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[Chezzymann]

So, I was thinking about why Sonic kind of has one giant eye, (Or why his eyes aren't separated), and I started looking at older cartoon designs.

I noticed that sonic is very similar to Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse. One thing in particular, is that the classic Mickey Mouse design has a similar "Ridge" around his eyes to sonic. He doesn't have one giant eye though because his entire face is just white.

My guess is that they were looking for inspiration from mickey mouse and for some reason misinterpreted the design in that they thought the black ridge or fur around mickey mouse's eyes was the outline of the whites of his eyes instead of just being fur around his face, and when they combined it with felix's face, boom. You get sonic the hedgehog's one eye:

ALTERNATE THEORY:

Mickey Mouse was still in black and white in the early 1930's, and they didn't really know what colors to use for him in in the sunday comics. So they colored the mouth area tan and the eye area white because, well, I don't know. Thus resulting in the "one eye" phenomenon. Why? Maybe they misinterpreted the design too. Maybe I misinterpreted it and he really did have connected eyes originally. I bet the sonic team could have drew inspiration from the coloring in these comic strips regardless though.

Of course later they addressed this coloring issue with the 'new' Mickey Mouse design by adding whites to his eyes, making his entire face tan, and getting rid of the one eyed stuff seen in the news paper.

Spoiler

That's all I've got.

 

[AlexMogil]

It's where Kirby lives, right?

 

[Trojan X]

It's where Kirby lives, right?

That was horrid and scary...

 

[Iacobellis]

Are you high?

 

[foxuzamaki]

I see

 

[Krejlooc]

I believe we just had this thread.

Anywho, it's not really a theory. Naoto Oshima freely admits that Sonic was inspired by Felix the cat and mickey mouse.

 

[DaBoss]

It's where Kirby lives, right?

What I thought of when I first read the thread title lol.

For those who don't get it:

Your theory is interesting, OP. I think your reasoning is good.

 

[Forkball]

But what color are they?

 

[CrashPrime]

You ever see the back of a $20 dollar bill...

 

[Zonic]

It's where Kirby lives, right?

Well that or....

 

[Kade]

why donkey kong where tie?

 

[UnlovedJew]

That eye has inspired me to live on into my adult years.

 

[TheRealTalker]

lol this is the only explanation

 

[Chezzymann]

I believe we just had this thread.

Anywho, it's not really a theory. Naoto Oshima freely admits that Sonic was inspired by Felix the cat and mickey mouse.

Well I mean, neither felix the cat or mickey mouse have that one eyed stuff going on (Unless you count some of the color sunday comics I referenced in the OP but I think that was just a mess up/weird transition to the new design)

 

[random25]

That sure did creep me out! >_<

 

[OmahaG8]

Are you high?

What?

 

[Mistle]

This is interesting, even though I've seen both the original b/w mickey and the new colour versions, I still misinterpreted the b/w version to have large whites of the eye

 

[Takao]

why donkey kong where tie?

because donkey kong was actually a human that through the power of science regressed into an ape
the tie is a constant reminder of his lost humanity

 

[Log4Girlz]

The cyclopian look is quite common in cartoon characters which is what Sonic is.

 

[Adam_Roman]

Wasn't there a similar thread to this like two weeks ago?

 

[Spring-Loaded]

Wasn't there a similar thread to this like two weeks ago?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=846158

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

What I thought of when I first read the thread title lol.

For some reason that image grossed the shit out of me.

 

[Wazzy]

why donkey kong where tie?

Because he's classy as fuck.

 

[ohlawd]

holy shit now I understand what's happening in that one dude's avatar.

 

[Chrono Helix]

For some reason that image grossed the shit out of me.

That's because you're now wondering what it'll look like when Kirby leaves his head.

 

[Oddduck]

Two eyes connected together is something common in cartoons.

Even this character on a box of Cookie Crisp cereal has two eyes connected together.

 

[Mango The Magician]

I honestly just think it's a typical cartoon thing to do, and Sonic is just stuck with it cause he started out designed that way. I mean the dog from the Inspector Gadget cartoon is the same way, and Yoshi as well in some of the Mario cartoons. On the flip side though, I'm really confused as to why Sega didn't use the opportunity to fix it with Sonic Boom, I mean all you really need to do is just pull the blue part in the middle down to his nose.

 

[Chezzymann]

The cyclopian look is quite common in cartoon characters which is what Sonic is.

Yeah, I guess its implied that they have two eyes but its just an artistic way of expressing it, lots of times its sort of half way.

Its still weird how sonic didn't really address that later on, its strange how in detailed models of sonic you can see his skin/fur/whateverthatbluestuffis folding and such.

When the smurfs got all realistic they at least made the eyes separate.

 

[Small Mailman]

You ever see the back of a $20 dollar bill...

ON WEED?!

I've always been bugged by Sonic's 'eye' myself though...

 

[MaulerX]

I always thought they just drew him with an eyebrow raised and one lowered to give him and edgy look. Also his face is at an angle so the eye with the raised eyebrow looks bigger by default.

 

[StuBurns]

You ever see the back of a $20 dollar bill...

Now I need to watch Dazed and Confused again.

The cyclopian look is quite common in cartoon characters which is what Sonic is.

Now I need to watch Slacker again.

 

[popyea]

Did people really think the original mickey had giant eyes? You can pretty plainly see that isn't the case when he's animated.

 

[Yoshi]

I honestly just think it's a typical cartoon thing to do, and Sonic is just stuck with it cause he started out designed that way. I mean the dog from the Inspector Gadget cartoon is the same way, and Yoshi as well in some of the Mario cartoons.

Some of the cartoons and all the games... It's two eyes, but there is nothing in between.

 

[Vidpixel]

Clearly, he's a cyclops.

 

[Lernaean]

So do cars in 'Cars' and like a billion cartoon figures in the history of cinematography.
I may be thick but i fail to understand if this is a troll thread or if the younger generation(s) are so accustomed to photorealism that they trully can't understand other art-styles at all.

 

[jediyoshi]

So do cars in 'Cars' and like a billion cartoon figures in the history of cinematography.

And if vehicles can have one giant eye, why can't this two eyed animal.

 

[Necromanti]

Maybe it's a clever reverse-homage to the fact that having a mutation in the Shh (Sonic hedgehog) gene may lead to cyclopia.

 

[Troubled Bat]

 

[Pacify]

Always saw them as goggles, but then there's

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

Edit. Forget me. Der.

 

[Demigod Mac]

I shall give you all nightmares.

 

[PAULINK]

well this thread has been eye opening

 

[RecursiveFault]

well this thread has been eye opening

Perfect.

 

[freethoughtbubble]

^ ga-HAGH!

 

[jwhit28]

because donkey kong was actually a human that through the power of science regressed into an ape
the tie is a constant reminder of his lost humanity

Dong Souls

 

[normanski]

Sonic doesn't have one big eye at all, it's simply to give a sense of perspective so his face isn't flat (if you look at the old model sheets for Mickey in the back of Ilusion of Life it mentions to draw his eyes like this when in a three-quarter view for this reason)..

Sega have also admitted in the past that Sonic's design was a combination of Mickey and Felix.

 

[Loofy]

He clearly has one giant eye with 2 pupils.

 

[Sayad]

It's just a perspective trick, sonic team uses the same cameras used in "big ass" themed porn scenes.

 

[show me your skeleton]

ugh.

 

[Percy]

Is he having a stroke?