Sanic

Sanic, or Sanic Hegehog (stylized in all caps), is an Internet meme that was created on YouTube in 2010. It consists of a crudely drawn depiction of Sonic the H

Sanic
External videos
0nyxheart's original drawing of Sanic in Microsoft Paint
video icon (RIP 0nyxheart) HOW 2 DRAW SANIC HEGEHOG on YouTube

Sanic, or Sanic Hegehog (stylized in all caps), is an Internet meme that was created on YouTube in 2010. It consists of a crudely drawn depiction of Sonic the Hedgehog, which first appeared in a video tutorial on how to draw the character. The video gained popularity through 4chan before inspiring various memes and fan games from the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom.

Sega has repeatedly acknowledged the meme, including through their social media, April Fools' Day merchandise campaigns, and cameo appearances in Sonic Forces (2017) and the film Sonic the Hedgehog (2020). Sanic's lasting popularity has been highlighted by media outlets, and Sega's adoption of the meme contributed to significant growth across its official Sonic social media accounts.

Origin

The original video featuring Sanic, titled "How 2 Draw Sanic Hegehog" [sic], was published to YouTube on March 31, 2010, by 0nyxheart.[1] Consisting of a video tutorial of how to draw Sonic the Hedgehog in Microsoft Paint, the video is soundtracked by an extremely loud and distorted version of the Green Hill Zone theme from Sonic the Hedgehog (1991).[1][2] As the tutorial concludes, the words "cumon step it up!!!!!" [sic] are written on-screen.[3] The original upload had been deleted from YouTube at some point prior to 2013, but has since been re-uploaded by others.[2]

Spread

The meme initially became popular through 4chan, leading to users creating their own drawn variations of Sanic before branching out to various other mediums.[2] Members of 4chan's /b/ board, who often called into Bill Keller's live televangelism program Live Prayer, would occasionally play the Sanic video's loud audio while calling.[4]

Sega acknowledgment

Sanic is frequently acknowledged by the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account.[5] Aaron Webber, the account's social media manager from 2015 to 2020, stated in an interview with Twinfinite that Sanic was "very popular around the office" and acknowledged Sega and Nintendo's divergence in their brand identity, noting "Nintendo would never post bad Mario fan art".[5][6]

Shortly after the v1.01 update of Sonic Forces (2017) was released, an in-game t-shirt featuring Sanic was data mined.[7] The t-shirt was later added as a free DLC.[8] In the film Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sanic makes a cameo appearance as a crayon drawing made by the character Crazy Carl, who tries to prove Sonic's existence.[9] Sanic made a further split-second appearance in a sped-up trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022).[10]

Sega has incorporated Sanic into several of its April Fools' Day campaigns.[11] The "Sanic Collection" in 2018 featured four items, including a t-shirt, mug, and phone case.[12] In 2021, G Fuel released a chili dog-flavored drink mix in collaboration with Sega.[13] Writing for Inverse, James Pero described the drink mix as tasting "about as good as a shoe made out of meatloaf and asbestos".[14] Sega released a one-day collection of t-shirts—also titled "Sanic Collection"—in 2026, featuring Sanic, Knackles (Knuckles the Echidna), and Shedew (Shadow the Hedgehog).[11]

Fan works

A virtual reality game for the Oculus Rift, titled "Sanic '06" in reference to Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), was released in 2014 by indie developer AjDaLolma, who created the game using the Unity game engine in six weeks.[15][16] The game consists of rooms containing various deformed 3D models of Sonic characters who play voice clips when approached, described by Zolani Stewart of Kotaku as "spanning between the humanoid, the odd-legged creature, the gross monstrous depiction and the non-applicable."[15]

Sanic Ball, a fan-made racing game, was released by Thomas BK-TN on February 25, 2015, and later played during AGDQ 2019's "Sonic Block".[17][18] Its gameplay involves rolling in a ball at high speeds, where the balls are made to resemble various Sonic characters including Sanic, Sulvur (Silver the Hedgehog), Dr. Aggmen (Doctor Eggman), and Shrek.[19] In 2017, a mod was released for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that replaces Link with Sanic.[20]

Advertising agency Ayzenberg Group developed "Holographic Sanic", a mixed reality app utilizing Microsoft HoloLens, for the Sonic social media team in 2017; they reported the social media posts featuring Sanic "perform[ed] significantly and consistently higher than previous three and six month averages".[21]

Reception and legacy

During interviews with Twinfinite and The Verge, Aaron Webber commented that Sanic's presence on official social media accounts, along with other Sonic memes, helped to bolster Sonic's reputation on social media, leading to the Twitter account doubling in followers in the year after Webber took over as its manager.[5][22]

In a Forbes retrospective article about the YouTube Poop genre, Zack O'Malley Greenburg highlighted Sanic's continued popularity a decade after its creation, as well as the catchphrases "gotta go fast" and "cumon step it up!!!!!", further noting that a Garry's Mod video featuring Sanic had reached nearly ten million views on YouTube.[23] William Moo of Syfy Wire remarked that although Sega's adoption of the Sanic meme was divisive among fans, Sanic retained "widespread influence" and popularity online, and that it "continues inspiring others to make their own memes, comics, and videos and the nostalgia for such a character never went away."[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Rubio, Juan (June 23, 2021). "Sonic the Hedgehog: 30 años de curiosidades" [Sonic the Hedgehog: 30 years of fun facts]. Vandal (in Spanish). Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Noz (January 4, 2013). "Cyber Secrets #4: Noz". Red Bull Music Academy. Archived from the original on September 28, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Moo, William (February 10, 2020). "Sanic, the demented meme, is the purest expression of Sonic the Hedgehog". Syfy Wire. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  4. ^ "4chan's new pet project: Trolling this Florida televangelist". The Daily Dot. February 13, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c McGlone, Ed (August 8, 2016). "Inside the Mastermind: An Interview With Sonic the Hedgehog's Twitter Manager". Twinfinite. Archived from the original on September 22, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  6. ^ Hall, Charlie (June 18, 2020). "The voice of Sonic the Hedgehog on Twitter is stepping down". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 21, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  7. ^ Wong, Alistair (November 12, 2017). "Sonic Forces Patch Datamine: Includes "Sanic" T-Shirt, Super Sonic Transformation". Siliconera. Archived from the original on September 15, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  8. ^ Vazquez, Suriel (November 25, 2017). "Sonic Forces Gets A 'Sanic' Meme T-Shirt". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  9. ^ Alter, Rebecca (February 14, 2020). "All the Easter Eggs and Hidden References in Sonic the Hedgehog". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 6, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  10. ^ King, Jack (March 13, 2022). "Sonic 2 Reveals Speedy Easter Eggs Ahead of Final Trailer Tomorrow". Collider. Archived from the original on July 22, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  11. ^ a b Lada, Jenni (April 1, 2026). "Sanic the Hedgehog, Knackles, and Shedew Shirts on Sale". Siliconera. Archived from the original on April 14, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  12. ^ Pereira, Chris (April 4, 2018). "April Fools 2018 Joke Roundup For Games: Fortnite, Pokemon Go, And More". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  13. ^ McWhertor, Michael (April 1, 2021). "Sonic the Hedgehog's new energy drink tastes like chili dogs". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 27, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  14. ^ Pero, James (August 20, 2021). "G-Fuel's chili dog flavored Sanic drink rattled me to the core". Inverse. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  15. ^ a b Stewart, Zolani (August 4, 2014). "Where Sonic The Hedgehog Went Wrong". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 11, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  16. ^ Bernstein, Joseph (June 30, 2014). ""Sonic The Hedgehog" On Oculus Rift Is Surreal, Terrifying And Hilarious". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  17. ^ "Sanic Ball". Kotaku. February 25, 2015. Archived from the original on August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  18. ^ Alexandra, Heather (January 10, 2019). "AGDQ's 'Sonic Block' Embodies The Hedgehog's Speed And Attitude". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  19. ^ Rogers, Caden (October 18, 2024). "10 Oddly Entertaining Games About Rolling A Ball Around". TheGamer. Archived from the original on August 16, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  20. ^ Prescott, Shaun (October 4, 2017). "Sanic is now playable in emulated Zelda: Breath of the Wild". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  21. ^ Zohar, Meredith (March 22, 2017). "Holographic Moments 8". Ayzenberg Group. Archived from the original on August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  22. ^ Webster, Andrew (June 23, 2016). "Talking to the man behind Sonic the Hedgehog's incredible Twitter". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 4, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  23. ^ Greenburg, Zack O'Malley (March 3, 2020). "YouTube Poop And The 'Sanic' Boom: Digesting The Strangest Slice Of Google's $15B Video Business". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.

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