Flashback Friday Moment of The Week: 4/3/2020

by Just Juan
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It appears that this growing COVID-19 pandemic is having an effect on the film industry. I just read an article that basically stated the recently-released Sonic the Hedgehog film was already available digitally. I already had questions about the action-adventure film with the central character being CGI amongst other real characters. I’m not sure how that will play out in the market of today, which has not been kind to such films. The theatrical run being shortened definitely magnifies that. What I am sure about, however, is that Sonic is a classic character…in cartoons and in gaming. That brings me to this week’s moment in the Flashback Friday series: the Sonic the Hedgehog TV series.

How I first came across this moment? I came across Sonic the Hedgehog—also known as SatAM to insiders—the same morning I discovered Cro. It was new to the ABC Saturday Morning rotation in the Fall of 1993. After switching over from watching Bobby’s World on Fox, I tuned in to the new show, which kicked off with the above-mentioned intro.

What it meant to me then? The intro theme definitely lured me in. It was very edgy. I especially loved that whole “Sonic/He can really move/Sonic/He’s got an attitude/Sonic/He’s the fastest thing alive” part. The episode that played that day—“Sonic Boom”—was pretty good. Aside from the titular character, I was intrigued by Princess Sally, the de facto leader of the Knothole Freedom Fighters. I loved the show. It was one of the highlights of my Saturday mornings.

What it means to me now? I haven’t watched Sonic the Hedgehog since 2008, at least. The show only ran for 2 seasons. As I found out in my teens, there was a conflict between the production company (DIC Entertainment) and ABC. Apparently, DIC wanted to push for weekday syndication but ABC wanted the show as one of their anchors, exclusive to Saturday morning. The conflict resulted in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog TV series. I actually purchased the series on DVD shortly before I moved back to the United States from the South Korea assignment but it was one of the items lost in my household goods shipment. Anyway, the series has a special place in my heart. I was a big fan of Sonic and the show was my first exposure. I think I should log into Amazon right now and re-order that series. In fact, let’s not think on that…let’s actually do.

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