Sonic the Hedgehog and the Bluffers

[starlac]

This is something that just occurred to me after watching an episode of The Bluffers for profiling (yes I know adding it was a bit random).

A fair whack of the basic premise of The Bluffers is remarkably similar to DiC’s and Archie Comic’s animated/comic version of Sonic the Hedgehog. A big guy in red destroys the land (and he has a constant robot assistant), and a bunch of animals fight him from the last forest and are “led” by a blue mammal with a speed-themed name; okay so Sonic would run rings around Zipper, but I do wonder if someone at Archie Comics had seem this show at some point and built on it.

Of course it could also be one big coincidence.

Thoughts.

[MonkeyFunk]

I think Bluffers probably took after the Smurfs; in fact, if you consider the similarities in basic set-up that the two share with Asterix, you could argue that there's a small genre going on.

[KloKei07]

You're only talking about the comics and animated version, right?? Because is a fact that Sonic was originally created for the Sega games, so... I'm guessing the influence came from somewhere else...
Like you said maybe just a coincidence.

[starlac]

Yeah I was only talking about Archie’s and DiC comic/cartoon series: though if I remember my videogame history, Yuji Naka – Sonic’s creator - moved to a division of SEGA that was in America between the creation of Sonic 1 and 2.

I personally think it’s a coincidence, but just wanted to note it down as a thought that entertained my mind; something not helped by the fact that I’d recently re-read this thread (http://www.keyframeonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1869&highlight=skunk). Mind you, what I mostly entertained was what if The Bluffers had been more popular would people start comparisons with the two? I can’t think of a site that has much info on the series – outside of the basic - and can’t find many else who even remembers watching it. One way or the other though, I’d rather watch Sonic the Hedgehog.

In much the same vein, another part of me was wondering – for quite a little while – where I stand on such things, especially where the lines are more drawn and violently discussed: like say the controversy between Tezuka’s Kimba the White Lion and Disney’s Lion King. Until I started studying animation history with a great deal of seriousness, I’d never even heard of Kimba or Tezuka, so it came as something of a surprise. In the end I don’t want it to affect any review I write for either, though I am, regardless, going to have to watch both again anyways.

I think Bluffers probably took after the Smurfs; in fact, if you consider the similarities in basic set-up that the two share with Asterix, you could argue that there's a small genre going on.

Well Clandestino does somewhat resemble a larger framed Gargamel :D. I suppose Asterix could be called the archetype of the genre (course the magic potion of Asterix gets compared with Popeye’s spinach at times too :lol:). And there have been several cartoon series that focused on small creatures against much larger enemies.

Of course there have always been stories, points in history and mythologies about battles against insurmountable odds, generally with a seemingly unstoppable enemy.