Man World (1999) PlayStation | Rev-Roll is a technique used by Pac-Man is reminiscent of Spin Dash. Also, the final boss, Toc-Man is similar to Metal Sonic. | |
| Jet Set Radio/Jet Grind Radio (2000) Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance | An in-line skating game in which the player starts a graffiti gang of "rudies" called the GG's. They fight for turf with rival gangs in Tokyo-to by tagging their territory with graffiti, all while trying to evade the city's police force. Players can tag with stock art of the characters (Sonic, Dr. Eggman, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, E-102 Gamma, Big and Chao) from Sonic Adventure via Internet download. Sonic also appears on a billboard in the game's ending cutscene. |  |
| Phantasy Star Online (2000) Dreamcast, GameCube, Xbox, PC | A network action RPG from Sonic Team. With a rare item called the "Chao soul", Mags can be raised to look like a Chao or Omochao. A rare weapon called the "Sonic Knuckle", when equipped, looks just like Knuckles' gloves. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Eggman have made cameo appearances in the online lobbies on several occasions, and there have also been downloadable quests in which you interact with the heroic trio. |  |
| Spyro: Year of the Dragon (2000) PlayStation | In the level Crystal islands, the character Moneybags will say he's a magician and will open the bridge behind him. If you decline his offer, he will say not to anger a magician or he will "turn you into a blue hedgehog or something." |  |
| Jet Grind Radio (2000) Dreamcast | A rollerskating game with rebellious teenagers who use graffiti to express themselves. In SEGA's other game Jet Grind Radio, one of the characters, Garam wears a necklace with a skull on it. In an interview with the art director of that game Ryuta Ueda, stated that it's Sonic's skull. |  |
| Derby Owners Club (2000/2001) Arcade | An arcade horse racing simulator by the Sega AM3 team. One of the race tracks in the game, called "G1 Sega", has a large inflatable Sonic balloon on the center on the track. It is surrounded by spinning rings. | 
|
| Illbleed (2001) Dreamcast | Survival horror with a unique premise that emphasizes scripted traps over actual fighting. One of the game's bosses, named "Zodick the Hellhog", is a big blue beast that bears more than a passing resemblance to Sonic. He spouts gold Rings when he takes damage. After his defeat, it is revealed he is a robot, and one of the scientists controlling him is voiced by Ryan Drummond. |  |
| Segagaga (2001) Dreamcast | A funny sim/RPG in which players manage the affairs of a struggling videogame company called Sega. Sonic appears with some other well-known Sega mascots in the opening, such as Alex Kidd and Amigo and among the possible tasks in the game is the development of a title called "Sonic the Hedgehog.". At one point, Sonic appears with Tails in the air, when he drops down, he takes the player on a wild run. He also appears when Alex Kidd was telling his story about being replaced by the blue hedgehog. At one point, the player also fights Sonic. |  |
| Alien Front Online (2001) Dreamcast | Dreamcast game originally released for the console in 2001. In the game, players use armored vehicles to fight tense battles staged in large, interactive arenas. A Sonic Billboard can be spotted during gameplay. |  |
| Shenmue II (2001) Dreamcast, Xbox | The return of Ryo Hazuki where he goes out of Japanese suburbia and into the city of Hong Kong in search of Lan Di, his father's killer. The same Sonic the Fighters gashapon machines (Sonic, Dr. Robotnik, Tails, Fang, Amy Rose, Knuckles, Bark and Bean) are back: the first is located in front of the Tomato convenience store in Wan Chai's Golden Qr. Two more can be found in Kowloon: the first right outside Ren's Hideout on Dragon St., and the second is in Dimsum Qr. at the entrance to Thunder House. The rare Super Sonic and Metal Sonic figures can now be acquired as prizes in the potato chips, chocolates, or caramels you can purchase at grocery stores. Also when in the Moon Child Orphanage located in the Moon Child Bldg. in Kowloon, a drawing resembling Sonic & Tails can be seen hanging up on the wall. |  |
| Beach Spikers (2001) GameCube, Arcade | An all-girl volleyball game from AM2. The final stadium in the arcade mode features a giant, volleyball-bearing Sonic statue looming in one corner of the field. |  |
| Virtua Striker 3 (2001) Arcade, GameCube | The third iteration of Amusement Vision's popular soccer series. The "F.C. Sonic" team, one of several hidden teams in the game, stars Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Eggman (who serves as the team's goalkeeper) and a group of Chao as players while a polygonal Yuji Naka watches from the sidelines as the team's manager. In the Ver. 2002 update (and console conversion), the Chao group includes a Hero and a Dark Chao (the other four Chao are Neutral). |  |
| Virtua Cop 3 (2001) Arcade | The third iteration of AM2's popular light gun shooting series. Sonic appears on the tutorial screen. |  |
| Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (2003) GameCube, PC | An egg-rolling platform game from Sonic Team. A number of Sonic Team stars feature as hidden egg animals, including Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and a Chao. Amigo, Kapu-Kapu and NiGHTS also appear as egg animals. |  |
| Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (2003) PlayStation 2 | Sega's own 2D Fighting game, sequel to Virtua Fighter 4. Various pictures of Sonic are featured on SEGA World Arcades. |  |
| Virtua Quest (2004) PlayStation 2, Gamecube | A spin-off of the Virtua Fighters series. While still a fighting game it is mostly an RPG. On the Twin Axis server there is a golden statue of Sonic just after meeting Toka. Bit will say the statue has a secret and after hitting a sequence of buttons, the statue will become Super Sonic and drop a Hunters Badge. |  |
| Feel the Magic: XY/XX (2004) Nintendo DS | An offbeat collection of minigames from Sonic Team, played through the eyes of a nameless helmeted hero as he struggles to win the affections of a shapely silhouette girl. Start the game with either Sonic Advance or Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Pinball Party or Sonic Battle in the Game Boy Advance slot to unlock a Sonic hat or Chao hat for the game's unnamed female lead. The hat can also be unlocked by clearing Hell mode, the hardest difficulty setting. One of the minigames called "Chaser" has Wide Springs on it's courses. |   |
| Asterix & Obelix XXL 2: Mission Las Vegum (2005) PlayStation 2, PC, PSP | An action adventure game from Atari based on the popular French comic series Astérix le Gaulois. Mission Las Vegum is rife with videogame parodies of all manner, including several Sonic spoofs. One faction of Roman warriors wears blue headgear that resembles Sonic spines, along with Sonic's trademark red shoes. They carry gold Rings. |  |
| OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (2006) PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC, PSP | An enhanced port of AM2's coin-op OutRun 2. A golden Sonic statue and billboards featuring Sonic can be seen in the background of the Casino Town stage. |  |
| Virtua Fighter 5 (2006) Arcade, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | Fourth installment to the Virtua Fighter series. In Quest Mode you can visit various locations based on actual Sega owned arcades such as SegaWorld or Club Sega. Most of these places decorated with images of Sonic. |  |
| Phantasy Star Universe (2006) PlayStation 2, Xbox 360,PC | The sequel to Sonic Team's Phantasy Star Online. Lobbies are decorated yearly to coincide with Sonic's birthday (June 23) with cameos by Sonic and Tails. Giant statues of Sonic, Tails, Amy Rose and Knuckles also appear. |  |
| Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary (2006) PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, Wii, PSP | The 15th anniversary addition of the Puyo Puyo series. Once "Sonic style puyo" is unlocked, the puyo will resemble the heads of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Silver and Chao. |  |
| Sega Rally Revo (2007) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC | An offroad racing video game, the 4th installment of the Sega Rally series. A Shadow the Hedgehog car can be made available in the game. The design seems to be based on Shadow the Hedgehog, but oddly, the artwork is from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). |  |
| Crash of the Titans (2007) Mobile Phone, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Wii, PSP, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 | A platform game in which the player controls Crash Bandicoot, whose main objective is to rescue his sister, Coco, and save his home, the Wumpa Islands, from being destroyed by the main antagonist's gigantic robot. The Ratnicians sometimes make a reference to Sonic, when they say: "You'd think he was a moving fast blue hedgehog or something." Note: This reference re-appears in Crash: Mind Over Mutant. | |
| The Simpsons Game (2007) PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP | A video game based on the popular TV show, The Simpsons. Throughout the game there are a number of references and parodies to popular video games. Sonic appears in the Simpsons Game in the level Enter the Cheatrix as a washed up has been, walking on a hamster wheel. He says many funny lines such as "I miss the 90's, everybody loved me then" and "I forget why I hated Eggman so much" or even "That Shadow version of me. Nicest guy in the world. Completely misunderstood". Towards the end of the game, the Simpsons escape the video game world and Mario, Sonic and others go with them, back to Springfield. |  |
| Sega Splash Golf (2008) PC | An online golf game from Sega. Sonic and Tails cameo as caddies along with a Green Hill Zone course and a set of clubs modeled after Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Dr. Eggman. |  |
| Bangai-O Spirits (2008) Nintendo DS | The sequel to the N64 and Dreamcast action game, Bangai-O. One of the enemies is a robot named Fast Bot. It's blue, can curl into a ball, and rush forward while dealing massive damage. | |
| Samba de Amigo Wii (2008) Wii | The musical rhythm game Samba De Amigo was also worked on by Sonic Team. In Career mode, after beating normal mode you unlock hard mode. The first set of Songs in hard mode is called "Sonic's challenge". Sonic's challenge consists of the songs "Mambo #5", "Low Rider" and "Un Aguardiente". All three songs take place in green hill zone and have Sonic dancing alongside Amigo. The Chao appear in multiple other levels sometimes driving flying saucers. There is also a set of Sonic dance sounds that can be unlocked if you clear the song "Jump in the Line" in Amigo's Challenge. |  |
| The Incredible Hulk (2008) PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, Nintendo DS | A 3D platform adventure game based on the 2008 movie The Incredible Hulk. Since the game is copyrighted by Sega, if the player jumps to random buildings, they can view a special Sonic the Hedgehog billboard featuring him in poses from Sonic Channel and Sonic and the Secret Rings. |  |
| LittleBigPlanet (2008) PlayStation 3 | A puzzle platformer video game, centered around user-generated content. Compatible with LittleBigPlanet 2, LittleBigPlanet Vita, LittleBigPlanet Karting, LittleBigPlanet 3, and the upcoming Free-to-Play LittleBigPlanet HUB (decals, however, are only compatible with LittleBigPlanet 2 and LittleBigPlanet 3). There are many add on skins that players can use to customize their sackboy in this game. Five skins from the Sonic the Hedgehog series have been made available to download in Japan in 2009. The five skins are Sonic, Sonic the Werehog, Knuckles, Tails and Dr. Robotnik. These skins along with a set of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) decals were released in the US and Europe in 2010. |  |
| Taiko no Tatsujin (2008) Mobile phones | A series of rhythm games created by Namco. One of the games is set in Splash Hill Zone with Sonic, Dr. Eggman and a some Moto Bug, Burrobot and Shellcracker Badniks to go with the beat with. |  |
| Destroy All Humans!: Path of the Furon (2008) PlayStation 3 (PAL region only), Xbox 360 | A third person shooter that is the third installment of the Destroy All Humans! which lets you play as an alien who came to Earth to cause massive destruction and havoc in 5 open worlds set during the 1970s. After the end of the 23rd mission, Crypto and Pox begin coming up with video game ideas. One of the ideas Crypto suggests is a video game about "A hedgehog who can run really fast and... uh...", but Pox rejects all his ideas telling him to leave video game ideas to him (Crypto's other ideas references Super Mario Brothers and Halo). | |
| Wario Land: the Shake Dimension (2008) Wii | A Nintendo game in 2008 starring Wario. Enemies called Bandineros wear shoes that resemble Sonic's shoes. |  |
| Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA (2009) PlayStation Portable | The first video game of the series with the same name, a music/rhythm video game series developed by Sega and Crypton Future Media which features Vocaloids, a series of singing synthesiser software and songs created using these Vocaloids, most notably the virtual idol Hatsune Miku. In the Miku's Room feature of the game, one of the obtainable items is a Mega Drive containing the cartridge of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. |  |
| Valkyria Chronicles II (2010) PlayStation Portable | An tactical role-playing game set in the middle of a war between various nations. A tank with artwork of Sonic from Sonic Channel is present on one of the tanks the player controls. |  |
| Bayonetta (2010) Playstation 3, Xbox 360 | An action game where you play as a witch who fights angels, that contains references to other games, mainly Sega games. The game starts at a funeral of a man named "Eggman the Destroyer". Due to amount of game references in the game, this is most likely a reference to Dr. Eggman. However, according to an interview with the game's creator, Hideki Kamiya, he stated that it was completely random and he didn't even know that Sonic's enemy was called Eggman. The game's currency, Halos, bear a striking resemblance to Gold Rings. When Enzo is explaining about the jewels known as the Eyes of the World, a gem that looks a great deal like the grey Chaos Emerald is shown. |  |
| Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World: The Game (2010) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | A side-scrolling beat-'em-up game based on the popular comic book series and film. One of the power ups in the game is a game called Speedy the Porcupine, the description reads: Blast through seven zones at high speed. As with the book, Ramona's 4th ex, Roxie explodes into a flurry of woodland creatures, there is also a cheat that makes the same thing happen when any enemy is defeated. Said cheat is the same code for level select in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (up, up, down, down, up, up, up, up). |  |
| Virtua Tennis 4 (2010) PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Wii, Microsoft Windows | The third sequel to Sega's tennis game franchise, Virtua Tennis. It is known as Sega Professional Tennis: Power Smash 4 in Japan. You can unlock a tennis racket the shape of Sonic's head. |   |
| Poker Night at the Inventory (2010) Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X | A poker Game with 4 great game icons playing with the player himself. Strong Bad comments on Tycho's hair being "a greasy hedgehog" quickly saying it is not associated with any video game license, this was liable to be a Sonic reference because he said something about a "video game license." | |
| Farm Hokkorina Mobile phones | A farm game in which you take care of animals, plots, food and such other casual activities. In it's upgrade, a Sonic version is playable for 2012. As Sonic, you can run around and even take a nap. You can get the entry ticket to the hotel in the game without any work. | 
|
|
Hyperdimension Neptunia |
A turn-based JRPG that stars Neptune, an amnesiac goddess that represents SEGA, as she travels through the entire world with her newfound companions to save the world of Gamindustri from an unknown threat. After waking up in a seemingly empty void, Neptune tries to call out for anyone and mentions that she will not be blamed for "collecting rings floating by the ground". Another reference was present in one of the sub-events on the nation of Planeptune, where a herd of "speedy blue hedgehogs" run past by the heroines. The group observes that the herd went to a pachinko-resembling building, referencing the frequent casino-themed levels in the series at the time. These references are not present in the Vita/PC remake of the game however. | 
|
| Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Extend PlayStation Portable (2011) | The third Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA video game featuring Hatsune Miku. In celebration of Sonic's 20th anniversary, Hatsune Miku sports a Sonic the Hedgehog costume named Sonic Style (ソニックスタイル Sonikkusutairu?). This costume is also included as an in-game costume (called "Modules") Hatsune Miku can wear in her appearances in the music promotional videos (PVs) of the songs in Project DIVA: Extend. Additionally, a loading screen featuring artwork of Hatsune Miku wearing Sonic Style in a similar style to Sonic Channel illustrated by Yuji Uekawa is also included in the game. The Sonic Style Module also appeared in Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade and its updated current edition Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade Future Tone (see here). To further celebrate Sonic's 20th anniversary, one of the tracks of the album Hatsune Miku -Project DIVA- extend Special Collaboration Album VOCALOID extend REMIXIES that was given to those who pre-oredered Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Extend, is a cover of the theme song of Sonic Adventure 2, "Live and Learn".[2] Manipulated by Otomania, this version is sung by Hatsune Miku's vocals. |  |
| Spiral Knights PC | An MMO created by SEGA and Three Rings where players defeat enemies as robotic knights. Metal Sonic appears as a costume for those who purchased a copy of Sonic the Hedgehog CD on Steam before January 31, 2012. The costume was also available for in-game purchase in that time. Tails' tails also appeared as a wearable accessory, but were only available through in-game purchase. |  |
| Fun Run iOS, Android | A multiplayer racing game where players can race friends as various animals. Players can purchase an item called "Sanik" that looks like Sonic's shoes. |  |
| Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 PlayStation 3 (2012) | A sequel and reboot of the Hyperdimension Neptunia JRPG series. One of the names of Nepgear's Rush combo skill is called "Blue Sonic". This combo skill would become one of the recurring combo skills in the main series and remakes. | |
| Game Dev Tycoon (2012) PC | A business simulation game which begins in the 80s where the player manages a video game development company. The words written on the whiteboard resembles Sonic's characteristics; "cool", "edgy" and " |  |
| Samurai & Dragons (2012) PlayStation Vita | The first free-to-play, card-based strategic fighting game developed by Sega, that is only available in Asia. In November 29, 2012, a Samurai & Dragons: Deluxe Package set was released and contains rare Sonic-themed cards.[3] |     |
| Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz (2012) PlayStation Vita | . A DLC for the game includes a model of Sonic the Hedgehog to place in Stage Creation Mode. |  |
| Grand Theft Auto V (2013) PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, PlaStation 4, Xbox One | An action game in which the player plays as 3 different criminals. There is a jewelry with the name SuperSonic the ultra fast ring specialist. |  |
| GranTurismo 6 (2013) PlayStation 3 | The sixth installment of the popular racing simulator franchise that features over 1,000 licensed cars, realistic world circuits, city locations and car physics. On the modern Fuji Speedway tracks (F, GT), there is a Sonic advertisement on the billboard bridge next to the SEGA logo right after the start/finish line. |  |
| Dragon Coins (2013) iOS, Android | Coin-based RPG mobile game published by Sega Networks in Japan, released later in the west on 2014. To promote the Japanese release of Sonic Lost World in October 22, 2013, Sega held the "Sonic Lost World Special collaboration event" that consists a daily mission titled "Eggman Rokuonishu". The event lasted between 22 October to 30 October 2013 exclusively to Japanese players. By completing this special mission, the player would encounter the boss. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy would be all be used as part of the monster team to battle against Deadly Six and numerous Badniks.[4] |   |
| Puyopuyo!! Quest (2013) iOS, Android | A free-to-play puzzle game developed and released by Sega in 2013. A collaboration event with the Sonic the Hedgehog series was released on January 23- January 29, 2017. It included a mini-story and character cards of Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles, along with a limited edition Sonic character card that was only available in the Ring Collection Festival event from January 25-January 29, 2017. A second event called Dr. Eggman Rush began on February 8, 2017. Egg Pawns, Moto Bugs and Crabmeats made appearances as enemies, with Dr. Eggman and Shadow as a primary antagonists and Green Hill Zone served as a background stage. Chili dogs and Power Sneakers were collectable items, while the Spin Attack, Energy Ball, Spiral Upper and the Piko Piko Hammer were moves used by Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy respectively. Music, such as the song Beyond the Speed Of... from Sonic Runners Original Soundtrack, was played inbetween the stages. Lastly, special cards of the main protagonists wearing costumes of Sonic, Tails, Amy and Shadow were made available. |  |
| Tiny Death Star (2013) iOS, Android | A Star Wars-themed version of the popular building sim game Tiny Tower. In the Workout Center floor, there is an animation showing a (non-customizable) Bitizenified-looking Nautolan jogging on one of the treadmills resembling a Genesis era-style "hedgehog." | |
| Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax (2014) Arcade, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita | A crossover 2D fighting game developed by Ecole/French Bread, known creator of the games Melty Blood and Under Night In-Birth in collaboration between Sega and light novel Dengeki Bunko as part of 20th anniversary, which is also part of Virtua Fighter 20th anniversary. It features Green Hill Stage. |  |
| Goat Simulator (2014) PC, Xbox One, Android, iOS | A third-person perspective simulation game where you play as a goat. You can choose and unlock a variety of goats. A goat known as the Blue Streak has the ability to move fast, with R to charge blue and run at great speeds. |  |
| Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (2014) PC, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | A unique enemy known as the Phonic Kraggon is the target of the Phonically Challenged challenge where it will have a small chance of appearing in Serenity's Waste. While other Kraggons are fire or ice elemental enemies, the Phonic Kraggon is electric element. It's attack is the ability to rapidly roll and charge into enemies just like the Spin Dash. When hurt will occasionally drop some money and when defeated will make money fall around it, just like how Sonic loses his rings when hurt.In True Vault Hunter Mode, the "Phuper Phonic Kraggon" appears, other than being a gold recolour is still the same as before. |  |
| Puyo Puyo Tetris (2014) PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC |
In Puyo Puyo Tetris, similar to Puyo Puyo! 15th Anniversary, the game featured Sonic the Hedgehog-themed Puyos and Tetriminoes the player can use in place of the game's Puyos and Tetriminoes' default appearance. |  |
| Monster Hunter 4G (2014/2015) Nintendo 3DS |
A Enhanced version of the RPG game Monster Hunter 4. An upcoming DLC for the 3DS Game where the Felyn dress up as Sonic and wields Excaliburn from Sonic and the Black Knight. | 
|
| Mario Kart 8 (2014/2015) Wii UMario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) Nintendo Switch |
The eighth installment in the main Mario Kart series. Version 4.0 allows the game to unlock a Sonic racing suit for Mii by using the Sonic Amiibo. The Nintendo Switch port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, allows this too. | 
|
| Phantasy Star Online 2 (2012/2014/2016) PC, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android |
The 2012 sequel of Phantasy Star Online developed by Sega, that has been only available commercially in Japan and the Pacific Southwest. |  
|
| Project X Zone 2 (2015/2016) Nintendo 3DS |
A tactical role-playing game crossover between Capcom, SEGA, and Bandai Namco Entertainment. In the game, couple of references to Sonic are made: at the start of Chapter 6, one of Xiaomu's lines is "Gotta go fast", one of the examples Xiaomu provides when telling the characters to look for inscrutable signs is "The Two-Tailed Fox" in chapter 21 and at one point in the game Segata Sanshiro states he should have brought a Spring from the Spring Yard Zone. | 
|
| Yoshi's Woolly World (2015) Wii U |
By using the Sonic Amiibo, players can change Yoshi's appearance identical to Sonic's. | 
|
| Super Mario Maker (2015) Wii U |
By using the Sonic Amiibo, Mario can use the Mystery Mushroom to transform into an 16-bit of Sonic. This feature is only available when the player is designing a level based on the original Super Mario Bros. game. | 
|
| Minecraft: Story Mode (2015) Wii U |
In episode 5, "Order Up!", one of the optional potions Jesse can take to defeat Aiden is a speed potion which allows him/her to move faster and slow his/her perception of time. His/her one-liner for taking the potion is "Gotta go fast". | 
|
| Megadimension Neptunia VII (2016) PlayStation 4, PC | The fourth main game and the seventh role-playing game in the Neptunia series. One of the sub-events exclusive to the promotional DLC character, God Eater, Uzume invites God Eater into going out to eat along with the Planeptune sisters. Neptune and Nepgear lead the group near to a jazz club called the "Blue Hedgehog", which is the nation's popular chili-dog restaurant. Uzume later challenges God Eater into a chili-dog eating contest which ended up with the gluttonous soldier eating more than 60 chili-dogs. Due to the amount of chili-dogs ordered, Neptune asks Nepgear if the Basilicom can cover the cost while labeling it as "business lunch expense", which the little sister denies. This event is absent in VIIR, the VR-compatible remake of the game for PS4, due to all of the DLC characters for VII being absent. | 
|
| Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (2016) PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC | An action role playing stealth game in which the player controls a cybernetically-enhanced human in a dystopian future. A game titled "Knuckles & Knuckles & Knuckles", complete with artwork of multiple Knuckles the Echidnas, can be seen inside a video game store within the game, referencing the "& Knuckles" meme. The artwork originates from the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter page in which it was used as part of a joke advertisement for a game with the same name. The official Deus Ex Twitter page responded with their approval of the tweet, as the faux release date for the game (2029) coincided with the setting of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, leading to the inclusion of this cameo.[6] | 
|
| LEGO Dimensions (2016) PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One, Xbox 360 | Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, originally released for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One and Xbox 360. The June 2016 E3 trailer for the game confirms Sonic to be added alongside other franchises as becoming playable character. The Sonic Level Pack was released on November 18, 2016.[7][8] |  
|
| Monster Gear: Burst (2016) iOS, Android | A hunting action RPG where you fight monsters. Set in the Bukkibakka Kingdom, Doctor Eggman attempts to conquer the kingdom with the Tonkachi, drill-missles and various weapons. The battlefield is based after Green Hill Zone and you can get armor sets based on Sonic, Knuckles and Shadow. Caliburn, a Knuckles themed hammer and a sword themed after Shadow's Air Shoes is also available for the event. | 
|
| Super Toss the Turtle (2016) iOS, Android | In its line of characters which parody pop culture characters, one of them is Fast the Porcupine, a Sonic the Hedgehog parody. | 
|
| Superdimension Neptune vs. SEGA Hard Girls
(2016) | An original character made for the crossover is "Hatsumi Sega", or nicknamed as "Segami", who is an official personification of Sega from the Sega Hard Girls side. Her design is mostly based on Sonic, due to the fact that he is the mascot of Sega. On the back of the game's English Vita cover, one of the lines written is "Gotta go dash!", which is a reference to the Sonic X theme song, "Gotta Go Fast". | 
|
| MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune vs. Zombies
(2016) | While using the English voices, one of Neptune's lines when she dashes is "Gotta go fast", a reference to the Sonic X English theme song. | |
| Yakuza 0 (2015/2017) PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, | The upgrades that increase character running speeds are called "gotta go fast". | |
| Persona 5
(2016/2017) | The description for Sonic Socks, an accessory availible in TV shopping, reads: "Socks that let one run as fast as a hedgehog." | 
|
| Hanjuku Hero: Aa, Sekaiyo Hanjukunare...! | A Japanese-exclusive real-time strategy video game where the player fights Egg Monsters. Following the re-release of the 1992 game, Dr. Eggman is featured as an exclusive boss. | 
|
| Yakuza Kiwami (2016/2017) | A remake of Sega's first Yakuza game. In the Sega arcades, mini posters can be seen with Sonic on. | |
|
Dragon City (2017) |
Originally from 2012. During its Video Game Island event in the summer of 2017, dragons modeled after video game characters can be collected. One of them is Bluebolt, modeled after Sonic the Hedgehog. Its child form resembles Classic Sonic. | 
|
|
Neon FM (2017) |
Two music tracks from Sonic Mania, "Friends" and "Time Trials", appear as in the game as purchasable tracks. The artwork and description of both tracks contain references to the series. | 
|
| Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back (2017) PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam) | For the platforming game, Bubsy's official artwork depicts him in a pose similar to Sonic's trademark pose from the original Sonic the Hedgehog game. The game's launch trailer depicts Bubsy answering the door to a kid in a Sonic costume. | 
|
| Cuphead (2017) Xbox One, PC (Steam) | One of the enemies in the game is very similar to Sonic in appearance and runs in a similar manner. | 
|
| Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (2017) PlayStation 4, PC (Steam) | Monokuma, the mascot of the game indirectly references how Sonic always loses his rings when taking damage and his hate about Sonic and his games during the fourth Class Trial. The quote "I hate that Hedgehog!" is also a common catchphrase used by Dr. Eggman in various media. In the official [twitter ] of the Sonic franchise, Dr. Eggman replied about what Monokuma said and how he agrees with him. | 
|
| SEGA Slots (2018) iOS, Android | A Vegas-styled gambling app that employs the use of well known Sega franchises, such as Super Monkey Ball and Golden Axe. Here, the Sonic the Hedgehog series has two slots. The "Sonic the Hedgehog" slot features Sonic chasing after Dr. Eggman in Green Hill Zone to save the captured animals while also earning payouts along the way. The "Sonic Casino Nights" slot features a "spin-to-win" mechanism in Casino Night Zone. | 
|
| PAC-MAN (2016) (*update in 2018) iOS, Android | Mobile port of the 1980 arcade game. As part of the cross promotion that the Sonic the Hedgehog series had with the PAC-MAN series in February 2018, (in which PAC-MAN became a playable character in Sonic Dash) a Sonic themed maze pack titled "DASH!" became available in PAC-MAN. The mazes were designed to resemble Green Hill Zone while a Sonic sprite with running animation was in the place of PAC-MAN. The ghosts were replaced with red, orange, blue and pink colored Moto Bugs while Rings replaced Pac-Dots, Monitors replaced Power Pellets and animal friends replaced bonus items. The maze was only available until 20 March 2018, unless players managed to beat each maze in time. | 
|
| Starbound (2016) PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One | 2D survival sandbox set in a vast procedural universe. The player can enable the "Sonic Sphere" tech to transform into a ball and perform a Spin Dash-like dash by holding the transformation button. | 
|
| Spin-off endless runner game of Animal Jam, a children's casual massively multiplayer online game. One of the characters is Shadow. His description, "Shadow's the edgelord we've all welcomed to our hearts", is a reference to Shadow the Hedgehog and him often being called "edgy" online. | 
| |
| Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight (2018) PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita | Spin-off rhythm game of the popular RPG series. In this game, the character Morgana is able to sport a Sonic the Hedgehog costume. | 
|
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) Nintendo Switch | The sixth installment of Nintendo's popular Super Smash Bros. fighting series. In this game, the fighter Incineroar has an alternate costume with colors that resemble those of Big the Cat. | 
|
Television
| Show title | Character(s) making cameo | Sonic Relation | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (25 November 1993) | Sonic made history as the first video game character to star in the famed Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1993. He was the only game character to fly the skies until Nintendo commissioned the Pikachu float in 1999. In addition to being the first video game character, the float was also one of the larger ones at its debut. Unfortunately, the balloon crashed into a lamppost at Columbus Circle and injured a child and an off-duty NYPD Police Officer. This balloon was one of two that crashed that year, the other being Rex from We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story. | 
| |
| Formula One - European Grand Prix (1993) | Sega sponsored the 1993 Formula One European Grand Prix. During the race, Sega's logo could be seen everywhere, from advertising hoardings to the podium backdrop, where the racer Ayrton Senna was photographed holding aloft a Sonic the Hedgehog trophy at the end of the race. However, the Sonic trophy was merely for promotional purposes, and Senna was handed the real race trophy shortly afterwards.[9] | 
| |
| Williams Formula One racing team (1993) | In 1993 Sega sponsored the Williams Formula One race team, which won both the constructor's and driver's championship with Alain Prost and Damon Hill as drivers. | 
| |
| Honey Nut Cheerios TV Ad (1994) | A commercial where Buzz (the Honey Bee mascot) jumps into his Sega Genesis and races Sonic through Emerald Hill Zone for a box of Honey Nut Cheerios. | 
| |
| McDonald's TV Ad (1994) | In a commercial for a McDonald's Happy Train set for their anniversary, Sonic is featured (along with other non-McDonald's characters such as Barbie) helping Ronald McDonald decorate for a party. Another commercial included Buster and Babs Bunny from Tiny Toon Adventures. | 
| |
| Super Nintendo TV Ad (1994) | Smack in the middle of the great console wars of the 1990s, there was an American Super Nintendo commercial which was in promotion of Super Mario All-Stars. In this commercial, a fast talking teacher quizzes his class on what system is better to buy, SNES which comes with 4 games (referring to the Super Mario All-Stars compilation) or a SEGA (he does not say the name of any specific SEGA system). In the middle of the class is an un-groomed deadbeat kid wearing a Sonic shirt who does not know how to answer any of the questions. | 
| |
| Are You Afraid of the Dark? - Season 3, Ep. 12 "The Tale of the Crimson Clown" (9 April 1994) | A Sonic the Hedgehog 2 poster can be seen in the boy's room right above his desk. Half of the poster is cut-off, hiding Tails, and only Sonic's silhouette can be seen. | 
| |
| Seinfeld - Season 6 ep. 5, "The Couch" (27 October 1994) | When George attempts to rent the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's instead of reading the book, multiple rows of SEGA Genesis games can be spotted behind him in the video rental store. Amongst these games are Sonic Spinball, Sonic 3 and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. | 
| |
| Space Ghost Coast to Coast - Season 1 ep. 10 "Gum, Disease" (11 November 1994) | After the commercial break, Space Ghost is playing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles on his guest monitor. The Sonic & Knuckles main theme plays while Space Ghost controls Sonic through Hidden Palace Zone with Tails following behind. Space Ghost has Sonic walk into Knuckles causing him to lose all his rings. Right before he turns the game off, Knuckles' theme starts to play. Due to legal reasons with Sega about the scene, this episode was left out of the DVD releases of the show. | 
| |
|
The X-Files - Season 3, ep. 3 "D.P.O." (6 October 1995) |
| During some scenes set inside an arcade, the theme music from the Green Hill Zone can be heard. (Coincidentally, an actor named Jason Griffith played a paramedic in this episode. However, he is not the same Jason Griffith who would do the voice of Sonic eight years later.) | 
|
| The Simpsons - Season 7, ep. 11 "Marge Be Not Proud" (17 December 1995) | There was a scene in this episode where Bart is tempted to steal a video game. In his head Bart is visited by Luigi, Mario, Donkey Kong and Sonic who all try to justify Bart stealing the game. | 
| |
|
Touched by an Angel - Season 3, ep. 18 "Clipped Wings" (16 February 1997) |
| In one scene, it would inside an arcade played by an angel but with the theme music from the Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine title screen on the Genesis. | N/A |
| USA Sega Dreamcast television commercials (1998-1999) |
| The Dreamcast's television advertising campaign included animated commercials featuring many of Sega's characters.
Though Sonic and Tails have speaking roles in some commercials, they and others are often background characters, rendered using their Sonic Adventure models. | 
|
| The Rosie O'Donell Show - (1999) | An American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. In promotion of the Dreamcast a man in a large fluffy Sonic costume ran on stage and delivered to Rosie a Dreamcast and a Sonic stuffed animal. | 
| |
| Toonami - (1999-2000) | Toonami is a programming block on Cartoon Network that exclusively plays Japanese anime. Occasionally the host, a robot named TOM, will review current video games. While taking a look at upcoming Dreamcast games, he said that Sonic Adventure "looks truly amazing" for its amount of playable characters and levels. | 
| |
| Robot Wars: 4-7 series, (22 September 2000 - 28 March 2004) |
| The robot Kronic the Wedgehog was named after Sonic as well as coloured blue with spikes on its rear, it competed for 4 series. Another robot named Humphrey originally had a green mascot that resembled Sonic visable on it's front. |  
|
| Malcolm in the Middle - Season 2, ep. 4, "Dinner Out" (15 November 2000) | In one scene Malcolm and Stevie are in Stevie's room playing Sonic R. Malcolm is playing as Sonic. Stevie who is confined to a wheel chair is playing as Amy Rose who is the only character in Sonic R that is on wheels. | 
| |
| JoyRide Studios Advertisement - "Jailtime" (2002) |
| In 2002, JoyRide Studios created action figures for various video game properties, including Sonic.
This commercial features their Sonic Adventure 2 action figure, as well as Sonic himself. The commercial shows a fictitious situation where JoyRide actually captures characters in order to get their detailed sculpts. Sonic, along with AiAi from Super Monkey Ball, appear as some of the captured characters. |  |
| Ty the Tasmanian Tiger TV Ad (2002) | In the Commercial for this new video game, there is a hospital with three individuals completely covered in bandages. The third one is clearly Sonic, his bed is labeled "Hedgehog" and he has a boomerang (Ty's weapon of choice) lodged in his foot. The other two are Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot. The style is done similar to that of the "guerilla marketing" done by SEGA during the console wars. | 
| |
| McDonald's TV Ad (2003) |
| A McDonalds TV ad for their Sonic Heroes promotion.
The ad shows a kid falling after doing tricks on a skateboard, hallucinating, and seeing Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. Sonic offers the kid a Happy Meal, and even says McDonalds' famous "I'm Lovin' It" slogan. |  
|
| Game Over (10 March – 2 April 2004) |
| The Smashenburn family adopt a pet named Turbo who is a 300-pound talking doglike creature with who robs pawn shops and smokes cigars. Being purple and with a spiked-mohawk he somewhat bares resemblence to Sonic. In episode 3 Dark Princess Chang mentioned next semesters school play was called "Sonic and the Angry Inch". | 
|
| Megas XLR - Season 2 ep. 5 "Thanksgiving Throwdown" (27 November 2004) | While Coop, Kiva, and Jamie are watching floats (all of which are spoofs of other characters like the Super Mario Bros.) at a Thanksgiving Day parade, one of the balloons that can be seen is of a character called "Auggie the Adorable Aardvark", a spoof of Sonic with spiky blue hair and red shoes. Strangely enough, this is the float in which an alien spore fuses with to fight Coop in his Megas (a giant mech). During the fight, Auggie uses a move exactly like the Spin Dash. | 
| |
| Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi - Season 2 ep. 19, "Uninvited/Camping Caper/Cell Block Rock" (26 August 2005) |
| In Camping Caper, as Yumi goes to save Ami from Big Foot, she sees her journey to that of a video game. One of the locations she must pass is down a hill followed by a loop-de-loop, the earth with a checkered pattern. Yumi was also running similar to Sonic. | 
|
| Robot Chicken - Season 3 ep. 5 "Shoe" (9 September 2007) | Robot Chicken is a show on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim, that does parody segments on other media with stop motion animation. One episode, "Shoe", features a Sonic parody in which Sonic spins over the speed limit in Green Hill Zone, causing two policeman from the SWAT team to stop him using a spike strip. Sonic is portrayed by a modified ReSaurus Sonic Adventure action figure. | 
| |
| The Simpsons - Season 19 ep. 11, "That 90's Show" (27 January 2008) | There is a scene in this episode where "Wait until you're married" message is parodied by Homer and Marge. They then see a billboard with Sonic on it. The billboard says "Sonic the Hedgehog Says: wait until Marriage." Then it shows Sonic proposing to Amy Rose. | 
| |
| Tosh.0 - Season 2 ep. 16 "WoW Freakout (Investigation)" (14 July 2010) | Comedian, Daniel Tosh showcased a speed run of Emerald Hill Zone on Tosh.0, his stand-up/web video show on Comedy Central. After he shows the video, Tosh then told (and showed) everyone that he does a 'speed run' of his own to get to work every week. In another episode, a clip showing a high school women's basketball game, Sonic is painted in a wall, holding a basketball. That pose is clearly taken from the Sonic Adventure 2 pose. In yet another episode, Tosh is explaining "Parkouring" (aka Free-Running) and says that Sonic died while going through a triple corkscrew, with a screenshot of Sonic running through that "triple corkscrew" in Splash Hill Zone. | 
| |
| WWE SmackDown (2010) | CM Punk, a pro-wrestler is seen wearing a Sonic T-shirt in the ring. However, this episode was never shown on television, as at that time SmackDown was doing house shows in Europe. | 
| |
| Jeopardy - (14 February 2011) | A new twist is added to this long running trivia game show. An IBM Supercomputer called "Watson" competes against the show's two highest earning contestants. The way it works is after the question is asked, all three contestants are given 3 answers to choose from. As an example, 3 games were shown on screen, the 2nd one being Sonic the Hedgehog. | 
| |
| MAD - Season 1 ep. 16 "The Straight A-Team/Gaming's Next Top Princess" (28 February 2011) | An animated parody show based on the ever popular MAD Magazine which pokes fun at anything and everything that is the least bit popular. In this episode they had a parody of America's Next Top Model called Gaming's Next Top Princess. Amongst the candidates is Amy Rose (probably a reference to Sonic CD where she's named Princess Sally in the Western Manuals). It should be noted that Amy is the only character that is not drawn as a parody, that is, with another look or colors. | 
| |
| MAD - Season 1 ep. 23 "TwiGH School Musical/Avenger Time" (30 May 2011) | In this episode they had an ad parody of Sonic Brand Sneakers. | 
| |
| All Worked Up - episode 34 (2011) |
| In All Worked Up, a midget, who is very upset, enters Lizard Lick Towing Company asking where his car is because he was repossessed and told to come and get his car. Once Ron and Bobby walk in and greet the midget, the midget asks Bobby, “What do you want, Sonic the Hedgehog?” as if he was trying to insult him even though Bobby is taller than him. | N/A |
| truTV Presents: World's Dumbest... - Season 11, ep. 3 "World's Dumbest Thrill-Seekers 2" (16 June 2011) | In one segment, a teenager does a live action video of Sonic the Hedgehog by running and doing flips over things while the special effects make it look like he is collecting rings as he is doing these stunts. | 
| |
The Looney Tunes Show - Season 1, ep 10, "Eligible Bachelors" (5 July 2011)
|
| After Wile E. Coyote froze the desert with the ACME Insta-Winter, a shuttle loop like structure is seen. Later on he chases The Road Runner through the shuttle loop. | 
|
| Jeopardy - (8 July 2011) | In the annual kids week of the popular trivia show Jeopardy!, a category came up during Double Jeopardy called "Cute and Cuddly". The $800 question said Tails is the large-eyed friend of this hedgehog. A contestant instantly ringed in and said "Who is Sonic?" winning the $800. | N/A | |
| Breaking Bad - Season 4, ep. 4 "Bullet Points" (7 August 2011) | In the fourth season of this popular AMC drama, there is a scene where Jesse Pinkman takes a woman upstairs to his bedroom, and the two of them sit on his bed and start playing video games. The scene cuts to the TV screen where we see they are playing Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing as Sonic and Amy. You can hear multiple soundbites from the game including Sonic yelling "Gotcha". | 
| |
| Breaking Bad - Season 4, ep. 11 "Crawl Space" (25 September 2011) | Again a Sonic game is seen being played in the fourth season of drama series. There is a scene where Jesse and Brock are playing against each other in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) on the Xbox 360. There are multiple shots of the tv during their split screen race as Sonic and Shadow running through Wave Ocean. | 
| |
| Ben-To - Ep. 2 "Mackerel Boiled in Miso Bento 674kcal" (16 October 2011) | Sonic | The anime Ben-to, is about a teenager named Sato who has to fight every night at the convenience store for half-priced Ben-to meals. After he finally gets one, he receives a message on his phone which has wallpaper of Sonic. | 
|
| Parks and Recreation - Season 4 ep. 5 "Meet 'n' Greet" (27 October 2011) | Rob Swanson is disgusted as he searches through a homemade tool kit which contains many random items. One item he pulls out is Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) for the Sega Genesis. He says "Some cartridge. It says 'Sonic' and 'Hedgehog'." He holds the game up. | 
| |
| Wakfu - Season 2 ep. 15 "Wabbit Island" (12 November 2011) |
| The Brotherhood of Tofu are chibified to run through the Wabbit Dungeon side-scrolling platform style. Rolling down tunnels, through a shuttle loop and Ruel looses kamas from getting hurt from lava. | 
|
| The Simpsons - Season 23 ep. 5 "The Food Wife" (13 November 2011) | The Simpson family attend "E4" (a parody of "E3" the world's largest annual video game convention). In the background of a shot, a very Sonic looking character can be seen in the background that almost looks like a fusion between Sonic and Blaze. | 
| |
| Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - (24 November 2011 – 28 November 2013) | Sonic makes his triumphic return to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to celebrate his 20th Anniversary. During the broadcast, music from Splash Hill Zone from the Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I was played while the announcers described the Sonic balloon (that music was played again in 2012). He has since been in the Parade since 2011, although in 2012, the people holding the balloon also wore a Red Cross Pin to honor the victims of Hurricane Sandy, which hit the New York City Area a month before the Parade. He made his last appearance on November 28, 2013 after SEGA announced on August 26, 2014 that the balloon will not appear at the 2014 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[10] | 
| |
| iPod Touch Commercial (December 2011) | Apple released a new television commercial for their iPod Touch. The new commercial shows teenagers communicating with friends, playing games, and just having fun. One shot in the commercial is of Sonic racing Dr. Eggman in the iPod version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. | 
| |
| Jeopardy - (7 December 2011) |
| In one category, named "Urban Dictionary Lingo", the first question was "Drop one letter off the species Sonic is, and you'll get a word". | N/A |
| Progressive commercial (6 January 2012) |
| Sonic runs around the Progressive store while Flo and another worker watch. The commercial uses two soundtracks from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The invincibility music plays as he runs and the extra life music plays after Flo tells him about their price compare. | 
|
| Wakfu - Season 2 ep. 22 "The Silence of the Rings" (28 January 2012) |
| The title card depict Percidal running towards the episodes villain Cassis riding a mecha, the image reminiscent to Emerald Hill Zone with rings scattered among the place. | 
|
| Carrossel - First episode (May 21, 2012) |
| In a part of the episode Davi and Marcelina are playing in a minigame and some sounds effects of the old Sonic games from Mega Drive can be heard. | N/A |
| MAD - Season 3 ep. 1 "The Iron Giant Lady/Raising a New Hope" (28 May 2012) | When a look is taken at what a lady version of what The Iron Giant would look like, the success of other lady robots is briefly looked at. Bunnie is included in this, defeating Chuck Norris as a martial arts tournament. However, this is somewhat inaccurate, as Bunnie is a cyborg. | 
| |
| MAD - Season 3 ep. 2 "Yawn Carter/Franklin & Crash" (4 June 2012) | During Franklin & Crash, a parody of Franklin & Bash, at the trial, prosecutor Sonic the Hedgehog presents compelling video evidence showing the Prince of All Cosmos in the process of creating various katamaris. | 
| |
| News 2 This Morning on WKRN - (15 June 2012) |
| On WKRN, (a news show that only airs in and around Nashville, Kentucky) a video of a white hedgehog was shown having trouble getting out of a sink with shallow water. Female reporter, Heather Jensen, commented that the hedgehog will need Tails to get out. She later commented that he should curl into a ball and press C. | N/A |
| Breaking Bad - Season 5 ep. 3, "Hazard Pay" (29 July 2012) | Once again Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is shown being played in this series. Again the characters being used are Sonic and Amy Rose. This time Jesse is watching as Brock and his mother play against each other. | 
| |
| Gravity Falls - Season 1 ep. 10, "Fight Fighters" (14 September 2012) |
| In the episode, one of the main characters, Dipper, mentions Gold Rings when talking about normal power-ups to a video game character. | N/A |
| MAD - Season 3 ep. 11 "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Icarus/Adjustment Burro" (27 September 2012) | During Diary of a Wimpy Kid Icarus, a parody of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Robotnik can be seen as students at Video Game School. |  
| |
| World War Blue (20 October 2012 – 4 April 2013) (Dubbed 6 February 2017 - 20 February 2017) | The main character Gear (name reference to the Sega Game Gear) is obviously based on Sonic due to his blue hair and clothes, desire to run and his incredible "Killer Power" speed. In fact, the entire series is based on the Console Wars. Gear joins the Segua Army after the loss of his best friend Til who was killed by Ninteldo soldiers. Til being based on Tails is blond, wears yellow (with slight orange/brown tinge) yet has blue eyes and refers to Gear as his brother. His reputation in the war earned him the name "Blue Sonic".
During the credits, sparkling gold rings can be seen with Gear standing by a checkered background. The English dub is heavy with the references to various console slogans and video game memes. Sega and Sonic memes such as "Gotta Go Fast" as well as quotes of lyrics from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 are used in talk throughout the series. | 
| |
| MAD - Season 3 ep. 19 "Here Comes the Doom/Brain Purge" (29 November 2012) | During Koopa Troopa, Gutsman, & Kracko, parody of Mario, Mega Man and Kirby, Sonic and Dr. Eggman make a cameo appearance (note that Sonic's colour scheme is purple rather than blue in the segment). | N/A | |
| Impractical Jokers - Season 1, ep. 2 "Love Expert" (14 January 2013) |
| The Jokers, Sal, Q, Murr, and Joe are in Times Square trying to give away free tickets to a broadway play. In the explanation, a person in a Sonic the Hedgehog costume can be seen in the background chatting with onlookers in multiple shots. | N/A |
| Hyperdimension Neptunia The Animation - ep. 1 "The Goddess (Neptune) of Planeptune" (12 July 2013) | In the english dub at the ceremony, Purple Heart (Neptune's goddess form), who represents Sega, mentions the Sega slogan, "Welcome to the Next Level", as part of her introduction to the ceremony.
In a later scene, after Histoire gets extremely frustrated at Neptune, Neptune shouts "Sonic jump!" as she plays a videogame. | 
| |
| Hyperdimension Neptunia The Animation - ep. 11 "The Emissary (Aggressor) of Old" (20 September 2013) | A festival was held by Neptune in celebration after stopping a national invasion and the rise of her nation's shares. In the festival, Neptune accidentally bumps into Agnes and drops a chest full of golden rings that she was holding. After receiving a call from Blanc for a meeting, she then volunteers Agnes to help with Nepgear. Nepgear then instructs Agnes to put the rings into the "Green Hill" attraction. In a later scene, Agnes can be seen bumping into a green Sonic mascot. | 
| |
| The Big Bang Theory - Season 7 ep. 2, "The Deception Verification" (26 September 2013) | In the bottom left corner of the screen as Sheldon is buying an Aquaman statue, you can slightly see the Shadow and Rouge Jazwares figures. | N/A | |
| Teen Titans Go! - Season 1 ep. 29, "Starfire the Terrible" (16 October 2013) |
| When Robin tries restyling his hair in one part of the Episode, one of the Hairstyles resemble Sonic's quills. | 
|
| Trust Me, I'm a Gameshow Host - Season 1 ep. 5, "Patricia Canale" (19 November 2013) |
| One of the hosts, comedian Michael Ian Black, told the contestant, Patricia, this fact: "President Bill Clinton was an inspiration for the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog". She ended up "trusting" the other host, comedian D.L. Hughley, who was actually lying about his fact about Pizza Hut being the only pizzeria allowed to deliver to the White House. She ended up losing the round as a result. | N/A |
| LOL :-) - Season 3 (2013) | In one of the sketches of the Canadian comedy television series, a man tries to obtain a peluche playing one of the rides inside a luna park. In addition there are other peluches like Sonic, Dr. Eggman and Pikachu from the Pokémon series. | 
| |
| Steven Universe - Season 1 ep. 16, "Steven the Sword Fighter" (9 April 2014) | Steven was showing HoloPearl how to behave like Pearl by organising his toys. The set of figurines placed bear resemblance to Pikachu (with a head-antenna like that of a Moogle), Gitaroo Man, Sonic (who bares resemblence to the "Gotta Go Fast/Sanic" fan picture) and Cloud Strife. | 
| |
| TripTank - Season 1 ep. 8, "XXX Overload" (21 May 2014) |
| A dark satire show that consist of a variety of animated sketches. In the Bethiffer sketch "Game Hole", Bethany and Jennifer go to a game shop and damage the Virtus Edge causing Bethany to appear like Bowser and Jennifer to appear like Princess Peach. In the "fight" the store clerk Tim appears similar to Sonic. | 
|
| Sega Hard Girls (8 October 2014 – 24 December 2014) |
| The whole series takes place around the fictional Sehagaga Academy located in Haneda, Tokyo where personifications of Sega hardware and consoles attend as students learning about various game franchises. A statue of Sonic is located in the lobby of the academy as well as a chao figure at the desk. In episode 6, Dr. Eggman appears to disrupt the Sega Hard Girls exam and in the next episode Sonic shows up to save them and they chase Dr. Eggman through Green Hill Zone, a Special Stage, Emerald Coast and confront him with the Egg Mobile-H. Sonic defeated Dr. Eggman with an Invincibility, after helping the Sega Hard Girls he departs. Music from various Sonic games were played as well. |  
|
| Steven Universe - Season 1 ep. 39, "Future Vision" (29 January 2015) |
| A second toy that bares resemblence more to Sonic was seen later on in the series as Steven was getting rid of his old toys. | 
|
| Assassination Classroom - Season 1 ep. 5, "Assembly Time" (13 February 2015) |
| After drinking Sodium Hydroxide, Koro-Senseis head turned blue and grew various horns. | 
|
| Steven Universe - Numerous episodes (Amethyst and Jasper) | In the show Amethyst is shown many times using a technique that is very similar to the spin dash to attack other gems.
Jasper also used such a technique against her battles with the Crystal Gems. | 
| |
| Lucas Bros. Moving Co. - Season 2 ep. 10, "Honey, I Shrunk the Bros" (27 March 2015) |
| The Government assigns the Lucas Bros to free the memory of Steve Urkel from Jaleel White's mind.
Jaleel White appears in the episode as a shut-in who has cut himself off from the rest of the world. In his run-down home, a picture of Sonic from SatAM hangs on his wall, and he wears a Sonic t-shirt, obviously a reference to his voice acting in the 90s Sonic cartoons. | 
|
| Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 2 ep. 19, "The Dirty Half Dozen" (28 April 2015) | Skye makes a joke about Raina because of her new appearance, saying "I thought her gift was spinning really fast to collect gold rings". | 
| |
| The Morning Show (2015) | The Morning Show is a Canadian morning talk show that airs on Global Television. similar to the Today Show. During an interview with Jesse Sukunda and Julia Schwartz, 2 of the 3 hosts of "Gaming Show in my Parents' Garage" that airs on Disney XD, a video shows Jesse play Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric at SEGA of America's HQ. Then later on in the video, Sonic walks around the office doing certain things for the employees. Sonic also makes several other appearances in Gaming Show itself. | N/A | |
| Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation - (7 January 2016 – 31 March 2016) |
| The Seiga Academy (the name itself is a reference to Sega) has a pool in it's center which is shaped like the logo of Sonic Team.
In episode 4, Sonic appears as a doll in a gallery shooting game. Sonic and Tails plush toys are again seen in a crane claw machine in episode 6. Yutaka Sasaki has a yellow phone with Tails' face on it. He also owns Sonic like pyjamas as seen in episode 8. |     
|
| Family Guy - Season 14 ep. 18, "The New Adventures of Old Tom" (May 8, 2016) | During the scene where Lois is talking to Peter while the latter plays a fictional video game called "Michael Douglas' Munch-Out", various video game boxes can be seen on the shelves behind them. One of them has cover art resembling that of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). | 
| |
| Os Under-Undergrounds - Season 1 ep. 21 "O Cavaleiro James" (July 18, 2016) | One of the skeletons of the heroes who were defeated by the black knight in the past closely resembles Sonic. | 
| |
| The Amazing World of Gumball - Season 5 ep. 5 "The Vision" (October 6, 2016) | One of the selected faces to replace Alan Keane's greatly resembles Doctor Eggman. | 
| |
| Marcus Level - Ep. 38 "The Good, the Bad and the Mule" (November 16, 2017) |
| In a race to deliver the most newspaper by mule and wagon, Ephi grabbed power-ups from question blocks. One of the power-ups recoloured Gladis the mule to that of Sonic's colours. | 
|
| The Amazing World of Gumball - Season 5 ep. 28 "The Uncle" (March 7, 2017) | Ocho's Uncle is by all means similar to Mario. However, Ocho claims to also have another uncle who is a fast, blur hedgehog, in reference to Sonic the Hedgehog. Furthermore, Gumball runs exactly like Sonic at the end of the episode. | 
| |
| OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes - Season 1 ep. 20 "Everybody Like Rad?" (August 18, 2017) |
The character Crinkly Wrinkly, a reoccuring background character throughout the show, wears yellow shoes that look similar to Sonic's shoes. In "Everybody Like Rad?", a minor character at RadCon, named Shadamy, has her pink bangs shaped like Amy's, pink hair shaped like Shadow's quills, limbs colored peach, wears cuffs and shoes resembling Inhibitor Rings and Hover Shoes, and white gloves. Shadamy is an obvious reference to a popular fan pairing of Shadow the Hedgehog and Amy Rose. |
| |
| OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes - Season 1 ep. 24 "One Last Score" (September 1, 2017) |
Ginger convinced K.O. into one last heist. She wears a jumpsuit with heart chestplate similar to Rouge the Bat's jumpsuit except with yellow instead of pink. Her neckerchief may also reference Rouge's wings. | 
| |
| Craig of the Creek - Pilot (1 December 2017) | Sonic | Craig has a poster in his room of "Slide the Ferret" who somewhat resembles Sonic. | 
|
| La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) - Season 2 ep. 2 (April 6, 2018) | Sonic | In season 2's second episode, in a scene where the Professor is in the police station after beating Alberto, Raquel's ex husband, in a fight, an extra who is wearing a Sonic T-Shirt is briefly seen passing by. | 
|
| Ben 10 (2016) - Season 2 ep. 21 "That's The Stuff" (May 14, 2018) | Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie | Ben as the Omni-Enhanced Four Arms fights a shapeshifter, who is also in the form of the Omni-Enhanced Four Arms. As they fight, Ben says to the shapeshifter "You might know everything I'm gonna do but that ain't no good because I know everything you're gonna do!". This dialogue is a reference to the line that Sonic states during his fight against Hyper Metal Sonic in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie. | 
|
| Emmerdale (December 26, 2018) | Sonic Mania Plus | After Bob Hope accidentally got his children PlayStation 3 games for Christmas instead of PlayStation 4, he goes out the next day to return them and get the correct games. The one game he returns with is a slightly worn copy of Sonic Mania Plus. | 
|
Movies
| Movie title | Character(s) making cameo | Sonic Relation | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne's World (1992) | Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) | In the movie Wayne's World, near the beginning, there is an advertisement for an arcade. In the background, you can clearly see that a pre-release version of Sonic 1 is being played. You can see the "Score Time and Rings" display in the upper corner, as well as a few rings and the Marble Zone background. | 
|
| Hocus Pocus (1993) | Sonic | In one scene, a trick-or-treater walks past the three witches wearing a Sonic Halloween costume. | 
|
| Jingle All the Way (1996) | Sonic | Towards the end of this family Christmas film, there is a scene with a large parade of famous cartoon characters and mascots. Sonic can be seen in a few shots, marching in the parade. | 
|
| Adeus, Pai (1996) | Sonic | At the beginning of the movie, Filipe is seen playing Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Game Gear. | 
|
| Hitch (2005) | Sonic | In one scene near the beginning of the film, there is an ice cream truck with a very clear picture of a Sonic ice cream bar on the side. Other recognizable characters include: Mario, Dora the Explorer, Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls, SpongeBob SquarePants and the Incredible Hulk. | 
|
| Drillbit Taylor: Budget Bodyguard (2008) | Knuckles | In the opening scene of Drillbit Taylor, when the kids are talking, you can see a Toy Island Knuckles action figure above one of the kids' beds. | 
|
| Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) | Classic Sonic sound effects | This movie has hundreds of references and sound effects from different video games. Twice in the movie, when a caption for an item or character appears, the sound effect of a ring being collected plays. When Scott finally "gets it" and realizes that Roxy is Ramona's ex-girlfriend, the "Final Result" (from the 2D games when the player is graded) sound effect plays. Also, after Ramona pulls her mallet from her purse (using Hammerspace) the "Warping to the Special Stage" sound effect from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles plays. During a close-up of Roxy's face, when she's raising her eyebrows, the same ring sound effect can be heard. And when Matthew Patel (Ramona's first evil ex) bursts into the room, the sound of a character performing a Spin Dash can be heard when the split-screen with Scott, Stephen and Kim changes to just Scott. | 
|
| Wreck-It Ralph (2012) |
|
Wreck-It Ralph features cameo appearances by Doctor Eggman and a number of licensed video game characters. Dr. Eggman is shown to be a part of a villain's support group called "Bad-Anon". When the arcade games are going through the years, one can see the Sonic the Fighters arcade machine. Sonic also makes a cameo in the movie when he makes a PSA, stating that if a game character dies outside of their own game, there is no regenerating, ever. Sonic also appears a third time, in the background of a party at the home of Fix-It Felix, Jr. There is also a picture of Sonic's head in the Tapper Bar as well as pictures of Tails and Dr. Eggman. Sonic is soon shown talking to a turtle with Eggman walking close by, and Sonic later gets hit by a ship that Ralph pilots, making him lose rings in the process. One of Vanellope von Schweetz' nicknames for Ralph is "Knuckles", possibly a reference to the character, as both are similar in personality. Sonic is also seen attending Felix and Calhoun's wedding, staring at the Hero's Duty soldiers aiming their guns at the window. The last time any of the characters are seen is in the credits, where Sonic is fighting Eggman in 16-bit graphics in Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Oddly enough, he is fighting the Flame Mobile from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (& Knuckles), and Sonic's sprite is used from the original Sonic the Hedgehog sprite. The scene finishes with Rings being a "fade" effect. | 
|
| Ready Player One (2018) | Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic is used as an avatar by an unknown person to interact with others in the interconnected virtual space called the OASIS. He appears again very briefly in the Final Battle, firing a Homing Attack. | 
|
| Ralph Breaks the Internet | Sonic and Dr. Eggman reprise their roles in this sequel to the 2012 film Wreck-It Ralph as residents of the arcade. Sonic the Fighters also makes another cameo as one of the playable games in the arcade. A picture of Sonic can once again be seen in the Tapper Bar. When it appeared that Mr. Litwak was introducing a new game to the arcade, Sonic had initially believed it was a pinball game. When it is actually revealed to be Wi-Fi, Sonic tells Ralph what the Internet is. Later on in the film, Sonic is one of the members of Zangief's book club. Sonic also joined a group gathering that Ralph hosted in his own game at the weekend. | 
|
Comics
| Comic Title and Number | Publisher | Character(s)/Game(s) making cameo | Comic Description | Sonic Relation | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archie and Friends: A Halloween Tale Mini Comic (1998) | Archie Comics |
| 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 promotional giveaway starring the Archie crew and others from the same publishing company. | Sabrina the Teenage Witch is picking up Sonic comics for her cat, Salem. She accidentally casts a spell which puts her in the comic, where she meets Sonic and Knuckles, who are in the middle of a battle with Dr. Robotnik. She transports herself out of there, but accidentally takes Sonic and Knuckles back to her world with her. She takes them to a costume party, where characters from other Archie comics are celebrating Halloween. Archie's friend, Jughead, wears a Robotnik costume at the party. Thinking he is the real Robotnik, Sonic and Knuckles beat up Jughead. | 
|
| Sabrina the Teenage Witch #28 | Archie Comics |
| A popular Archie Comic about a teenage Witch growing up in a normal world. | A full cross-over storyline between Sonic and Sabrina. Enchantra wants to get revenge on Sabrina, so she gazes into alternate realities and finds Sonic. Enchantra teleports Sonic to her world through a supernatural portal and takes control of him. Sonic then heads to Sabrina's house where Salem and Sabrina are. Sally and Nicole have also arrived in their world through the portal, and all of them are about to be attacked by a possessed Sonic. After Sabrina #28, the story continues into Sonic Super Special #10. | 
|
| Scott Pilgrim Series | Oni Press | A popular comic book about a 23-year-old who must defeat his girlfriend's 7 evil exes. | In Volume 1, Scott can be seen wearing a shirt with the Sonic & Knuckles logo on it. In Volume 2, in a flashback, Scott can be seen playing Sonic & Knuckles. The same flashback shows that Scott's band during high school was actually called Sonic & Knuckles. Later on in the book, Scott phones up Wallace, his gay room-mate, to ask if he knows the cheat code for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. In Volume 3, Ramona mentions she went to The University of Carolina in the Sky, where she met and dated Roxie. The University looks similar to the Little Planet from Sonic the Hedgehog CD as it is chained to a mountain. The splash page of Volume 4 is based off of the title screen of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with Scott and Ramona replacing Sonic and Tails. After Scott defeats Roxie (Ramona's 4th evil ex-boyfriend), she explodes into a cascade of small woodland creatures. | 
| |
| Bittersweet Candy Bowl Volume 1 | Veronica Vera | A "dramedy" about five friends, going through the emotional struggles of High School. | In chapter 2, after Lucy kicked Yashy off her for riding her like a horse, Mike says that they can play "Sonic Ride You", a clear mispronunciation of "Sonic Riders". On the following page, Chirpy imagines Sonic giving Mike a piggyback ride. At the start of chapter 10, Yashy tries to follow Lucy and Mike to the movies, saying "Here I come! Ruffer den duh rest offem", which are the first lines of Knuckles' theme from Sonic Adventure, Unknown from M.E.. In chapter 27, Yashy, Chirpy and Blur are playing Pokémon in real-life, with Lily pretending to be Shaymin and rocks acting as Master Balls. After being pelted with rocks, she loses her temper and spin dashes into them (with a line above her that says "lol spin dash"), but she only hits Blur. In chapter 36, David easily passes up Paulo during swim class; while Paulo asks "WHERE'D YOU COME FROM, YOU RAT!!". David responds "I'm not a rat, I'm a hedgehog!", referencing Erazor Djinn from Sonic and the Secret Rings (who always refers to Sonic as a "rat"), but quickly wonders where he got that line from. On the two pages signifying the reader is entering the "Bonus Content" section, the "Stage" next to "Bonus" is crossed out and replaced with "Content". On the same pages, Lucy is holding Amy's Piko Piko Hammer and David is jumping into a Giant Ring. |    
| |
| Oh My Goddess! (Volume 7) |
| A manga series about the adventures of college sophmore Keiichi Morisato and the goddesses that move in with him; Belldandy, Urd and Skuld. | After a first class demon named Marller escapes from her seal, she posseses the body of Keiichi's sister, Megumi. When the Third Class Earth Spirit, (a deity living with Megumi in secrecy) realizes this, he proceeds to attack but is defeated and is turned into a doll, resembling Sonic the Hedgehog. Later on, the Third Class Earth Spirit manages to head-butt Marller yelling "Super-Sonic Attack!". Eventually Megumi regains control of her body and finds the Sonic doll. She decides to keep it thinking that it was cute (still not knowing that it was the Third Class Earth Spirit). |  
| |
| Clamp School Detectives (Volume 3) | Mystery DX | Manga series about the adventures of the Elementary School Student Board from Clamp School in their attempt to better the lives of the female population of Clamp School by forming a detective agency. | In the omake at the end of Volume 3, the authors of Clamp, personified as chibi characters, talk about their favourite consoles and games mentioning that they have a Sega Mega Drive and a Mega CD with Puyo Puyo and Sonic CD, in some of the panels many falling Puyos can be seen, Sonic appears in one panel and in another one he appears with Amy and Metal Sonic, all of them drawed in "humanized" forms. |  
| |
| Plants vs. Zombies (Issue #7) | Dark Horse Comics | A comic series about the ongoing fight between plants and zombies. | In this issue, one zombie rides a car named the Black Tornado which resembles a Chopper. Mr. Stubbins, a hedgehog zombie, rides another car that is miniature in stature and resembles the Power Sneakers, Sonic's trademark footwear. The zombie hedgehog itself is a reference to Sonic. |  
| |
| Turma da Mônica Series | Panini Comics | A popular Brazilian comics series, known in English versions as Monica's Gang or Monica and Friends. | In issue 24 of the spin-off series Clássicos do Cinema, Sonic appears alongside several other blue characters from other cartoons, comics and video games as one of the inhabitants of the planet Pandemora. In issue 32 of the same comic, Sonic along with several other characters from video games appear in a special room known as "The Nerd's Paradise". |
| |
| Luluzinha Teen e sua Turma | Ediouro | A manga-styled spin-off of Little Lulu comics, showing the protagonists as teenagers. | In issue 4, one of the players who appear to help Aninha / Annie against Vergerus is using a avatar very similar to a fusion between Sonic and Mega Man. | 
| |
| Hyperdimension Neptunia: Megami Tsuushin (Volume #1) | Enterbrain | The first manga in the Neptunia series. It takes place in a different continuity where every character introduced in the series exist. | In chapter 4, one of ingredients that are need for Gust's "Totori" alchemy method is a hedgehog quill. IF and Compa head to a bar at night where Compa, wearing a hedgehog mask, seduces a drunken hedgehog that resembles Sonic. When the hedgehog tries to charge to Compa, IF knocks the hedgehog and plucks one of his quills. | 
| |
| Hyperdimension Neptunia: Megami Tsuushin (Volume #3) | Enterbrain | The third volume of the first manga in the Neptunia series. | In chapter 24, Neptune and Nepgear joins the newly-awakened goddess, Plutia, on their way to a quest to protect the Mega Dragon from being poached by mysterious poachers in Ancient Planeptune. As the trio tries to search for the dragon, Plutia accidentally steps and slips on Opa Opa, causing her to roll sideways into a curved tunnel which leads to loop and a spring that ejects Plutia onto a tree. After saving the goddess on the tree, the trio continues their search and encountered various Sega characters, including NiGHTS which was called as a "Mysterious Unidentified Flying Creature", along the way. They soon encountered a small gap with a broken bridge, which they were able to cross using the "Mega Dragon Tower" formation, which has the Sega Mega Drive and its add-ons and a lock-on cartridge displayed on the background. As they continued searching, one of the places they saw is a nest of "blue sphere-hogs". |
| |
| Hyperdimension Neptunia: Megami Tsuushin (Volume #4) | Enterbrain | The fourth volume of the first manga in the Neptunia series. | In both chapter 29 and 30, the Planeptune sisters and the recently awakened goddesses, Plutia and Peashy, traveled back in time to know the reason on why are they in cold sleep for many years. After arriving, they met up with a younger IF and Compa, who are both securing back to the basilicom one of the seven life gems that contain a mysterious power called "Kabosu Emeralds", which is a pun on a Japanese citrus fruit and on the pronounction of the word "chaos" in Japanese. After a while, the group met up with the past version of Plutia, who explains that the emeralds' power are used to seal a demon lord. While explaining, some of the blue sphere-hogs, along with other animal-like creatures, including one that resembles NiGHTS can be seen.
When past Plutia prepares to head to the Segami Highlands, along with past Peashy, she unties her braid which reveals that some of her hair forms three quill-shaped strands that are similar to Sonic's quills. Plutia runs on the chain that connects the land to the Segami Highland at "supersonic speeds" as Neptune describes. |
  |
Books
| Book Title and Date of Publish | Author | Sonic Relation |
|---|---|---|
| The New Doctor Who Adventures: Conundrum (20 January 1994) | Steve Lyons | A character named Mel Joseph plays the game Sonic the Hedgehog on the computer in order to complete the Scrap Brain Zone. |
| The New Doctor Who Adventures: All-Consuming Fire (16 June 1994) | Andy Lane | Ace makes a joke with Dr John Watson that the Rakshassi would not worship Sonic, whatever else they would. |
| Doctor Who: Winner Takes All (19 May 2005) | Jacqueline Rayner | Mickey Smith has a copy of the Sonic the Hedgehog, along with Grand Theft Auto and Gran Turismo, on his Xbox or PlayStation. |
| Doctor Who: Forever Autumn (6 September 2007) | Mark Morris | Martha Jones comments that the Tenth Doctor's hair is "very Sonic the Hedgehog" but the Doctor himself says he wants it more like Sid Vicious. |
| My Life as a Gamer (7 April 2015) | Janet Tashjian | At one point, Derek's tutor, Hannah, is described wearing a Sonic the Hedgehog T-shirt. |
| Press Start! #1: Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy! (27 December 2016) | Thomas Flintham | In this video-game-themed book, one of the inhabitants of Animal Town is Simon the Hedgehog, who is blue and fast, making him an obvious parody of Sonic the Hedgehog. He is a recurring character in the later Press Start! series. |
Music
| Song Title and year | Musician/ Band and Album | Character(s) making cameo | Sonic Relation | Image/media |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Wonderman" (1993) | Right Said Fred
| Sonic 3 appearing multiple times, a blue blur speeds by 24 seconds into the music video, the line "Attitude and Power Sneakers", the line "If you take a nap, he'll spin attack", the lines "Speedy Gonzales" and "Z-z-zoom Sonic Boom", at times like through a pipe a first person view has someone running through the pipes (the borders look like Sonic's eyes), a sign that says Hydrocity Zone is seen, and near the end, a witness says "He's just a flippin' hedgehog okay?!" Sonic also appears on the cover. In the music video, it shows some clips from the gameplay from Sonic 3, also, the song was made as a tribute to Sonic 3 being released in England. | 
| |
| "Tripod Baby" (2005) | M-Flo
| Shadow and scenes from his video game were featured in a music video of a remixed version of Tripod Baby by M-Flo. In it CGI scenes from Shadow the Hedgehog can be seen along with Shadow himself trying to capture the video's singers in his own ship, along with him flying through space via Chaos Control, dancing and finally trapping the three singers at the end of the video. | 
| |
| "Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny" (2005) | Lemon Demon
|
| Sonic makes a small cameo in the music video for The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny (sometimes shortened as Ultimate Showdown), in which he is in a slap fight with Mario. This a clear reference to the rivalry between Sonic and Mario. Oddly, neither Sonic's nor Mario's bodies are seen when the final winner is decided. | 
|
| "Abiura di me" (2008) | Caparezza
| It is a song of the Italian rapper Caparezza that citing and refers to many video games, including Sonic ("I'm closed like a Hedgehog more than Sonic") | 
| |
| "Dr. Robotnik" (2008) | Intercontinental Music lab
|
| The 4th song on this album is titled "Dr. Robotnik". The lyrics throughout the song revolve around Dr. Robotnik and pretty much just how pathetic he is for failing time and again because of one little Hedgehog. | 
|
| "You Be Tails, I'll Be Sonic" (2010) | A Day To Remember
| The song is titled "You Be Tails, I'll Be Sonic". The lyrics, however, have no references of Sonic or Tails, only the title. | 
| |
| "Sonic Doesn't Need a Story" (2010) |
Alex Day
|
|
In 2010, this British indie singer-songwriter released a novelty EP of three songs expressing his discontent with the more recent installments of popular video game series (the other two being "I Hate Mario Kart Wii" and "Pokémon, What Happened to You?"). The song begins as a memoir of the singer's childhood happily spent playing Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), but quickly turns into a roast of each consecutive game and character included in SEGA canon (most notably Shadow toward the end of the song), arguing that the introduction of storyline is what killed the series for his generation. Specific lines in the song are criticisms of specific games. "Chaotix started to push my patience" is a reference to Knuckles' Chaotix, and likewise "Keep you Princesses" is Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), "Flickies took some time, but they were cute" is Sonic 3D Blast, "Don't make me play as him or tell me more about his dead grandfather" (Talking about Eggman) is Sonic Adventure 2, "Half a Werewolf" is Sonic Unleashed, "Race car driver" is Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, "Keep your Olympic Games" is Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. | 
|
|
"Person of Interest" (2011) | Rebecca Black |
| In the music video of her third single, Rebecca Black dances in an arcade with a skee ball game in the background. On top of it, among other toys, is a large Amy Rose plush, which can be only seen in the behind-the-scenes video. | 
|
|
"Robot Bar Fight" (2011) | Your Favorite Martian |
The song is about a bar fight breaking out at a club made exclusively for robots. At one point in the song, Dr. Robotnik is seen attempting to sneak attack Bender, and is later shot by RoboCop. It is likely Ray William Johnson was unaware that Robotnik himself is not a robot, or is referencing the Robo-Robotnik of the Archie Comics. | 
| |
| "Sonic Best Pal" (2013) | Starbomb
|
| The song centers around Tails who, due low self-esteem, turns to life of drugs and promiscuity. During the song, Sonic tries to remain his upbeat self whilst Tails continues going off the rails. Eventually, Doctor Robotnik shows ups and is shot to death by Tails, who goes on to kill Big the Cat by breaking his spine. The song comes to an abrupt end when the narrator of the song is shot down by Tails for calling to cops on him. | 
|
Other
| Subject | Field | Character(s) | Sonic Relation | Image/media |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic hedgehog (1994) | Science, Biochemistry | Sonic | Sonic hedgehog is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SHH ("sonic hedgehog") gene. Both the gene and the protein may also be found notated alternatively as "Shh".
The name was devised by Dr. Robert Riddle, who was a postdoctoral fellow at the Tabin Lab, after he saw a Sonic comic his daughter had brought from England. | 
|
| Robotnikinin | Science, Biochemistry | Doctor Eggman | A potential inhibitor of the Hedgehog signaling pathway has been found and dubbed 'Robotnikinin', in honour of Sonic The Hedgehog's nemesis, Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik. |
References
- ↑ http://www.oldfootballshirts.com/en/teams/j/jef-united-ichihara-chiba/old-jef-united-ichihara-chiba-football-shirt-s37171.html
- ↑ Sega (1 November 2011). Sonic the Hedgehog 20th Anniversary Topics (Japanese). Retrieved on 29 December 2016.
- ↑ Samurai & Dragons Adds Sonic, Bayonetta, Phantasy Star, And More Sega All-Stars. Siliconera (28 August 2012). Retrieved on 16 May 2016.
- ↑ セガネットワークス、『ドラゴンコインズ』と『ソニック ロストワールド』がコラボイベントを開催 限定SR「ソニック」GETのチャンス. Social Game Info (22 October 2013). Retrieved on 21 May 2016.
- ↑ Come Play the New Casino Game "Li~Li~ Roulette" On June 10th. PSUBlog (30 May 2015). Retrieved on 5 June 2015.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog on Twitter (7 August 2015). Retrieved on 30 August 2015.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog Confirmed for Lego Dimensions. The Sonic Stadium (9 June 2016). Retrieved on 10 Junes 2016.
- ↑ Lego Sonic The Hedgehog is now officially a thing in Lego Dimensions E3 trailer. Metro.co.uk (9 June 2016). Retrieved on 10 Junes 2016.
- ↑ http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/03/feature_the_day_sega_took_over_an_f1_race_and_senna_lifted_a_sonic_trophy
- ↑ [1]
