5 fast facts about Sonic The Hedgehog

Whether you've been a Sonic fan since his Mega Drive outings or have come to love the blue-furred hero in his more recent years, it's hard to deny Sega's mammalian mascot’s charm. Now with the arrival of Knuckles on Paramount+, here are some fun facts to keep you at the top of your Sonic trivia game.

Unleashed upon the world in 1991, the blue blur has been running across the fields and around the loops of Green Hill Zone and beyond for over 30 years. In that time he's appeared in over 150 games, turning his hand to driving race cars and becoming an Olympian. He's even participated in huge brawls alongside characters from across video games.

While Sonic's blue spines and fur are truly iconic, he wasn't always going to be a hedgehog. In early design documents, Sega's mascot was originally conceived as a rabbit that could use its long ears to attack enemies and interact with objects.

While this character was quickly scrapped and swapped for the design we know and love today, Sega has included nods to, and even a playable version of, the character in some recent Sonic games.

Sonic’s speed should come as no surprise, but do you realize just how fast he is? According to Sega's game manuals, Sonic is capable of running at the speed of light, but only in short bursts.

To put that into context, he could travel around the Earth's equator in a blink of an eye. Thankfully, his standard speed when he's not pushing his limits means he rolls around at the speed of sound – or 767 mph if you want to be technical.

You'd be forgiven for thinking Sonic's first appearance was in the 1991 classic of the same name, but you'd be wrong. In fact, Sega first revealed its new mascot six months earlier in January 1991's arcade game Rad Mobile. This fun little cameo didn't see him take on a role as a playable character but rather as an air freshener hanging from the in-game car's rear view mirror.

Nothing says cultural icon like having something named after you, and Sonic has managed to claim this accolade. The Sonic Hedgehog protein, which is found within the genes of every animal in the world, was given its name in 1993 by scientist Bob Riddle who needed something catchy to help name the gene's spiky, hedgehog-like appearance.