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1993

    February:
    • Sega begins sponsoring Japanese professional soccer team JEF United Ichihara. A soccer-kicking Sonic is featured alongside the Sega logo on the team's uniform. The sponsorship lasted until January, 1997.
    February:
    • Archie Comics begins publishing the official "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic book based on concept work for the pending ABC cartoon show. Freedom fighters Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Princess Sally Acorn, Boomer, Bunnie Rabbot, and Antoine D'Coolette stand against Dr. Robotnik's tyrannical rule. The comic started as a 4 issue mini-series, flowed straight into ongoing status, and has been published continuously since. At 190 issues and counting, it's become one of the most successful new comic series of the past decade, and has spawned many specials and spinoff series, including a mini-series starring Tails and a short-lived regular series starring Knuckles. (The art of GHZer Jonathan "WB" Gray began appearing with issue #134, which includes a small GHZ reference on page 20.)
    March 14 - November 7:
    • Sega sponsors Formula 1's Williams team for the 1993 season. Sonic's gloves and trademark red sneakers are painted on the car, positioned to suggest that Sonic's feet are at the pedals. The team's drivers, Damon Hill and Alain Prost, sport Sonic's smirking mug on their helmets. (Opposing team McLaren added a squashed hedgehog insignia to their car each time they won a race over Williams.) The Williams-Renault team went on to become the world champions of the season. Additionally, the third GP of the year was sponsored by Sega, with a giant Sonic balloon and Sega billboards placed around Donington Circuit. The race queens were decked out in tight-fitting Sonic costumes, and the race winner, Ayrton Senna, was awarded a statue featuring Sonic holding a gold trophy.
    May 29:
    • Fleetway Editions Ltd. begins publishing the official "Sonic the Comic" comic book in the UK. Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Amy Rose, Porker Lewis, and Johnny Lightfoot specialize in giving Dr. Ivo Robotnik a hard time, and keeping Mobius a free planet. Early issues of the comic also feature stories from other Sega games, such as Golden Axe and Streets of Rage (Bare Knuckle). The last original story was published in July 2000, but reprints continued until January 2002.
    April:
    • Sega Sonic Popcorn Shop, a combination popcorn machine and mini-game on Sega's C-2 board, is released in Japan. The game is created by AM1 and the machine is developed by Sega Mechatro. Rotate the crank to help Tails get those kernels into the fire. While you're busy helping young Prower on his quest for popping supremacy, the actual food is being microwaved in a nearby compartment. When the game is over and the popcorn is done, the grub is dropped into a paper cup featuring Sonic and Tails. Hungry arcade-goers have three flavors to choose from: salted, butter, and curry. (Yes, curry.)
    June:
    • Title: Sega Sonic the Hedgehog
      Region: Japan
      Platform: Sega System 32 (arcade)
      Developer: Sega AM3
      Publisher: Sega Enterprises
      CERO Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: ???
      Director: T. Tsuda
    September 13:
    • "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog", an animated series from DiC, enters syndication in the US. Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower keep Dr. Robotnik and his bumbling badnik cronies Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts on their toes in wacky cartoon hijinks. The cast includes Jaleel White as Sonic, Christopher Welch as Tails, and Long John Baldry as Dr. Robotnik. 65 episodes were created, plus a special Christmas episode ("Sonic Christmas Blast") that debuted three years later. Select episodes (including the Christmas special) are available on VHS and DVD.
    September 18:
    • "Sonic the Hedgehog", an animated series from DiC, begins its network run on ABC Saturday mornings. The series is very similar to the Archie comic book (which was created based on conceptual work for this cartoon), though it carries a darker tone and different character design.

      Former military commander Julian Robotnik has usurped the king of Mobotropolis and recreated the city as a mechanical wasteland called Robotropolis. All of the citizens have been transformed into robot slaves except for a small band of escapees: Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Princess Sally Acorn, Rotor, Bunnie, and Antoine. From their hidden forest stronghold Knothole Village, the Freedom Fighters plot to overthrow Robotnik's dictatorship and restore power to the throne. The cast includes Jaleel White as Sonic, Bradley Pierce as Tails, and Jim Cummings as Dr. Robotnik. The series got a first season of 13 episodes and was renewed in 1994 for another 13, making a total of 26 episodes. Scripting for a third season began, but was never completed. As of March 2007, the complete series is available on DVD.
    September 23:
    • Title: Sonic the Hedgehog CD
      Region: Japan
      Platform: Sega Mega-CD
      Developer: Sonic Team
      Publisher: Sega Enterprises
      CERO Rating: n/a
      Retail: ¥8,800



      Producer: Minoru Kanari, Makoto Oshitani
      Director: Naoto Ohshima
      Notes: The opening and closing theme songs feature vocals by pop singer Keiko Utoku.
    October:
    • Title: Sonic the Hedgehog CD
      Region: Europe
      Platform: Sega Mega-CD
      Developer: Sonic Team
      Publisher: Sega Europe
      PEGI Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: Minoru Kanari, Makoto Oshitani
      Director: Naoto Ohshima
    October 25:
    • Title: Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos (Sonic & Tails)
      Region: Europe, Latin America
      Platform: Sega Master System
      Developer: Aspect
      Publisher: Sega Europe, Tec Toy
      PEGI Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: ???
      Director: ???
    November 19:
    • Title: Sonic & Tails
      Region: Japan
      Platform: Sega Game Gear
      Developer: Aspect
      Publisher: Sega Enterprises
      CERO Rating: n/a
      Retail: ¥3,800



      Producer: ???
      Director: ???
    • Title: Sonic the Hedgehog CD
      Region: North America
      Platform: Sega CD
      Developer: Sonic Team
      Publisher: Sega of America
      ESRB Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: Minoru Kanari, Makoto Oshitani
      Director: Naoto Ohshima
      Notes: For the US version, the original soundtrack is replaced with a completely new score by Spencer Nilsen.
    November 23:
    • Title: Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
      Region: North America
      Platform: Sega Genesis
      Developer: Sega Technical Institute
      Publisher: Sega of America
      ESRB Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: Yutaka Sugano
      Director: Peter Morawiec
    • Title: Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos (Sonic & Tails)
      Region: North America
      Platform: Sega Game Gear
      Developer: Aspect
      Publisher: Sega of America
      ESRB Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: ???
      Director: ???
    November:
    • Title: Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos (Sonic & Tails)
      Region: Europe
      Platform: Sega Game Gear
      Developer: Aspect
      Publisher: Sega Europe
      PEGI Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: ???
      Director: ???
    • Title: Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
      Region: Europe
      Platform: Sega Mega Drive
      Developer: Sega Technical Institute
      Publisher: Sega Europe
      PEGI Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: Yutaka Sugano
      Director: Peter Morawiec
    November 25:
    • The 65-foot long Sonic balloon makes its debut in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was the first and, for years, only balloon based on a videogame character. Unfortunately for Sonic, 1993 turned out to be the windiest Macy's parade day on record, and the giant float knocked over a lamppost (what else) just south of Columbus Circle, injuring two.
    November:
    • Title: Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
      Region: North America, Europe
      Platform: Sega Genesis, Sega Mega Drive
      Developer: Compile
      Publisher: Sega of America, Sega Europe
      ESRB/PEGI Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: Max Taylor
      Director: Max Taylor
      Notes: An over-localized version of Compile's Puyo Puyo.
    December 10:
    • Title: Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
      Region: Japan
      Platform: Sega Mega Drive
      Developer: Sega Technical Institute
      Publisher: Sega Enterprises
      CERO Rating: n/a
      Retail: ¥6,800



      Producer: Yutaka Sugano
      Director: Peter Morawiec
    December:
    • Title: Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
      Region: North America
      Platform: Sega Game Gear
      Developer: Compile
      Publisher: Sega of America
      ESRB Rating: n/a
      Retail: ???



      Producer: ???
      Director: ???
    ???:
    • Title: Sega Sonic Cosmo Fighter
      Region: Japan
      Platform: Sega System C-2 (arcade)
      Developer: Sega AM1
      Publisher: Sega Enterprises
      CERO Rating: n/a
      Retail: n/a



      Producer: ???
      Director: ???
      Notes: A children's ride-on machine in Sega's "Wakuwaku" line. Only released in Japan.
    ???:
    • A European neurological research center discovers a new gene in the hedgehog (hh) string, a category so-named because of its visual effects on fruit fly embryos. While deciding on a name for their discovery, one of the researchers came across a magazine ad for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and felt the name perfectly described their team. The subsequently-titled Sonic hedgehog gene (SHH) is an extracellular protein that transmits signals by binding to a receptor on the surface of a cell. In this way, the gene directs motor neurons on the path to differentiation. Since its discovery, Sonic hedgehog has become one of the most heavily researched genes, and has provided neurologists with a wealth of information on the nervous system.
    ???:
    • Penguin Books Ltd. introduces a Sonic the Hedgehog line into their series of "Adventure Gamebooks" interactive fantasy novels. The Sonic line includes six books, written by James Wallis, Nigel Gross, Jon Suitherland, Marc Gascoigne, and Jonathan Green. The books are: Metal City Mayhem, Zone Rangers, Sonic vs. Zonik (1994), The Zone Zapper (1994), Theme Park Panic (1995), and Stormin' Sonic (1996).
    ???:
    • Virgin Books publishes a series of Sonic the Hedgehog junior novels, written by Marc Gascoigne, James Wallis, and Carl Sargent under the collective pen name of Martin Adams. The series includes: Sonic the Hedgehog in Robotnik's Laboratory, Sonic the Hedgehog in the Fourth Dimension, Sonic the Hedgehog and the Silicon Warriors, and Sonic the Hedgehog in Castle Robotnik (1994).
    ???:
    • Troll Associates publishes a series of Sonic the Hedgehog junior novels, written by Michael Teitelbaum and based on the ABC Saturday morning cartoon. The first is Sonic the Hedgehog, followed a year later by Robotnik's Revenge. In 1995 came Fortress of Fear, Friend or Foe, and Sonic & Knuckles.
Written content and original graphics copyright © 1997-2006 Jared Matte. Hosting and administration thanks to Nathan Tsui. Sonic the Hedgehog characters, logos, and images are trademarks of SEGA Corporation. The GHZ is an independent fansite and is not affiliated with SEGA Corporation.