Editing Doctor Eggman (section)

===Naming and Western interpretations===
[[File:Robotnik 4.png|thumb|left|180px|alt=North American artwork of "Doctor Robotnik" from the early 1990s. His glasses are noticeably replaced by completely black eyes and his gloves are missing.|1990s Western stock artwork of "Dr. Robotnik".]]
When ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' first released, Sega of America named the character "Dr. Ivo Robotnik". This name was made by Sega game counselor and designer [[Dean Sitton]]: "Ivo" was picked because of its phonetic similarity with the word ''evil'' and its reversal to ''ovi'', Latin for ''eggs'', while "Robotnik" was chosen for its Slavic roots related to work, fitting with the game's industrial themes. Other names considered were "Mr. Badwrench" and "Dr. X".<ref name="SittonRetro">{{Cite web |date=January 16, 2009 |title=DeanSatan enters the fray! |url=https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/deansatan-enters-the-fray.13659 |work=Sonic Retro |accessdate=May 13, 2022}}</ref> This name change was done without [[Sonic Team]]'s consent.<ref name="EggmanRobotnik">{{Cite web |author=Casey |date=June 4, 2016 |title=Sega Explains How Dr. Robotnik Came To Be Called Eggman |url=https://www.siliconera.com/2016/06/24/sega-explains-dr-robotnik-came-called-eggman/ |work=Siliconera |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20160625131949/https://www.siliconera.com/2016/06/24/sega-explains-dr-robotnik-came-called-eggman/ |archivedate=June 5, 2016 |accessdate=May 13, 2022 |quote='''[[Takashi Iizuka]]''': When the game was originally developed in Japan, they called the character Eggman. That was the name of the character, but when the game got localized and ported into the Sonic the Hedgehog that we know in the West, they decided to, without confirming with the development team, change his name to Ivo Robotnik or just Robotnik. That's kind of when everyone first learned about the character. Of course, this was without consulting the people who made the game. They just kind of went off and did it. It became super popular and everyone in the West kind of learned about the character as Robotnik. [...] We [Sega of Japan] really didn't want to have anyone in the universe with two names. To us, he's Eggman, but in the rest of the world he's called Robotnik. We wanted to unify that into one name moving forward. This is something I actually did in the Sonic Adventure series. I made it so that we understand the character's name is Robotnik, but his nickname is Eggman, and as far as everyone is concerned in the world now, we're just going to call him Eggman as his official name.}}</ref>

At Sega of Japan's permission, Sega of America developed their canon in their [[Sonic Bible]] document, a reference document used by screenwriters, they established that Robotnik was originally a kind scientist named "Dr. Ovi Kintobor", who turned into his current self following a lab accident. The character was depicted with inconsistent designs in the West, often with variations from the Japanese design, such as omitting his glasses and gloves, and exposing completely black eyes. In some occasions, his designs from the [[DiC Entertainment]] cartoons were used instead, such as in ''[[Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine]]''. These differences were slowly abandoned over time, and the Japanese canon became the standard.

All the while, the Japanese material referred to the character as "Eggman", as the Western material called him "Robotnik".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sega.sonic1px&hl=en_US&gl=US|title=Sonic the Hedgehog™ Classic|publisher=Google Play Games|date=January 21, 2017|accessdate=February 9, 2022|quote=While 'Eggman' is Dr. Robotnik's nickname in the West, he has always been known as 'Eggman' in Japan.}}</ref> When the Sonic series was transitioning into 3D, ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' became the first time both names were officially used, with subsequent releases primarily referring to him as "Eggman". Since, it was established that "Ivo Robotnik" was his birth name and "Eggman" a nickname coined by [[Sonic the Hedgehog]] that the doctor adopted.<ref name="EggmanRobotnik"/><ref name="SoA">{{Cite web|author=[[Sega|Sega of America]]|publisher=[[Sega]]|url=http://www.sega.com/sonic/globalsonic/post_sonicteam.php?article=nakainterview|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040124111152/http://www.sega.com/sonic/globalsonic/post_sonicteam.php?article=nakainterview|title=Yuki Naka on Sonic's Past, Present, and Future part 2|archivedate=January 24, 2004|date=February 2004|quote='''Sega.com''': Did Sonic have a hand in changing Dr. Robotnik's name to Dr. Eggman for the United States games? If so, was he trying to make fun of his nemesis? / '''[[Yuji Naka]]''': To tell the truth, his name has not changed. Robotnik is his real name and Eggman is a common name taken after his shape. Possibly, it may have been Sonic, who uttered this alias for the first time! I feel, though, Sonic uses this name affectionately, rather than trying to make fun of the doctor.}}</ref> The name "Robotnik" is occasionally acknowledged for the character's family, but is used very rarely to refer to the character "Eggman" himself in Japan. While he is oftentimes called "Eggman" in Japanese sources, the use of "Robotnik" has only been on rare occasions like guides of ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' and ''[[Sonic Jam]]'' in said region.{{Citation needed}}