Major Discovery: “Sonic Bible” Released for Research

By
Tristan Oliver
– February 18, 2009

Sonic SceneDeveloping: Origins of Characters, Mobius Revealed

Did you know that Sonic the Hedgehog was born in Hardly, Nebraska?  And that his original name was Sonny?

That’s what Sega of America wanted you to believe in 1991, at least, according to recently revealed documents as part of the “Sonic Bible,” a deep character analysis of Sonic the Hedgehog written by the company prior to the original game’s release.  It’s a major find that is sure to please veteran Sonic fans, and perhaps give new generation fans a glimpse into what was in the 2D era.

Several drafts of the bible were released minutes ago by Australian Sonic Retro forum member Nemesis, and they go into incredible detail as to the origins of Sonic–at some points directly contradicting plot points set out by Sega of Japan.  According to Nemesis:

The Sonic Bible was an internal document created by SOA to provide a localised history and overall philosophy for Sonic and the Sonic universe. It is apparently not based on the Japanese history.

Many of the basic canons are there–Sonic is meant to be cool and have attitude, and Chaos Emeralds are involved in some of the writing.  But, judging from the documents, Sega of America spent a lot of time establishing Sonic as a character in much the same way that characters in movies and theater are established by script writers.  In this case, among other things, one draft reveals Sonic to have a poor upbringing in the heartland of America early in the 21st century, with the original name of Sonny.  He had five sisters, and his father died just a few days after birth in a pool of toxic waste.  “They are a poor, but happy family,” the draft notes.

But other drafts reveal origins regarding the planet Mobius, which was used as the stage for the early Saturday Morning Sonic cartoons, and the early Archie Sonic comics.  Those drafts also show that Sonic and Dr. Ovi Kintobor were at one point friends–with Kintobor even making Sonic’s special speedy red sneakers–until he turned against the hedgehog, became Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and waged war on the planet.  Other drafts almost completely alter this particular storyline.

Some drafts go into detail about the zones in the original Sonic. Of note from those descriptions is that the Special Stages were originally referred to as the Warps of Confusion.

That’s just a small taste of the 70 pages that’s been released thus far as part of the bible.  In addition, much of the drafts give direction on protecting the Sonic brand, and what can and can’t be done with Sonic’s name, and the IP itself. One section on art direction even explains to the exact detail how to draw Sonic and Robotnik.  Many in the Sonic research community plan to take a good look at all the pages, and Nemesis promises more material is on the way.

TSSZ News will continue to cover the release of the Sonic Bible drafts, and any noteworthy information they may contain.  We still have plenty of information to go through among the documents that have already been released, and there’s more on the way.

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