Lego Sonic the Hedgehog (stylized as LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog) is a

Lego theme A Lego theme is a product line of Lego construction toys produced by The Lego Group based on a central concept. Before 1978, Lego produced several construction sets with common themes, but they were not necessarily branded as part of a single se ...

based on the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series created by

Yuji Naka , credited in some games as YU2, is a Japanese video game programmer, video game designer, designer and video game producer, producer. He is the former head of the Sega studio Sonic Team, where he was the lead programmer of the original ''Sonic t ...

Naoto Ohshima (born February 26, 1964) is a Japanese artist and video game designer, best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman characters from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Although Yuji Naka created ...

and

Hirokazu Yasuhara (also credited as Carol Yas) is a Japanese video game designer. He is best known for designing the gameplay and stages of the initial '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' video games for Sega Genesis in the 1990s, based on technical demos and engines program ...

. It is licensed from

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

. The theme was first introduced in 2023.

Overview

The product line focuses on

Sonic Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain *Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider and CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities *Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...

, an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

blue hedgehog who battles the evil

Doctor Eggman Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Oh ...

, a

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly amb ...

. Lego Sonic the Hedgehog aimed to recreate the main characters in Lego form, including

Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mo ...

Miles "Tails" Prower , better known by his nickname , is a fictional character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Tails also appears in his own spin-off series, comic books, cartoons, and films. He is the second character to consistently appear by Sonic's side ...

Amy Rose The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doctor ...

and

Development

Prior to the theme's official launch, ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' was included in the Lego crossover video game, ''

Lego Dimensions ''Lego Dimensions'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure platform crossover video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Xbox One and Xbox 360. It fo ...

'', 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,

. 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. 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.

Launch

Following the released of Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack (set number: 71244) for the ''

'' 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. The Lego Group had a partnership with

. As part of the marketing campaign,

The Lego Group Lego A/S (trade name: The Lego Group) is a Danish toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks aroun ...

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. In addition, Sonic Central revealed Sonic vs. Dr. Eggman's Death Egg Robot (set number: 76993) will be released as well.

Characters

: An

blue hedgehog who can run at

supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound ( Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...

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. *

: A two-tailed yellow

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

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 A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

called the Tornado. *

: 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. * 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 is a fictional character appearing in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Shadow was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa, and first made his debut in ''Sonic Adventure 2'' (2001). Although this was intended to be his only appearan ...

: 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 The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or Doctor ...

: A white

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

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 Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Oh ...

: A human

with a 300 IQ and the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

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 Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a ...

by piloting a vehicle of his design assisted with his Egg Mobile. * 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.

List of sets

''Lego Sonic the Hedgehog'' sets

According to

BrickLink Lego A/S (trade name: The Lego Group) is a Danish toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks aroun ...

released a total of seven Lego sets as part of ''Lego Sonic the Hedgehog'' theme.

''Lego Ideas'' set

''Lego Dimensions'' set

''Lego BrickHeadz'' sets

Web shorts

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

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. * ''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). * ''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. * ''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. * ''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. * ''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. * ''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.

Video games

A ''Sonic the Hedgehog''-themed pack for the toys-to-life video game ''

'' 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. 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. To promote the theme, a cosmetic skin for Sonic based on his Lego minifigure is available as free

downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...

for '' Sonic Superstars'', released alongside the game on October 17, 2023. 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. A similar Lego-themed skin for Doctor Eggman was also offered as a pre-order incentive.

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 ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...

'', who called it "not the most thrilling build", remarking its costly price, but went on to state that ''Sonic'' fans would love it. Mike Harris of ''

GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...

'' gave the set a 4/5 rating and commented, "Sonic-themed presentation will delight fans."

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{Sonic the Hedgehog in other media

Works based on Sonic the Hedgehog Sega Games franchises Products introduced in 2023