Will a Shoeless Sonic the Hedgehog Appear in the New Movie?

When Sonic the Hedgehog first appeared on Sega Genesis back in 1991, the blue blur was wearing a [...]

When Sonic the Hedgehog first appeared on Sega Genesis back in 1991, the blue blur was wearing a trademark pair of red sneakers. In the nearly 30 years since, the character has never taken those things off, outside of a couple non-canon appearances. As a result, Sonic's mysterious feet have become a bit of an internet meme. The upcoming movie from Paramount could finally let fans see exactly what those things look like, if the latest trailer is anything to go by. Released in Australia, the new trailer shows a little girl giving Sonic his trademark shoes on Earth. It begs the question: will we see Sonic's feet before that major moment?

Earlier this year, Polygon reached out to Sega to inquire about Sonic's feet. The question was prompted when video of Sonic surfing in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was released. While Mario is barefoot when surfing in the game, Sonic surfs in sneakers, which, honestly, can't be very comfortable. Sega's Takashi Iizuka's response to Polygon was firm:

"Sonic doesn't take off his shoes (in canon)."

Of course, Sonic isn't the only video game star that has never taken off his shoes before. Nintendo's Kirby has also never been seen barefoot, a fact which has also resulted in some strange memes. At the end of the day, it's likely just a matter of character design, however. Companies prefer to have a standard look for their characters across all media, which is likely the same reason Pokemon fans have never seen what the rest of Diglett's body looks like, or what Mimikyu looks like under that Pikachu costume.

Sonic's feet were the least of fans' concerns earlier this year when the character's design for the new movie first appeared online. Fans were so unhappy with it that Paramount delayed the film, redesigning the character to more closely resemble his classic appearance. After all that trouble, it will be interesting to see if the film addresses another controversy regarding Sonic's appearance, or if the filmmakers will simply use creative camera angles to hide those feet until the character gets his shoes. One way or another, fans will know when Sonic the Hedgehog arrives in theaters February 14, 2020.

What do you think Sonic's feet look like? Will we finally get to see them in the new movie? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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