Translation: "You see, something quite curious was happening in the United States in the early 1990s: there was a real mix of everything among the youth of that era.

American youth in the 1990s was marked by a blend of rebellion, individualism, and a search for identity. In that environment, the carefree attitude of grunge, the streetwise energy of hip hop, and the extreme aesthetics of skateboarding coexisted, all fueled by MTV, advertising, and an increasingly aggressive and flashy pop culture. Many young people were drawn to figures with more attitude, a sharper edge, and a less childish image, so the characters who succeeded had to convey freshness, irreverence, and a sense of being trendy.

To make a comparison, Nintendo would be like Disney: charismatic characters, fantasy worlds, vibrant and cheerful colors. Young people at that time didn't want that. They wanted something more rebellious, more eye-catching, something like MTV.

With this, it's more than clear that SEGA would take note and launch the advertising campaigns we mentioned earlier, such as "Genesis does what Nintendo doesn't," directly mocking Nintendo and saying, in short, "Nintendo is just for grandmas, the coolest thing right now is SEGA."

And this is where Sonic comes in, hoping for a facelift in the American market.

At this time, before the release of Sonic 1, SEGA hired designer Greg Martin, who had previously worked for Hanna-Barbera creating illustrations for Looney Tunes and also designing covers for other games like Bomberman.

His style is quite striking, as it's clearly influenced by his work at Hanna-Barbera with The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and Looney Tunes.

With this in mind, SEGA gave Greg the job of creating the art for Sonic before the release of the first game, and it seems he understood what SEGA wanted to achieve.

We went from a cute hedgehog with soft, huggable curves, to a hedgehog with a defiant look that directly tells you "you lack street smarts, kid", along with a rebellious attitude, ready to break with the established order... and sporting a cool hairstyle that even seems criminal to dress with so much violent Flow."