Editing Sonic the Hedgehog (section)

==Concept and creation==
[[File:S1 needlemouse super.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Sketches of "Mr. Hedgehog", the character that would become Sonic the Hedgehog.|alt=Black-and-white sketches featuring a cartoon character that would become Sonic.]]
While several people have been involved in the creation of Sonic, the artist [[Naoto Ohshima]], programmer [[Yuji Naka]], and designer [[Hirokazu Yasuhara]] are generally credited with the creation of the character.

In April 1990, [[Sega]] sought a new mascot to rival [[Nintendo]]'s [[Mario]]; then-Sega president [[Hayao Nakayama]] in particular wanted a character as iconic as [[Wikipedia:Mickey Mouse|Mickey Mouse]].<ref name="alive">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/27/sonic-the-hedgehog-vc-review |publisher=[[Wikipedia:IGN|IGN]] |last=Thomas |first=Lucas M. |date=January 20, 2007 |title=Sonic the Hedgehog VC Review |accessdate=February 23, 2014}}</ref><ref name="retro">{{cite journal |journal=[[Wikipedia:Retro Gamer|Retro Gamer]] |issue=100 |date=February 2012 |title=The Making of Sonic the Hedgehog |pages=46–49 |location=Bournemouth |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Imagine Publishing|Imagine Publishing]] |issn=1742-3155}}</ref><ref name="lame title">{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-sonic |title=Sonic Boom |last=Kennedy |first=Sam |publisher=[[Wikipedia:1UP.com|1UP.com]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604011401/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-sonic |archivedate=June 4, 2011 |accessdate=September 24, 2014}}</ref> Sega had previously used [[Alex Kidd]] as their mascot, but because he was considered too similar to Mario, he was deemed unsatisfactory.<ref name="alive"/> The team at Sega's AM8 R&D department submitted several designs, including a wolf, bulldog, robot, and warrior character. However, they focused on speed, inspired by Naka's attempts to complete ''[[Wikipedia:Super Mario Bros.|Super Mario Bros.]]''{{'}}s [[Wikipedia:World 1-1|World 1-1]] as fast as possible,<ref name="edge">{{Cite journal |title=The Making of ... Sonic The Hedgehog |journal=[[Wikipedia:Edge (magazine)|Edge]] |issue=101 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Future plc|Future Publishing]] |date=September 2001 |pages=118–121 |issn=1350-1593 |quote=Sonic was delivering [the kind of] high speed no other [game] was capable of, and the Mega Drive allowed this stunning demonstration of rotation during the bonus stages. This was said to be impossible on the hardware at the time.}}</ref> prioritizing fast creatures such as kangaroos and squirrels.<ref name="alive"/> An early idea involved a rabbit who could grab objects with prehensile ears. Although it showed potential, it was too complex for the [[Sega Mega Drive]]'s hardware. The team later narrowed its search to animals that could roll into a ball, ultimately settling on a hedgehog character drawn by [[Naoto Ohshima]].<ref name="lame title"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.kafka-is-silly.net/sonicworld/angel_island_interviews/interviews/1992/sonic_1992_unknown_1.htm|title=Sega Visions Interview with Yuji Naka |date=October 1992 |accessdate=June 28, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928010746/http://www.kafka-is-silly.net/sonicworld/angel_island_interviews/interviews/1992/sonic_1992_unknown_1.htm |archivedate=September 28, 2007}}</ref><ref name="GD">{{Cite web |first=Alex |last=Wawro |date=21 March 2018 |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/-i-sonic-the-hedgehog-i-s-origin-story-according-to-the-devs-who-made-him |title=Sonic the Hedgehog's origin story, according to the devs who made him |publisher=Game Developer |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425203643/https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/-i-sonic-the-hedgehog-i-s-origin-story-according-to-the-devs-who-made-him |archivedate=April 25, 2022 |accessdate=February 22, 2022}}</ref>

Initially named "Mr. Hedgehog",<ref group="note">Due to a mistranslation of Ohshima's notes by English-speaking fans, it was believed that Sonic's original development name was "Mr. Needlemouse" until it was corrected by Yuji Naka in 2021.</ref><ref name="MrHedgehog">{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/nakayuji/status/1353259189389332480 |title=Yuji Naka / 中　裕司 on Twitter |date=January 24, 2021 |work=Twitter |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124083200/https://twitter.com/nakayuji/status/1353259189389332480 |archivedate=January 24, 2021 |language=Japanese |quote=悔しいのでもう一度挑戦しましたがもっと判らなかった感じです。「セガの看板キャラクターであるソニック。世に出る前に彼に付けられていた名前を選べ」と言う問題が判りませんでした。作った人なのにね<br>セガい共通テスト受験終了！}}</ref> Sonic's final name was chosen to represent speed.<ref name="NewInterview">{{Cite web |url=http://shmuplations.com/sonic/ |title=Sonic the Hedgehog – Developer Interview Collection |accessdate=May 19, 2018}}</ref><ref name=OhshimaIntHist>{{Cite book |author=[[Naoto Ohshima]] |year=2013 |editor=Les Editions Pix'n Love |title=Interview With Naoto Ôshima |chapter=The History Of Sonic The Hedgehog |publisher=UDON Entertainment Corp |pages=96–101 |isbn=978-1-926778-96-9}}</ref> Sonic was originally colored teal;<ref name="retro"/> it was later changed to dark blue to match Sega's logo, stand out against certain backgrounds, and symbolize peace and coolness.<ref>{{cite web |last=Horowitz |first=Ken |url=http://www.sega-16.com/2006/12/interview-mark-cerny/ |title=Interview: Mark Cerny |publisher=Sega-16 |date=December 5, 2006 |accessdate=October 12, 2014 |quote='''[[Mark Cerny]]''': Sonic had been a lighter blue, but he was very hard to see against the ocean backgrounds, so his color was darkened at the last moment.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.destructoid.com/review-the-history-of-sonic-the-hedgehog-247079.phtml |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Destructoid|Destructoid]] |title=Review: The History of Sonic The Hedgehog |date=February 27, 2013 |last=Ponce |first=Tony |accessdate=October 11, 2014}}</ref> Ohshima combined [[Wikipedia:Felix the Cat|Felix the Cat]]'s head with Mickey Mouse's body for Sonic's design, with inspiration from [[Michael Jackson]]'s boots on the album cover for ''[[Wikipedia:Bad (album)|Bad]]'' and [[Santa Claus]]' red and white color scheme for [[Sonic's shoes|his shoes]].<ref name="facts">{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/26/21-crazy-facts-about-sonic-and-the-console-war-he-started |publisher=[[Wikipedia:IGN|IGN]] |title=21 Crazy Facts About Sonic and the Console War He Started |accessdate=February 13, 2014 |date=June 26, 2014 |last=Claiborn |first=Samuel}}</ref><ref name="retro"/> Beyond aesthetics, Sonic was designed to be easy for children to draw.<ref name="GD"/> His personality drew from [[Wikipedia:Bill Clinton|Bill Clinton]]'s "get it done" attitude, who Ohshima felt embodied a modern sensibility of wanting to get things done right away.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Brandon |last=Sheffield |publisher=Game Developer |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4208/out_of_the_blue_naoto_ohshima_.php?page=2 |title=Out of the Blue: Naoto Ohshima Speaks |accessdate=December 13, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Yahoo Playback |publisher=Yahoo! |url=http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/playback/playback-94/1380785 |title=Yahoo Playback #94 |accessdate=December 13, 2009 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091215060432/http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/playback/playback-94/1380785 |archivedate=December 15, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ashcraft |first=Brian |publisher=Kotaku |url=http://kotaku.com/5420201/sonics-shoes-inspired-by-michael-jackson |title=Sonic's Shoes Inspired by Michael Jackson |accessdate=December 13, 2009}}</ref> Sonic's spikes were emphasized to make him look sleeker, and he was given the ability to spin while jumping so that attacking and jumping could be controlled with a single button. He was created without the ability to swim because of Naka's mistaken assumption that hedgehogs could not do so.<ref name="videogamer swim">{{Cite web |url=http://www.videogamer.com/news/revealed_why_sonic_cant_swim.html |title=Revealed: Why Sonic can't swim |date=February 2009 |accessdate=February 27, 2009}}</ref>

Early concepts gave Sonic fangs and put him in a [[Sonic the Hedgehog Band|band]] with a human girlfriend named [[Madonna]], ideas scrapped by [[Sega/Sega of America|Sega of America]] to keep his identity simple.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/feature/a798719/14-things-you-didnt-know-about-sonic-the-hedgehog/ |title=14 things you didn't know about Sonic the Hedgehog |publisher=Digital Spy |first=Sam |last=Loveridge |date=June 23, 2016 |accessdate=June 10, 2017}}</ref><ref name="retro"/> To further help sell the idea to Sega, Ohshima pitched a backstory, influenced by World War II-era jackets, framed by a fictional American fighter pilot that had earned the name "Hedgehog", later reflected by the emblem design seen in most ''Sonic'' games.<ref name="GD"/> Sonic's proportions were adjusted for ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', with the original head-to-height ratio changed from 1:2 to 1:2.5.<ref name="sega illustrations">{{Cite book |title=Sega Video Game Illustrations |year=1994 |publisher=Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Deutschland) GmbH |isbn=3-910052-50-9}}</ref> During the series' early years, Western material did some modifications to his design, such as sharper eyes and a [[Wikipedia:Mohawk hairstyle|mohawk]]-like hairstyle, but these were slowly phased out as the Japanese canon became the standard.

[[File:Harmony 154 Sonic designs.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Proposed redesigns of Sonic for ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'', clockwise from top left: by [[Satoshi Okano]], the promotional artist for ''[[Sonic Jam]]''; [[Yuji Uekawa]], the character designer of ''[[Sonic R]]''; [[Naoto Ohshima]], one of Sonic's original creators; and [[Takumi Miyake]], the designer of ''[[Knuckles' Chaotix]]''.|alt=Four different commissioned concept designs of Sonic for his redesign in Sonic Adventure. The designs feature variations in Sonic's appearance: the top left has thicker outlines; the top right features thin outlines and a subtle shade of green in the eyes; the bottom left has a teal fur, red eyes, and a fire-shaped chest; and the bottom right has him in a dynamic pose.]]
Sonic Team redesigned Sonic and the other characters during the development of ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' to make them more suitable for 3D environments and give them an "edgy" look.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thomason |first=Steve |title=Birth of a Hedgehog|journal=[[Wikipedia:Nintendo Power|Nintendo Power]] |issue=211 |date=January 2007 |publisher=[[Wikipedia:Future Publishing|Future Publishing]] |pages=72}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px-dQHR6FnY |title=Summer Of Sonic 2011 - Takashi Iizuka & Yuji Naka Q&A (18:20) |work=YouTube |date=March 25, 2012 |accessdate=July 10, 2014}}</ref><ref name="2Dto3D">{{Cite web |author=[[Cook & Becker]] |date=April 17, 2017 |title=How Sega moved Sonic from 2D to 3D |url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/4/17/15099400/how-sega-moved-sonic-from-2d-to-3d |publisher=Polygon |accessdate=December 12, 2022}}</ref><ref name="MakingOfAdventure">{{Cite journal |author=Retro Game staff |journal=[[Wikipedia:Retro Gamer|Retro Gamer]] |title=The Making Of: Sonic Adventure |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/retro-gamer/20181228/281659666135596 |date=December 28, 2018}}</ref> A contest was held at Sega to determine who would be in charge of the redesigns, with [[Yuji Uekawa]] emerging as the winner. His new design was influenced by various styles, including other Sega artists, [[Wikipedia:Akira Toriyama|Akira Toriyama]], [[Wikipedia:Susumu Matsushita|Susumu Matsushita]], and [[Wikipedia:Walt Disney|Walt Disney]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.fanbyte.com/features/sonic-hedgehog-satoshi-okano/ |title=The Unsung Artist Who Defined the Look of Sonic the Hedgehog |last=Aitchison |first=Sean |date=April 28, 2020 |publisher=Fanbyte |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103082741/https://www.fanbyte.com/features/sonic-hedgehog-satoshi-okano/ |archivedate=November 3, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://twitter.com/okanotion/status/1293253514995458048 |title=OKN/Satoshi Okano/岡野聡 on Twitter |work=Twitter |last=Okano |first=Satoshi |date=August 11, 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811183154/https://twitter.com/okanotion/status/1293253514995458048 |archivedate=August 11, 2020}}</ref> Sonic's new look features taller proportions, green eyes, and a deeper blue color.<ref name="2Dto3D"/> For [[Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)|''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (2006)]], his design was further modified to look more adult and taller, with visible fur and a lankier body to fit better with the game's human characters.<ref>{{Cite web |first1=Andy |last1=Eddy |url=https://interviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/1590/E3-2006-Sonic-Team-Interview/p2/ |title=E3 2006: Sonic Team Interview |work=GameSpy |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022060541/http://interviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/1590/E3-2006-Sonic-Team-Interview/p2/ |archivedate=October 22, 2013 |accessdate=May 14, 2022}}</ref>
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