Sonic the Hedgehog (ice cream bar)

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 1995. While a financial success for the company, a combination of the character's high consumer recognition and the bar's production issues (most notably its drooping or misaligned gumball eyes) eventually saw it develop a curious cultural relevancy among the larger Sonic fanbaseMedia:Sonicicecreambar food cosplay.png^[2], with its frequently misshapen 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 American ice cream truck.^[4]Media:Sonicicecreambar food truck.png^[5] It has 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.^[6]^[7]

History

An early Sonic X-branded ice cream bar with black gumballs.

“	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.^[7] 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.Media:BlueBunny SX icecream wrapper.jpg^[8] 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.^[9]

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 (in that year's updated Sonic X packaging).^[6] Despite this, early versions of this repackaging still retain their black gumballs.^[10]

In early 2020, a rumor began to spread that Wells Enterprises was planning on discontinuing the Sonic ice cream bar.^[4] This resulted in significant community outcry in the following months^[11] (including an online petition), eventually culminating in both Sega's Michael Cisneros and a representative from Wells Enterprises making official statements on the matter in June 2020.^[12]^[7] It was revealed that there were no plans to discontinue the ice cream bar, and any shortages were a result of the ongoing global pandemic.^[11]

Legacy

Like many ice cream products, differences in shipping, logistics, and sale result in the bar delivered to customers in various states of quality. The ice cream used is soft and particularly prone to deformation, and Sonic's features are often shaped in noticably-incorrect sizes. However, its 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.^[13]

IDW Endless Summer (RI-B)

Both within the Sonic fanbase and even in general pop culture, the Sonic ice cream bar (and its association with unfulfilled expectations) is well known as one of the franchise's most odd and enduring forms. Sonic's melted appearance grew to become loved by the fanbase, with scores of fanart, tributes, and even cosplayMedia:Sonicicecreambar food cosplay.png^[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.^[14] 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]