Paulie (ポーリー Pōrī?) is a character in the Sonic the Hedgehog serialized manga published by Shogakukan. He is the husband of Brenda, father of Nikki and Anita, and a qualified pilot for the air mail. Nikki idolizes his father and wishes to grow up to be as strong and courageous as him. Years before Nikki's first transformation into Sonic the Hedgehog, Paulie knew of the blue hedgehog, but is not aware of his son's transformation.
Appearance
Brenda, Paulie (in the middle) and Anita in Shogaku Ninensei stories. Art by Sango Morimoto.
In the Shogaku Ninensei stories, Paulie is an anthropomorphic hedgehog with light blue fur, similar to his son Nikki after his first transformation. Paulie has a pair of frontal hair, a stubbly beard, and usually smokes a pipe. He wears flying goggles, a brown pilot jacket with the "Sonic the Hedgehog" emblem printed on its back to protect him wherever he goes,[1] and red boots. In the cast picture of the Sonic the Hedgehog Book, Paulie is also seen wearing a muffler.
Paulie's appearance in the CoroCoro Comics Special stories is slightly different. Here, he a wears dark pilot jacket, white gloves, and a cap with the words "Hedgehog Air Service" printed on it that he gives to his son before the Ironman Race.[2]
History
One day, when Nikki asked Paulie about Sonic, he began telling his son about an event that happened twenty years ago. Working as a test pilot, he lost control of his plane, but then Sonic appeared at his side to guide the plane back to a safe place on the ground. Not only did Sonic save Paulie's life, but he also lead him to his future wife, Brenda. To Paulie, Sonic is a divine protector, the greatest hero that has ever lived, and also his cupid.[1]
When Paulie and Nikki got kidnapped by Dr. Eggman, Sonic appeared to Paulie's surprise after so many years, despite not knowing that Nikki was able to transform into him.[3]
Name
This character's name is often rendered as the real-life "Paulie" or "Pauly" in translations among fans. However, it is most likely that his name is supposed to be a reference to the term "Roly Poly" (ローリー・ポーリー Rōrī Pōrī?), given that he is a large hedgehog - a species well-known for rolling in a ball.
Trivia
The "Sonic" emblem on Paulie's pilot jacket.
- The idea of Paulie dressing in a jacket with Sonic emblem on it back originated from the orgin story featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog Technical Files, where the jet pilot Mary Garnet wears a leather flight jacket with a blue cartoon mascot. Similar, alternate stories about this one is also featured in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 3 as a text story called "Story Gaiden", which tells of a fictional real-world origin for Sonic.
- Paulie's light blue fur color in the Shogaku Ninensei stories is left uncertain, as other hedgehogs in his family are known to have royal yellow fur. Also, his son Nikki has brown fur prior his first transformation and first got permanent light blue fur after the manga strip At Last, We Learn the Truth About Sonic!!. As in Nikki's case, this may have been an afterthought to give him the same fur color as Sonic, leaving Paulie's case to be a coloring error.
- The biplane piloted by Paulie[3][2] is very similar to the Tornado that was first introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The serialized manga predates the game by several months, so the biplane seen in the serialized manga may have been the inspiration for the Tornado.
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 At Last, We Learn the Truth About Sonic!! (3 May 1992), Shogaku Ninensei
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Big Dreams Are My Energy! (1992), CoroCoro Comics Special
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pops Out of the Time Box Whenever There's a Crisis! (September 1992), Shogaku Ninensei