"He's The Fastest Thing Alive!"
A few weeks ago, I shared the most recent episode of The Fighting Podcast where we talked at great length about some of the most iconic video game cartoons of the 1980s through the early 1990s, from Pac-Man to Saturday Supercade all the way up through the iconic Mario and Captain N shows. Check out that post with Episode links Here.
Continuing on in that vein, the gang and I went on with an entire epic-length episode devoted solely to the one and only Sonic The Hedgehog, specifically the trifecta of Sonic cartoons that ran for most of the 1990s. Two of these shows have large and devoted fanbases, and the third one... existed. Some of us were there for all three, some of us only watched one or two, but we all had our share of fond memories and it was a blast getting together to reminisce, shoot the shit, and dig up some facts and trivia that a lot of fans might not know about! Each of these shows had a rich history, and were wholly unique despite the fact that they shared quite a few elements with each other.
Like before, we broke it down with each show getting its own segment. Let's Do It To It!
...I'm sorry but that is such a shit catchphrase. Or at the least, it sounds a lot dirtier than it ought'a. Just sayin'!
PART 1: First up, 1993's Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog! Probably the Sonic cartoon most people are familiar with, as it aired in heavy syndication for many years and was in many ways the cartoon which came closest to the video games, for better and worse. To some, it's "the goofy Sonic show", and to others it's a cherished part of their childhood. We cover it from ALL angles, from concept to screen, the video game spin-off you may have missed, its shared roots with "the other Sonic show" and how they both had a huge part in shaping the Sonic comic book series produced by Archie Comics. I don't think there's anything we missed!
PART 2: From syndication to Saturday Mornings, we jump to MY personal favorite Sonic show, the one simply titled Sonic The Hedgehog (known to many as "Sonic SatAM") which aired on ABC in 1993 and 1994! A total departure from the syndicated show, they both nonetheless grew from the same seed and remained interwoven during the early years of the aforementioned Archie comic book. Despite running concurrently, the two shows had little in common outside of Jaleel White being the iconic voice of Sonic, and thus the vote is split as to which show was better. Sometimes known as "The 'Darker' Sonic Show", SatAM dealt with much heavier themes and had much more serialized storytelling over its brief two Seasons. We talk about how it all began and how a disagreement between DIC and ABC over its development led to the creation of the syndicated "Adventures" show, as well as the cancelled video game tie-ins, its legacy being carried on in the Archie comic, the ONE game that loosely counts as a spin-off, why Princess Sally is actually the star of the show, and its long-awaited forthcoming fan revival, Sonic Sea3on!
PART 3: And finally, the third and final DIC-produced Sonic cartoon, the little-known and oft-forgotten Sonic Underground! If AoStH was "the goofy Sonic show", and SatAM was "the serious Sonic show", this one was "The one where Sonic has a brother and sister and they're in a band for some reason." By 1999, Sonic-mania was running mild after no strong video games for a while and a years-long absence of Sonic from TV screens. But with the upcoming Dreamcast launch, Sega and DIC wanted to get a new Sonic cartoon on the air in a hurry to generate some buzz, and as a result, we got... this. A total departure not just from the video games, but from every other Sonic cartoon and comic book to date, this show was COMPLETELY its own thing and as a result most people didn't watch it, and even fewer have fond memories of it. But is it really THAT bad, as its own thing? We take an honest look at it. It's definitely... something.
Huge thanks as always to Mark Rodriguez, Johnny Rodriguez, and Jupi for having me on! Be sure and check out their other videos on a variety of topics, from games to wrestling and everything in-between. Some of them are only on Odysee, but most of them can be found on the VideoGameMasters YouTube Channel!
Be back soon enough with more stuff like this. Until then, I'm Up, Over, and GONE!
No, for real, this guy's catchphrases are shit.
