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The Cucky (クッキー[1] Kukkī?), also known as the Clucky[2][3] or Cookie,[4] is a creature that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a race of chicken animals that live all over earth in various regions, and are close friends of Sonic the Hedgehog and his allies. The Cuckies are constantly hunted by Dr. Eggman who seeks to use them as energy sources for his various Badniks and often imprisons them in Capsules for later use.

Description[]

Anatomy[]

The Cuckies are very similar to the Flickies in overall anatomy. They resemble white-feathered chickens about half a meter tall with a round-shaped head, two large grey eyes (originally black), a tiny orange beak, and thick cheeks. Their wings are medium sized compared to their bodies, which are smaller than their heads, and they possess smooth yet sharp tail feathers and soft orange feet with three toes on each foot. Additional features include a rather large red comb and a small red wattle under their beaks.

Characteristics and culture[]

Like real-life chickens, the Cuckies can only speak in a language consisting of clucks and cowling. Although recognized as animal life, Cuckies are remarkably intelligent and sociable, being capable of understanding normal language and establishing their own Animal communities.[5] All Cuckies are generally good-hearted, helpful, friendly and playful, but their small stature leaves them rather defenseless on their own. They also have great respect and appreciation for nature, choosing to live in complete harmony with it.[6]

Habitats[]

Cuckies reside in various natural environments like forests all around Earth and its unusual satellites, such as South Island, West Side Island, Angel Island and the Lost Hex, where they have established their own small villages, more often than not with other Animal species.[5]

Game appearances[]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]

Go right! There's bottomless pit waiting on left!

Cuckies, from the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991).

The Cuckies' first appearance was in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). In this game, the Cuckies were some of Sonic's Animal friends on South Island whom he went to rescue after Dr. Robotnik captured them and used them to power his Badniks - all as a part of a plot to collect the Chaos Emeralds.[7][8] They can be found in Spring Yard Zone and Scrap Brain Zone Act 1-2 where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or the opened Capsule at the end of Spring Yard Zone Act 3. They also appear in the ending cinematic where they celebrate Sonic's victory in Green Hill.

In the 8-bit version, the Cuckies reprise their role from the 16-bit version.[9] Here, they appear from the opened Capsules at the end of the third Acts for Bridge Zone and Jungle Zone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit), all the Cuckies on South Island were kidnapped by Dr. Robotnik.[10] In this game, they appear from opened Capsules at the end of the third Acts for Sky High Zone and Gimmick Mt. Zone, much like in their previous 8-bit appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)[]

S2 cucky

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit), the Cuckies repeated their role from the first title. In this game, they and the other Animals of West Side Island were captured by Dr. Robotnik and used to power Badnik workers which Robotnik needed to finish the Death Egg.[8] The Cuckies can be found in Mystic Cave Zone and Sky Chase Zone where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or the opened Capsule at the end of the Mystic Cave Zone Act 2. When clearing the game as Tails, a Cucky herd will appear flying behind the Tornado during the ending cinematic.

Sonic Spinball[]

Fly you fools

A Clucky, from the 16-bit version of Sonic Spinball.

In both the 16-bit version and 8-bit version of Sonic Spinball, Cuckies can be found in all four main levels (namely Toxic Caves, Lava Powerhouse, The Machine and Showdown) where they pop out of destroyed Badniks. Exclusive to The Machine, the player can also free Cuckies from the animal prisons and the Veg-O Machine.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the Cuckies reprised their role from the first main installments. In this game, the Cuckies and other Animals of Angel Island were kidnapped and turned into Badniks by Dr. Robotnik, who needed workers to help him relaunch the Death Egg.[11] The Cuckies can be found in Angel Island Zone, Marble Garden Zone and Launch Base Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and in Mushroom Hill Zone, Sandopolis Zone, Lava Reef Zone, Sky Sanctuary Zone and Death Egg Zone in Sonic & Knuckles, where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or opened Capsules (excluding the Sky Sanctuary Zone and Death Egg Zone which have no Capsules).

At the beginning of Knuckles's storyline in Sonic & Knuckles, a herd of Cuckies and Rickies can be seen playing around in Mushroom Hill Zone where Knuckles is relaxing until an EggRobo scares them away by dropped a bomb in front of Knuckles. Also, in Sky Sanctuary Zone, Cuckies and Pockies can be seen fleeing from the towers that EggRobos emerge from to attack the player.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4[]

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I and its expansion Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal, the Cuckies reprised their roles from the first main titles. In Episode I, the Cuckies and other Animals were this time captured by Dr. Eggman to power a new and improved Badnik army that Eggman sought to defeat Sonic with.[8] The Cuckies can be found in Casino Street Zone where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or the opened Capsule after the boss Act.

At the end of Episode Metal, the Cuckies see Sonic and Tails off with the other Animals as the duo leaves in the Tornado, but are then scared away by Metal Sonic when he arrives, only to see Sonic leave.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, the Cuckies reprised their roles from the first main titles by being battery components for Dr. Eggman's Badniks. They can be found in Oil Desert Zone and Sky Fortress Zone where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or opened Capsules after the boss Acts.

Sonic Generations[]

Cucky-Picky-Flicky-Pecky

The Cucky and other Animals, from the console/PC version of Sonic Generations.

In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, Cuckies appeared alongside other Animals in the Challenge Acts Rescue the Animals! and Rescue the Animals 2!. In these Acts, the player has to find a certain number of Capsules containing the Cuckies and other Animals, and free them. Additionally, a statue of the Cucky along other Animals can be unlocked in the Statue Room.

Sonic Lost World[]

Little animals

Cuckies, from the Wii U version of Sonic Lost World.

In the Wii U version, PC version and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, the Cuckies, along with other Animals, are shown to inhabit the Lost Hex. During the events of the game, Dr. Eggman, with the assistance of the Deadly Six, resumed kidnapping Animals, the Cuckies again among them, to create a new Badnik army. A small group of Animals that included a Cucky managed to evade capture however, and remained with Knuckles and Amy while Sonic and Tails went out to save their friends, during which they had fun at the expense of Knuckles.

The Cuckies and the other Animals serve as collectible content used to progress with the game in the Wii U/PC version. Once the players have collected a set amount of Animals, they gain access to the fourth Zone in each World. They player can collect Cuckies by defeating Badniks, opening smaller Capsules in the Zones, and opening the larger Capsules at the end of most Zones. Cuckies and other Animals can also be collected from Circus tents. The Cuckies can be found in the following places (depending on the version of the game):

Zone
Wii U/PC Nintendo 3DS
Windy Hill Zones 1 and 4; Desert Ruins Zones 2 and 4; Frozen Factory Zones 3 and 4; Silent Forest Zones 1 and 4; Sky Road Zone 1; Lava Mountain Zones 2 and 3; Hidden World Zones 1, 3 and 4 Windy Hill; Desert Ruins; Sky Road; Lava Mountain

Sonic Mania[]

Cuckymania

In Sonic Mania and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, the Cuckies reprised their roles from the Sega Mega Drive Sonic games by being organic power sources for Dr. Eggman's Badniks.

In gameplay, the Cuckies pop out of destroyed Badniks or the opened Capsule at the end of the second Act of the Zones they appear in. In 1.03 of Sonic Mania and the versions prior to it, the Cuckies appear only in Metallic Madness Zone. In 1.05.0713 of Sonic Mania and Sonic Mania Plus on the other hand, the Cuckies appear in both Lava Reef Zone and Metallic Madness Zone. Also, in version 1.05.0713 of Sonic Mania and Sonic Mania Plus, when the player destroys the Metal Sonic hologram at the end of Stardust Speedway Zone Act 2, a few Cuckies will occasionally appear until they are chased off by Metal Sonic.

TrueEndTGA

A Cucky in the ending of "& Knuckles" mode, from Sonic Mania.

A Cucky also appear during the ending of the "& Knuckles" mode in the game, which features a Cucky listening to Knuckles recount of the game's events.

Sonic Forces[]

In Sonic Forces, Cuckies can be found inside Capsules in blue SOS Mission at random. The objective of these missions is to rescue the Cuckies and the other prisoners in the Capsule using either Sonic, Classic Sonic, the Avatar or Shadow. After the Cuckies and the other prisoners have been freed from their Capsule, the player has to complete their stage to complete the SOS Mission.

Sonic Frontiers[]

Sonic Superstars[]

In Sonic Superstars, Cuckies are set to make an appearance.

Other game appearances[]

Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld, Cucky appears along with Sonic, Tails, Amy and other animals. In this game, Cucky is featured in the Concentration Memory Cards mini-game, where it appears on one pair of cards.

Sonic the Hedgehog The Screen Saver[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog The Screen Saver, the Cuckies make several small cameos in several of the game's artwork images as one of Sonic's friends.

Sonic Jam[]

In Sonic Jam, the game's Character House features conceptual sketches of Cucky and the other Animals.

Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure[]

Animal-Friends-Sonic-Pocket-Adventure

A Cucky with the other Animals, from Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure.

In Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, a Cucky appears alongside several Animals in the game's perfect ending that appears after clearing Chaotic Space Zone, where they cheer at Sonic's victory over Dr. Robotnik.

Mario & Sonic series[]

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games[]

In the Wii version and Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, the Cuckies appear as non-playable characters. They can be seen amongst the audience during different events, where they cheer on the competitors.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games[]

In the Wii version and Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, the Cuckies appear as non-playable characters. In these games, the Cuckies reappear as members of the audience that watch the different events from the sidelines while cheering for the participants.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games[]

In the Wii version and Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Cuckies appear as spectators in the various events, watching and cheering for the competitors from the background.

In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, a badge of a Cucky with the other Animals in the game can also be obtained from the Badge machine.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games[]

In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, the Cuckies appear as non-playable characters. In this game, they once again reprise their roles as spectators. They can be seen in the background of various events, where they cheer for the competitors.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games[]

In the Wii U version, Nintendo 3DS version and arcade version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Cuckies appear as non-playable characters. In all three of these editions of the game, they once again appear as cheering spectators in the audience during different events.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020[]

AnimalsM&S6

Cuckies during the 2D Events, from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

In Nintendo Switch version and arcade version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Cucky is referred to as Clucky.[2] In these titles, the Cuckies mainly serve once again appear as members of the audience where they cheer on the playable characters, both in the 2020 events and the 1964 2D Events.

In the Nintendo Switch version of the game, Cluckies also appear as participants in the Marathon event. During this event, the Cuckies will serve as obstacles along the running route. Colliding with one will briefly slow down the playable character and slightly drain their stamina.

In the 2D Events and inside the Tokyo '64 during the Nintendo Switch version's story mode in particular, the Cluckies possess their 16-bit sprite appearance from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. One Clucky is found alongside Blue Toad in the Tokyo Roads hub-world.

Sonic Jump (2012)[]

In Sonic Jump (2012), Cucky appeared along with Flicky, Pocky and Picky. In the intro scene of the game, Dr. Eggman kidnaps once again them and traps them in the prison unit of his Egg Mobile and flies away with them to the sky. Sonic quickly discovers the kidnapping and decides to follow him to save the Animals.

In gameplay, the player will encounter a cage with some Cuckies after reaching the end of each Boss Act. Touching these cages will set the Cuckies inside free.

Sonic Dash[]

In Sonic Dash, Cucky makes an appearance in the version 4.0.0 update. In the game, players are able to collect them by destroying Badniks once the Sky Sanctuary Zone is unlocked, and can then use them to rebuild that Zone. Vector, Blaze, Classic Sonic and Metal Sonic also have an affinity bonus towards the Cuckies, which will double the amount of Cuckies saved while playing.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U[]

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, a Cucky appears alongside other Animals as a part of one of the collectable Trophies representing the Sonic the Hedgehog series:

Name Picture Category Trophy Box Description Acquisition
NA PAL NA PAL
Fauna of Windy Hill Animals of Windy Hill Zone FaunaOfWindyHillZoneTrophyWiiU Stage 84: Dr. Eggman's Ambitions Windy Hill, a plain on the floating Lost Hex continent, is the first area in Sonic Lost World. It has giant windmills and mysterious caves and is home to a wide variety of animals... that Dr. Eggman has gone and used as a power source for his robot collection. Typical... Just destroy the robots and set those animals free. Random

Excluding the trophy, the Cucky also occasionally makes a cameo appearance in the background of the Windy Hill Zone.

Sonic Runners series[]

Sonic Runners[]

In Sonic Runners, the Cuckies played supporting roles to the main cast in the storyline. In this game, most individual Cuckies are referred to as "Cucky". Over the course of the game, Team Sonic comes across the Cuckies several times, whom they usually save from Dr. Eggman and/or his lackeys. Occasionally, the Cuckies will also ask the team for help solving different problems, whether it be either Eggman-related trouble or more personal issues. Sometimes though, the Cuckies will help Team Sonic as well, usually by providing information or handling smaller tasks.

In gameplay, Cuckies will pop out of destroyed Badniks and bounce a little further down the path before falling behind the player. If the player grabs them as they pass by, the player will build up their Combo and earn 2,500 bonus points on the result screen for each Cucky.

Sonic Runners Adventure[]

In Sonic Runners Adventure, the Cuckies reprised their roles as power sources for Dr. Eggman's Badniks. In gameplay, Cuckies will pop out of destroyed Badniks in any stage and then bounce out of the player's sight.

In other media[]

Animation[]

Sonic X[]

Main article: Cucky (Sonic X)
CuckyScreenshot

A Cucky, from "Mean Machines".

In the Sonic X anime series and its comic series published by Archie Comics, the Cucky is an animal species native to Sonic's world. Several of them were sent to Earth by Chaos Control, but they were returned home not long afterwards.

Books and comics[]

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic[]

Ricky & Cucky (Story Comic)

Cucky, from Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic vol. 2.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic manga, the Cuckies make an appearance.

Cucky is an Animal Friend who appears in Sonic's world. It has shown in the backgrounds with other animal friends throughout the manga. In volume 1, a Cucky was attending the concert for Sonic's Band when it was attacked by Dr. Eggman, who was suspicious that a Chaos Emerald was located under the concert grounds. It stood up to the doctor with a Bodyguard Platoon member to challenge Eggman but was quickly frighten off by his Construction Robo. The heroic Sonic saved the both of them and beat back the Doctor in spectacular fashion.[12]

Another Cucky appear captured by Eggman later on. After his own rescue, Picky informed Sonic that the doctor captured Cucky and Ricky and turned into Badniks just as Picky was. Specifically, Cucky was put into a Newtron model.

Sonic would travel to the "Sparkling Zone" and destroy those Badniks, rescuing the two critters. They led Sonic to the "Star Land Zone," where they saw more animals imprisoned in a capsule, guarded by the doctor. Sonic defeats Eggman for the second time and rescued the animals trapped inside.[13]

Archie Comics[]

Cucky Pre-SGW

A Clucky, from the Sonic the Hedgehog #226.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Cuckies are named Cluckies. In this media, they are a mobini species native to Mobius, and later Sonic's World.

Sonic the Comic[]

Chirps STC

Chirps, from Sonic the Comic #104. Art by Richard Elson.

In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, Chirps is an anthropomorphic chicken and one of the Emerald Hill Folks, although he was never explicitly named. During the series' early run, he would often be one of the unfortunate victims of Dr. Robotnik's schemes for the subjugation of Mobius.

IDW Publishing[]

Main article: Cucky (IDW)
CuckyClassicIDW

A Cucky, from Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, the Cuckies are an animal species native Sonic's world.

Peaceful and non-hostile, Cuckies like to play with other animals and are very harmless.[14] As such, they are constantly captured by Dr. Eggman and his minions.

Early canon[]

In the first years of the Sonic series, when all the animals were renamed by Sega of America for the western media and market in the Sonic Bible, Cucky's gender was defined as male and was named Chicken in the bible's first draft.[15] He would later be renamed Chirps in the bible's second draft.[16] According to the Sonic Bible, Chirps comes from a large family like other Animals (which was intended to explain the appearance of multiple identical Cuckies in the games) and helped raise an orphaned Sonic.[15][16][17][18]

In the bible's first draft, it is said Chirps taught Sonic how to squawk like a rooster and wake up everyone in the morning.[19] In the second bible's drafts, Chirps is said to have been the greatest influence on Sonic, having inadvertently helped him develop his Super Sonic Spin Attack. When Chirps tumbled out of his nest while trying to learn to fly, Sonic teased Chirps by imitating him and in the process performed his Spin Attack for the first time.[20]

Trivia[]

Ricky Card

The misnamed Cucky trading card.

Chirps

Chirps as part of "The Freedom Team" in the early pitch artwork for the Sonic the Hedgehog television series.

  • When Cucky was originally featured on their own card in Sonic the Hedgehog Online Trading Cards, they had been misleadingly named "Ricky," which the name of another animal friend. The Ricky card, in turn, was also wrongly labelled as "Pocky," another different animal friend.
  • The Cuckies were presumably created by Naoto Ōshima, the character designer on the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
  • In DiC's early pitch for the Sonic the Hedgehog television series, Cucky (using his western name of "Chirps") was featured in a cast picture as part of the "Freedom Team". However, this was scrapped at some point later in development.

References[]

  1. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 11.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sega, Racjin, AlphaDream, Yuke's (5 November 2019). Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Nintendo Switch. Sega. Area/level: Tokyo Roads (Story Mode). "Clucky: Cock-a-doodle-do! / Blue Toad: Like Clucky says, TOKYO's roads are quite complex."
  3. Flynn, Ian; Sega (8 December 2021). Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia. Dark Horse Books. p. 11. ISBN 978-1506719276. "Clucky - chicken"
  4. Additional Characters list. Sonic Stadium. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved on 19 December 2021.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Sonic Team (25 February 2015). Sonic Runners. iOS. Sega. Area/level: Episode 11-1. "Tails: Hey, Omochao, could you ask these guys where they were when Eggman's minions captured them? / Animals: (chatter chirp) / Omochao: They say their village is just east of here, and Eggman built a base right next to it!"
  6. Sonic Team (25 February 2015). Sonic Runners. iOS. Sega. Area/level: Episode 14-1. "Knuckles: Yeah. This factory closes now. The Animals need to be living in harmony with nature again!"
  7. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 10-13.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sonic The Hedgehog 4. Sega. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved on 26 January 2015.
  9. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 4.
  10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 4.
  11. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-6.
  12. Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic vol. 1, "Doctor Eggman's Challenge!!"
  13. Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic vol. 2, "Clash!! South Island"
  14. Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special, "Seasons of Chaos"
  15. 15.0 15.1 Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft I (page 11). Nemesis Hacking Cult. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Sonic's main buddies are Rabbit, Squirrel, Pig, Flicky the Duck, Penguin, Chicken, and Seal. Each comes from a large family, each is playful and friendly."
  16. 16.0 16.1 Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft II (page 15). Nemesis Hacking Cult. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Sonic's main buddies are Johnny Lightfoot, Sally Acorn, Porker Lewis, Chirps, Tux, Flicky the Blue Bird, and Joe Sushi. Each comes from a large family, and each is playful and friendly."
  17. Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft I (page 6). Nemesis Hacking Cult. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Orphaned at an early age, Sonic grows up in the forest of the Green Hill Zone and fall in with a clan of rambunctious animal friends. His friends teach him all the tricks they know."
  18. Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft II (page 9). Nemesis Hacking Cult. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Orphaned at an early age, Sonic grows up in the forest of the Green Hill Zone and fall in with a clan of rambunctious animal friends. His friends teach him all the tricks they know."
  19. Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft I (page 6). Nemesis Hacking Cult. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Chicken teaches him how to squawk like a rooster and wake everyone up in the morning."
  20. Sonic the Hedgehog Bible Draft II (page 9). Nemesis Hacking Cult. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved on 25 October 2020. "Most important of all, Chirps (the chicken) inadvertently helps Sonic develop the technique for his Super Sonic Spin Attack. As Chirps is learning to fly, he tumbles head over heels out of the nest. Sonic teases Chirps by imitating him, but as he tumbles, Sonic builds up so much speed that he becomes a blur of quills and fur."
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