Difference between revisions of "Sonic the Hedgehog (ice cream bar)"
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The Sonic the Hedgehog ice cream bar was released in 1995 as one of many "character" bars - ice cream bars shaped into the design of a popular film, television, or video game character, such as Sailor Moon or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Sonic's bar, being one of few to boast a prominently blue color scheme, immediately stood out among others, and has reportedly been financially successful for the entirety of its still-ongoing run. Over the years, [[Sega]] has updated the bar's packaging, often tying it into a specific property in the franchise. | The Sonic the Hedgehog ice cream bar was released in 1995 as one of many "character" bars - ice cream bars shaped into the design of a popular film, television, or video game character, such as Sailor Moon or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Sonic's bar, being one of few to boast a prominently blue color scheme, immediately stood out among others, and has reportedly been financially successful for the entirety of its still-ongoing run. Over the years, [[Sega]] has updated the bar's packaging, often tying it into a specific property in the franchise. | ||
| − | Despite the [[Saturn]] game ''[[Sonic X-treme]]'' missing its Christmas 1996 release date, a number of products tying into the title still made it to market. Among these was a redesigned packaging for the Sonic ice cream bar.{{fileref|BlueBunny SX icecream wrapper.jpg}} Featuring neon line artwork of Sonic the Hedgehog in a variety of "extreme sports" situations (in particular, an image of Sonic performing martial arts | + | Despite the [[Saturn]] game ''[[Sonic X-treme]]'' missing its Christmas 1996 release date, a number of products tying into the title still made it to market. Among these was a redesigned packaging for the Sonic ice cream bar.{{fileref|BlueBunny SX icecream wrapper.jpg}} Featuring neon line artwork of Sonic the Hedgehog in a variety of "extreme sports" situations (in particular, an image of Sonic performing martial arts), the artwork was seemingly popular enough to remain used in certain areas until as late as 2004.{{fileref|BlueBunny SX icecream displayblue.jpg}} |
When the ice cream bar was first launched, Sonic's gumball eyes were black - matching the character. Although Sonic received green eyes in his 1998 ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' redesign, it would take until 2004 for the bar's gumball eyes to be updated as well, when they were swapped to green with the release of that year's updated ''[[Sonic X]]'' packaging.{{ref|1=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e9Y3mO6an0}} Despite this, early versions of this redesign still retained the black gumballs.{{fileref|Sonicicecreambar food 2004 blackeyes.jpg}} | When the ice cream bar was first launched, Sonic's gumball eyes were black - matching the character. Although Sonic received green eyes in his 1998 ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' redesign, it would take until 2004 for the bar's gumball eyes to be updated as well, when they were swapped to green with the release of that year's updated ''[[Sonic X]]'' packaging.{{ref|1=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e9Y3mO6an0}} Despite this, early versions of this redesign still retained the black gumballs.{{fileref|Sonicicecreambar food 2004 blackeyes.jpg}} | ||
Revision as of 06:34, 1 September 2023
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The Sonic the Hedgehog ice cream bar, also known as the Sonic the Hedgehog Bar[1], is a Sonic the Hedgehog-themed ice cream bar manufactured by Wells Enterprises' Blue Bunny brand and first released in early 1995. Due to a combination of Sonic's high consumer recognition and the bar's frequent production issues (most notably its drooping or misaligned gumball eyes), it eventually developed a curious cultural relevancy among the larger Sonic fanbase[2], with its often humorous appearance even being celebrated by Sega themselves.[3]
Today, the Sonic the Hedgehog ice cream bar is still available for purchase, and continues to be a staple of the ice cream truck in Western markets like the United States and England. It has notably remained in continual production since it was launched over two decades ago, and is commonly recognized as one of the most successful character-based ice cream bars ever made.[4]
Contents
History
| “ | Blue Raspberry and Cherry flavored frozen confection shaped in the likeness of Sonic™ with gumball eyes.[1] | „ |
Release
The Sonic the Hedgehog ice cream bar was released in 1995 as one of many "character" bars - ice cream bars shaped into the design of a popular film, television, or video game character, such as Sailor Moon or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Sonic's bar, being one of few to boast a prominently blue color scheme, immediately stood out among others, and has reportedly been financially successful for the entirety of its still-ongoing run. Over the years, Sega has updated the bar's packaging, often tying it into a specific property in the franchise.
Despite the Saturn game Sonic X-treme missing its Christmas 1996 release date, a number of products tying into the title still made it to market. Among these was a redesigned packaging for the Sonic ice cream bar.[5] Featuring neon line artwork of Sonic the Hedgehog in a variety of "extreme sports" situations (in particular, an image of Sonic performing martial arts), the artwork was seemingly popular enough to remain used in certain areas until as late as 2004.[6]
When the ice cream bar was first launched, Sonic's gumball eyes were black - matching the character. Although Sonic received green eyes in his 1998 Sonic Adventure redesign, it would take until 2004 for the bar's gumball eyes to be updated as well, when they were swapped to green with the release of that year's updated Sonic X packaging.[4] Despite this, early versions of this redesign still retained the black gumballs.[7]
Legacy
Like many ice cream products, differences in shipping, logistics, and sale has frequently seen the Sonic the Hedgehog ice cream bar delivered to customers in various states of quality. The ice cream used is particularly soft and prone to deformation, and Sonic's features are often shaped in slightly-incorrect sizes. However, the bar's most infamous defect is the placement of its gumball eyes. While not an issue specific to Sonic's bar, the regular appearance of sagging and misplaced gumball eyes on one of the world's most recognizable characters eventually resulted in the bar becoming a well-known trope of popular culture.[8]
Both within the Sonic scene and even among the general populace, the Sonic the Hedgehog ice cream bar (and its association with unfulfilled expectations) is well known as one of the franchise's most odd and enduring associations. Sonic's melted appearance grew to become loved by the fanbase, with scores of fanart, tributes, and even cosplay[2] created in celebration of the product. Sega themselves have shown themselves to share this same love, with the ice cream bar appearing in multiple IDW Sonic comics[9] - most notably, the RI-B cover of 2023's IDW Endless Summer features hand-painted artwork of the bar alongside versions in the likenesses of Tangle the Lemur, Jewel the Beetle, and Whisper the Wolf.[3]
Photo gallery
American Dad[10]
Cosplay
Physical scans
| US (1995) |
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 Display |
| US (1996) |
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 Cover
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 Display  Display (alt) |
| US (1999) |
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 Cover
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| US (2004) |
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 Cover
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 Display |
| US (2009) |
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 Cover
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| US (2010) |
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 Display |
| US (2012) |
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 Cover
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| US (2015) |
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 Cover
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 Display  Display (alt) |
External links
- Official website (archived)
- The Many Releases of The Sonic The Hedgehog Ice Cream Bar w/ Gumball Eyes video essay by PatMac at YouTube
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.bluebunny.com/flavor/sonic-bar (Wayback Machine: 2017-09-01 20:33)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 File:Sonicicecreambar food cosplay.png
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 File:SonicEndlessSummer IDW CoverRIb digital.jpg
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e9Y3mO6an0
- ↑ File:BlueBunny SX icecream wrapper.jpg
- ↑ File:BlueBunny SX icecream displayblue.jpg
- ↑ File:Sonicicecreambar food 2004 blackeyes.jpg
- ↑ File:References AmericanDad TV Sonicpop.png
- ↑ File:SonictheHedgehog IDW Annual2020 CoverA digital.jpg
- ↑ References to Sonic in film, television, and printed media
