Celeb Rookie: Sonic the Hedgehog

What was the first thing you had on your mind this morning?  If it was “Does Sonic the Hedgehog have a rookie card?”, then you’ve come to the right place.

Introduced to the world in 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog is an iconic video game character.  This fast moving, chili dog eating speedster has been on a never ending quest to stop the evil Doctor Robotnik from taking over the world.  Many gamers, including myself, have fond memories of watching this dude speed through loops and tunnels.  The sound of Sonic collecting those gold rings has been permanently ingrained into gamer’s heads.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were the two games I played the most on my SEGA Genesis.  Both games could be played separately.  Thanks to the “lock-on” technology, it was possible to connect Sonic the Hedgehog 3 into the top of the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge.  This allowed people to play the game as it was originally intended.  Cartridge space and time constraints resulted in SEGA splitting them up into two games.  Figuring out both games could be connected together like that was super cool.

Sonic’s official rookie card can be found in the 1993 Topps Sonic the Hedgehog set.  Every box comes with (36) wax packs.  The whole set is comprised of (33) cards, (33) stickers, (15) promos, and (6) Prism inserts.  Card #1 pictures Sonic in the Green Hill Zone, which is the first zone in Sonic the Hedgehog.  Cards feature actual pixelated screenshots.  However, Sonic was not left pixelated like he normally would be in the game.  A pixelated Sonic was swapped out for an animated one.  On the back are game tips, and Rogue’s Gallery.

It should be noted that U.K. candy manufacturer Trebor Bassett, a division of Cadbury, issued a 48-card tobacco size set based on various SEGA titles.  Despite each of these cards having a copyright date of 1991 on the back, they were actually released in 1994.  Three Sonic titles in here are Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3.  Given that the first Sonic game came out in 1991, it wouldn’t have been possible for this set to have been released that same year because the two sequels didn’t arrive until 1992 and 1994.  Don’t be fooled into thinking Sonic the Hedgehog #35 from this set is his real rookie card.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – Official Trailer

Sonic The Hedgehog (2020) – New Official Trailer – Paramount Pictures

For Those KISS Collectors………

If your a fan of KISS, then you probably know that their new album “Sonic Boom” will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart starting on 10-6-09.  Press Pass has created a product that will be sold right next to their new CD/DVD.  KISS  “Tour Edition” is a 33-card set that features a ton of KISS stuff from the last 35 years.  There are three collectible boxes and posters.  This set should give collectors a great look back at the band.  Each set will cost around $10.00 each.  KISS is one of those bands that understands the term “merchandising”.  The world is filled with a ton of KISS collectors that will scoop this stuff up.

On a side note, maybe this is something other manufacturers should think about doing.  A few days ago I wrote a post about how current manufacturers should try and work their way into the video game industry, which sparked quite an interest.  If its too costly for a manufacturer to actually get in the game somehow, perhaps they could package some cards with the game.  Would anyone be opposed to having a pack of 2009 Topps Football attached to their new copy of Madden?