Sonic the Hedgehog is a game character, the protagonist of the series published by Sega, and also appears in products such as comics, cartoons, and books. The first game titled Sonic The Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis was released on June 23, 1991. Since then, Sonic has become the iconic mascot for Sega, as well as a rival to Nintendo’s Mario character.

To date, Sonic has become one of the most known game characters in the world, with sales of over 45 million copies. In 2005, Sonic became one of the first game characters selected for the Walk of Game, after Mario and Link.

Japanese artist Naoto Ōshima, designer Hirokazu Yasuhara, and programmer Yuji Naka all contributed to Sonic’s appearance: blue, porcupine-like humanoid, and most especially, the ability to move move faster than the speed of sound (a key factor in the gameplay of game products).