In "Sonic the Comic, issue #8, The Origins Of Sonic," Sonic was originally a normal, brown, and very spiky hedgehog. He had met Dr. Ivo Robotnik (known at the time as Dr. Ovi Kintobor) by finding his lab, and they had become friends. Dr. Kintobor performed experiments on Sonic's super speed, which helped him to run even faster, and with the aid of the Power Sneakers Dr Kintobor invented, it allowed him to run so fast that he broke the sound barrier, turning him into a more familiar blue form.
In the continuity of Fleetway's Sonic the Hedgehog comics (known as "Sonic the Comic"), Dr. Robotnik was originally a kind human scientist named "Ovi Kintobor", who wished to rid Mobius of all evil using a device called the Retro-Orbital Chaos Compressor (or "ROCC" for short) to absorb all the negative energy on the planet, eventually using the six Chaos Emeralds as a vessel for the energy (Issue #181 would reveal that this was because the Drakon Empire had used them in the past to contain an experimental energy source known as "chaos"). However, six emeralds was not enough: he also needed the seventh Grey Emerald to stabilize the process. During this time, he met and befriended Sonic the Hedgehog, who used his impressive speed to help Kintobor in his search for the Grey Emerald, albeit to no avail (Issue #36 would reveal this was because the Grey Emerald was on the Floating Island with Knuckles). Kintobor would also run experiments on Sonic to test his speed, which eventually lead to him gaining his iconic blue form.
The day after this (according to Issue #71), when Kintobor went to go make them some food, he could only find a six month old rotten egg in the fridge. While going to add salt to the egg, he tripped on a cable and slammed his head against the ROCC's control panel, causing it to explode. Both Kintobor and the egg were bathed in chaos energy, transforming him into Ivo Robotnik, the main antagonist of the comic, and revealing that Sonic was responsible for "Creating the most vicious dictator on Mobius". All of this is revealed in Issue #8 of the comic.
Issue #71 revealed that the accident was actually caused by a time-travelling Sonic, who both placed the rotten egg in the fridge and pulled the cables loose. This was done to save the future from the Brotherhood of Metallix, who could only be stopped by Robotnik. Additionally, Issue #26 revealed that the explosion had somehow "burned" Kintobor's brainwaves onto one of the Golden Rings from which the ROCC had been built: it would later be used to construct the Kintobor Computer, an important part of the Freedom Fighters' resistance to Robotnik's rule.
According to the Archie comics, Sonic the Hedgehog's real name was originally "Olgilvie Maurice Hedgehog", and was meant to act as a part of a never-used plot. However, due to one of the comic writers leaving the staff, this concept was never touched upon, and was eventually retconned as Sonic legally changing his name at an early age, leaving his actual first name a mystery.
This would later be referenced years later, where the Netflix description for the animated series "Sonic Prime" claimed that Sonic's middle name was Maurice.
During an interview with Namco Bandai's Mike Chang, it was confirmed that the Pac-Man in the Ghostly Adventures series is actually the son of the original Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man.
In 2007, a computer animated feature based on The Legend of Spyro was announced. The movie would have been based on the then recent Legend of Spyro trilogy, and was originally going to be released around Christmas 2009, but was later pushed back to a different release date and was eventually cancelled. Daniel Altiere, who was a writer on the movie, stated that the movie was officially cancelled due to decisions made by ##Activision## to go in a different direction with the Spyro series, likely making reference to the Skylanders series.
Six months after the American release of Super Paper Mario, American film director, producer, and screenwriter Seth Gordon, whose most notably worked on the 2015 film "Pixels", expressed interest in adapting a movie based on Super Paper Mario. Gordon was quoted as saying: "I'd love, really love, to adapt Super Paper Mario into a movie, a movie that would constantly switch from 2D to 3D. In five years, 3D cinema is going to be really big." Gordon however specified that he never had the chance to speak with Nintendo about his envisioned project, so his idea was eventually forgotten.
In 2009, Loose Cannon Studios released a ten page comic that takes place before the events of the game. The comic reveals that Zephyr, Nimbus, and the army of Wind Warriors originate from Harmonium, a planet located within the Nadam Galaxy.
In 2006, Devil's Due Publishing began releasing a 12-issue limited series comic book adaptation of Killer7 that was written and drawn by the staff of independent company Kinetic Underground. The plot of the comic was somewhat streamlined from the plot of the game, but the writers deliberately did not spoonfeed information to readers in an effort to still stay true to the game. However, due to low sales, the comic was cancelled after six issues, four of those being properly numbered Issues #1-4, as well as a promotional Issue #0 that was released as a bonus with copies of Killer7 pre-ordered from EB Games, and a promotional Issue #½ that was only released at San Diego Comic Con 2005.
During the end credits level, Mario/Luigi will appear in the background doing a dance that involves swinging his arms from side to side and taking a step in the direction of each swing. This could be a reference to "Do the Mario", the end credits theme to the 1989 animated series "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" during which the dance is performed by Mario, portrayed by professional wrestler Lou Albano.
In the 2023 film "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", the Japanese name for the character Spike (the foreman from Wrecking Crew) was changed in the corresponding dub. Although no specific reason was given as to why the change was made, it can be assumed it was done to avoid controversy as the character's original Japanese name is "Blackie", which is also a derogatory racial slur in English-speaking countries used to refer to dark-skinned people of African descent.
Ian Flynn had stated on several occasions that, had he been given the go-ahead, he would have liked to incorporate Tiara and Gazebo Boobowski from the cancelled Sonix X-treme into the Archie Sonic comics, which were still ongoing at the time. However, during a Q&A from before the comic's cancellation, he confirmed that they would never appear in the comics, and could not disclose the legal reasons why.
Despite this, prior to Ian joining the team behind the Archie Sonic comics, Tiara did make two cameo appearances: first in Issue #134, where she was in the audience as Sonic and sally broke up, then in issue 138 as a waitress working at Uncle Chuck's diner (note that she has blonde hair and a purple top in this appearance).
In the 2020 graphic novel "Earthworm Jim 2: Fight the Fish!", Jim is given a shiny piece of aluminum foil, to which Jim refers to as "shiny entertainment," and Princess What-Her-Name comments on the "odd interplay of words." This is a reference to Shiny Entertainment, the company that created the Earthworm Jim series, and Interplay Entertainment, the company that bought out the Earthworm Jim series in the late 1990s.
The title screens of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with Sonic (a character known for his super speed) posing and waving his gloved hand inside of a ring lined with stars and a ribbon banner at the bottom, could possibly be taken from the logo of the 1981 anime adaptation of the Akira Toriyama manga "Dr. Slump" and its speedy protagonist Arale. It should also be noted that the ring surrounding Sonic has giant wings protruding from its sides, which appear to reference the angel wings on Arale's cap that also feature in the intros to the anime and some of the Dr. Slump films.
While it's not known if any Sega employees have commented on this connection, it was acknowledged in the form of a small cameo appearance where Sonic gets outrun by Arale in the 1993 sequel manga "The Brief Return of Dr. Slump".
The infamous DK Rap was featured in the 2023 film "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", with the chorus portion used to chant Donkey Kong's name as he enters the Great Ring of Kong to battle Mario. Donkey Kong's voice actor Seth Rogen reacted to the DK Rap prior to the film's release, referring to it as "objectively one of the worst rap songs of all time." The original songwriter Grant Kirkhope expressed excitement upon hearing about the song's inclusion in the film, but was dismayed upon seeing that he was not credited as the song's original composer in the movie's credits.
In the 2023 film "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", Mario and Luigi's family are prominently featured. This includes:
• Their Father, voiced by Charles Martinet (and bears a resemblance to Talon from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) • Their Mother, who previously appeared in "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!" and is voiced here by Jessica DiCicco • Uncle Arthur, voiced by John DiMaggio • Uncle Tony, voiced by Rino Romano (and was coincidentally mentioned in live-action segment "Glasnuts" from the TV series "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!") • Aunt Marie, who's presumably married to Uncle Arthur • An unnamed niece, who's most likely Marie and Arthur's daughter, being a first cousin once removed that's referred to as a "(second) niece" • An unnamed grandfather, who's implied by the co-director Aaron Horvath to previously have been a boxer and wears an outfit similar to Luigi in the 1983 commercial for the Atari ports of Mario Bros.
Interestingly, all of the credited voice actors for the family are all of Italian descent to stay true to the family's Italian heritage.
According to Shigeru Miyamoto, the design of the family were based on character design sheets that former Nintendo illustrator Yoichi Kotabe drew decades before the film began production.
The appearance of Longclaw in Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog films is reminiscent of the tiles that resemble an owl's head in the Labyrinth Zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. In fact, the first film's opening scene features the tile design engraved on a rock as an Easter egg, further hinting at the connection.
The longest worked-on project in the FNaF franchise is the 2023 movie, having been in production since the first publicly known date of April 2015, seen in an article by Polygon. Since then, the movie went through 9 scrapped scripts, a producer leaving, and several delays in production. The CEO of Blumhouse, Jason Blum, talked about his attempts to get the movie off the ground and his experience working with Scott Cawthon in an interview with IGN saying:
"Everyone said we could never get the movie done, including, by the way, internally in my company. I was made fun of for pursuing this, this thing that could never happen, and that always lights a fire under me to say, 'I bet I can do this'. […] I've grown to know Scott very well over that time, and I've become very fond of him. I think he's a really, really special person, a really creative person, probably more creative than he even gives himself credit for in some ways, I would say. And we had to find a structure that would work for us to make this movie together."
The character of "Ugly Sonic" in the 2022 film Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is based on the infamous first design of Sonic the Hedgehog featured in the first trailer for his 2020 film. Voiced by Tim Robinson, Ugly Sonic acknowledges the mockery of appearance (especially his realistic humanoid teeth) and uses it to find new work.
According to the director Akiva Schaffer, the company that provided the effects for this film, MovingPictureCompany, also provided the CGI for the 2020 Sonic film, meaning for Ugly Sonic, they had to "repeat their mistakes on purpose this time."
Interestingly, Ugly Sonic wasn't originally planned to be in this cameo; Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars was initially meant to be featured as the character acknowledging his mockery.
In the 41st issue of the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog comic book, Sonic taunts Dr. Eggman with the nickname "Baldy McNosehair," to which Eggman responds with "That's not funny! It's never been funny! It's never going to be funny!" This is a reference to the YouTube channel TeamFourStar and their web-series "Dragon Ball Z Abridged". Specifically, it references the video "DragonBall Z KAI Abridged Parody: Episode 2" in which Krillin dubs himself, Gohan, and Vegeta as "Team Three Star", and Vegeta yells the same response.
In "Sonic the Comic, issue #8, The Origins Of Sonic," Sonic was originally a normal, brown, and very spiky hedgehog. He had met Dr. Ivo Robotnik (known at the time as Dr. Ovi Kintobor) by finding his lab, and they had become friends. Dr. Kintobor performed experiments on Sonic's super speed, which helped him to run even faster, and with the aid of the Power Sneakers Dr Kintobor invented, it allowed him to run so fast that he broke the sound barrier, turning him into a more familiar blue form.
In 2007, a computer animated feature based on The Legend of Spyro was announced. The movie would have been based on the then recent Legend of Spyro trilogy, and was originally going to be released around Christmas 2009, but was later pushed back to a different release date and was eventually cancelled. Daniel Altiere, who was a writer on the movie, stated that the movie was officially cancelled due to decisions made by ##Activision## to go in a different direction with the Spyro series, likely making reference to the Skylanders series.
In 2009, Loose Cannon Studios released a ten page comic that takes place before the events of the game. The comic reveals that Zephyr, Nimbus, and the army of Wind Warriors originate from Harmonium, a planet located within the Nadam Galaxy.
In 2006, Devil's Due Publishing began releasing a 12-issue limited series comic book adaptation of Killer7 that was written and drawn by the staff of independent company Kinetic Underground. The plot of the comic was somewhat streamlined from the plot of the game, but the writers deliberately did not spoonfeed information to readers in an effort to still stay true to the game. However, due to low sales, the comic was cancelled after six issues, four of those being properly numbered Issues #1-4, as well as a promotional Issue #0 that was released as a bonus with copies of Killer7 pre-ordered from EB Games, and a promotional Issue #½ that was only released at San Diego Comic Con 2005.
Twisted Wolf (a character from the Five Nights at Freddy's novel trilogy) is seen on a poster in the left hall.
Ian Flynn had stated on several occasions that, had he been given the go-ahead, he would have liked to incorporate Tiara and Gazebo Boobowski from the cancelled Sonix X-treme into the Archie Sonic comics, which were still ongoing at the time. However, during a Q&A from before the comic's cancellation, he confirmed that they would never appear in the comics, and could not disclose the legal reasons why.
In the 2020 graphic novel "Earthworm Jim 2: Fight the Fish!", Jim is given a shiny piece of aluminum foil, to which Jim refers to as "shiny entertainment," and Princess What-Her-Name comments on the "odd interplay of words." This is a reference to Shiny Entertainment, the company that created the Earthworm Jim series, and Interplay Entertainment, the company that bought out the Earthworm Jim series in the late 1990s.
The title screens of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with Sonic (a character known for his super speed) posing and waving his gloved hand inside of a ring lined with stars and a ribbon banner at the bottom, could possibly be taken from the logo of the 1981 anime adaptation of the Akira Toriyama manga "Dr. Slump" and its speedy protagonist Arale. It should also be noted that the ring surrounding Sonic has giant wings protruding from its sides, which appear to reference the angel wings on Arale's cap that also feature in the intros to the anime and some of the Dr. Slump films.
In the 2023 film "The Super Mario Bros. Movie", Mario and Luigi's family are prominently featured. This includes:
The appearance of Longclaw in Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog films is reminiscent of the tiles that resemble an owl's head in the Labyrinth Zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. In fact, the first film's opening scene features the tile design engraved on a rock as an Easter egg, further hinting at the connection.
The character of "Ugly Sonic" in the 2022 film Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is based on the infamous first design of Sonic the Hedgehog featured in the first trailer for his 2020 film. Voiced by Tim Robinson, Ugly Sonic acknowledges the mockery of appearance (especially his realistic humanoid teeth) and uses it to find new work.
In the 41st issue of the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog comic book, Sonic taunts Dr. Eggman with the nickname "Baldy McNosehair," to which Eggman responds with "That's not funny! It's never been funny! It's never going to be funny!" This is a reference to the YouTube channel TeamFourStar and their web-series "Dragon Ball Z Abridged". Specifically, it references the video "DragonBall Z KAI Abridged Parody: Episode 2" in which Krillin dubs himself, Gohan, and Vegeta as "Team Three Star", and Vegeta yells the same response.