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The Piko Piko Hammer (ピコピコハンマー PikoPiko Hanmā?), also called the Magical Hammer[1], Love Hammer,[2] and Piko Hammer,[3], is an object that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a large yellow and red hammer and Amy Rose's signature weapon, which she uses as a melee weapon and to perform special techniques. In addition to the original one, various backups of the Piko Piko Hammer are known to exist, being lighter to carry around but more fragile.[4]

Concept and creation[]

The Piko Piko Hammer was originally based on a popular Japanese children's toy of the same name. The phrase "piko-piko" is an onomatopoeia for the chirping sound that these hammers make when struck (which can also be heard in several games when Amy attacks).

The Piko Piko Hammer made its first appearance in Sonic the Fighters, in which Amy used it as a part of her combat moves. She was given the hammer as a weapon in order to strengthen her tomboyish nature (note that this is also the reason why she is a playable character in the game). As a result, she does not punch.

Description[]

Appearance[]

The Piko Piko Hammer resembles a double-faced sledgehammer or mallet, and in most cases, it has a red head with yellow faces. The Piko Piko Hammer has been most commonly portrayed with three designs that have been used interchangeably throughout the series:

  • The first Piko Piko Hammer Amy wielded had a narrow red head, flexible yellow faces, and a purple handle. Amy generally wields this version of it when she uses her Classic design.
  • The first design depicts the Piko Piko Hammer with a large cylinder-shaped red head with raised rectangular sections around the middle. The face disks are rather thick and have round edges. It also has a brown handle with a metal section where it meets the head. This design first debuted in Sonic Adventure, though fell out of use in the games starting with Sonic Advance (though it appeared in Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, and was consistently used in other media.) This design became the standard again for the games starting with Sonic Forces. This incarnation of the hammer will frequently feature squash-and-stretch animations when used, and Amy generally will use this incarnation of the hammer when using her Modern appearance.
  • The second design depicts the Piko Piko Hammer with a cylinder-shaped red head like the first design. However, instead of raised rectangular sections around the head, its head has a smooth surface. Its face disks are also flatter and have flat edges. It also has a brown handle with a metal section where it meets the head. This design first debuted in Sonic Advance, and was consistently used in the games until Sonic Generations. This version of the hammer generally forgoes using the squash-and-stretch animations used in the above design.

Additionally, there are four games where the Piko Piko Hammer uses a completely different appearance:

  • In Sonic Adventure 2: Battle only, the Piko Piko Hammer has a yellow handle and a completely red mallet. This version of it is much smaller than usual, and only appears when Amy is doing the Spin Jump or the Somersault. It does not appear in the original Dreamcast release of Sonic Adventure 2.
  • In Sonic Heroes only, the Piko Piko Hammer has a brown handle with a yellow mallet with a red section where the hammer meets the head. It has raised, red faces with yellow circles on them. It is similar in design and length to the original Modern incarnation of the Piko Piko Hammer, but the mallet is much smaller than usual, with swapped colorization.
  • In Sonic Rush only, the Piko Piko Hammer has a brown hammer with a metal section where the hammer meets the head. It has a large yellow mallet with a section of red separating the raised yellow faces from the rest of it. . It is similar in design and length to the original Modern incarnation of the Piko Piko Hammer, but the head has different colorization.
  • In Sonic and the Black Knight, the Piko Piko Hammer is similar to her second design, but features more ornate decorations that better fit the setting of the game. The handle has a red grip on the bottom with a pointed, metal end, with a long metal handle that connects to the head with a raised red section. The hammer itself features a wood-like design with a large, ornate red heart on it, and two raised yellow faces with ornate designs.

The size of the Piko Piko Hammer's head often differs. Usually, it is slightly bigger than Amy's head. In other cases however, it is much larger, reaching sizes greater than the Pink Cabriolet.

Features and traits[]

The Murder of Sonic Amy destroys Mirage Express 2

Amy denting the Mirage Express with her Piko Piko Hammer, from The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Despite its colorful and innocent appearance, the Piko Piko Hammer is a powerful melee weapon, capable of dealing incredible damage with seemingly little effort. As a testament of its might, it could leave a massive dent on the Mirage Express with a massive blow, and can likewise destroy robots and send foes flying with a single swing. Additionally, even powerful individuals like Sonic fear getting a beating from the Piko Piko Hammer as shown in the ending of Sonic and the Black Knight. It is, nevertheless, graceful enough to be used for high-speed techniques. When swung, it tends to leave a trail of pink hearts.

Mixed with Amy's abilities, the Piko Piko Hammer can be used for many applications besides combat. When swung around fast enough and with the right amount of force, the Piko Piko Hammer can function as a propeller for flight, launch powerful shockwaves that can stir up miniature tornados, or unleash massive releases of energy, and provide boosts for different acrobatic maneuvers.

When not using it, Amy keeps the Piko Piko Hammer in a hiding spot that remains unknown to this day,[5] but she can pull it out of nowhere on a moment's notice.

Variants[]

Long Hammer[]

Main article: Long Hammer
SA1LongHammer

The Long Hammer, from Sonic Adventure.

The Long Hammer is an upgraded blue and green version of Amy's Piko Piko Hammer that appears in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut. More combat orientated than the regular Piko Piko Hammer, the Long Hammer increases the range of Amy's attacks.

Large Piko Piko Hammer[]

PikoPikoHammerLargerRush

On a few occasions, Amy is shown to possess a Piko Piko Hammer much larger than her regular one. It is similar in shape to her normal Piko Piko Hammer, but with metallic grey face disks, yellow and red stripes on the head, and a yellow handle. This hammer packs a lot more power than a regular Piko Piko Hammer, causing tremors with each hit, but is harder to swing.

Sonic's Piko Piko Hammer[]

Sonha

On one occasion, Sonic the Hedgehog has wielded his own stylized Piko Piko Hammer. It is similar in shape to Amy's Piko Piko Hammer, but with a red head emblazoned with blue flames, yellow face disks, and a red handle.

Tails' Piko Piko Hammer[]

Taha

On one occasion, Miles "Tails" Prower has wielded his own stylized Piko Piko Hammer. It is similar in shape to Amy's Piko Piko Hammer, but with slightly thicker yellow face disks, a blue head emblazoned with yellow stars, and a yellow handle.

Knuckles' Piko Piko Hammer[]

Knuxha

On one occasion, Knuckles the Echidna has wielded his own stylized Piko Piko Hammer. It is similar in shape to Amy's Piko Piko Hammer, but with a green head and handle, and red face disks. It also has a red lightning bolt on the head and is studded with a spike at the top. When used, it creates fire.

Cream's Piko Piko Hammer[]

Creha

On one occasion, Cream the Rabbit has wielded her own stylized Piko Piko Hammer. It is similar in shape to Amy's Piko Piko Hammer, but with orange face disks and handle, and a dark orange head emblazoned with white bubbles/diamonds.

In other media[]

Animation[]

Sonic X[]

SX58Hammer

The Piko Piko Hammer, from "Desperately Seeking Sonic".

In the anime Sonic X and the comic series of the same name published by Archie Comics, the Piko Piko Hammer appears as Amy Rose's signature weapon. It features the same design it had in Sonic Adventure.

Like in the games, the Piko Piko Hammer is Amy's personal melee and projectile weapon that she is able to inexplicably pull out of thin air. Additionally, Amy has demonstrated the ability to conjure up another Piko Piko Hammer out of nowhere just by waving her hand.

Sonic Boom[]

Main article: Amy's Hammer
SD2SB Piko Piko Hammer

Amy's hammer, from Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom.

In the Sonic Boom franchise, the Piko Piko Hammer is referred to as Amy's Hammer and is Amy Rose's primary weapon. In this media, it bears a resemblance to its Sonic Adventure design, but with thicker faces, pink disks that sometimes glow, a leather strap, and a pink color scheme. Amy wields it with noticeably more proficiency than her game counterpart, combining her agility and gracefulness with its heavy-hit strikes for maximum efficiency. She can also use it as a hook, staff and projectile.

Sonic Mania Adventures[]

After being foiled by Sonic and his friends, Eggman and Metal Sonic landed some ways away in a wooded area on Angel Island. Frustrated, Eggman abandoned Metal Sonic after the robot failed to respond properly, and Metal Sonic lay in the same position for months until winter arrived, upon which he was found by Amy Rose, who panicked and attacked the robot with her hammer, but afterwards took notice of the robot's sorry condition.[6]

Sonic Prime[]

Piko Piko Hammer Prime

The Piko Piko Hammer, from "Shattered".

In the Sonic Prime television series, the Piko Piko Hammer is wielded by Amy to destroy Dr. Eggman's Badniks, and is almost identical in appearance to it's game counterpart. Interestingly, her Boscage Maze counterpart, Thorn Rose, has a similar hammer. However, her hammer has a wooden shaft and the head is made of large gray stones.

Books and comics[]

Archie Comics[]

Post-SGW Archie Piko Piko Hammer

The Piko Piko Hammer, from Sonic the Hedgehog #263.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Piko Piko Hammer appears as Amy Rose's signature weapon. It features the same design it had in Sonic Adventure. In this media, the Piko Piko Hammer was created as a by-product of Amy's usage of the Ring of Acorns. After absorbing the Ring of Acorns' power to make herself older, Amy obtained limited wish-granting abilities that allowed her to wish forth the Piko Piko Hammer whenever she wanted.

Following the timeline reboot caused by the Super Genesis Wave, the Piko Piko Hammer became virtually identical to its game counterpart.

IDW Publishing[]

IDW Piko Piko Hammer

The Piko Piko Hammer, from Sonic the Hedgehog #35.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, the Piko Piko Hammer is Amy Rose's signature weapon. It has first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog #2, where Amy used it to get rid of the Badniks.[7]

Trivia[]

  • The Piko Piko Hammer was originally based on a popular Japanese children's toy of the same name. The phrase "piko-piko" is an onomatopoeia for the chirping sound that these hammers make when struck (which can also be heard in several games when Amy attacks).
  • Though the Piko Piko Hammer has proven itself a capable weapon, it is said in Sonic Adventure that it is not so powerful.[8]
  • In Tails Adventure, the "Hammer" weapon is known as the Pikkon Hammer' (ピッコンハンマー?) when the Game Gear is set to Japanese. This predates the Piko Piko Hammer's first official appearance.
  • In Sonic Advance 2, there is a Badnik called Piko-Piko, which wields a toy hammer similar to Amy's.
  • In Sonic Unleashed, after defeating the Dark Guardian, Sonic the Werehog references the Piko Piko Hammer when exclaiming "I know little girls that are better with a hammer than you! Well, one, anyway."
  • It is possible that Amy has different "versions" of Piko Piko Hammers, as seen in Sonic Heroes, where she uses the Air Hammer which utilizes the power of the wind. In Sonic Advance 3, she has a huge brown mallet when teamed up with Knuckles, and her normal red and yellow hammer.
  • The Piko Piko Hammer was mentioned in Sonic and the Black Knight in the final cutscene, where Sonic says, "Yikes! No Amy, wait! Put down that hammer!". Thus, in the multiplayer mode of the game, Amy is playable and instead of a sword, her weapon is a hammer.
  • The Piko Piko Hammer appeared in Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA 2nd in the accessories room. This accessory is unlocked if the player clears "サウンド" (Sound) in easy mode. It is also Rin Kagamine's favorite item as a gift.
  • The Piko Piko Hammer is the most recurring weapon in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
  • In Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, during a mission that can be given by Amy about Goombas being on a rampage, Amy says her Piko Piko Hammer has no effect on the Goombas.
  • Knuckles' Piko Piko Hammer in Sonic Advance 3 is the only variation of the hammer studded with a spike at the top.
    • It is also the only version that has anything extending past the head.
  • The console/PC version of Sonic Generations is the first game where Amy refers to her hammer by its name (calling it "my Piko Piko Hammer"). This is also the first time it has ever been called by its correct name (in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing the Announcer calls it "The Piko Hammer").
  • In the Lego set: Amy's Animal Rescue Island, the Piko Piko Hammer has pink faces instead of yellow faces.
    • However, in the set: Sonic's Green Hill Zone Loop Challenge, the Hammer is back to having yellow faces.

References[]

  1. Sonic the Fighters (arcade) English arcade bezel, "Amy Rose."
  2. Sonic Team, Sonic Team USA (27 February 2004). Sonic Battle. Game Boy Advance. Sega. "Girl Swing: Amy's upper attack. She can hit her opponent into the air with her Love Hammer, essentially a Hammer Attack with a golf swing motion."
  3. Sonic the Hedgehog #8, "Roll Call"
  4. Sega (31 March 2023). The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. Steam. Sega. "Tails: I never expected your hammer to snap like that, Amy. / Amy: It was one of my backups... it's a little lighter to carry around. I didn't think I'd need it!"
  5. Sora Ltd. (9 March 2008). Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Wii. Nintendo. Area/Level: Trophy Hoard. "Amy Rose - ...like when she uses her massive Piko Piko Hammer. Speaking of which, her hammer's hiding spot remains unknown to this day."
  6. Hesse, Tyson (20 December 2018). "From: A. Rose". Sonic Mania Adventures. Season 1. Episode 6. YouTube.
  7. Sonic the Hedgehog #2, "Fallout, Part 2"
  8. Sonic Team (19 October 1999). Sonic Adventure. Dreamcast. Sega. Area/Level: Station Square (Amy's story). "Mr. Know-It-All: I'm Mr. Know-It-All. Here's a tip. You have a hammer, right? But it's not a very powerful weapon, so it may not be much use against powerful enemies. But you probably already knew that, right?"

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