Tiara Boobowski
From Sonic Retro
|
| Tiara Boobowski |
|---|
| First seen: Sonic Mars |
| Species: Manx cat[1] |
| Gender: Female[1] |
| Age: 20[2][1] |
| Height: 132.08cm (4'4'')[2][1] |
| Created by: Chris Senn[1] |
Tiara Boobowski[3][4], also known as Princess Tiara[5] and Tiara B.[1], is an anthropomorphic Manx cat created for the unreleased Sega 32X action-platformer Sonic Mars. Originally intended to be one of six playable characters, issues during development forced the team to focus solely on Sonic the Hedgehog, and the idea of in-game partners was scrapped altogether. Following this, she was worked back into the plot as a potential love interest for Sonic.[6]
Her creator, Sega Technical Institute artist Chris Senn, hoped that Tiara would become an equal match for someone like Sonic, and feels Mars could have focused more on the relationships between Tiara and the other characters. However, as the project evolved into Sonic X-treme, it became clear that story had to take a backseat to gameplay design, and eventually Tiara was dropped from the game altogether.
Contents
Character conception
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Tiara Boobowski was created around 1994 by Sega Technical Institute artist Chris Senn, intended as a spunky female protagonist who could match Sonic in attitude[1]; in Senn's own words, a "girl power" character, with the team striving to avoid the "damsel in distress" trope prevalent in the gaming world at the time. She was originally slated to be an anthropomorphic bandicoot, but was later reworked into a Manx cat.[1] Senn's initial art of the character is drawn with the design principles of Sonic the Hedgehog in mind (such as a round head and connected eyes), ensuring she would naturally fit into the existing cast of characters. He goes on to state that any perceived similarities between Tiara and Sally Acorn are entirely unintentional.[7]
Sometime in 1995, a serious of four new clothing designs for Tiara were created, intended to generate discussion around the character. Proposed designs included a form-fitting red dress, a tank top and skirt, a variation on the previous with a visible midriff, and one with no clothing akin to Sonic and Tails. Visually, Michael Kosaka said he envisioned her as having more attitude, so Senn redesigned her appearance accordingly. As a result, Tiara gained a new stance and outward demeanor, as well as a sporty new outfit. Senn felt this design properly conveyed her attitude as a character, but following the project's cancellation, he admitted that her earlier design was his favorite.[1]
Tiara's name was chosen by Michael Kosaka early in development, when she was still a playable character, with Kosaka and Senn agreeing that the name fit the role of a princess. When the concept of multiple characters was dropped, so was Tiara's regal pedigree, but her name remained. Her surname of Boobowski was not originally intended for the character, but instead is taken from the character of Gazebo Boobowski, her father. Senn clarifies that he chose the surname simply because he thought it sounded funny, denying that any adult puns were involved. He explains that, for this very reason (the seemingly "adult" nature of the name), the character chooses to abbreviate her name to Tiara B.[8]
In video games
History
The story to Sonic Mars (and later X-treme) changing numerous times over the course of development, with Tiara's role in the plot changing accordingly. She was initially envisioned as a princess, with a father named King Cyberooski.[5] A rework to the plot required a professor character[9], and King Cyberooski was rechristened Professor Gazebo Boobowski[10][11][12] - with Tiara losing her royal status as a result. Her father was now a Master Ring Smith[13][11] (a role which draws inspiration from the Archie comics series, in which Rings are objects which can be created), and both characters now acted as "ring-keepers".[3][4] For this reason, the two would be targeted and eventually kidnapped by Robotnik.[14][11]
In an early storyline by Chris Senn known under the name Sonic Twist, Sonic travels to a romantic location in Tiara's kingdom for a date with the princess. However, to reach this location he must journey through many difficult obstacles and enemies. Dr. Robotnik learns of Sonic's date and attempts to destroy the lands lying between Sonic and the princess. During gameplay, Tiara occasionally appears from the corner of the screen to commenting on Sonic's progression. The longer it takes Sonic to reach the end of the game, the angrier Tiara will react when he finally reaches her. If players collect all seven Chaos Emeralds, Sonic fashions the gems into a necklace and gifts them to the princess.[15]
In another storyline by Senn known as SonicBOOM, Robotnik has suddenly found himself infected by the deadly Doom Virus. In order to obtain the ingredients needed to fashion a cure, he plans to infect Sonic with the same virus, and then let the hedgehog obtain a cure for him. To this end, he kidnaps Tiara and chains her to a wooden platform hung over a bed of deadly spikes. Thankfully, Sonic rescues her in time, only for Tiara to reveal that the chains had been laced with the Doom Virus, and Sonic is now fatally infected. The blue blur's only hope is to seek out Tiara's father, a professor who lives in a castle on Misty Peak. Upon hearing of his daughter's rescue, Professor Gazebo Boobowski gladly helps Sonic on his adventure to find a cure.[15]
A third storyline cowritten by Senn and Richard Wheeler, Sonic Doom, features Robotnik cracking open the Master Chaos Emerald in an attempt to tap its power. As a result, the Doom Virus is released into the air, fatally infecting Robotnik. After failing to intimidate the professor into researching a cure, Robotnik kidnaps the professor's daughter Tiara. Knowing that Sonic cannot resist rescuing someone in need, Robotnik uses her as bait to lure in the hedgehog. While Sonic quickly arrives on the scene and ends up rescuing Tiara, she quickly informs the hedgehog that he is now infected with the Doom Virus as well, and the two seek out of the assistance of Tiara's father for a cure.[15]
Personality
Tiara's personality was rarely expanded upon by Sega Technical Institute staff, but her creator Chris Senn envisioned her as an athletic, spunky character who could match Sonic in demeanor.[1] Specifically, her visible passion for fitness was chosen to be expanded on later in Sonic Mars' development, when she was given a more "sporty" attitude. In each iteration of the story, she retained her role as a potential love interest for Sonic, and even showed a bit of jealousy in competing with Amy for his attention.[5]
Outside of her adventures fighting against Dr. Robotnik, Tiara plays electric bass guitar[2] in a rock band, and owns a dog named Vader.[9] Her hobbies include tennis, snowboarding, step aerobics, bicycling, rollerblading, dancing, solving puzzles, listening to grunge music, playing her bass guitar, and performing live with her band. Above all, she enjoys intelligent conversation, and shows a notable disinterest in "arrogant hedgehogs."[2]
Abilities
Originally, Tiara was envisioned as one of six playable characters in Sonic Mars, a game in which each character would feature unique gameplay mechanics and camera angles. After being rescued in Cryptic Grotto Zone[16], she would become unlocked as a playable character. Tiara's gameplay was set to feature two-dimensional, side-scrolling action with the ability to travel between different planes in the foreground and background. According to Chris Senn, when the Saturn action-platformer Clockwork Knight 2 was released, the team realized that Tiara's gameplay was "exactly what the entire game [Clockwork Knight 2] did!", referring to the series' 2.5D gameplay style and use of pre-rendered sprites in a 3D environment.[1] Michael Kosaka elaborated that Tiara would function as a support character similar to Tails, with abilities roughly matching Sonic's own.[17] Additionally, some iterations of Sonic Mars saw her wielding a magical scepter, with which she can perform new "power moves." Outside of this, she would also appear during gameplay every 50,000 points to encourage the player.[18]
Tiara's most unique ability is her control over the power of electricity. She can perform the Jump Spark Tiara Attack, in which she uses her electrical powers mid-jump to attack enemies. In place of a Spin Dash, she performs the Tiara Tacheyon Tornado, an electric-themed ability which functions the same way. Most importantly, she can also transform her body into a cloud of electric particles[17] moving in a figure-eight pattern[19], carrying Sonic for a brief time before she tires.[17] Even Tiara's victory animation was themed around her electrical powers: upon finishing a stage, she would cause a spark to fly outward from her fingertips in celebration.[19] Senn also designed an exclusive enemy for her, a flying insect Badnik with a flashing lightbulb[20], but it never appeared in further material.
In other media
Tiara makes a pair of brief cameo appearances in Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic series. In issue #134, she can be seen in the crowd gathered in Green Hill Park, and is a witness to Sonic and Sally's breakup. Later in issue #138, she is seen working as a waitress at Uncle Chuck's Diner.
In a July 2019 Q&A session with fans, series artist Ian Flynn revealed it is highly unlikely Tiara will make any further official appearances, but refused to elaborate on the reason why.[21]
Artwork
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Main page: :Category:Artwork of Tiara Boobowski |
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 http://www.senntient.com/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000003.html (Wayback Machine: 2009-01-30 01:30)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://www.myspace.com/tiaraboobowski (Wayback Machine: 2008-07-19 11:06)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 [gameplayers, issue 0906, page 40 gameplayers, issue 0906, page 40]
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 [nextgeneration, issue 19, page 67 nextgeneration, issue 19, page 67]
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 File:SonicMars 32X Kosakascript.pdf, page 3
- ↑ Interview: Mike Wallis (2002-06) by Pachuka
- ↑ http://www.senntient.com:80/projects/xtreme/FAQ.html (Wayback Machine: 2011-03-17 06:48)
- ↑ http://www.senntient.com/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000003.html (Wayback Machine: 2006-02-11 04:40)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 http://www.senntient.com:80/ubb/Forum13/HTML/000003-2.html (Wayback Machine: 2009-07-03 08:04)
- ↑ [ssm, issue 9, page 33 ssm, issue 9, page 33]
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 [segamagazin, issue 32, page 6 segamagazin, issue 32, page 6]
- ↑ [hobbyconsolas, issue 57, page 16 hobbyconsolas, issue 57, page 16]
- ↑ [gamepro, issue 95, page 44 gamepro, issue 95, page 44]
- ↑ [egm, issue 84, page 74 egm, issue 84, page 74]
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Sonic X-treme/Development/Storylines
- ↑ File:SonicMars 32X Kosakascript.pdf, page 15
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 File:SonicMars 32X Kosakascript.pdf, page 6
- ↑ File:SonicMars 32X Kosakascript.pdf, page 9
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 File:SonicMars 32X Kosakascript.pdf, page 12
- ↑ File:Sxc tiara enemy.jpg
- ↑ @IanFlynnBKC on Twitter (Wayback Machine: 2019-07-11 22:57)