It’s Easter, and so everyone’s making plans to go on holiday somewhere. Sonic’s already had his World Adventure in the form of Sonic Unleashed, but perhaps the sights of Apotos and Chun-nan hasn’t given our hedgehog a complete view of the world we live in.
This is where you come in. Courtesy of our friends at SEGA Europe, we have an Xbox 360 Elite console plus a game or two to give away to a special someone on The Sonic Stadium. As a runner-up prize, we also have a copy of Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (Xbox 360, PAL) for one of you. This is all made possible by the good folk at the Sonic City Blognik – click the link to visit them and have good times.
The Challenge
So what do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning a brand new console? Simple. We want you to take a Sonic plushie on an adventure and take a photo of where it ends up. Much like Sonic Team’s famed plushie photo shoots (example above) we want Sonic to see all the sights of the world – be that eating at a TGI Friday’s in New York or skulking down the beaches in Skegness. The craziest photo will end up with a spanking new Xbox 360 Elite. Magical!
The Entries
Image 1: No sooner had we opened our contest than we suffered the good old Rule 34, with our first entrant displaying a somewhat “tough encounter between rivals”, courtesy of Yuluga. Not quite sure if Tails is experiencing anything about the world apart from the fact that it can be a cruel, cruel place, but I’m sure Eggman is having a good time. So er, thanks for this Yuluga.
Image 2: Silencer226’s entry attempts to add some toilet humour to the proceedings. It’s quite impressive how he’s managing to balance that Archie with his feet, either way. According to Silencer, “…Shadow has always wondered why Sonic loves those chili dogs, so he tried one. Big mistake… from his facial expression I could tell he had much to do. Now he must live his life as the ‘Ultimate Crapper'”.
Image 3: Here we have Shadow ‘enjoying’ the sights of Disneyland in Anehiem, California. As much of a traveller as the Ultimate Lifeform is, apparently the Happiest Place on Earth wasn’t part of his agenda. Entrant Waaurufu promised a Haunted Mansion ride to get him to come along. It’s a nice photo, let’s just hope the angsty one doesn’t find out about it.
Image 4: Peter had no Sonic plush, so he entered with his favourite figurine instead. We suppose it counts, particularly if you end up having a Bug’s Life-esque adventure as Sonic seems to be having here. Makes even a Bulgarian garden an exotic locale for some exploration.
Image 5: Sonic climbs among the rocks of Barry Island, Cardiff in this photo, immortalised by Frobman. Doesn’t look like he’s breaking much of a sweat – maybe all those past adventures have kept him fit over the years. It’s an awesome picture nonetheless, and almost won the contest.
Image 6: Josh enters a photo of a particularly knackered Sonic, which kind of links quite nicely from the last entry here. “He didn’t quite save [the world] this time, so he gave up because there was no hope–because the earth was already taken over, and so he decided just to take a nap on the beach.” Apparently beaches aren’t what they used to be after the world got destroyed by Eggman, hence the photo. Nice try, Josh.
Image 7: Amy tries the economy-busting approach to holidaying, by fishing in a bucket in MilesDX’s backyard. Well, at least she can’t complain about the quality of the food or accommodation this way. Let’s hope she doesn’t end up with a frog for dinner, otherwise Big won’t be happy.
Image 8: Rather than go on a world adventure, Deancast shows Sonic that the best place in the world can be home, as the blue blur is caught finding some chili dogs to cook up. The way he’s looking, it seems ol’ Sonic’s had his fair share of dogs as well. Getting a bit porky there. Deancast, just how long has Sonic been stuck in your house living on this stuff?
Image 9: The chili dog scoffing must have taken its toll on Sonic’s fitness, as Chaos360 sends us a picture of our hero gallantly failing his daily training in a gym in Catford. Bonus points to Chaos360 for the confused onlooker on the rowing machine there.
Image 10: Sonic needs gems! Emeralds! Shiny things! To satisfy his desire to complete his gems collection, Pri0n took his plushie to a New York jewellery shop. After ‘detecting some strange energy patterns’, the hedgehog discovered that the store had Chaos Emeralds, and they were for sale too. If only Dr. Eggman knew how easy it would be collecting the elusive seven…
Image 11: The Word Tamer lives up to the name by sending us a short story alongside this entry, where Sonic valiantly escapes from his most dangerous foe yet – Sonic Man! While quoting a bunch of hyperactive side-characters, Sonic’s task in “Sonic Adventure 3” is to reclaim the stolen Yuji Naka-Sanchinity orb from Sonic Man, all the while abandoning Tails and Knuckles via rope swing in Wivenhoe Woods. An ‘A’ for effort here, and an ‘A’ for sympathy as Wordy apparently fractured his wrist on that very rope swing prior to his career change to unconvincing villain.
Image 12: Frack’s entry speaks for itself: “Before being relocated to a maximum security, underwater GUN prison , Sonic was temporarily held in a similar facility in San Diego, CA. Poor guy.” He doesn’t quite look like he’s enjoying his world adventure there, does he? It’s OK Sonic, Amy will save you… at least she would, if she wasn’t bucket fishing.
Image 13: Tracy sent in a pretty cool photo of Sonic jamming in a band with Tails and Knuckles. She says the gang had just defeated Eggman for yet another time and playing the drums helps Sonic relax. Well, as long as Sonic doesn’t go anywhere near a guitar that shoots happy hardcore laser beams, we’ll be okay. And I think the neighbours would accept loud drumming noises compared to that as well.
Image 14: Sonic enjoys a well-earned rest in a nearby tree – well, with all this exploring around the world and seeing all sorts of sights, you do need a break every now and then. Dylan took this photo while Sonic was napping, but I’m sure he won’t mind.
Image 15: “Sonic is on in adventure this Easter Cracking One Bad Egg at a Time…” reads this entry from Future. Sonic finally gets Eggman into a corner – or should we say cup – as he declares “This is going to happen to you next!”, pointing at a broken egg. My my, we never knew Sonic had it in him. Eggman’s understandably a bit soiled at this threat, and the shocked face slapped on that egg is awesome. Nice work.
The Almost-Won-Its
Image 16: Foreversonic took this stylish photo of Sonic trying his luck in Great Yarmouth’s crane game machines. The story goes that Sonic’s friends got caught in this catcher so Sonic must try to free them. The setting feels very much like a location Sonic would be seen in, and the story behind it is pretty sweet too.
Image 17: Looks like Rio went on his own world adventure round about the same time most of the TSS Staff did, as he takes a photo with his Sonic plushie by a lake in the Chu-Zenji mountains in Nikko, Japan. It’s truly an amazing view, and we can say we’ve seen similar sights in our own journey in the land of the rising sun. This almost won because it was about the only entry that actually took the contest seriously. Great work.
Image 18: Leo’s entry sees Sonic hitchhiking in rural Germany, with the Bavarian Alps looking beautiful within the town of Garmisch. It was a real close call between the winning entry and this one, as the view is absolutely breathtaking and the photography here is worthy of praise. Sonic’s all bandaged up like that as the result of a traffic accident. Trying to get to Spagonia those few seconds faster doesn’t really seem worth it now, does it Sonic?
Leo’s entry is the clear runner-up in the contest, which means he bags himself a PAL copy of Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection on Xbox 360.
The Winner
Khyber’s entry won the contest by the width of a fishing line – literally! Setting up a scene where Tails is carrying Sonic over Bellingham Bay, WA is a unique way of staging a world adventure (as long as Tails doesn’t get too knackered after all that flying) and very fitting for the games as well. What really got us was the effort that went into taking this photo – believe it or not, the image above is not photoshopped, but rather a couple of plushies hanging on a fishing line. Kyber explains:
“I switched to fishing line instead of string because the string kept showing up in the picture. Sonic and Tails are held together with safety pins, and the angle is such that the pins aren’t visible. This was HARD to get right, but definitely worth it.”
You can see how Kyber set up the shot by taking a peek at this image. The imagination alone has earned you an Xbox 360 Elite console, a copy of Sonic Unleashed, a bonus game and a bundle of Sega goodies to boot, so well done Khyber! Thanks to all of our entrants, all of your photos were awesome and detailed a very interesting (if not sordid at times) adventure that the Sonic crew will certainly not forget!
What’s your favourite entry out of all of these photos? Let us know in the Comments box!
It’s times like this that I wish I still had my Sonic plush doll.
Of course it’s easy to just Photoshop a Sonic plush into a weird place.
Maybe I’ll send you something funny, but it won’t be official. Ya know, just for fun. 🙂
UK PAL? Darnit, not really a worldwide prize is it? Love to enter but not sure if I did win I’d be able to enjoy the prize.
I can finally put that Shadow plush of mine to good use.
Can I put a Sonic plushie into a photo in photohop? I have no plushie and I want to enter. Is it allow to find a picture on the internet and only take the plushie and put it into a photo?
This is great…even though it’s a UK PAL 360 Elite, I’d really have some good use from that HDD that it should bring. I already have an idea on what to submit, hope it lulz you guys when you see it (if I get to submit it).
Argh! I wish I would’ve known about this sooner! I’ve been to a LOT of places, but never took any pics w/ my Sonic or Knuckles plushie!!! Awww… Anyway, even if we *pointing to plushie* won the prize, is in UK PAL format so we wouldn’t be able to play with it. >_<
Oh, well! *Goes of to play ‘Sonic Unleashed’*.
Can we have people in the picture with our plushies?
@Questions: Has to be a real plushie, in a real location of your choosing. Photoshopping’s too easy, sorry. 😉 Besides that, anything goes. Can have people in it, can be on top of something, can be inside something, whatever.
Sorry about the PALness, but Sega provides the prizes, and it being Sega Europe it kind of makes sense really to offer PAL. :3
To confirm one of the games would be Sonic Unleashed ^_^ – also as part of my usual “working on a holiday like an idiot” I’ve put up a supporting blog on the Blognik.
hmm not got any good ideas yet.. I hope I get to go on holiday but even if I do I still have no ideas T_T
Oh well. I Photoshopped something and sent it in anyway. Don’t worry Dreadknux, I mention that it’s a Photoshop in the first sentence. Hope you feature it though. 😛
“UK PAL? Darnit, not really a worldwide prize is it? Love to enter but not sure if I did win I’d be able to enjoy the prize.”
Well, at least if you are from another country you can brag that you had your Xbox360 imported from the UK from a contest.
Ooh, that sounds like fun, just in time for Spring Break too. 🙂
@DREADKNUX:
Say, does it really have to be an original Sonic Plushie? I’m pretty not everyone has these, and I can imagine it’s pretty hard for some people to get one (take me, in Germany for example. x3).
Would anything else, like a simple figure or doll or something suffice, too? :3
What do we win if I enter a picture of Dread at the top of the Tokyo Tower wearing a silly hat?
My undivided happiness.
Oh I’m entering it, maybe I will win lol :P.
Can it be an action figure?
I wish I had a Sonic plushie…or the monies for one…
Is the XBox 360 Elite a region-locked console? If not, I’ll totally enter. I’ve even got an idea. 😀
I would enter, but I think the 360’s region locked, and who knows how much it will cost to import a game from Europe to America. If I do enter, it would be for fun, but I most likely won’t.
I’m hesitant to send mines in… I don’t think it’s good. But I going to go ahead and submit it.
Man why does it have to be PAL format :S,…
i’ll still enter, I have the perfect place too…
Aww, come on… UK PAL? I don’t get why it’s world wide if you can only play it in the UK 🙁
What luck! I’ve already done that! Time to enter!
I am definitely entering. Tails and I are going on an adventure. Right after we decide a good place…I have a few good ideas.
Now THERE’S a prize! Very nice. Good luck to all who enter…I would, but I already have an Elite, and beating you all would be just too easy. ;P
“Now THERE’S a prize! Very nice. Good luck to all who enter…I would, but I already have an Elite, and beating you all would be just too easy. ;P”
Now, what’s wrong with having two Elite consoles?
Are you guys just gonna take the “winning us would be just too easy” from him? XD
I have a werehog figurine…but thats it… maybe I’ll do something with it anyway..it IS still sonic if not a plushie lol
Well I have my Sonic Adventure Sonic Plushie.
I just need a good location.
Now if only i had a sonic plushie……….i’ll just have to find a way to get one……….
Alright, time to grab my Amy doll and go adventuring.
Heh, I don’t care if the prize can’t ship here; I got some sweet ideas to send in anywa XD!
It’s sad, because I have 6 plushies to experiment with, and I live in Australia, so the PAL thing would work, the only thing is is that there’s nothing of significance that my plushies could be in a photo with! I guess I could just have Big fishing at the lake, but that’s about all that’s around here.
The King from CD-i: 360 region locked? Hmmmmmm, ship ship ship ship ship ship ship ship ship ship ship ship ship ship!
ME: Dread, Could you give us some details of how the 360 would work? Like what games (region, etc [not the obvious]) could be used with it? Dah, oh well! If I can’t use it, than a local UK orphanage, hospital, retirement home, school, whatever’lace can have it.
I’ll (try to) enter. It would be nice to know if action figures are acceptable.
I’d take a Shadow Plush, have him face the sky and see the monsters from “Monsters V Aliens”.
It’ll be funny cus the picture would be taken in Modesto (where I live) where the movie was based upon
OMG!!! Man I can just borrow my cousin’s sonic plush toy! and take crazy pics with it kinda like Sonic playing the Wii or somethin……I don’t know.
Im going to enter in the most creative plushie…
It’s time like this that make me feel like a proud owner of a Sonic Underground plushie from a Denny’s special. XD
Now, to think of where I can put him…
Oh MAN! I have a great idea, but no plushie… :'(
WAIT! A friend has an action figure! Tell me that AFs work, plizzzz…
I was gonna take a pic of my sonic olushie at warick castle but I forgot lolz
I have a question though… Can it only be one plushie? or can you have more than one?
I think I am going to take tails to the apple store
Normally I would enter this contest, as I have a Shadow and a Robotnik plushie, but the temptation to make a foul picture with them is too great.
This sounds fun 😀
hey im defo entering this contest i whud luv to hav a new xbox 360 cuz i just got RROD it sucks so i am defo entering just gunna think off a unlikey place to take a picture 😛
I just sent my entry in using my Amy I won from a claw machine (interestingly it wasn’t a Sega UFO, just a random claw machine), and it’s a pretty funny one.
Anyway good luck to everyone.
Iv Sent My Entry In Now So good luck who ever wins the Xbox 360
Will you post all of the entries once the contest is over? I’d love to see all of the pictures that get sent in.
Damn! Almost won it!
Ah well! Could always try again and again for other contest.
How Shadow taking a dump didn’t win this contest, I do not know.
GREAT love the eggman with the broken egg one but the winner defenetly deserved it
Wow, if I where the guy who took the Shadow on the toilet photo, I’d never touch that Shadow plush or that Archie comic again (I can’t help being a germaphobe XD)
2,3,4,7,9, & 12 are my favorites 🙂
Awesome pictures. I like the winners and he earned it! Nice job! Can’t wait for the next contest!
I would have entered this contest, but, oddly enough, I already have a 360 Elite and Sonic Unleashed.
How the winner won I will never understand. I actually thought it was the worst one.
“it was about the only entry that actually took the contest seriously”
You wanted us to be serious with this…?
I think these entries are some of the best results of any contest I’ve ever seen. How often does a contest end with Shadow on the crapper, and these entries really show off how creative/imaginative everyone is.
“You wanted us to be serious with this…?”
Not really, it’s just refreshing to see someone take it a bit seriously, is all. They were all good though.
Edge, I think we should save your ‘Eggman x Tails’ fetish for another time, eh mate? 😉
i liked it when they showed that faker stuck in a tube wit the sign saying help…that was hilarious
“Wow, if I where the guy who took the Shadow on the toilet photo, I’d never touch that Shadow plush or that Archie comic again (I can’t help being a germaphobe XD)”
Lol, I cleaned everything before I did it. It was going to be a Sonic plush at first but it was too small. The eggman and tails one made me laugh. Congratulation to the winners, I was gonna try one outside and use the lighting of the sun to emit a chaos aura around shadow but my stupid dog loves to eat and chew everything up. XD
Nice contest and some great pictures 🙂
How in the world did they let Frack put that plushie in the aquarium? .. optical illusion?
All winners 😀
Hey, the winner’s plushie is from Sonic Underground! You got that from Denny’s, didn’t you?! XD
I submitted one… but at the last moment I requested that it be withdrawn from the contest, not going to go into the reasons why. But if you really want to see it, chances are it’ll be in the RL picture threat in a few days time on SSMB.
Dear Jesus, I could have wi=on that in a heart beat! D:
My father paid £700 to fly me out to Japan for that photo and I have to settle for third place?! UUUUGH.
Nah just kidding. XP Congrats to the winner and runner up. Kinda disappointed I came so close without winning anything but c’est la vie.
@dreadnux
Um… first of all I do not have a “tails x Eggman fetish”
second of all… thats not even a fetish
and third of all. This contest wasnt about who takes the contest seriously.
You guys even stated yourselves,
“The craziest photo will end up with a spanking new Xbox 360 Elite. Magical!”
Well Serious isnt crazy. I personally think the one that shouldve won was either sonic in the jar in a fish tank, or shadow at disneyland but honestly the “Craziest” one is the first one.
@ Edge, the contest rules and instructions also clearly stated that you had to take a Sonic plush to somewhere that they wouldn’t normally be in, the idea being a location, since in Sonic Unleashed/Sonic World Adventure, Sonic travels all around the world. It even said “Like the Sonic Team Photos….” and gave an example.
hmmm, that looks really really photoshopped. All though it looks poorly photoshopped. So if it were photoshopped they probably would have done a better job at making it look real. So it probably is real, but it looks fake.
Just to let TSS know Sonic The Hedgehog # 200 is out and I’ve read it!
Awesome entries! I totally forgot about this competition, I meant to squeeze a Sonic plush into an empty 2 litre Coke bottle and have him on the fizzy drink shelves in Morrisons with some story about a mission in a bottling factory gone wrong.
“How in the world did they let Frack put that plushie in the aquarium? .. optical illusion? ”
It’s not an illusion. 🙂
Sonic is in the tank, underwater. That’s why he’s in the cd tower case, so his feet won’t get wet (but they did anyway).
Congrats to the winners!
I didn’t seem to have the time, creativity, or travel to really get into this contest 🙁
The first one disturbs me (GET THAT YAOI OUT OF MY BRAIN)! They’re all great, & the commented jokes and work put into this is impressive!
Yay! My picture! ^_^
And good job, Kyber! Hope you enjoy your prizes!
My fav: The Winner – Who would have thunk it?
Runner up: Image 1 – Poor Tails 🙁 … 🙂
3rd: Image 16 – Would make a good fan-fic or something 🙂