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 , credited in some games as YU2, is a Japanese video game designer and programmer. He is the co-creator of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and was the president of Sonic Team at Sega until his departure in 2006. Naka joined Sega in 1984 and w ...

Naoto Ohshima (born February 26, 1964) is a Japanese video game designer and artist, best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Although Yuji Naka made a tech demo around which ''Sonic'' gameplay ...

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 programme ...

. It is licensed from

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

. 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 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 to ...

blue

hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...

who battles the evil

Doctor Eggman Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Naoto Ohshima. He is the main antagonist of Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman is a mad scientist who seeks to steal the mystical Cha ...

, 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 "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabas ...

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

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...

Miles "Tails" Prower Miles "Tails" Prower is a character created by the Japanese game designer Yasushi Yamaguchi. He is a major character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Tails is an anthropomorphic fox cub with two tails (hence his nickname) who serv ...

Amy Rose The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the video 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 ( ...

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, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Wii U. ...

'', 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 ''Sonic Mania'' is a 2017 platform video game developed by Christian Whitehead, PagodaWest Games and Headcannon and published by Sega. Produced in commemoration of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series' 25th anniversary, ''Sonic Mania'' pays hom ...

'' and the final product was based on the first level from the first game,

. The design was submitted to ''

Lego Ideas Lego Ideas (formerly known as Lego Cuusoo and stylized in start case) is a website run by Chaordix and The Lego Group, which allows users to submit ideas for Lego products to be turned into potential sets available commercially, with the original ...

'' 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 Toys-to-life is a video game feature using physical figurines or action figures to interact within the game. There are several technologies used to make physical figurines appear in game such as image recognition, quick response (QR) codes, Blue ...

video game in 2016 and Sonic the Hedgehog - Green Hill Zone (set number: 21331) for ''

'' 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, also known as the Lego Group, is a Danish construction toy production company based in Billund. It manufactures Lego-branded toys, consisting mostly of interlocking ABS plastic and rubber bricks. The Lego Group has also built severa ...

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

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 ("brush"). Twelve species ...

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 Tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play trick-taking car ...

and is often seen wielding her trusty Piko Piko Hammer. *

Knuckles the Echidna is a character from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. He is a red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna who is Sonic's secondary best friend and former rival. Determined and serious, but sometimes gullible, he fights his enemies using bru ...

: A red

echidna Echidnas (), sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the Family (biology), family Tachyglossidae , living in Australia and New Guinea. The four Extant taxon, extant species of echidnas ...

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 character created by the Japanese game developers Takashi Iizuka (game designer), Takashi Iizuka, Shiro Maekawa, and Kazuyuki Hoshino. He is a major character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. An Anthropomorphism, anthropomorph ...

: 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 video 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 (o ...

: A white

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). 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 birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

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 a character created by the Japanese game designer Naoto Ohshima. He is the main antagonist of Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman is a mad scientist who seeks to steal the mystical Chaos Emeralds, dest ...

: A human

with a 300 IQ and the main

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.military robots Military robots are autonomous robots or remote-controlled mobile robots designed for military applications, from transport to search & rescue and attack. Some such systems are currently in use, and many are under development. The difference be ...

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, ...

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. *

Metal Sonic The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the video 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 ...

: A robotic counterpart to Sonic built by Dr. Eggman. He is similar in appearance to Sonic, and is able to match his speed, strength, and stamina.

List of sets

''Lego Sonic the Hedgehog'' sets

According to

BrickLink BrickLink is the largest online marketplace for reselling Lego products. Its website also offers resources for Lego fans, including an extensive catalog of products and parts and community forums. History BrickLink was founded by Dan Jezek, who ...

released a total of ten 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 an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

. * ''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 Gamescom (stylized as ''gamescom'') is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Gamescom is the world's largest gaming event, with 370,000 visitors and 1,037 exhibitors from 56 ...

Video games

A ''Sonic the Hedgehog''-themed pack for the

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 ''Sonic Dash'' is a 2013 endless runner mobile game developed by Hardlight and published by Japanese game studio Sega. It is Hardlight's second ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game, the first being 2012's '' Sonic Jump''. The game was released in March ...

'' 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 content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...

for ''

Sonic Superstars is a 2023 platform game developed by Arzest and Sonic Team and published by Sega. It features side-scrolling gameplay similar to the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games released for the Sega Genesis in the 1990s. As one of four player characters—Soni ...

'', 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."