Prototype Sonic Items Title
What about Sonic items that have not been made yet? Or things that NEVER got made?
It's time for prototypes & mock ups! All the things on this page are Sonic items which are NOT yet released, or are items which were NEVER released. If something doesn't ever get produced, it'll stay here forever, for you to see and read about it. Also included on the page are 'mock ups' which are not real items. They're an illustration created by a company to show what a final item would look like. Sometimes they're Photoshops, others are combination of art and photos. A mock up never becomes real itself...but the item it illustrates is often made.
When any item on this page DOES get made, (and SonicGear gets some kind of retail confirmation/fan photo) it will leave this page and move away onto the page it belongs on.
(EX: a keychain appears here, gets produced, a fan buys it and mails SonicGear--that key chain will then leave this page and show up on the Key Chains page)
Anything that does/is getting made should have release date info near it if it is available, along with the company which should be producing it--to help you find it!
Sonic Gear Main Page * Sonic Prototypes 1 * Sonic Prototypes 2 * Sonic Prototypes 3 * Sonic Prototypes 4 *
Sonic Prototypes 6 * Sonic Prototypes 7 * Sonic Prototypes 8 * Sonic Prototypes 9 * Sonic Prototypes 10 *
Sonic Prototypes 12 *
Tomy 2018 12 Inch Plush Catalog Page Here's the catalog page for Tomy's 12 inch plushes.
These are supposed to appear in August of 2018. As a general rule, larger plushes tend to be able to be more accurate/better looking than smalls because there's more area to detail & the fabric behaves better when there's enough of it. It seems to be partially true here, but hopefully these are real prototypes & not final anythings because there's problems.
Obviously, the Super Sonic is just some CG stand-in so it doesn't even count. Then, look at Shadow's shoes! They're missing literally EVERY detail. And what's his pose? Is he supposed to be waving? Why? That pose makes no sense for him. Then, Knuckles looks decent, but why give him 'the side-eye'? At least his fists are big and 3D enough & they didn't skimp on them or his shoes.
Last & never least! The Dark Chao! The fans have been awaiting an actual dark-side chao plush
since Sonic Adventure 2 (so, a long time) An official one WAS made in Japan, but it was extremely scarce, maybe in-company only. This one looks like a good start, however. It has the 'evil grin' expression, the red bat wings, & red limb tips. Be sure to notice the pointy 'devil tail' also. The 'head dot/ball' is for some reason a pom-pom so it looks fluffy/furry. (So, it's the only bit that's not all that accurate, but it's not that big of a deal) Page provided by Pat Mac
Suspicious Proto Super Shadow Here's something that's a bit suspicious.
It's Toy Island's "Super Shadow" prototype figure. Supposedly. He's done in shimmer gold, silver & red hi-spec paint to represent the 'super form'. However...as expensive as it appeared on ebay (over 300 dollars due to 'rare') this is ALSO something that someone could fairly easily just whip up in the garage.
Pearly or metallic paint colors can be easily obtained in a spray can or craft store & since there's nothing unusual about the figure / it wasn't re-sculpted (as it should have been) it could just be a fan-re-paint that
someone is trying to pass off as some 'prototype' item. Of course, even companies do this! Paint an item in-house to "represent how they want it to be", so there's no real guarentee either way. Toy Island was also lazy (a known fact) in that they just wanted to represent the super forms as a simple pallet swap so they wouldn't have to re-sculpt anything to wring more dollars out of fans. So, something like this does fit their profile of 'something they would do'. But, for now, it remains a proto-mystery. Photos discovered by Dustin LeeAutry
Puma Sonic Collaberation Shoe Prototypes Interesting Shoes-News!
These every-size sneakers are a collaberation between the famous brand Puma shoes & Sega. These are "Sonic theme Shoes", and they will be in teens & adults sizes so (finally) a shoe for Sonic that any fan will be able to fit into.
(The previous problem being Sonic shoes, scarce as they always were, would only appear in tiny or child sizes so fans were missing out on something to wear)
The shoes are...sort of Sonic themed? Yeah there's blue fabric & red on the sole but...aqua? Yellow? And why does the fabric look like it's dirty, covered in lint and dog-hair? It looks old & pilly not fast and cool. Who chose these? The most "Sonic" thing about them is the toungue tag up there. Every company ever has created some generic blue shoe before...so what's up?
*Clearly they are going for an "Adult Look" which means no pictures of cartoon characters all over the place, but it IS possible to have a more subtle design without creating a really generic looking item like what's here. Part of good design is being able to create a 'flavor' and maintain a 'balance'. Photo discovered by Taaron
Eggman Puma Shoe Prototype Now, Eggman gets a Puma shoe!
Here comes the Sonic themed shoe again as well. This time, it loses the poor choice of aqua/white sole & it's replaced with white. The tread is still red & the better lighting reveals some yellow & green checkering where the upper merges to the lower for the shoe. Notice the tiny detail on both of these there on the laces:
The laces are decorated with a group of 3 gold rings for each.
The Eggman shoe is actually VERY appropriate for Eggman. It has gray/steel look for the sole, a slick/shiny red upper & brings in Eggman's favorite black/yellow caution stripe pattern for the center. THIS shoe is a very good example of subtle character based design! It SAYS "Eggman" without Eggman being anywhere pictured/written. As a fan you know instantly who the shoe is for. The Sonic one? Not so much...pilly 'rustic' inappropriate fabric, putting green hill into it somehow, lack of stripe/buckle lack of gold....it just doesn't remind of Sonic the way the Eggman shoe does.
Eggman fans rejoice!
Eggman now has something that's better than Sonic's thing. It's a shoe just for you! However, as a Sonic fan this is also really cool because the villain needs to shine too & stuff just for him is uncommon. Photo discovered by Taaron
NorthWest Company Sonic Doll Blanket Here's a prototype plush that will stay that way.
It is from "The NorthWest Company", who produces plush & blankets and pillows, generally. This classic style Sonic doll was meant to be with the blanket you see under him. It's that 'fleecy' material that has the design all the way through. It features lots of different stock art for classic Sonic.
They released one plush & blanket combo to stores like FYE, & this was to be their 2nd try at him...but look at the back of the head: the spikes are really sparse & thin. It doesn't look good. His forehead is also really small & low.
He's also got a case of 'big body' going on, as it is nearly the size of his head. The shoes are also quite burgundy! They're not red, they're much darker than that & the hands are really small as well. This prototype was from a carton of things they made 'first drafts' of, but then never got released. It's just as well though, since the plush doll isn't that great looking. (Although the blanket is fun) They were trying to base him on the more 'American-type' design, but it didn't quite succeed. This was supposed to be for 2013 or so, after the others were 2011/2012 photo & owned, plus info by The Shniz Nite (TheSegaCollector)
Dolce & Gabbana Super King Sneakers Coming Soon from Dolce & Gabbana....?
Just what is going on with these MYSTERY SHOES? What's the first thing that comes to mind when you see these sneakers? Is it....Shadow the Hedgehog???? That would be the answer of any Sonic fan who sees these...so what's their deal?
Dolce & Gabbana previewed the shoes on their web site (which is where this photo is from--so it is a prototype shoe) but look at their name, it's the "Super King Multi Colored Sneakers". They don't mention Shadow, Sonic, or Sega anywhere. But why design something that looks so similar to Shadow's shoe? Was it just an accident? Is there a secret Shadow fan in this high-end luxury label's designer-stable? These shoes are certainly an expensive mystery! 675pound is close to 1000 USD for JUST shoes...that's rediculous! (And a shame too, it would be fun to own the shoe, Shadow themed or just a really odd too-coincidental accident)
Of course, please do write in if you can solve this Shadow Shoe look-alike mystery. Discovered by Taaron
Mini Morphs Prototype Here is an exciting (But unfortunate) photo of the Jazwares Mini Morphs prototypes. (These were a 2013 item) Why is it unfortunate? Because if you look at the MM's who were actually made, Knuckles is not on that list. But why not? He looks really good here, he's on model, and he fits right in with the rest of them...so why didn't he get made? It's a mystery that's just too bad.
Knuckles isn't the only thing that's unusual here. The other figures aren't exactly the same as the ones JW did finally end up releasing.
"Sonic takes stuff from the 5" figure, Tails takes stuff from the 3" figure, and Metal Sonic is metallic." Photo discovered by PatMac
Kelly Toy Werehog Prototype Plush A real rarity!
Now HERE's something you'll not likely see anywhere else. It's Kelly Toy's prototype Werehog plush doll. Kelly Toy was going to add the Werehog to their line up, but they didn't. However, at least 1 prototype plush was produced.
The tag close up reads "not for sale" and has slots for you to write in the lot / batch type numbers to identify the doll. It is not an ordinary tag, it's one reserved for the factory/prototype.
The doll itself....is kind of goofy looking though. First off, it lacks eye shines, making it have a 'blank stare'. They were trying for the 'larger lower face' but it's a bit wrinkly/bit big-nose. He has a big mouth with embroidered vampire-fang teeth...but it's kind of wiggly & silly looking on the plush. There are felt claws, and little rubber 'traction dots' to represent his 'shoe sole spikes' from the (preposterous) transforming were-shoes. They were also clearly attempting to get the changed ears & different hip/leg layout going as well.
The werehog is just such a super odd / wacky creature that was supposed to be 'scary' but because it was so wacky it kind of couldn't be. This doll is the same. (Oddly, no company ever thought to make an actual shaggy werehog out of furry fabric.) Why this got cancelled is unknown. Photos & owned by Pat Mac

Do you want a closer look at this? You can watch the Werehog Prototype Plush Video! There are also more photos to be had at Werehog Prototype Photos, all done by PatMac

Kelly Toy Chao Prototype The question isn't "was Kelly Toy going to make a chao plush?"
It's....Was Kelly Toy going to make a CHEESE the chao plush?
This single photo, which is actually a still from a video shot at a toy show, is the only evidence anyone has of Kelly Toy's plan. It may be faced away, but that's doubtless a neutral chao. But if you have a good eye and look very closesly, you can see red between the arm and the head. That's likely a bow tie, making the chao into Cheese. From this angle, it looks very good, actually, which is a little bit of a surprise from Kelly Toy because they've been known to botch things with Sonic. This is super interesting to see, and a rare sight indeed. Photo recorded by PatMac
Tomy Plush Catalog Page Proto 2018 More proposed plushes for Tomy's 2018 sales.
This is a page from their 2018 toy & plush catalog. Most of the catalog appears on appropriate pages (plushes, figures) but this one has too much unproven stuff & an error so it goes here onto prototypes. The 3 actual dolls that aer photographed here seem to be trying to fit their "Posed Plushes" line, with finger pointing Sonic, fists-up Tails & arms-crossed Eggman.
However, Shadow, Knuckles & Silver are all just the standard stock CG art they're using as 'stand ins' because those dolls weren't ready for a photo. But look at Silver's name: he's listed there as "Silver Sonic". Why? Can Tomy be THAT ignorant of the license they posess that they literally cannot tell characters apart & think he is actually Sonic but a different color? That seems preposterous...so why the label?
The plushes that do appear are ok, with Tails as the strongest one. Sonic's eye being offset is a bit strange as are Eggmans tiny/shrivelled feet. But, keep in mind that prototypes can change before release.
Catalog discovered by PatMac
Here's the first photo of Jakks Pacific's first Sonic plush....
And...they're not that great? For a first offering that's supposed to impress, this set isn't doing it. They're another "stylized" set where it's the classic characters but with tiny bodies/arms and big heads which has already been done better, by others. Then, there's actual innacuracies going on!
Look at those terrible NOT belly-dots for Sonic & Super Sonic! That's a BOOTLEG level mistake! The belly color is a CIRCLE ALWAYS, and they look dumpy & fat because it's not. Then, the chest white mark for Knuckles isn't a crescent & Tails...they just messed his color up totally with like an odd white 'bib'? What is going on with Eggman's face? Do they have his glasses as eyes looking sideways? And his arms are growing out of his...ribs? These things are bonkers without getting started on Sonic's failing spike details, & Knuckles bad looking giant eyes. Super Sonic has 2 eyes as well & Tails' eyes are wrong, even for classic style, plus his color is kind of too brown. This set is just about a mess. Very disapointing, and hopefully not an indicator for Jakks Pacific future in Sonic stuff.
Photo discovered by Pichu97/Charlie
This is an 'updated' set of the Jakks Pacific 'little big heads' plush dolls. Yes they're still SD Proportioned (is it because making real proportions was too hard for them?) and there are SOME improvements over that pretty awful looking trash set above.
First off Sonic:
They fixed the belly dot into an ACTUAL dot, not that bugs-bunny-bootleg thing where it connects to his neck and makes him look fat/stupid always. The face is about the same, and the ears still stand up. Still can't tell how the spikes are without a back view, but he is actually improved.
Next up: Eggman:
They've done...something with the collar/yellow part for some reason? It's still fine. He seems more circular/classic shaped, but there's still the oddball head construction & strange glasses-glint that makes them look like eyes when they're not. He's improved, but mostly by the better/right arm position. still not amazing nor terrible.
Tails is 3rd:
WELL. He's...less strange? He both got better AND worse with this edition. The mouth is like super WRONG. The toothy side smile is never anything he has, so it looks 'Knuckles-like' and bad on him.
The 'center smile' the previous version had was a lot better. This expression makes the plush look cheezy. The eye shape & black parts are much-much improved though. The original was so bad it looked like a bootleg. The chest patch/edges remains to be seen because it is hidden here where it wasn't before. The laid-back ears are a definite minus, as is the raggedy cut on the bangs-shape that's wrong anyway. Still poor, but improving.
Knuckles is last:
But not particularly least, because his eye shape is MUCH corrected. He looks a lot grimmer with the difinitive frown, but it's better than the awful first set of eyes. They also corrected the chest crescent into the appropriate shape. Something's been doen better with his spikes too, and the fists may be bigger. As long as they kept the good shoe detail, he could be all right.

Will these go through another revision?
Hopefully they do. They're better than bootleg looking that they started out with, but they're still not amazing & the Tails is a sure-fire mistake. Photo discovered by Pichu97/Charlie

Jakks Pacific 4 Plush Re Design 2019 Fortunately for everyone...
Jakks Pacific keeps going back to the drawing board vs their classic style Sonic small plush line. At a recent show, this set appears re-designed again in their presentation. (It's projected onto a screen in this photo) Notice that it gives the size at 7 inches, and calls it 'wave 1', meaning they have more planned. This time they also mocked up a paper tag, which has Sonic in a ring, is die-cut round & has the logo near the bottom. There isn't a ton to complain about here, any more.
They've got Sonic's ears standing up properly now, with borders, as well as Tails' ears.
Nobody has awful eye placement, Tails' expression looks cute/normal, and Knuckles isn't mutant. They ARE the 'chibi' type style with purposely simple features, big heads & short small bodies & limbs. Eggman's dubious design has his teeth for his neck but really...he looked like that in some of the early art and games. Sonic's spikes are shown all on one side, maybe it's trying to simplify him more? It's a little odd, but doesn't present too poorly. It's good to see them working on making presentable plushes for Fall 2019. Photo discovered by Pichu97/Charlie