If there’s one thing I regard with utmost sincerity, it’s everyone’s favorite hedgehog in blue, Sonic.
So when my glutenous self heard about the “Sonic the Hedgehog” x International House of Pancakes (IHOP) menu on Apr. 1, I knew I had to offer myself up like a devoted acolyte to his ravenous god and make the pilgrimage to the nearest IHOP.
Perhaps my expectations were too high or someone in the IHOP marketing team was a serious fan of Snap Cubes’ real-time Sonic fan dub and took the quote “I’m gonna have to break down the myth of Americana” to heart because my aspirations for a good old American breakfast died. Fast.
On a surface level, the menu itself is palpable. It follows the same naming cliches of other character-themed menus by matching certain dishes with characters based on traits associated with said character. Despite that, compared to previous collaborations (Minions movie in 2022) the IHOP x Sonic the Hedgehog menu is not super (sonic).
For starters, the campaign fails at garnering publicity for the “Sonic Superstars” game. Instead, consumers are incentivized to collect the “PanCoins,” IHOP’s digital rewards system on their mobile app. Sonic the Hedgehog is by no means a small named brand, with a fanbase dedicated enough to support whatever mobile game the series launches, but one would think that the QR code on the menu would directly lead to the Sonic Superstars game instead of proposing a rabbit hole of consumption with the eventual promise of discounted pancakes.
From a fan’s viewpoint, the purpose behind having a collaboration with SEGA is to advertise exclusive in-game content about the Sonic franchise, however upon taking a closer look it’s evident that the collaboration is a simple cash grab for IHOP, adequately taking advantage of consumer culture in a society ruled by capitalism. Retrospectively, the myth of Americana won here.
This leads to my second argument, the campaign itself is esoteric. On the slim chance that the campaign is impactful, it notably prioritizes hardcore fans of the series over casual fans.
Based on the logic that one would have to do more than eat a plate of chocolate pancakes to engage with the “Sonic Superstars” game, casual fans may need more dedication to engage with the franchise away from the breakfast table. The problem here is that it fails to mobilize people into downloading the game without an apparent incentive that does not solely benefit IHOP.
Poser issues at the cost of fanboy superiority aside, people who aren’t familiar with the franchise may not get the menu references from the start, such was the case for OH junior Matt Aviles.
Both name and plate-wise, the Tails 2x2x2 is not the strongest contender on the menu. The two-tailed fox’s plate includes the typical assortment of breakfast staples: eggs, IHOP’s signature buttermilk pancakes, and a side of either bacon or sausage upon the customer’s preference.
“There’s 2 and 2 and 2, Tails has two tails because that’s how he flys and stuff, so like, it’s pretty great I guess,” Aviles said. “Definitely the weakest entry though because I didn’t even get how that’s related to Tails because I forgot he had two tails lowkey.”
Maybe the light at the end of the horizon is a Knuckles sandwich. A crispy chicken sandwich that is, I doubt renowned feminist Knuckles the Echidna would condone unprompted violence. Not to mention that IHOP employees aren’t commonly known for hitting customers with the Brooklyn special, that’s more of a Waffle House thing.
Unironically though, this sandwich feels like getting hit with the nastiest roundhouse kick the world has ever seen, but instead of dying on the spot, you go on to become the world’s greatest karate master just for taking it like a champ.
The bread in itself is a divine revelation. The feeling of perforating through the crispy exterior only to be met with the soft buttery interior adds a level of sinful complexity to the dish. You see, this is not just any chicken sandwich, but a Knuckles sandwich.
If there’s one success this collaboration had, it’s this sandwich’s perfect understatement of Knuckles as a character. He’s not an edge lord like Shadow per se, but underneath his aloof exterior lies a silly little welcoming guy who for sure believes in the power of friendship.
I know I’ve been acting like an abusive boyfriend who love-bombs you momentarily with this menu and it isn’t that deep but my last and final critique is that a very central part is missing: a chili dog, and the blind man starves at the foot of the apple tree for a chili dog.
Call me a tweaker but when has Sonic the Hedgehog ever pulled out the Sonic Blue Blur Special? Without a chili dog, Sonic isn’t even THE Sonic the Hedgehog anymore. Without including a chili dog, the so-called Sonic menu might as well be the regular IHOP menu (it is).
Even though everything was scarfed down with the insatiability of 25 Victorian orphans, please IHOP, please, I’m begging you, just add a chili dog to the menu.
42Fiftys very own post-niche internet micro-ecelebrity (mid geoguesser player) that lived through a chronic gas leak that was going on in their house for a little over a year without their knowledge. Their only qualification is that they bring a silly goose vibe to the geese party.
