10 Badass Characters Inspired By Ridiculous Things
2. Sonic The Hedgehog Was Inspired By Two Icons Of The Nineties
Sonic the Hedgehog is, unquestionably, the coolest video game character to come out of the 1990s. He has cool spiky hair, he wears cool sneakers, he has an attitude- leave the game unattended for a few minutes and you’ll see it.
He’s cool. It’s undeniable. So, how did Sonic’s creators come up with this fleet-footed, spiny mammal? They found inspiration in two, unlikely, real-life counterparts- Bill Clinton, and Michael Jackson.
Look, the 1990s were a strange decade. And, indeed these two men, while controversial, were considered cool. Creator Naoto Ohshima explained in an interview that Sonic’s red shoes were inspired by the cover of Michael Jackson's album, Bad.
He also thought that Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign had a “get it done” attitude that he wished to impart on the character.