Sonic the Hedgehog Bible is an internal document of Sega for Sonic the Hedgehog. It contains the earliest western backstory of Sonic. It was created by Sega of America as a localized backstory to go with Sonic the Hedgehog.
Several drafts of the bible have been released online. In the first draft, Sonic's backstory was wildly different from his later backstory: Before there was Sonic the Hedgehog, there was just a little brown hedgehog called "Sonny". He lived with his mother by a burger joint in Hardling, Nebraska. Sonny's father died in an accident when he was just a few days old but his mother, though poor, tried to raise Sonny on her own. Sonny quickly grew up into an energetic and spirited hedgehog. Everything changed in Sonny's life when he met a human named Dr. Ovi Kintobor.
The second draft removed many elements, such as Sonic's name being "Sonny" and Sonny being from Nebraska. Instead, Sonic grew up as an orphan in the Green Hill Zone on the planet Mobius. He developed his abilities from hanging out with his friends: a rabbit named Johnny Lightfoot, a chicken named Chirps, a penguin named Tux, a walrus named Joe Sushi, a pig named Porker Lewis, Flicky the Bluebird, and a squirrel named Sally Acorn. One fateful day, while Sonic was teasing Chirps for his inability to learn how to fly, he rolled so fast he ended up tunneling into the secret laboratory of Dr. Kintobor.
The backstory of Sonic the Hedgehog Bible never caught on in America outside of Sonic the Hedgehog Promo Comic, but it was used in British material. It's the basis for Sonic the Comic and was used in several books, including Stay Sonic.
This script provides examples of:
- Animal Talk: Dr. Kintobor can't understand Sonic, so he uses his LinguaScrambler to translate Sonic's speech.
- Carnivore Confusion: Sonic loves eating burgers and other greasy foods. Hedgehogs are carnivorous, but it's never mentioned where the meat comes from in a world full of Funny Animals.
- Disappeared Dad: When Sonny was a few days old, his dad fell into a toxic pit.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Sonic is presented as having traits of real life hedgehogs. He also has parents and lives on Earth, rather than on his own separate world (Mobius). Robotnik can't understand what he's saying without a translator device.
- Earth Drift: Inverted. The first draft of the document shows that the World of Funny Animals central to America Sonic lore, Mobius, wasn't always a thing. Sonic was born in Nebraska in the 21st century. It seems that Funny Animals live amongst humans, but they can't communicate with one another.
- Furry Reminder: Sonic may be a Funny Animal but he's still a hedgehog. He eats mealworms and his mother tries to make him hibernate. He also ages quickly within one year.
- Green Aesop: The Earth is highly polluted. Dr. Kintobor and his fellow scientists were a part of the government's Nuvolution research, which was supposed to reverse the pollution. Funding for the project was ultimately cut. Dr. Kintobor was obsessed with the "purity" of untouched nature and heavily researched it.
- Lions and Tigers and Humans... Oh, My!: Sonic knows what humans are, so Kintobor isn't the Token Human. This suggests he lives amongst humans, though they don't interact much.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Sonny has five older sisters.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: The LinguaScrambler lets Kintobor understand animals.
- 20 Minutes into the Future: Sonny was born in the early 21st century but the script was written in the early 1990s.
- Universe Bible: It's a Sega of America Sonic bible.
- Unnamed Parent: Sonic's parents are named "Mama Hedgehog" and "Dad".
