- For other uses, see Tails Doll (disambiguation).
Tails Doll (テイルス・ドール Teirusudōru?) is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a stuffed toy Badnik[1] created by Dr. Eggman in the image of Miles "Tails" Prower. It was used during the World Grand Prix incident in an attempt to catch Sonic the Hedgehog unguarded.[2]
Concept and creation[]
Tails Doll was not created by a member of the Sonic R design team, but rather a background artist who later went on to be the lead background artist of Sonic Lost World.[3] The creator of Tails Doll appears to be Yoshitaka Miura, who joined Sega in 1997 as a background artist for Sonic Adventure.[4] According to Kazuyuki Hoshino, Tails Doll originated as a shootable gimmick in Eggman's base in Sonic Adventure, which was in development during the same time as Sonic R.[3][5]
Appearance[]
Sonic Superstars model sheet
Tails Doll is a mere stuffed animal in design.[2] It greatly resembles Tails, sharing the same head bangs, twin-tails, and it even features orange and white stitching similar to the fox's fur. It has red feet with a white stripe over each foot, similar to Sonic's shoes. It also has a gray zipper leading from the back of its head to its lower back. Additionally, Tails Doll has a metal antenna protruding from the top of its head with a red orb at the end, which serves as its power source.[2]
History[]
Sonic R[]
In Sonic R, Tails Doll was manufactured by Dr. Robotnik to catch Sonic unguarded during the World Grand Prix, in which Robotnik had tricked Sonic into participating in to help him find the Chaos Emeralds.[2] The plan was then for Tails Doll, along with Robotnik and his other minions, to join the World Grand Prix as participants and be ready to attack Sonic and claim the Chaos Emeralds from him when the time was right.[6]
In the end however, Sonic and his allies secured the Chaos Emeralds without Tails Doll and the others getting their hands on them.
Sonic Superstars[]
Tails Doll in Pinball Carnival Zone Act 2, from Sonic Superstars.
In Sonic Superstars, Tails Doll makes an appearance as an enemy in Act 2 of Pinball Carnival Zone. Upon attacking it, the player will receive a Medal. Strangely, rather than explode like other enemies, the Tails Doll simply disappears upon being attacked.
Personality[]
Tails Doll has displayed little to no personality of its own, floating in the air as if it were remotely controlled and moving across the courses expressionless.[1] Despite that though, it does possess some autonomy, such as being able to pose victoriously after a winning a race. In addition, it also serves as Eggman's cuddly toy.[7]
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comics by IDW Publishing, Tails Doll lacks a personality, but its appearance and quiet presence, compared with the other robotic doppelgängers, invite a sense of an uncomfortable and disturbing dread.[7]
Powers and abilities[]
Tails Doll is able to move at super speeds that almost match Sonic's own, who can run at supersonic speeds (915-3,840 mph). Despite its meager form, it exhibits considerable ability in races due to its lightweight design.[2] It is also capable of levitation and is able to float in the air for an extensive amount of time,[2] even longer than Tails himself. In the comics published by IDW, it has also demonstrated cameras installed inside of its eyes that link to Eggman's network, as well as Tails Doll's antenna being able to amplify electronic signals.
Relationships[]
Friends/allies[]
Enemies[]
- Amy Rose
- Fang's Gang
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Mighty the Armadillo
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Ray the Flying Squirrel
- Sonic the Hedgehog
In other media[]
Books and comics[]
Archie Comics[]
Tails Doll, from Sonic the Hedgehog #265.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Tails Doll was a creation of Dr. Eggman's. Also known as "Project Deadly Cuddles," it was a robot sent into New Mobotropolis by Dr. Eggman. It is first shown lying alone on a rock amongst some wreckage and picked up by Cream the Rabbit during Titan Metal Sonic's assault on the city. Cream saw the doll and assumed that it had an owner who dropped it in the assault, and so she took it with her in an attempt to find whoever owned it, unaware that it was sent by Eggman. Tails Doll acted as both a spy and saboteur for Eggman as it was able to disrupt Nanites, which it did so in an attempt to kill Mina Mongoose, and also allow Metal Sonic to bypass the city shield.
After the Super Genesis Wave, Tails Doll acted as a spy on the Freedom Fighters and it gave Dr. Eggman information on their plan to fix the world during the Shattered World Crisis. It was later discovered by T-Pup and was data-mined for answers by Miles "Tails" Prower.
IDW Publishing[]
Seasons of Chaos[]
Following a night where Dr. Eggman fell asleep with Tails Doll in his arms, a rebellious Heavy King used an override signal to take control of all of Eggman's robots, including Tails Doll. Tails Doll subsequently helped throw Eggman out of his base in Winter Caverns Zone.[7]
Acting upon the orders of Heavy King, Tails Doll surfaced in Spring Valley Zone where it spied on Amy. It continued to follow Amy from there, observing from a distance as she recruited Mighty and Ray to help her find the Chaos Emeralds. From there, Tails Doll followed the trio to Summer Falls Zone where it observed them as they found the local Chaos Emerald and headed out to find the next one, much to the praise of Heavy King.[7]
Tails Doll, from Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special.
When Sonic, Eggman and their collective allies faced Metal Sonic and Metal Knuckles in Winter Caverns Zone, Tails Doll took Eggman and Tails by surprise when it suddenly dropped into the Egg Mobile. Tails Doll was then used by Eggman to boost a jamming signal that freed the Metals from Heavy King's control signal. When Heavy King later was defeated, Tails Doll would be carried around by Eggman as he reinstated Heavy King as his minion. However, after discovering that his former allies had escaped with the Chaos Emeralds, a pouty Eggman would play with Tails Doll.[7]
Trivia[]
A similar Tails doll, from Sonic Adventure.
- While it is classified as a "robot", its description makes no mention of mechanical parts other than its power plant. Its actual body is just a stuffed plush toy, with no mention of an endoskeleton.[2] However, it is still able to move, and its winning animation depicts it raising its arms with no explainable reason.
- Although not the same character, in Sonic Adventure, there are doll versions of Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles that are used as target practice dummies for Eggman's robots (such as Gamma in Final Egg). They appear incapable of moving on their own as Tails Doll can.
- Tails Doll is popular on the internet, where people make up horror stories called creepypastas about it. Its scary nature is reflected by Archie Comics, as evidenced in a "Sonic-Grams" where the person answering the letters said he could not mention how Tails Doll would impact the story because he was too scared. They further referenced the creepypastas when Tails Doll revealed its ability to transform into a horrid monster, Sonic even refers to it as creepy.
Tails Doll, from Minecraft.
- In LEGO Dimensions, if Sonic interacts with any of the Ghostbusters characters, he will ask them to take a look at Tails Doll.
- Tails Doll also makes a cameo appearance in Marble Zone in LEGO Dimensions as a LEGO teddy bear.
- In the Minecraft Sonic the Hedgehog DLC, Tails Doll makes a cameo appearance.
- The Amy Dolls dispensed by Gachapandora in Sonic Mania and Sonic Mania Plus have similar features to Tails Doll.
- Scratch and Grounder once tried to lure Sonic into a trap using a Tails-shaped doll in "Grounder the Genius", an episode of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, the doll was later re-used by Katella in the episode "Zoobotnik".
- On the 28th Septembers Sonic Symphony in London during the performance Can You Feel the Sunshine? it cuts to Tails Doll in the Tag mode with his image flashing up each time he tags someone (In the same order as his Creepypasta). And he reappears at the end of Super Sonic Racing teleporting around the final image of the song
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Character's File". ソニックRオフィシャルガイド. SoftBank. 24 December 1997. p. 21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 About Characters (Japanese). Sonic Channel. Archived from the original on 9 October 2009. Retrieved on 5 July 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Summer Of Sonic 2013 Live Part 3/5. YouTube. The Sonic Show (4 August 2013). Retrieved on 21 December 2018.
- ↑ 013:三浦 義貴&日野 太郎 (Japanese). Sonic Channel. Retrieved on 21 December 2018.
- ↑ Sonic Boom 2013 Q&A (part 3). YouTube. The T.C (16 August 2013). Retrieved on 21 December 2018.
- ↑ Sonic R (Sega Saturn) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-5.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special, "Seasons of Chaos"
| Playable characters | Sonic (Super Sonic) | Tails | Knuckles | Amy | Dr. Robotnik | Metal Sonic | Tails Doll | Metal Knuckles | Eggman Robo | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-playable characters | Animals (Flicky) | |
| Courses | Resort Island | Radical City | Regal Ruin | Reactive Factory | Radiant Emerald | |
| Moves/ Techniques |
Crouch | Double Jump | Flying | Gliding | Homing Missile | Spin Attack | Spin Dash Roll | Turbo Boost | |
| Gimmicks and obstacles | Accelerator | Balloon | Bumper | Ring Gate | Spring | Triangle Bumper | |
| Items | Chaos Emerald | Item Panel (Numbered Item Panel (5 Rings), Numbered Item Panel (10 Rings), Numbered Item Panel (20 Rings), Fleet Feet, Lightning Shield, Water Shield) | Ring | Sonic Token | |
| Music | Songs | "Back in Time" | "Can You Feel the Sunshine?" | "Diamond in the Sky" | "Living in the City" | "Super Sonic Racing" | "Work It Out" | "You're My Number One" |
| Albums | Sonic R | |
| Other | Egg Mobile | Loop | Music Test | Sonic R (LCD game) | Sonic R Official Guide | South Sea | Time Attack | |
| V·T·E | Category | ||
