Everything must start from somewhere, and not all ideas can be used. Contained herein is a list and gallery of the various concepts that have appeared throughout Sonic history. (note: text must be accompanied by a cite).
From the nostalgia SEGA intro to the opening Sonic theme, that little hedgehog design will stick with fans forever. 16-bits helped game designers create characters with so much more detail than their '80s counterparts. The artwork of Sonic the Hedgehog in the style guide features art that is based on both the Japanese and American designs of Sonic, while the art of Tails and Dr.
Robotnik are based on their interpretations from the DiC-produced cartoons, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM). Sonic looks different basically every main game in subtle ways. There are four major designs Classic Japan, Classic American, Classic European, and post Adventure, which is what you're referring to more or less, but even then Sonic 1 Sonic is drawn differently to Sonic 2 Sonic and Sonic 3 Sonic even in the official artwork as different artists.
Sonic CD introduced Amy Rose, a female hedgehog with a persistent crush on Sonic. Sonic 3 introduced Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic's rival and later friend. All five of these have remained major characters and appeared in dozens of games.
The series has introduced dozens of additional recurring characters over the years. The initial design for the Sonic the Hedgehog film was heavily criticized by fans, leading to a complete redesign of the character. With tons of different Sonic designs across the years, I'm ranking the Top 10 Best Sonic Designs of All Time-including a few power-ups that deserve recognition, from games, box art, tv shows, and movies.
Sonic Frontiers recently came out, I don't have the game yet, so I am avoiding spoilers like the pelage. So I'd thought I'd post this instead, these are my opinions. In addition to video games, Sonic the Hedgehog enjoys huge success in areas such as toys, apparel and publishing, and has also been the star of multiple animated series.
Classic Sonic is an icon of cutting edge technology and brilliant character design within the video game industry in the 90's. 6.1.4Sonic the Hedgehog Official Stylebook and Character Manual(1994, NA).