With the new arrival of Sonic Adventure in 1998, it meant the characters got a modern makeover! So here we bring you the modern Japanese Sonic plush. From 1998 all the way up until now, Japan continues to provide top quality Sonic plush.
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Japanese Sonic Adventure Plush Series 1 1998
1998 saw the Sonic series take its first step into the modern era. All the characters received a modern redesign, new characters were introduced, and a new plush set was released based on the hit Sonic Adventure video game! This set was originally released in Japan, and could be won out of UFO catcher machines, they could also be bought in Japanese stores. The set consisted of two series- series 1 and series 2. Series 1 included Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Neutral Chao and Big. Series 1 are slightly more common than series 2, because they were also sold on an American SEGA site back in the day, but for some reason, their hang tags were removed. Each plush were made of a velboa material with button eyes, and vinyl for the bottom of their shoes, which has a tendency to crack and peel away with age. They also came with gold string attached to their heads to hang them.
Japanese Sonic Adventure Plush Series 2 1999
The following year in 1999, after the success of the first wave of Sonic Adventure plush, SEGA decided to make a 2nd series. This time, the set consisted of Sonic (with exactly the same design as series 1), Amy Rose, NiGHTS Chao, E-102 Gamma and Dr. Eggman. They were only available in Japan and could be won out of UFO catcher machines and were sold in Japanese stores. For some reason, this set had a much shorter production, and were not available to the American market, thus making them very rare. Each plush were made of a velboa material with button eyes, and vinyl for the bottom of their shoes, which has a tendency to crack and peel away with age. E-102 Gamma has sadly suffered this fate, when he pops up for sale, you always see him with cracked vinyl. They also came with gold string attached to their heads to hang them.
Japanese Sonic Adventure 2 Plush 2001
In 2001, SEGA released the most popular Sonic plush set of all time! The extremely rare, expensive and elusive Sonic Adventure 2 plush set. In recent years, Sonic fans have gone crazy for this particular set, namely Soap Shoes Sonic, but we’ll talk about that more in the next section. The set consisted of Sonic, Tails, Hero Chao, Rouge and Shadow. They could be won out of UFO catchers machines in Japan, and there were reports that these were available to purchase online at the time of their release, I remember being told this by a few collectors many years ago, during my own search for the set.
Each plush were made of a velboa material with button eyes, and vinyl for the bottom of their shoes, which has a tendency to crack and peel away with age.
Soap Shoes Sonic reaches the most money. You will never see one pop up for sale for any less than $1,000 these days. Tails doesn’t hold his value as well as the others in the set, he usually sells for much less. And Hero Chao is up there as one of the rarest Sonic plush of all time, next to E-102 Gamma. I honestly haven’t seen one for sale in years.
Each plush were made of a velboa material with button eyes, and vinyl for the bottom of their shoes, which has a tendency to crack and peel away with age.
Soap Shoes Sonic reaches the most money. You will never see one pop up for sale for any less than $1,000 these days. Tails doesn’t hold his value as well as the others in the set, he usually sells for much less. And Hero Chao is up there as one of the rarest Sonic plush of all time, next to E-102 Gamma. I honestly haven’t seen one for sale in years.
Soap Shoes Sonic, is regarded as the most popular Sonic plush of all time, so I wanted to write a special segment dedicated to this glorious plush! I may be cheating a little bit here, as this is meant to be where I show you the ‘Sonic Adventure 2’ plush set, but I felt the two variations of this plush need to be mentioned here too!
Soap Shoes Sonic, is highly regarded by fans, as being the most character accurate Sonic plush of all time. He rose to popularity around 2018, after YouTube videos with high views started to surface. Before this time, Soap Shoes Sonic was almost like your average Sonic plush in terms of popularity. I would often see them selling for no more than $200, I saw a few sell for $50 and on Japanese auction sites they would sell for between 8,000- 15,000 yen. Being an occasional reseller, I wouldn’t even bother bidding on Soap Shoes Sonic, as there just wasn’t enough money to be made. But after YouTube coverage, he rose to fame, becoming the ‘MUST HAVE’ collectors item for all Sonic fans it seems! Thus now, if you’re looking to purchase a Soap Shoes Sonic, expect to pay upwards of $1,000 - $2,500, or possibly more.
There were three variations of this plush made. The first one on the left, is from the actual Sonic Adventure 2 plush set. He has slightly darker peach colouring than the other variations, and a different tush tag.
The middle Soap Shoes Sonic is the one from my own collection. This is the ‘Not For Resale’ version, as written on his tush tag. I sadly do not know the full history of this variation, where he could be obtained. All I know is that he’s Japanese in origin. His peach fur is lighter than the Sonic Adventure 2 variation, and his head shape looks ever so slightly different.
And last but not least, we have the Korean Sonic Heroes pre-order bonus variant, shown on the far left! By far the rarest, I have never come across one for sale. The big difference with this plush is that his eyes are upside down!
Soap Shoes Sonic, is highly regarded by fans, as being the most character accurate Sonic plush of all time. He rose to popularity around 2018, after YouTube videos with high views started to surface. Before this time, Soap Shoes Sonic was almost like your average Sonic plush in terms of popularity. I would often see them selling for no more than $200, I saw a few sell for $50 and on Japanese auction sites they would sell for between 8,000- 15,000 yen. Being an occasional reseller, I wouldn’t even bother bidding on Soap Shoes Sonic, as there just wasn’t enough money to be made. But after YouTube coverage, he rose to fame, becoming the ‘MUST HAVE’ collectors item for all Sonic fans it seems! Thus now, if you’re looking to purchase a Soap Shoes Sonic, expect to pay upwards of $1,000 - $2,500, or possibly more.
There were three variations of this plush made. The first one on the left, is from the actual Sonic Adventure 2 plush set. He has slightly darker peach colouring than the other variations, and a different tush tag.
The middle Soap Shoes Sonic is the one from my own collection. This is the ‘Not For Resale’ version, as written on his tush tag. I sadly do not know the full history of this variation, where he could be obtained. All I know is that he’s Japanese in origin. His peach fur is lighter than the Sonic Adventure 2 variation, and his head shape looks ever so slightly different.
And last but not least, we have the Korean Sonic Heroes pre-order bonus variant, shown on the far left! By far the rarest, I have never come across one for sale. The big difference with this plush is that his eyes are upside down!
Japanese Sonic The Hedgehog X Plush Series 1 2003
In 2003 to tie in with the new Sonic The Hedgehog animation ‘Sonic X’, SEGA released a brand new plush set. They were only available in Japan and could be won out of UFO catcher machines. They could also widely be purchased on online Japanese import stores and eBay around this time, for as little as $15 each. Included in the wave 1 set were Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, Cheese and Chris. Cream and Cheese have always sold for the most money in the wave 1 series over the years, perhaps because less were sold of them at the time, making them rarer. They were made of a felt material with embroidered detailing. Some characters have vinyl on their shoes, which sadly peel off with age. They’re a smaller plush set, averaging at around 8 inches tall.
Japanese Sonic The Hedgehog X Plush Set Series 2 2004
The following year, SEGA released a series 2 of the Sonic X plush set. They were only released in Japan in UFO catcher machines, and they could be purchased online in various import stores at the time. Included in the series 2 set were Sonic, Shadow, Rouge, Bokkun and Dr. Eggman. Rouge has always been the most valuable of all the Sonic X plush, selling for a minimum of $500 in when she pops up for sale. They were made of a felt material with embroidered features, some characters have vinyl shoe detail, which sadly peels and cracks with age.
Japanese Jumbo Sonic The Hedgehog X Plush 2003
SEGA released a ‘Jumbo’ Sonic and Tails plush, to tie in with the release of Sonic X! They look very similar to the Sonic Adventure plush and can often be mixed up as being the Sonic Adventure plush, especially when they pop up for sale missing their hang tags. The main difference with Sonic, is that he’s slightly chubbier with a wider head than the Adventure plush. And the main difference for Tails, is that the Sonic X version, has a closed mouth. They were only released in Japan in UFO catcher machines. They were made in a velboa material with button eyes, felt features and vinyl detailing on their shoes. Sadly, the vinyl tends to crack and peel with age.
Japanese Posable Sonic The Hedgehog X Plush 2003
In 2003, SEGA released another set of Sonic X plush, this time fully poseable, they can even stand up on their own! Included in the set were Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. I am unsure whether or not these could be won in UFO catcher machines due to them being boxed. They might have been available to be purchased in stores. They have wire inside that make them possible, made in a velboa material with button eyes and vinyl detailing to the shoes. Even the white strap on Sonic’s shoe is vinyl. The Sonic that I own, has shoe vinyl that has completely peeled with age. Strangely, I have never seen Tails and Knuckles boxed in all my years of collecting.
Japanese Sanei Sonic The Hedgehog Plush 2007
In 2007, Sanei released a brand new Sonic plush set! They were only available in Japan and could be purchased in Joypolis (a SEGA arcade) and were widely available on gaming/anime sites selling Japanese imported goods, and eBay at the time. Included in the set was Sonic, Tails, Knuckles Amy Rose and a larger Sonic plush. The plushies are small. They are made of minky material with embroidered and felt detailing. Amy Rose has always been the most popular plush in the set, and always fetches the most money on auction sites.
Japanese Sanei Sonic The Hedgehog Plush 2012
In 2012, Sanei released a second wave of Sonic plush. They were only available in Japan and could be purchased in Joypolis (a SEGA arcade) and were widely available on gaming/anime sites selling Japanese imported goods, and eBay at the time. Included in the set was Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose and this time Shadow was included! They are made of minky material with embroidered and felt detailing.
Japanese Joypolis Sonic The Hedgehog Plush
Joypolis, and various SEGA Arcades in Japan, introduced a new Sonic plush series that could be won out of UFO catcher machines, won as prizes out of attractions and purchased in the Joypolis shop (I think). Throughout the seasons, you could find various themed Sonic plush- for example Halloween Sonic could be obtained in October, Christmas Sonic December, etc. They were made in a velboa material with embroidered and felt detailing.
Japanese Joypolis Chibi Sonic The Hedgehog Plush
These were a range of ‘chibi’ style Sonic plush, keychains and cushions, that could be purchased exclusively at the Joypolis gift shop in Japan. They are a unique style and are made of a short velboa material with embroidered details.
Japanese Sonic The Hedgehog Magnetic Plush With Ring
2019 saw the release of this high quality classic Sonic plush with magnetic features in his gloves! He can hold his hands together and also the ring attaches to his hand with a magnet. He is made of a velboa material with felt and embroidered features.
Japanese Sonic The Hedgehog & You Plush Keychains
These are Sonic plush keychains, from the Sonic the Hedgehog & You line. They were only available to be purchased in Japan. There were 6 in the set to collect. They came in little boxes, but I cannot confirm whether they were blind boxes or not. They look to be made of a kinky material with felt and embroidered features.
SK Japan Sonic The Hedgehog Plush
In 2018, SK Japan released 2 new Sonic plush! They were available in a regular size plush, and a keychain. Both plush were made in a minky material with felt and embroidered details.
Japanese Sonic The Hedgehog Movie 2 Plush
With the release of Sonic Movie 2, along came a new plush set! They could be won in UFO catcher machines exclusively in Japan during 2022, and there was a small set of 3 released- Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. There was a larger size Sonic released, but Tails and Knuckles were not made in larger sizes. They are made of a shiny velvet material, which makes them very unique! The smaller plush came with a string attached to their heads to hang them.
Japanese Sonic The Hedgehog Plush
2022 brought yet another Sonic plush line in Japan! These could be won in UFO catcher machines exclusively in Japan. They are a small plush, and have almost the same model as the Sonic Movie 2 velvet plush set, only these are made of a minky material.
Japanese SEGA Lucky Lottery Sonic The Hedgehog Frontiers Plush
2022 saw the release of 3 new Sonic plush, to tie in with the Sonic Frontiers video game. They were only available as lottery prizes in Japan. They look very similar to the Joypolis plush that could be won out of UFO catcher machines. They look to be made of a minky material with felt and embroidered details.
Japanese SEGA HQ / Sonic Team Sonic The Hedgehog Plush
Check out these amazing plush from SEGA of Japan’s HQ! These were never for sale to the general public and were likely custom made exclusively for SEGA. The Sonic and Tails plush are giant life size and look to be from around the Sonic Adventure era. Then we have a neutral, hero and dark Chao plush. Neutral and hero Chao are different to the ones that had an official release (and bigger), and then we have a dark Chao plush which was sadly, never included in the Sonic Adventure 2 plush set.
Japanese Love Live! X SEGA Sonic The Hedgehog Plush
Now this is an unusual Sonic collab! SEGA released a small range of merchandise featuring some anime style girls, Nesoberi (the one with ginger hair) and Sunshine Hanamaru (the one with brown hair). Hamamaru was released a year or two after Nesoberi. They could be won out of UFO catcher machines exclusively in Japan. They are a larger size plush made of short velboa material with embroidered details. The Sonic plushies are attached to the plush and unremovable.
Japanese Hello Kitty Sonic The Hedgehog Plush
In 2012, SEGA collaborated with Sanrio and made a one off Hello Kitty X Sonic plush! It was only available in Japan and could be won from UFO catcher machines. The plush is fairly large, and high quality. Made of a felt material with embroidered details and velboa Sonic suit. Whilst this plush was exclusive to Japan, another Hello Kitty X Sonic line was released in the US.
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