Sonic the Hedgehog most likely needs no introduction. Debuting in 1991 and becoming one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, the series has an absolute slew of merch for fans to collect.
While I had been a Sonic fan since I'd played that original game, I only started seriously collecting Sonic merch in 2007. Then 22, on a whim I decided to pick up a copy of Archie Comics Sonic series. I hadn't read the series since I was in primary school and so was surprised with just how good it was. Thanks to the brilliant writing of Ian Flynn, which captured the characters and the world they inhabbited so well, I instantly fell in love with it all. From that day on I became a diehard Sonic fan!
An item of interest; the 11th image is a mug that was sold exclusivley at the Alton Towers amusement park in England. This is because the park featured a Sonic-themed ride called Sonic Spinball which the mug has branding of. Originally called Spinball Whizzer, it was renamed and re-themed in 2010 when the park made a deal with SEGA. The deal expired in 2016 and the ride returned to its original Whizzer name.
Figures, Toys & Statues
Jazwares
American toy company Jazwares gained the Sonic licence in 2008, reasing figures based on spercific games, and general Sonic-related characters. In 2014 they decided they did not wish to continue with the licence which was then picked up by Tomy.
Tomy
Tomy, a Japanese company, originally secured the Sonic licence in the early 1990s. They released merchandise based on the main Mega Drive games. This ended sometime in the late 1990s, although they did distribute Jazwares' merch throughout Europe. In 2010 they picked up the licence once more making toys based on Sonic Colours, Sonic Boom and a special line for Sonic's 25th anniversary
Sonic Colours:
After re-gaining the licence, Tomy's first release was a figure of Sonic with three Wisps that came with the DS and Wii Limited Edition of Sonic Colours
Sonic Boom
Sonic Boom was supposed to be the big Sonic spin-off. Games, TV, comics and toys were supposed to launch a transmedia phenominon. Unfortunatley, thanks to the brilliant decicion making powers of SEGA rearing their ugly head again, the games flopped and thus the sub-franchise was dead, despite the other three tentpoles being quite good. Case in point; the toys from Tomy.
Jakks Pacific
Jakks Pacific, an American company, began releasing Sonic figures and merch in 2020. They have released figures based on everything from the games to the films to the comics and animated series.
The Eggman in Luthor Armor and Rouge as Catwoman 2.5" I picked up because, as far as I know, Funko isn't doing Pops of them.
4" (10.16cm) Figures
2.5" (6.35cm) Figures
Playsets
Other
Funko! Pops
I'm sure Funko's Pops need no introduction. The did an early set using the original "black eye" style Pop figure (first image), but many fans didn't care for it. Personally, I like them the most, and they are actually collectors' items now. Their more modern Pops I don't love as much so I've not bought all of them, but they are still cool in their own way. In fact, I've stopped buying Pops pretty much all together with the exception of my absolute fav franchises.
All-Star Racing
Several companies have released toys based on the Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing and Transformed games. Rather than put these under a section for each company, I thought it made more sense to have them together
Various
Plushes
Sonic Boom
Impact Plushes
Released in the 1990s, the set was originally supposed to also have an Eggman/ Robotnik plush, but it was never released. Now these are collectors items.
SEGAEurope Prize Plushes
These plushes were made to go inside things such as claw machines in arcades around Europe. However, they are pretty easy to buy on eBay. The Sonic in this line is by far my favorite, I just think he looks incredibly cute! I have two myself, and another I've bought for my neice and nephew. Will probably have to get my daughter one too when she's a bit older. ^_^
I did have the whole set at one point, but I had to downsize and as Amy and Knuckles looked a bit wierd, I gave them to charity.
Various
Here, the first Tails needs special mention as it is one of the plushes from SEGA World Sydney.
Stationary
Should this be a sub-section of Homewares? Or pubications, maybe? Eitherway, I looove stationary stuff so I'm happy for it to have it's own place. ^_^
Personal Organiser
Man, you don't get much more 90s than this! For those who weren't born pre-internet, a personal organiser was effectvley the paper version of what your phone does now. It combined an address book, phone book and diary into one very cool little package. This set even game with an A4 folder and workbook. I absolutley love this item because it is such a brilliant example of how the world operated before mobile phones. It's pure kitsch.
The images below are the front and back of the personal organiser and folder, the personal organiser open to the section "cover" and thenthe journal address/phone book pages with the third image being the front and back of the A4 notebook.
Various
Publications
Images 1 and 2 show different "Adventure Game Book" series. The first, from Fantail, are choose-your-own-adventrue book while the second, from Ladybird, are more akin to activity books with mazes and hidden object puzzels.
Image 3 is a set of young reader novels from Virgin Books
The fourth image is the brilliant Sonic Encyclo-Speed-Ia, an encyclopedia all about Sonic written by Ian Flynn.
Eighth image is a rather comprehensive official history of Sonic
Images 13 and 14 are special editions of Retro Gamer Magazine celebration Sonic's 20th and 25th anniversary, respectivley
Image 19, Stay Sonic, contains the "history" of Sonic using the "Kintobor Origin" that was used mostly ouside Japan around the time of the first two games in various expanded media.
Images 21 and 22 are yearbooks containing several stories from the UK's "Sonic The Comic".
SEGA World Sydney
SEGA World Sydney was, as the name suggests, a SEGA theme part located in Sydney, Australia from 1997 to 2000. If you're interested in the history of the park, I wrote an article about it over on my Substack. I decided to give the park its own section because items bought there could not be found anywhere else. The merchandise from the park is now extremely desirable and goes for absolutley mad sums on eBay. I was very lucky to have visited the park twice before it closed, with most of these items being purchased during those trips.
The first image is of tokens you would be given to put into the various arcade machines within the park. From memory, it was $AU1 per token.
These pass cards let you into the park and onto the rides. They meant you could leave the park and come back in. These Sonic and Pricness Sally ones were very common, but there are also apparently Knuckles and Tails cards.
This "Commemorative Super Sonic Pass" was believed to have been given to VIPs and special guests.
Thes bendy figures were sold exclusivley at the Sega World store. There was also Knuckles and Tails, but lil' Joey coudln't afford them all at the time (and he can't now, either ^_^ )
Again, there were plushes of various sizes of all the characters, but I only picked up Tails. Over the years, so fans have jokingly referred to this plush as "Old Man Tails" due to his disheveled appearance.
This SWS branded mug is HUGE. For anyone in the UK, it's the same size as a Sports Direct mug. For everyone else, that's 590ml, or 20 ounces.
Some SWS pins. The one of Sonic above the Opera House was released to coincide with the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The other shows Sonic doing a King Kong impersonation up Sydney's Center Point Tower.
Each of the characters recieved a drink bottle. I picked up Sonic, but have since lost the straw. These things go for hundreds now on eBay.
A very cute children's denium jacket, I found this in an opp shot of all places. If only they knew what they had! I love the embroided Tails, Sonic and Sally peeking over the pocket. When my daughter is old enough, I'm totally dressing her in this!
Just for the fun of it, this is a photo of me on my first trip to the park posing with a statue of Sonic and Sally. ^_^
Video Games
SEGA Systems
Of note here is the Sonic Compilation release, which is probably the rarest amoung these. It brings together Sonic's first two Mega Drive outings and Doctor Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine onto the one cart. It was also released first in PAL territories rather than the US. It should also be mentioned that the case shown here for Sonic & Knuckles is custom. The original cardboard case was long destroyed in the foolishness of youth, so I grabbed spare MD game case and printed a new cover sheet.
Nintendo Systems
Of note here is the Sonic Classics Collection Limited Edition which was only released in Spain and Australia. It contains the game, art cards and a small Sonic figure (you'll notice it's a smaller version of the First 4 Figures figure above).
X-Box Systems
You'll notice here that both the Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania are the Collectors' Editions. There are two of the biggest "special edition" releases I've ever bought (the other being Dragon Age: Inquisition, the box for which just fell apart) and I absolutley love the statues that came with it. Sorry, I couldn't find a good way of having all the Mania images together. May have to work on that.
PC Releases
The first image here is a 20th Anniversary PC Pack which, AFAIK, was only released in Australia. It came with a Sonic themes mouse and mouse pad, along with Sonic Adventure DX, Sonic Riders, Sonic Heroes and Sonic Mega Collection Plus.
Tiger Electronics
During the 90s, Tiger Electronics released a whole slew of handheld LCD games based on pretty much any property that was even moderatley popular. They did several Sonic games; missing from the below is Sonic 2
Various
The first five images here are small LCD games released via McDonalds via their Happy Meals. The last is not actually a game, but rather a special Nintendo DS case that was released to coincide with Sonic Lost World.
