“Gee, Sonic! Look at all those businessmen in suits with umbrellas standing at bus stops! What is this strange place called? Let’s go take a look! Can we? Can we, Sonic? Please!”

These photos were taken to celebrate the fact that Sonic was voted the most popular games character EVER in the UK and to publicise the London Games Festival. Incredibly, “the mainstream” has already reported on this as proper news.

We’d like to know just how many of the people who voted for Sonic have a copy of Dreamcast Sonic Adventure.

That costume needs a comprehensive re-stuffing. It’s all over the place.

We have it on good authority that there’s a lady inside that suit.

He last saw Tails semi-conscious in a gay bar at 3.30am last night.

Press Release
For immediate release

SONIC TOP DOG HEDGEHOG

A bright blue, spiky-haired, lightening-fast hedgehog has beaten not-so-Super Mario, cyber-babe Lara Croft and giant ape Donkey Kong to the title of the nation’s favourite video-game character.

Over 500 UK gamers voted in the poll to mark the launch of London Games Festival, which is expected to attract over 100,000 computer games fans to the capital this week.

Ahead of his appearance at the Festival, Sonic the Hedgehog, the official mascot of computer giant SEGA, was crowned the most popular video-game character of all time collecting nearly a quarter of all votes (24 per cent). Super Mario and Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft came second and third gaining 21 per cent and 16 per cent of the vote respectively.

The UK’s top ten most popular video games characters are as follows:
1. Sonic the Hedgehog (24 per cent)
2. Super Mario (21 per cent)
3. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) (16 per cent)
4. Donkey Kong (11 per cent)
5. Pac Man (10 per cent)
6. Link (The Legend of Zelda) (5 per cent)
7. Max Payne (4 per cent)
8. Pikachu (Pokemon) (3 per cent)
9. Niko Belic (Grand Theft Auto series) (2 per cent)
10. Blanka (Street Fighter) (1 per cent)

* Other (3 per cent)

For more information and images of Sonic the Hedgehog out and about in London please contact the SEGA press office at Mischief on 020 7100 9999 or sega@mischiefpr.com