June 23, 2026, was a special day for Sega because it was the 35th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. The first Sonic video game for Sega Genesis was created by Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara. After his first game debuted, Sonic became a mascot for Sega and had his own media franchise series. There were so many video games, toys, school supplies, clothes and of course tv shows and movie series. In fact, I was a fan of Sonic when I was like 3 years old while living at Park Slope. I would watch 2 Sonic series. The first was Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog on weekdays and Sonic the Hedgehog the Saturday morning version on ABC 7. My mother even brought me a stuffed Sonic toy to play with. Although it was a long time ago, I still enjoy the Sonic franchise.
I also enjoyed both Sonic and Mario because in 2008, Nintendo and Sega did their first cross-over game based on the 2008 Olympics. The fans enjoyed it, and that lasted for 12 years until in 2020, their series concluded when the Olympics International Committee terminated their contract to focus on different ideas. That disappointed me because I liked it. I only hope that either the committee reconsider and bring it back or find other ways for a cross-over game with Mario and Sonic.
This year, Sonic’s anniversary was so great that Sega did a livestream event and there were some video game challenges, displays, music, art drawings with Sega artist Evan Stanley, and announcements for things to come. That includes a fourth Sonic movie coming in 2027 with the return of Jim Carrey, who is going to reprise his role as Sonic’s arch enemy Dr. Robotnik. Of course there were also special visitors including SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star, Pac-man, and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles even brought pizzas to the party. And finally, Sonic and Tails were there too.
What was also special is during the livestream is that Sega did a charity donation for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. At the end they reached $55,500, which was a good cause for Sonic and Sega. The livestream was so great that it lasted for 5 hours and 36 minutes. I’m glad that Sonic had a good birthday and I’m hoping he can continue to bring excitement to fans. I hope one day he can join us in YAI, just like he did for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. I would like to wish him a happy 35th anniversary.