SegaSonic Popcorn Shop is a novelty popcorn vending machine released exclusively in Japan in the year 1993. The machine was developed by Sega and features a video screen allowing customers to play a mini-game featuring characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. During the minigame, actual popcorn is being microwaved in another compartment inside the machine, and is ultimately delivered to the player once the game ends, regardless of how they play during the game.
The machine offers popcorn in three different flavors: butter, salt, and chili. Once the customer enters a coin and selects the flavor they want, Sonic and Tails place a kettle of popcorn on a conveyor belt to move it into the stove. However, Dr. Eggman shows up and reverses the belt to move the wrong way, so Sonic must outrun the belt to insert the popcorn himself. Eggman chases him from behind and tries to crush him with a hammer, so the customer can help Sonic outrun Eggman by turning the crank handle on the machine until Sonic reaches a slide that leads the popcorn into the stove. Once the popcorn is in the stove, Sonic will instruct the player to continue turning the crank to help him cook it until it's done, after which Tails will put it in a cup and place it in the dispenser for the customer to take, before Sonic thanks them for waiting and invites them to come back any time.
Due to the machine's exclusivity to Japan combined with it not being a traditional "game", for many years, it was one of the more obscure pieces of media in the Sonic franchise. It would end up gaining some recognition many years later after a reference to it was featured in Sonic Mania, where a popcorn machine modeled after it appears as a stage gimmick in Studiopolis Zone.
The game portion of SegaSonic Popcorn Shop contains examples of:
- Ash Face: Sonic spins the wheel on the stove so fast that the popcorn ends up exploding in Eggman's face. briefly setting him on fire and darkening his face with soot after.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Sonic spends much of the game speaking instructions directly to the player. Once the popcorn is done, Tails himself goes offscreen to put it in the dispenser for the player to take.
- Conveyor Belt of Doom: Eggman causes the conveyor belt leading into the popcorn stove to move the wrong way, forcing Sonic to run against it to get the popcorn in, while the belt moves toward Eggman, who is chasing Sonic with a hammer.
- Evil Is Petty: After having tried to take over the world at least twice by this point, in his latest evil scheme, the brilliant Dr. Eggman... tries to stop Sonic from cooking popcorn.
- Foregone Victory: The game is intended to end with the player receiving their popcorn regardless of how they play during the game portion, as even if the player doesn't turn the crank at all, Sonic will dodge all of Eggman's hammer attacks, and if they don't turn the crank during the ending part, Sonic will eventually turn it himself. There is still the off chance of the machine malfunctioning, though, at which point the game will instruct the player to ask for assistance from a store employee.
- Funny Background Event: Once the popcorn has been served, Sonic and Tails thank the player and say goodbye, while Eggman can be seen in the background being chased by the other animals.
- Mundane Utility: Tails uses his signature helicopter tails to fan the fire inside the stove while the popcorn is cooking.
- Thanking the Viewer: Once the popcorn is done, Sonic will thank the player for waiting, then invite them to come back anytime for more, before thanking them again.
- The Voiceless: While Sonic speaks directly to customers and Eggman verbally taunts him, Tails does not speak at all here.
- Wheel o' Feet: While Sonic is running from Eggman, if the player turns the crank to make him run faster, his feet will make a complete circular motion.
- Wrench Whack: During the chase portion, Tails may appear flying above Sonic and throw a wrench at Eggman, causing him to fall off the belt.
