Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog was most recently shown weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Central Time on Toon Disney in the United States. Robotnik was also the featured villain occasionally on the “Chillin’ with the Villains” marathon block, even being featured in their commercials.

In the United Kingdom, AoStH was originally shown on Channel 4 until the show’s end; recently it was also shown on the satellite channel POP, until 17 April 2006 when it was replaced with Sonic Underground. It was shown on that channel as part of a “Sonic Week”. This TV subsequently aired the first thirteen episodes of the show from 2010 to 2011.

As of 2015, Netflix has the first twenty episodes available, with the entire series available on Paramount+. It also aired on Starz (specifically Starz Kids & Family), along with the Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Underground television series. The series also aired outside the United States in countries such as Latin America, Spain, Saudi Arabia, etc. The cartoon aired in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ Two from 12 September to December 1994.^[7]RTÉ Guide, 9–15 September 1994 edition and subsequent dates

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog saw multiple home video releases across different formats and regions:

1. United States VHS Releases:
   • Released by Buena Vista Home Video, there were six VHS tapes with two episodes each.
2. United Kingdom VHS Releases:
   • Approximately ten tapes released, including:
     • Volumes 1 to 6 (except Volume 5 which was “Quest for the Chaos Emeralds,” a four-part series edited without title cards) with three episodes each.
     • “High Stakes Sonic”/”Sonic Breakout” and “Momma Robotnik’s Birthday” tapes with two episodes each.
     • A bumper tape roughly three hours long.
     • Most UK tapes did not include the “Sonic Says” segments, except for the episode “High Stakes Sonic.”
     • A unique tape with four versions, each featuring the episode “Sonic Breakout,” but with different combinations of other episodes.
3. DVD Releases:
   • “Sonic Christmas Blast” DVD featured the title episode, with the remaining episodes from Sonic Underground.
   • Shout! Factory released two DVD sets in the US with twenty-two episodes each, and a third set including the remaining episodes and the “Sonic Christmas Blast” special available only on their website.
   • In the UK, Delta Home Video released the complete series as a box set with eight discs on 11 June 2007.
   • NCircle Entertainment released themed DVDs and two-disc boxed sets called “season set collector’s editions,”^[8]https://www.ncircleentertainment.com/sonic/b136095 titled “Let’s Race” and “The Fastest Thing in Time.”
   • Invisible Pictures, successor to Bohbot Entertainment, released a complete series box set on DVD in 2019.
   • In 2021, Discotek Media released an SD Blu-ray set of the complete series with bonus features including episode commentaries, the original pitch pilot, “Sonic Christmas Blast,” and rushes of the first episode.

VHS

Image	Title	Release date	Episodes
	Robotnik Express	2 February 1994	“The Robotnik Express”, “Tails’ New Home”
	Super Special Sonic Search & Smash Squad	2 February 1994	“Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad”, “Sonic Breakout”
	Slowwww Going	2 February 1994	“Slowwww Going”, “Over the Hill Hero”
	Grounder the Genius	2 February 1994	“Grounder the Genius”, “Blank-Headed Eagle”
	Sonic’s Song	7 June 1994	“Sonic’s Song”, “Best Hedgehog”
	Road Hog	7 June 1994	“Road Hog”, “Tails in Charge”
	Grounder the Genius (Rental)	1999	“Grounder the Genius”, “Blank-Headed Eagle”, “Road Hog”, “Tails in Charge”
	Slowwww Going (Rental)	1999	“Slowwww Going”, “Over the Hill Hero”, “Robotnik Express”, “Tails’ New Home”

DVD

• Shout! Factory:
  • Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 1
  • Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 2
  • Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 3
• NCircle Entertainment:
  • Best of the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Let’s Race
  • Robotnik Strikes Back
  • Robots Attack!
  • Sonic Christmas Blast
  • Sonic Who?
  • Tall Tails
  • The Fastest Thing in Time
  • Robotnik Family Values
  • Sonic the Hero
• Invincible Pictures:
  • Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Animated Series

Blu-Ray

• Discotek Media:
  • Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog received mixed reviews from critics:

1. Randy Miller III of DVDTalk:
   • Stated that while the show wouldn’t be compared to the likes of Disney, Pixar, or Studio Ghibli, it offered “enough goofy fun” to entertain fans of the 16-bit gaming era.^[9]Miller III, Randy (17 July 2007). The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog: Volume 1. DVDtalk. Retrieved on 16 January 2019.
2. Michael Rubino of Verdict:
   • Criticized the show for being dated, contrived, and overly filled with chili dog jokes.^[10]Rubino, Michael (8 August 2007). The Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog. DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012.
3. Common Sense Media:
   • Gave the series an overall rating of 3 out of 5.
   • Commented on the show’s “frantic” pace but acknowledged that it emphasized positive themes for children, such as personal safety and interpersonal relationships.^[11]Ashby, Emily . The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Common Sense Media. Retrieved on 16 January 2019.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog contains numerous references and interesting tidbits related to the Sonic franchise and beyond:

• Game References: The series references four Sonic games: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (both the 16-bit and 8-bit versions), and Sonic Spinball. These references include Zones, Badniks, Chaos Emeralds, Rings, and Special Stages. All main characters from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 appear, except for Scratch, who is inspired by the Clucker Badnik.
• Villains in Games: Many villains from the first episode later appeared in Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, a reskin of Puyo Puyo, due to the show’s popularity.
• Robotnik’s Naming: This series is the only American cartoon where Robotnik is referred to as “Eggman” in an episode, maintaining the egg-themed insults used by Sonic and Tails. Many of Robotnik’s inventions were egg-themed, and eggs are noted as his favorite food.
• Tails’ Full Name: In the episode “Tails’ Tale,” Tails reveals his full name, “Miles Prower.” In “Tails’ New Home,” he states his given name is Miles and expresses his dislike for it.
• Music from Games: Until Sonic X, this was the only animated Sonic series to use music from the games, notably the classic title theme from Sonic the Hedgehog.
• Sound Effects from Other Games: “The Magic Hassle” features sound effects from Super Mario Bros., which reappear in “Attack on Pinball Fortress” and “Robo-Ninjas.”
• Sonic Says: In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, the tips shown during loading screens are titled “Sonic Says,” a callback to this series.
• Dub Mistakes: The Hispanic American dub accidentally made Tails a female character. The Latin American translation also included renames: Tails as “Colitas” (with his full name being “Vivi”) and Dr. Robotnik as “Dr. Mostachón.” These mistakes carried over to the SatAM dub but are absent in the Spanish (Spain) version.
• Sonic’s Birthdays: Sonic has two birthdays in the show, one in “Tails Prevails” and another in “Robotnikland.”
• Sonic Says Segments: These were never shown in the original UK airings.
• Character Inspirations: Grounder and Coconuts are based on enemy Badniks from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, while Scratch is loosely based on the enemy Clucker from the same game.
• Comic Adaptation: One episode, “Pseudo Sonic,” was adapted into the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book by Archie Comics in issue #9.
• Unaired Pilot: A pilot for the show was made but never aired. A workprint version surfaced online and is partially lost. Scenes from the pilot were used in episodes like “Untouchable Sonic” and in commercials, with some appearing in a behind-the-scenes video for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.
• Voice Acting: In the pilot, Jim Cummings voiced Robotnik, Scratch, and all the Badniks. Cummings continued to voice Robotnik in the following series, though with a more sinister tone.
• Theme Song: This was the only Sonic series to have a theme song without lyrics until Sonic Boom.
• Japanese Localization: Despite Sonic originating from Japan, it’s unclear if this show (alongside the others) was localized there. However, some episodes were animated by the Japanese studio TMS Entertainment.
• Lost Korean Dub: The Korean dub remains mostly lost, with only the intro still known to exist.^[12]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j5zDUWvZ88
• Art Style Variations: The episodes or characters sometimes have slightly different art styles depending on the animation studio.
• Recycled Themes: Both this show and Sonic X recycled themes from the Sonic video games. Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog frequently used remixes of the title screen from Sonic the Hedgehog (1991).
• Labyrinth Zone: Although the Labyrinth Zone doesn’t appear, a preproduction page mentions a “game-like labyrinth,” hinting it was planned for an appearance. A location named similarly does appear.^[13]http://ledastudios.rubberslug.com/gallery/inv_info.asp?ItemID=243406
• DVD Covers: Some DVD covers depict Dr. Robotnik with his later SatAM design.
• Recycled Background Music: Some of the show’s background music was reused in another DiC production, “Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad,” in 1994.

• Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog at Big Cartoon Database
• Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog at 41 Entertainment