Background Info on the 20th

The article below is taken from this webpage:
Twenty years of Sonic will be marked by a global merchandising plan. Sega Europe’s newly expanded licensing team is seeking partnerships in every sector imaginable to create new product lines for the mascot’s 20th anniversary on June 23rd.

“We have some surprises lined up for Sonic’s anniversary,” Sega Europe’s head of licensing Sissel Henno told MCV. “We’re working on a number of retail initiatives across different sectors. Ideally, we would like to tie in different merchandise to create a strong branded presence in stores.”

Sega Europe will meet potential new partners at several trade shows next month, including the Brand Licensing Show in Budapest, Bologna Book Fair and Kazachok Licensing Show in Paris.

“We want to team up with multi-territory partners in publishing, apparel and collectibles such as trading card games and stickers,” said Henno. “We also have interest in categories such as wheeled items, outdoor sporting goods and bedding in the UK and internationally.”

The publisher already has strong ties with toy firm Tomy, which currently produces action figures, vehicles and plush toys based on the games. Other UK licensing deals have seen the release of Sonic-branded stationery, posters, greeting cards, confectionary and more. Sega even teamed up with Alton Towers last year to rebrand one of its rollercoasters as the Sonic Spinball Whizzer and create a Sonic-themed hotel room. More than one million people tried out the ride in 2010.


Teaser site for the 20th Anniversary is now live and can be found here. (But it is all in Japanese unfortunately.) A screencap can be found below.

The information below is taken from this dedicated SEGA blog:
"Jazwares is celebrating Sonic's 20th in style by producing figures that span his 20 year career. These photos found online were snapped at JazWares' booth at the 2011 UK Toy Fair. One collection revealed is "Sonic Through Time", which will depict the various designs of Sonic over the years. Photos reveal a 1991 Sonic and a 2008 Sonic, but I'm sure we'll also see a 1999 and perhaps 2011 model as well. Very cool. Even more exciting than Sonic is the reveal that classic Eggman will get a figure, along with two EggRobos from Sonic and Knuckles! Also revealed is a modern Eggman with two robots from the Sonic Unleashed intro movie.

Off to the left is, I'm assuming, a Sonic Colors Tails figure (the design and box background look like they come from Colors) however packaged with Tails is a retro badnik. Badnik figures! No clue if that badnik appeared in Colors. No official announcement has been made on details and release date.

Edit Update: The full line has been tentatively released with rough estimates on price and delivery times. The information can be found on this page. It just goes to show the wealth of products that become viable when celebrating such a momentous occasion"