Lego Sonic the Hedgehog

Lego Sonic the Hedgehog
SubjectSonic the Hedgehog
Licensed fromSega
AvailabilityAugust 1, 2023–present[a]
Total sets10 sets[1][b]
CharactersSonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Amy Rose, Doctor Eggman, Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Rouge the Bat
Official website

Lego Sonic the Hedgehog (stylized as LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog) is a Lego theme based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series created by Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima and Hirokazu Yasuhara. It is licensed from Sega. The theme was first introduced in 2023.[2]

Overview

The product line focuses on Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. Lego Sonic the Hedgehog aimed to recreate the main characters in Lego form, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Amy Rose and Doctor Eggman.[3][4][5][6]

Development

Prior to the theme's official launch, Sonic the Hedgehog was included in the Lego crossover video game, Lego Dimensions, with a level pack being released in 2016. Lego Sonic the Hedgehog began with the release of a user-designed construction set based initially on the video game Sonic Mania and the final product was based on the first level from the first game, Sonic the Hedgehog. The design was submitted to Lego Ideas by Lego superfan Viv Grannell. The design achieved 10,000 votes, after which it was selected for production. Viv Grannell said, "I’ve been invested in the world of Sonic for almost my entire life, and it’s such a perfect fit for the LEGO system that I spent about a year rallying support for it to happen. Having 10,000 people back my design was overwhelming enough, even with friends and family behind me, but having it be selected for further development was the most exciting secret I have ever had to keep!". The set was produced to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original 1991 video game.[7]

Lego Sonic the Hedgehog was inspired by the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. The Lego construction toy range was based on the classic video game series and developed in collaboration with The Lego Group and Sega. The construction sets were designed to recreate the story and characters of the classic video game series in Lego form.[2]

Launch

Following the released of Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack (set number: 71244) for the Lego Dimensions toys-to-life video game in 2016 and Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone (set number: 21331) for Lego Ideas in 2022. Lego Sonic the Hedgehog theme was launched on August 1, 2023.[8][9][10][11][12][13] The Lego Group had a partnership with Sega. As part of the marketing campaign, The Lego Group released the four sets based on Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Each set featured different Animal Rescue Island, Green Hill Zone Loop Challenge, Speed Sphere Challenge, Workshop and Tornado Plane. Included minifigures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Amy Rose and Doctor Eggman were released as well. The sets were designed primarily for children with an age rating of 6+ or above.[4][2][14] In addition, Sonic Central revealed Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot (set number: 76993) will be released as well.[15][16]

Characters

Main article: List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters
  • Sonic the Hedgehog: An anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speed and can curl into a ball to attack enemies. He has the ability to absorb the energy of the Chaos Emeralds to transform into his powerful "Super Sonic" form.[6]
  • Miles "Tails" Prower: A two-tailed yellow fox who is Sonic's best friend and sidekick. He can use his tails to propel himself into the air for flight, he is also skilled at inventing various gadgets like the biplane called the Tornado.[6]
  • Amy Rose: A pink energetic hedgehog and Sonic's admirer. She adores animals, skilled with tarot cards and is often seen wielding her trusty Piko Piko Hammer.[6]
  • Knuckles the Echidna: A red echidna from Angel Island who is the sworn protector of the Master Emerald. He has spiked knuckles that let him smash rocks, climb and burrow underground, his dreadlocks also allow him to glide through the air.
  • Shadow the Hedgehog: A black hedgehog created by Dr. Eggman's grandfather to be the "Ultimate Life Form". He is fueled with Chaos Energy that grants him unlimited power and is equipped with Air Shoes that makes him equally fast as Sonic, he too can absorb energy from the Chaos Emeralds to transform into "Super Shadow".
  • Rouge the Bat: A white bat who is a professional treasure hunter and rival of Knuckles due to her attempts of stealing the Master Emerald. She works for the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) who occasionally partners herself with Shadow.
  • Dr. Eggman: A human mad scientist with a 300 IQ and the main antagonist of the series who plans for world conquest to build his Eggman Empire. He commonly creates his wide variety of "Badnik" military robots and mostly serves as a recurring boss by piloting a vehicle of his design assisted with his Egg Mobile.[6]
  • Cubot: a yellow, cube-shaped robot who is one of Doctor Eggman's lackeys. He serves as the comic relief in Eggman's operations to conquer the world. His most defining trait is his malfunctioning voice chip, which gives him different accents and personalities.[6]

List of sets

Lego Sonic the Hedgehog sets

According to BrickLink, The Lego Group released a total of ten Lego sets as part of Lego Sonic the Hedgehog theme.[1]

Name Number Minifigures Released Pieces
Sonic's Speed Sphere Challenge[2] 76990 Sonic the Hedgehog, Motobug 1 August 2023 292
Tails' Workshop and Tornado Plane[2] 76991 Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Buzz Bomber 1 August 2023 376
Amy's Animal Rescue Island[2] 76992 Amy Rose, Tails, Crabmeat 1 August 2023 388
Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot[15][16] 76993 Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Eggman, Cubot 1 August 2023 615
Sonic's Green Hill Zone Loop Challenge[2] 76994 Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Eggman, Amy Rose, Chopper, Newtron 1 August 2023 802
Shadow's Escape 76995 Shadow the Hedgehog, RhinoBot 1 December 2023 196
Knuckles' Guardian Mech 76996 Knuckles the Echidna, Rouge the Bat 1 January 2024 276
Tails' Adventure Boat 76997 Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Jaws 1 August 2024 393
Knuckles and the Master Emerald Shrine 76998 Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, EggRobo 1 August 2024 325
Super Sonic vs. Egg Drillster 76999 Super Sonic, Shadow the Hedgehog, Dr. Eggman, Egg Pawn, G.U.N. Wing 1 August 2024 590

Lego Ideas set

Main article: Lego Ideas
Name Number Minifigures Released Pieces
Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone[12][13] 21331 Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Eggman, Crabmeat, Motobug 1 January 2022 1,125

Lego Dimensions set

Main article: Lego Dimensions
Name Number Minifigures Released Pieces
Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack[11] 71244 Sonic the Hedgehog 18 November 2016 101

Lego BrickHeadz sets

Main article: Lego BrickHeadz
Name Number Released Pieces
Sonic the Hedgehog[17] 40627 1 September 2023 139
Miles "Tails" Prower[17] 40628 1 September 2023 131
Knuckles & Shadow[18] 40672 1 February 2024 298

Web shorts

The product line was accompanied by a series of animated short films that was released on YouTube.

  • LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog™ – Green Hill Zone 21331 Designer Video was an official web short was released on YouTube on 14 January 2022. It features Lego Ideas Design Manager Sam Liltorp Johnson and Graphic Designer Lauren Cullen King discussed about Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone (set number: 21331).[19]
  • NEW Sonic The Hedgehog LEGO sets was an official web short was released on YouTube on 19 April 2023 that inspired by both four Lego Sonic the Hedgehog sets as well as the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series.[20]
  • Sonic x Lego Collaboration Trailer Sonic Central 2023 was an official web short was released on YouTube on 24 June 2023 that inspired by both Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot (set number: 76993) as well as the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Also features Lego designer Carl Merriam mind-controlled by Doctor Eggman's minifigure.[21]
  • Addressing LEGO HQ's New Leadership was an official web short was released on YouTube on 17 July 2023. It features Lego designer Carl Merriam mind-controlled by Doctor Eggman's minifigure and took over the LEGO Group's Billund HQ.[22]
  • LEGO Sonic to the rescue! was an official web short was released on YouTube on 1 August 2023. It features Lego designer Nico Vás and Sonic the Hedgehog minifigure to save the LEGO Group's Billund HQ from Doctor Eggman's minifigure.[23]
  • This giant LEGO Sonic & Doctor Eggman model is going on the road! First stop: Gamescom 2023 was an official web short was released on YouTube on 23 August 2023. It features The Lego Group built a life-sized model of Sonic and Doctor Eggman who appears in the video game. The model contained a total of 383,217 Lego bricks and 1450 hours to build. They were placed in front of the Gamescom.[24]

Video games

A Sonic the Hedgehog-themed pack for the toys-to-life video game Lego Dimensions was released on November 18, 2016. The level pack contained a playable Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Speedster and The Tornado, and unlocks an additional Sonic the Hedgehog-themed level and world.[8][9][10][11] In the level (titled "Sonic Dimensions"), Doctor Eggman has stolen a Keystone Device, which allows him to control other dimensions with the use of the Chaos Emeralds. It is up for Sonic to retrieve the emeralds and the device out of the evil doctor's hands in order to save the world. Along the way, Sonic must also search for his friends, battle his metal counterparts, and face off against Chaos, who absorbed the device and used its elemental abilities.

Lego versions of Sonic, Doctor Eggman, Tails and Amy were made available as playable characters for a limited time in the Sonic Forces: Speed Battle and Sonic Dash mobile games, added in August 2023 to coincide with the launch of the theme.[25][better source needed]

To promote the theme, a cosmetic skin for Sonic based on his Lego minifigure is available as free downloadable content for Sonic Superstars, released alongside the game on October 17, 2023.[26] Additional Lego-themed skins for Tails, Knuckles, and Amy are available as part of the game's special edition, along with Lego-themed arenas for the game's multiplayer mode.[27] A similar Lego-themed skin for Doctor Eggman was also offered as a pre-order incentive.[28]

Reception

The Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone set based on the first level of the original 1991 video game was released on January 1, 2022, to mixed reviews, such as that of Alice Clarke from Kotaku, who called it "not the most thrilling build", remarking its costly price, but went on to state that Sonic fans would love it.[29] Mike Harris of GamesRadar gave the set a 4/5 rating and commented, "Sonic-themed presentation will delight fans."[30]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Two one-off sets released under the Lego Dimensions and Lego Ideas lines were previously released on November 18, 2016 and January 1, 2022 respectively.
  2. ^ 12 sets in total if counting one-off sets released under the Lego Dimensions, Lego Ideas and Lego BrickHeadz lines.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "LEGO and SEGA debut Sonic the Hedgehog range". Mojo Nation. 2023-04-19. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  2. ^ "New LEGO Sonic sets announced". My Nintendo News. 20 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b Hollister, Sean (20 April 2023). "Sonic The Hedgehog can actually spin in Lego's new sets". The Verge. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  4. ^ "Lego Reveals 4 New Sonic the Hedgehog Sets". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "A look at the new Sonic the Hedgehog minifigures". Brick Set. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  6. ^ Fahey, Mike (4 February 2021). "It's Official, Lego Is Making A Sonic The Hedgehog Set". Kotaku. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Lego Sonic The Hedgehog is now officially a thing in Lego Dimensions E3 trailer". Metro. 9 June 2016.
  8. ^ a b Fahey, Mike (23 July 2016). "Sonic The Hedgehog And Fantastic Beasts Headline Lego Dimensions' Wave Seven". Kotaku. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b Dayus, Oscar (22 November 2016). "Lego Dimensions Gets Sonic, Fantastic Beasts, Adventure Time, More". GameSpot. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  10. ^ a b c Farshtey, Gregory; Lipkowitz, Daniel; Hugo, Simon (2020-10-01). LEGO Minifigure A Visual History New Edition. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-241-50202-0.
  11. ^ a b "LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set Release Date Announced". IGN. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  12. ^ a b "We Build LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog, A Fuzzy Throwback to the 16-Bit Era". IGN. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Sonic The Hedgehog Gets Four New LEGO Sets, Features Tails And Amy". Nintendo Life. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  14. ^ a b "LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog vs Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot Set Is On the Way". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Sonic Faces Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot in New LEGO Set". IGN. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  16. ^ a b "LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog BrickHeadz sets revealed". Brick Fanatics. 20 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  17. ^ "Knuckles & Shadow are getting Sonic Lego BrickHeadz". TheGamer. Jan 3, 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  18. ^ LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog™ – Green Hill Zone 21331 Designer Video. January 14, 2022 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ NEW Sonic The Hedgehog LEGO sets. April 19, 2023 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ Sonic x Lego Collaboration Trailer Sonic Central 2023. June 24, 2023 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Addressing LEGO HQ's New Leadership. July 17, 2023 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ LEGO Sonic to the rescue!. August 1, 2023 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ This giant LEGO Sonic & Doctor Eggman model is going on the road! First stop: Gamescom 2023. August 23, 2023 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ "Sonic Forces Getting Lego DLC Skins". Sonic Stadium. 25 July 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  25. ^ Shea, Brian (June 23, 2023). "Sonic Superstars Getting Lego DLC Skins". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  26. ^ Romano, Sal (August 22, 2023). "Sonic Superstars launches October 17". Gematsu. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  27. ^ Bitner, Jon (June 23, 2023). "Sonic Superstars Has Some Very Cool Preorder Bonuses". GameSpot. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  28. ^ Clarke, Alice (2022-03-04). "Lego's Sonic The Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Set Is A Love Letter To The Old Blue Blur". Kotaku Australia. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  29. ^ Harris, Mike (8 February 2023). "Lego Sonic the Hedgehog – Green Hill Zone review: "Lego's secured all seven Chaos Emeralds"". GamesRadar. Retrieved 12 February 2023.