Sonic
Sonic the Hedgehog is a blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds. It is heavily implied that he has visited the Mushroom Planet at least once. This visit was largely uneventful and ended in disappointment for Sonic. He will be competing with Mario in the upcoming game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.
History
A Failed Quest
During the events Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, the elderly Cranky Kong held a contest to see who was the greatest video game hero of the 16-bit era. Contestants were ranked based on how many hidden DK Coins they could discover while progressing through the areas of Crocodile Isle and defeating Kaptain K. Rool (and his Kremling Krew). Although a great video game hero, Sonic did not collect many coins. As a result, he did not even place in the top three (Link was #3, Yoshi was #2, and Mario was #1. Eventually Diddy Kong claimed first place.). Distraught, Sonic left the Mushroom Planet, leaving behind his trademark shoes (next to a trash can). Along with Sonic, Earthworm Jim is implied to have failed the contest as well.
The Future
Sonic will compete against Mario and others in Olympic events in the upcoming game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.
Shigeru Miyamoto had this to say about the game:
"Mario and Sonic have been respectful rivals since the early days of video games. In fact, for a long time they have been discussing the possibility of one day competing against each other. Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster, Mario or Sonic?"
Trivia
- Nintendo was once business rivals with Sonic's company of creation, Sega; this rivalry peaked during the 16-bit area (the era of the Super Nintendo). As such, Nintendo and Sega often attempted to put each other down through their games (thus explaining Sonic's humiliation in Donkey Kong Country 2, and possibly explaining the blue hedgehog enemies of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island). Examples of Mario mockeries in the Sonic the Hedgehog series forms of media include the emphasis on "Super" on the back of Sonic the Hedgehog's box (a reference to Super Mario Bros. and other Mario series titles beginning with "Super") and the Marxio Brothers of Sonic the Comic, a British comic book about Sonic and his friends.
- An April Fool's Day issue of the magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly once said that Sonic and his friend Tails were unlockable in Super Smash Bros. Melee. However, this was soon proved to be a hoax.
- All of Sonic's television shows (except for the recent Sonic X) were made by DiC Entertainment, the same company that made all of Mario's American shows. As such, the television programs shared certain similarities; for instance, the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode "Sonic is Running" ended on an almost identical note to that of the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Princess Toadstool for President", the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode "Lovesick Sonic" has similar themes to those of the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "The Beauty of Kootie", and DiC gave the protagonists of their shows certain food affinities almost exclusive to the programs (specifically, Mario's television love of Italian food and Sonic's of chili dogs).
