With Sonic the Hedgehog set to debut next year, the blue hedgehog is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Footage of the 1993 Sonic Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon accident has blown up online as fans revisited the incident.
The incident occurred in 1993, the same year that Sonic the Hedgehog made his debut at the parade (and two years after making his debut in the gaming world). The Sonic balloon was floating in the parade cessation, along with other famous characters, through New York City.
After the Cat in the Hat balloon veered off course, Sonic crashed into a lamp post and the balloon popped on live TV. Two people were also injured in the incident.
The footage, captured by ABC7NY, showed the lamp post slicing Sonic's eye open, bringing the balloon down on the crowd below. For years, the footage has been notoriously hard to find, leading some to believe it was purposely being hidden. For a long time, images of the deflated balloon and float test footage were the only reminders of the incident.
Twenty-six years after the infamous accident, the footage resurfaced this year as the film adaptation became a hot topic.
Helmed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog stars Ben Schwartz as Sonic and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, with James Marsden, Neal McDonald, Tika Sumpter, Adam Pally and Natasha Rothwell. The film is set for release on Feb. 14, 2020.