Sonic the Hedgehog - From game to community

Ever since the '90s, video games have been a major hit. All the fuss revolved around the idea that virtual characters controlled by a player could do amazing stunts, go on otherworldly adventures and, basically, live the coolest lives ever. Every franchise had its own little community that only kept growing as the game gained popularity, like Nintendo's beloved Mario and his adventures or Link and his incredible quests throughout the Legend of Zelda's action-packed series.

One particular game that gained traction is Sega's 1991 'Sonic the Hedgehog', which essentially comprised of an anthropomorphic blue-quilled hedgehog who saved the day with his wittiness and quick-thinking. More easily, Sonic is a blue, talking hedgehog whose coolest feature is his speed: he can run at the speed of sound, hence his name. An entire community developed around this character and his sidekicks, creating what is known as the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' fandom.

With the releases of various media, ranging from video games and comics to movies or series, the Sonic fandom only grew, becoming a long-lasting community. Its fans reached out to any and every platform out there, yet two stood out to me the most in my journey to becoming a proper Sonic fan: Reddit and YouTube.

Reddit

r/SonicTheHedgehog is exactly the place where you want to be if you plan on seeing the latest updates in the community. It has 234K members and mostly focuses on fanart, though it also has plenty of memes or discussion forums regarding the franchise. I stumbled upon this platform randomly, while I was checking my Pinterest gallery. A pin of Shadow (another character from the franchise) popped up on my feed, and, following the link, I got sent here, to this subreddit.

Probably the best gateway to the fan base, Reddit plays an important role in this fandom because it connects people from all around the world and brings them here, together, creating a safe, hate-free environment. I particularly love this platform because it feels very personal, fans sharing, upvoting and commenting on posts they love and appreciate.

YouTube

Albeit known as a 'wingman' for every fandom, I feel like YouTube is an especially important platform for the Sonic fandom, as lots of fan products (fan videos, commentaries) are designed for YouTube specifically. While there isn't a single traceable hashtag or account that hosts the community, countless fan accounts post regularly and, more importantly, get noticed. They garner thousands of views in merely weeks and only encourage more fans to show their own contributions.

Fan made, 'The Silver Campaign Intro' (credit: Out Of Context Lythero on YouTube) - 2.2M views in just 2 months!

I decided to write about YouTube because, as I've previously said, in the context of the Sonic fandom, it's not just a video-sharing platform; I understood this clearly when I saw just how popular the videos were. Fans actually engage with the media, commenting and, occasionally, starting heated discussions which lead to debates. I never expected this fandom to be a vehicle for such big movement in media. Take, for instance, the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' movie and the backlash its character design got. After the initial trailer dropped, the fan base mobilized and together outspoke their preferences, changing the trajectory of an entire film production. If that's not unity in fandom, I don't know what is.

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To sum up, Sonic the Hedgehog's fandom has grown ever since the character's first appearance, and the community surrounding the franchise is ever-present. Much like the power of friendship underlined throughout the series, the fan base comes together as one on every platform, especially Reddit and YouTube. Each fan's voice is heard through upvotes of fanart or comments under rankings, helping me discover a new sense of unity and mobilization and a new connotation to long-lasting appreciation.

'Sonic the Hedgehog 2', Paramount Pictures, 2022.