15th Anniversary

I found an interesting piece of information whilst researching the individual zones within the first Sonic game, in regards to how SEGA helped promote the 15th anniversary. Apparently an online source was set up that allowed anyone to download a printable PDF of the first level known as 'Green Hill Zone', and you could then assemble it and physically play the game. Which previously had only ever been played through a console using buttons and a TV or computer screen. It brings a nice ephemeral quality to something that is so publicly recognised at digitised.

After finding this piece of paper craft I went on to find an even greater amount of items that were related to gaming and creating something interactive out of paper. I found it difficult to find a lot of secondary research in regards to the 'Sonic' character, however I did find a lot of Mario stuff. I still think this could be useful as Mario is perhaps the biggest gaming franchise out there and if SEGA wanted to create a successful campaign they could emulate something designed for Nintendo's Mario.

Below is a PDF document that provides you with everything you need to create a fantastic 3D Mario. The designs do look quite complex but I'm sure that given some time and dedication a great figure could be made. Perhaps we could create something similar for Sonic and a few other prominent characters like Tails and Dr. Eggman.

I also found similar paper creations that represent the levels within a Super Mario game, similar to the Green Hill Zone example at the top of the post. Below are the images.

Once I started looking it was hard to stop finding things, so in order to save some time I compiled some of the best examples I could find in a collage below. Here you will see paper has been cut and glued to create a range of things, from the characters themselves to games consoles, and even little items from games that may not seem important, but they do hold a certain amount of cultural impact.