Continuing my season of features on Sonic Merchandise, I thought I’d change tactics slightly. We’ve seen a few examples of rare and wonderful goodies…but my emphasis is on a few. There is simply so much stuff out there now, that to catalogue the almost continuous stream of goodies and nick-nacks would be an almost impossible task. There’s an almost continuous stream of retro-style goodies being produced presently, along with the spate of Sonic X gear that still loiters; that’s on top of nearly 18 years of paraphernalia from around the World! But one site dares to do that…
AzureBlaze, the curator of SonicGear.org, told us at TSS how the idea for the site started: “When I couldn’t collect the Sonic stuff I wanted, I started collecting the photos; Sonic Gear at first was based only on the photos I’d collected over my years on the internet. I made up the site in the hope that other Sonic fans could see the things they wanted, learn how to get them, and I could provide tips to others on how to get them; I wanted fans to see the Sonic stuff that is released and no one gets told about it.”
Even after a few moments on the site, it’s clear to see just how much in the way of photo graphic references have been collected, including merchandise from around the globe, with particular emphasis on pieces released in Japan, America and the UK. From clothing to plushes, this site pretty much covers it all. There are some smashing photos of the near-impossible-to-find Sonic the Fighters plushes (see last week’s merchandise article!), as well as snaps of the fabled Sonic Store that existed in Japan for a small time during the Sonic Adventure era. Not only that, there is a massive archive to a whole host of Sonic clothing lines, including the new American-released Top Heavy designs; AzureBlaze tells us “I’m tired of seeing Sonic on the sidelines of fringe collecting where fans have to scramble to auctions and put up with jacked up prices on ebay to get the goods.”
So, what Sonical Stuff is the expert of all things merch looking for to add to his own collection? “The things in the Super Sonic Gear section of my site. The soap-shoes plush, the crystal cube, and the silver ring are right up there on my list of things to find. The Sonic Adventure2 Battle Shadow plush as well. I tend to go for the things that unique AND have the best design.” As well as the Super Sonic Gear section of the site showcasing some of the pieces of gold produced through the years, the site also includes a rather hilarious “Mutant Gear” section with some of the worst pieces of merchandise produced; I’m sad to say I own a few pieces showcased!
Sonic Gear is constantly updating its pages with photos of the new and old, and is keen for you to get involved too! So if you’ve got something you can’t see on their pages, drop them a line and donate some snaps! And hey, if you’re feeling extra generous, you can even donate spare merchandise if you really want!
Cheers to AzureBlaze for the interview – More next week kids!