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Cut Content: Sonic was supposed to be part of a band! Most of the members were lost to time, but Vector the Crocodile went on to appear in Knuckles' Chaotix (page 68).


— Factoid, Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia

The Sonic the Hedgehog Band is a group that was set to appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is the title given for an early idea of the Sound Test in the early development of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. The band would consist Sonic the Hedgehog as the lead singer, with Sharps the Parakeet on lead guitar, Mach the Rabbit on drums, Max the Monkey on bass guitar and Vector the Crocodile on keyboard. Like many other early ideas, all the characters (except Sonic) were scrapped before the final release, with only Vector appearing in later games.

Overview[]

Production[]

According Yuji Naka, an early idea in the production of Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) was to have Sonic the Hedgehog breakdancing while his band played for the game's music in a separate Sound Test screen. This was due to Naka wanting to take advantage of the opportunity working alongside with a famous band of the era, Dreams Come True. Due to time constraints, the idea behind the band couldn't be completed in time and was cut to make room for an alternative. Naka had all existing breakdancing picture data deleted, much to Naoto Ohshima's heart break, to create storage space for the jingle used in Japanese TV commercials, the now iconic Sega chant. The single sound took 1/8 of the 4 megabit ROM.[1]

Characters[]

Not much is known about the characteristics of the band members other than they all wear Sonic's shoes. Several sketches featured in SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis Collected Works art book reveal all the band members had more relevant roles in the game, such as appearing in the Sega screen.[2] One member from the band, Mach the Rabbit, is shown to be imprisoned along with other Animals in the capsule, as each of the band members had to be saved in each Zone of the game.[2] The early idea for the game's ending would involve Sharps the Parakeet saving Sonic from falling and sending him back to Green Hill Zone after destroying Dr. Eggman's escape plane.[2]

History[]

While never published as part of Sonic's core team beyond the period of Sonic 1's publication, elements of the band's concept would not stay unused.

Sonic the Hedgehog[]

Sonic would move forward as the sole hero in Sonic the Hedgehog, starting his rivalry with Dr. Eggman. He would become the face of his franchise, leaving his band in the concept stage. However, remnants of his starring role in the band would remain.

(8-bit) ending Singer Sonic

Sonic singing, from Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit).

In the Sonic the Hedgehog Technical Files, Sonic's profile indicates his role as a singer in a rock band[3] and despite the lack of backup support from the band, Sonic appeared as a singer in the end credits of Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit).

Vector the Crocodile[]

ModernSonicStyleGuideVectorHead

Vector the Crocodile; Modern Sonic Style Guide Icon artwork.

Years later after the the release of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Vector the Crocodile was reinvented from his original concept. He officially was introduced in the games in Knuckles' Chaotix and would get included in all ongoing comic book publications.

Transitioning into 3D, Vector would further get reinvented as the lead detective managing his own team, Team Chaotix, leading him to receive animated adaptions in Sonic X and Sonic Boom. However, throughout the decades, Vector's characterization for his love of music would stay consistent with all his reinventions.

The Band[]

The band would not make it over into any in-game material, seemingly to have been forgotten and left behind since their cameo appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic as promotional material for Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit). However, the band would make their big return in Sonic media in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series by Archie Comics. After the comic's cancellation, the scrapped members would continue making appearances in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series by IDW Publishing but have yet to perform together as a band.

TailsTube Sonic's Band

Amy Rose and Tails discuss the Multiverse, from TailsTube #4 (feat. Amy Rose).

In the web-series TailsTube, Sonic Team's latest ability to present media, the VTuber Tails spoke to his Fourth wall audience about various topics pertaining to their world/dimension. When conversing with his guest Amy Rose about the endless possibilities of space, ex. the Multiverse, Tails makes mention of there being a world somewhere out there where Sonic the Hedgehog is in a rock band.[4]

In other media[]

Books and comics[]

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic[]

StoryComicBand

Sharps, Mach and Vector at Sonic's concert, from Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 1.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic manga, Sharps appeared as the guitarist, Mach as the drummer, Vector on keyboard, as Sonic led as the singer.

They were preparing to play a concert for the Critters and Sonic's Bodyguard Platoon right before Eggman attacked. Sonic returned after Eggman blew up the stage, but his fellow band members were not seen again in the book.

Archie Comics[]

Main article: Forget Me Knots
Forget Me Knots

Sharps, Mach and Max as Mina's band, Forget Me Knots, from Sonic the Hedgehog #201.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Sharps, Mach, and Max would have cameo appearances together. This would mark Max’s first appearance outside of concept art. Vector would not return being depicted as a member of the band since having been established as a member of the Chaotix earlier on in the book.

In the pre-Super Genesis Wave timeline, they are enlisted band members of Mina Mongoose's Forget Me Knots with Sharps as the guitarist, Mach as the drummer and Max as the bassist, as Mina led as the singer.

They appear to have been added to form the Forget Me Knots sometime while Mina was on her world tour to rally the world against the Eggman Empire but after Heavy and Bomb's attack at one of her solo concerts.[5][6] While they are not characterized as their own individuals, they shared Mina's concerns about Nicole's potential danger to their city, prompting them to work together on a new song to raise awareness on the matter.[7] They were last seen playing another concert to raise positivity in New Mobotropolis.[8]

The Band would not be heard of again in the book after the Super Genesis Wave erased the original timeline.

Trivia[]

Band

Sonic's Band (arcade), from Sonic Live!.

Gallery[]

Concept artwork[]

Gallery

Sprites[]

Gallery

Merchandise[]

Gallery

See also[]

References[]

  1. Sega's Yuji Naka Talks!. Heidi Kemps. GameSpy (30 September 2005). Retrieved on 1 May 2015. "Yuji Naka: But the biggest thing I remember we had that we didn't use in Sonic 1 was the break-dancing. We had this idea for the sound test. The composer for the game was one of the members of Dreams Come True, a famous Japanese band, so we wanted to do something special for the game's music. See, we wanted to have a separate sound-test screen with an animation of Sonic break-dancing while a "Sonic Band" played the game music. We were working on the images, and had enough space left on the cartridge memory for it, but once again time constraints prevented us from putting it in the program. So what should we do with that leftover space? I suddenly had an epiphany! It said to me ... "SE-GA!" It came from our TV commercials, and that became the game's startup sound. I thought it made a good impression when you heard it, right? Though to fit it in, we had to delete all the break-dancing picture data we had made up to that point. Oshima was heartbroken, since we didn't need his pictures anymore. But seriously, that sound alone took up 1/8 of the 4 megabit ROM! Ah, those were the days..."
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sonic the Hedgehog 1's Original Intro & Ending Revealed!. The Sonic Stadium (5 November 2014). Retrieved on 1 May 2015.
  3. "Sonic loves to sing in his own rock band and enjoys being with his friends but he is just as happy to be alone", Sonic the Hedgehog Technical Files.
  4. (youtube) "TailsTube #4 (feat. Amy Rose)". Sonic the Hedgehog (YT channel). 16 March 2023. "Miles "Tails" Prower: Time is just one dimension in reality! Within the endless possibilities of space, there could be an infinite number of other Sonics out there! / Amy Rose: Wow! What would they be like? / Tails: When it comes to the multiverse, anything is possible! There could be big Sonics, little Sonics! [Amy laughs] A Sonic with four arms, a Sonic with blue arms! A Sonic in a rock band with a monkey on bass and a rabbit drummer and - / Amy: [Laughs] All right, I think we might have gone off the rails here."
  5. Sonic the Hedgehog #154, "Songoose, Part 2 of 2"
  6. Sonic the Hedgehog #185, "Mogul Rising Part One: Needful Things"
  7. Sonic the Hedgehog #220, "In Service to the King Part Two"
  8. Sonic the Hedgehog #241, "Unraveling"

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