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This object consists of 37 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3D Chess

Chess Set
2009 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Sonic the Hedgehog is an iconic figure from the realm of video games. He first appeared in 1991 and was Sega's answer to the popularity of Nintendo's Mario character. The basic game has Sonic racing through levels in different zones, catching power rings and trying to avoid obstacles. Other characters appear in the games including Tails the Fox, Knuckles the Echidna and Amy Rose, a female hedgehog who considers herself to be Sonic's girlfriend. Together with Sonic himself, all these feature as chess pieces in this set.

The chess board is based on the Green Hill Zone of the game which was the first Sonic zone ever made. As part of its tropical landscape the zone featured brown and orange chequered hillsides.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 37 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Boards
  • Chess Set
  • Kings
  • Game Pieces
  • Queens
  • Game Pieces
  • Bishops
  • Game Pieces
  • Bishops
  • Game Pieces
  • Knights
  • Game Pieces
  • Knights
  • Game Pieces
  • Castles
  • Game Pieces
  • Castles
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Kings
  • Game Pieces
  • Queens
  • Game Pieces
  • Bishops
  • Game Pieces
  • Bishops
  • Game Pieces
  • Knights
  • Game Pieces
  • Knights
  • Game Pieces
  • Castles
  • Game Pieces
  • Castles
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Pawns
  • Game Pieces
  • Rules
  • Chess Set
  • Lids
  • Chess Set
  • Boxes
  • Boxes
  • Chess Set
  • Inserts
  • Chess Set
TitleSonic The Hedgehog 3D Chess (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Printed and folded card, moulded plastic, printed and glued paper.
Brief description
Chess set with Sonic the Hedgehog characters, made in China for Gaya Entertainment in 2009
Physical description
A rectangular, card box contains the game board, instruction booklet and a white, plastic insert. The insert fits into the whole box base and is moulded to hold the thirty two playing pieces.

The anthropomorphic characters from Sonic the Hedgehog make up the plastic playing pieces, each piece standing on a circular base. In order to distinguish the pieces of one player from another, sixteen bases are orange and sixteen dark brown. Of the thirty two pieces, the two Kings are Sonic, two Queens are Amy Rose, four Bishops are Tails, four Knights are Knuckles, four Castles are Master Emerald and the sixteen Pawns are Rings.

The chequered board has sixty four squares arranged in an eight by eight grid of alternating brown and orange squares, with a faint graphic of Sonic the Hedgehog's face in the centre and digitally illustrated, tufted green grass forming a square round the playing area.

The box lid shows the photographed characters of Knuckles, Amy Rose, Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails, standing in a digitally illustrated tropical landscape. The characters stand on a brown and orange chequered chessboard in a rocky cove. They are facing forwards, surrounded by spiky leaved sunflowers, palm trees with leaves that resemble folded card, tufted green grass and blue water. Across the cloudy sky is the wording:

'SONIC / THE / HEDGEHOG TM / 3D CHESS / Schach / Jeu d'échec / Gioco degli scacchi / Ajedrez'

The black and white instruction booklet contains the rules of the game printed in seven languages.

Dimensions
  • Box lid length: 48cm
  • Box lid width: 24cm
  • Box lid depth: 48mm
  • Box base length: 47.2cm
  • Box base width: 23.5cm
  • Box base depth: 4.8cm
  • Box insert length: 46.2cm
  • Box insert width: 22.8cm
  • Box insert depth: 4.5cm
  • Instruction booklet width: 148mm
  • Instruction booklet length: 209mm
Style
Production typeMass produced
Gallery label
Sonic the Hedgehog 3D Chess
Instead of being based on a particular video game, this chess set features characters from the well-known Sega game series, Sonic the Hedgehog, devised in the 1990s. The chess board is based on the Green Hill Zone of the game.
Do you recognise any of the characters?
Maker: Gaya Entertainment
Made: China, 2009
Subjects depicted
Summary
Sonic the Hedgehog is an iconic figure from the realm of video games. He first appeared in 1991 and was Sega's answer to the popularity of Nintendo's Mario character. The basic game has Sonic racing through levels in different zones, catching power rings and trying to avoid obstacles. Other characters appear in the games including Tails the Fox, Knuckles the Echidna and Amy Rose, a female hedgehog who considers herself to be Sonic's girlfriend. Together with Sonic himself, all these feature as chess pieces in this set.

The chess board is based on the Green Hill Zone of the game which was the first Sonic zone ever made. As part of its tropical landscape the zone featured brown and orange chequered hillsides.
Collection
Accession number
B.82:1 to 37-2015

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Record createdSeptember 5, 2016
Record URL
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