Conan O’Brien reveals shocking Sonic the Hedgehog redesign

Online backlash forced a redesign of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie but Conan O’Brien warns fans to be careful what they wish for.

They say that there is no such thing as bad press. Sonic the Hedgehog is certainly putting that theory to the test after the movie’s release was delayed to address fans’ complaints about the character design. But the new version of Sonic introduced by Conan O’Brien may have fans running in the opposite direction.

Sonic the Hedgehog was initially set for a Nov. 8 release date. Based on the popular Sega video game of the 1990s, the animated/live action movie stars Parks and Rec alum Ben Schwartz as the voice of the supersonic hedgehog. But response to the first trailer released back in April was so negative that Paramount Pictures delayed the movie’s release so the character could be completely redesigned.

The entire incident probably brought much  more attention to Sonic the Hedgehog than would have occurred had their been no backlash against the design. The studio’s decision to push back the release date was an example of the power of social media and a rare instance of fan input being taken into account before a film’s release.

A new trailer was released this week to overwhelming approval. Video game and animation fans applauded Sonic’s new look which is much more in line with how he appeared in video games and cartoons during the ’90s.

To help spread more goodwill and celebrate the power of the people, Conan O’Brien had a redesigned and rebooted Sonic visit the late night show. Who better than a video game industry heavyweight to introduce Sonic 2.0? The appearance proved that there may still be a few kinks to work out of Sonic’s new look.

The blurred out, censored Sonic the Hedgehog running out on stage was one of the biggest laugh-out-loud moments in recent Conan memory. The gag is reminiscent of the old Late Night with Conan O’Brien  days featuring various lewd bears, crass dogs and other animal puppets and mascots.

It also looks like TBS and Team Coco spent more time and resources in designing their version of Sonic than went into the first movie version. The animatronic ears and mouth were a nice touch and a reminder of how far Conan O’Brien is willing to push a bit no matter how absurd the premise or how limited of a shelf-life the gag can have.

Chances are that Paramount doesn’t want Conan O’Brien’s version of Sonic the Hedgehog in the spotlight ahead of the movie’s February 14, 2020 release. But as Censored Sonic said, it’s all thanks to the angry mob online that Sonic got a brand new look.