Watch the movie! Eat the shirt! Wear the cereal!
Back when I was a lad, you couldn’t release a popular movie adaptation without swamping high street shelves with branded tie-in items. Toys, clothes, trading cards, board games, pregnancy kits, (well, maybe not the last one), but whether it was Batman, TMNT, or Fire Walk With Me, (well, maybe not the last one), movies and merch went hand-in-hand.
Keeping the spirit of ’91 alive, Sega has announced that Paramount’s upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie will also be getting a full range of tie-in merchandise. While there are no pictures of these goodies to show off, the legendary publisher promises a range of figurines and playsets, including plush toys and a tie-in with fancy-pants mall store Build-A-Bear.
Penguin Publishing will also release several books based on the adventures of The Blue Blur and his movie pals, while Bentex and Bioworld are promising a range of clothing. Even at night you can’t escape, with Franco releasing a bedding set this spring. Finally, for the more discerning collector, Diamond Select will reveal a statue of Sonic’s movie design – though I think they’re missing a trick by not doing a limited edition “Classic Movie Sonic” release.
All-in, it looks like hardcore Sonic the Hedgehog collectors are gonna have a pretty hefty shopping list once the movie drops, February 14, at theatres worldwide.
