It is not every day that an animated superhero, and specifically a hedgehog, wins the hearts of millions of people in such a short span of time, and then continues to steadily maintain its status for as long as 18 years. The immense popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog can be judged from the fact that this fictional character has been moved on from video games to print media, books and even movies. This character which has become the mascot of Sega Corporation has become a brand name in itself since it first started its journey in 1991 with Sonic games.

Designers Oshima, Hirokazu and Yuji, would never have thought that the character of the fifteen year old anthropomorphic hedgehog that they were creating would go on to become a legend. The overall presentation of this cute superhero including its unmistakable blue mane and its red shoes, were also vital in enhancing the popularity of Sonic the Hedgehog. In addition, the amiable personality of the character also played a great role in endearing it to the people, besides which he was also loved for not shying away from using his superpowers to the fullest while defending those he loved.

But, the esteem of Sonic games was not only because of the central character. Other characters including the main enemy of Sonic, named Mr. Robotnik aka Dr. Eggman, Sonic's love interest Amy Rose and his friends Knuckles and Miles Prower, also played a vital role in creating a special place for Sonic the Hedgehog n the hearts of millions of fans. Besides that the responsibility of keeping the tempo of the game ever exciting was put on the soundtrack and the job was performed wonderfully well by Masato Nakamura, with the help of his band dreams.

To prepare the people for the launch of Sonic games, a wonder three tour was organized by the Sega Corporation. The tour was also aimed at informing the audiences that Sonic was going to be the next big name in the world of video games and it would be take over the gaming world in the same manner as Mario and Nintendo had done earlier. Since the launch of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991, the game has been launched in numerous other series including Sonic 3D blast, Sonic R, Sonic Pocket Adventure, Sonic Shuffle, Sonic Rush, all of which were received and accepted by game lovers with the same enthusiasm as the first series.

Undoubtedly, Sonic the Hedgehog games have remained strong for almost twenty years. The increasing fan based of the Blue Blur superhero now includes young and old, going into the third generation of fans. For years Sega has made an effort to keep an otherwise simple plot, innovative and entertaining. Surely, with the help of new technology, the Sonic team will find ways to incorporate new game enhancements and plot details, while keeping the game in it's rudimentary form. After all, simplicity has been key to their success, and keeps the newer generations coming back for more.