Before Amy Rose, Sally Acorn etc, there was..

[gagaman]

Madonna?

Yeah, this is hardly new stuff, but after finding more of the concept art lying about on the 'net, after they were hidden in Gems Collection, I just had to make a topic on it. Everyone knows more or less about how Sega went about creating Sonic: by doing a sort of in-house contest for a new mascot. These ranged from human characters, to bulldogs, to wolfs, as well as a very 1930's style rabbit. The winning concepts, however, were those for the Hedgehog character, later named Sonic. These images below, that look as though they are by the same artist, include a early Eggman, some truely surreal enemies, and what is said to be Madonna (yes, that Madonna) as Sonic's sidekick/girlfriend. Oo-er.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/GagaMan/009.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/GagaMan/011.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/GagaMan/016.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/GagaMan/014.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/GagaMan/017.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v241/GagaMan/Sonic_mad.jpg

As odd as these are, I love 'em. They look sort of like a Ralph Bakshi cartoon harking back to golden era animation, or something. Makes you wonder what Sonic would of turned out like if he was created for a cartoon rather than a video game. Sonic 1 of which had a lot of interesting concepts that they stripped out from the final game or just didn't have time to fully programme, such as UFO's, Indiana Jones style ball chases (later realized in SegaSonic Arcade, now my 4th favorite Sonic game of the lot) and teleporting from one zone to another when running through the signposts (this concept was later used in the anime OVA).

[T3h_Waffleman]

That Madonna character scares me. Inter-species nookie is no good. Ane Eggman looks like a bumblebee or something!

[Pinkie Pie]

The one with all the weird hands? Could've worked, altough I dobut it would've caught on animation wise and comic wise.

As for Madonna..?
You realise how much everyone would hate the Sonic series had Madonna been in it, considering the redicilule the celebrity has (not to mention the "beastality" undertones, XD).

Still, I have to wonder - what the bloody hell is that evil thing in the background? It certainly isn't Robotnik, was the good old doctor just a minion back in the day?

[GG Hendrix]

The mind boggles.

Sonic Cult would be an even more fucked up place.

[Pinkie Pie]

I would correct that to say the Sonic Fandom... but it seems fucked up enough ALREADY.

[Protoboy]

I have unlocked all the art of this on Gems collection and I still don't understand what all this is, I know it's concept art, but did Sega want to make something different than a game out of this before their systems where launched? Seriously, I can't imagine any of those baddies being in the games, they are all variations of mutated hands.

Though everyone has to agree that a Eggman in a bee-striped suit is
T3h S3x.

[gagaman]

If that character was in fact not supposed to be madonna (as for starters that would age the series, and would not excatly help her career much, if people keep telling her how much they loved her in 'Sonic 2: Who's that girl?' rather than her music) but was in fact a sort of Red Hot Riding Hood/Jessica Rabbit type character, it may of gone down better.

On that subject, no one did question the whole Roger Rabbit thing anyway, did they? Don't forget this was long before the whole furrie thing happened, and it wasn't considered taboo to have cartoon animals couplied up with human characters XD

[Perks]

The mind boggles.

Sonic Cult would be an even more fucked up place.

Even more? That site owes me compensation!

[BlueSonnet]

I hate Madonna! She's 50 years old and acts like she's 15 - Ella Tuke

Ahem Given the copyright side of things they probably would have had to rename her anyway should she had gotten a Western release (just like capcom did with the whole M.Bison\Mike Tyson comparison).

Bestiality didn't seem like an issue that would come into this given we've had the wolf and Redhot along with Roger and Jessica. Even by this point furdom was still based around gay people wearing suits in their intercourse rather than the perversion of looney toons.

Would have been nice if Sonic had a wider choice of villians like he did here though.

[Tai]

Hey...Notice that...THING on sonics right(Our left)! It looks like a...

[Pinkie Pie]

Exclaimation Point? :p

[Mikado]

what thing?

[Tai]

Beware my new avitar!

[gagaman]

In Madonna's devense, she has pulled off more styles of music in her career than anyone else could even get close to. She should definatly settle down now, though. She must of made enough money now to see her through now, she could easily retire. What's more, her music hasn't been quite the same since after the album Music. If anything this character reminds me more of Red Hot Riding Hood (from the Tex Avery cartoons) than Madonna (although it's definatly based on her matreail-girl days, or somewhere inbetween that and her debut 'look')

On topic, I'm making fan art of this. I would love for Sega to publish a book with all the classic-era Sonic artwork, including all these concepts. None of the westren art, or the stuff after 1996, but all the sweet japanese art seen in the Sonic Jam/Gems Collection galleries.

[GG Hendrix]

In Madonna's devense, she has pulled off more styles of music in her career than anyone else could even get close to.

Mike Oldfield. :D

But, yeah, Madonna's done loads of quality shit, and gone through loads of styles.

[GrooveMan.exe]

I wonder what this Madonna would look like with the new style of artwork. You know, with the Highlighted edges and stuff.

I explained that badly. -_-

[gagaman]

FANART!
http://www.deviantart.com/view/35024981/
Not quite what I wanted. Oh well.

[GG Hendrix]

The glove on the left (sonic's right) looks a bit off, but other than that, that be fukkn champ, lad!

[Quickman]

The minute I saw that, the first thing to pop in my head right after the Felix the Cat, and Mighty Mouse memories was Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? That's just classic retro toon right there and I kinda wish they kept the style.