Sally Acorn... Since 1991?

[A Knothole Resident]

It's known that Sally has always made her presence known since the classic Genesis games in the form of a little squirrel. However, today I stumbled across a piece of evidence that vindicates the name Sally Acorn as far back as 1991. Engraved on this porcelain figurine reads:

SALLY ACORN
SEGA ENT LTD 91

SALLYACORN.jpg (8.18 KiB) Viewed 8366 times

You probably recognize this design from the early Fleetway Comics and instruction manuals, but its clear as day that the beloved chipmunk princess was there since the very begining. Further proving that Sally Acorn has always been a Sega registered character and the US merely perfected her design for the Archie Comics and SatAM.

Editor's Note: Yep, the small animals from the games were all given Western names back when Sonic 1 was released, and Sally Acorn was the name given to the squirrel ("Ricky" in the Japanese manual). You can see in the SoA promo comic from that same year that the squirrel was given a sex change (note the little pink bow on the top of her head), so while she wasn't called by name in it, she likely had one since several of the other characters (Jonny Lightfoot and Porker Lewis--StC, anyone?) were shown and mentioned by name. This little statue (which is also dated 1991) helps lend some further evidence to the belief that the squirrel also had a name: Sally Acorn.

So, it's pretty safe to assume that Sega of America and Sega of Europe had materials that specified things like character names. This material is what the writers of StC (like Nigel Kitching, who I spoke to about this) and the architects of SatAM and the Archie comics (like Len Janson) based many of their ideas off of.

So yeah, in essence, Sally has been there (in one form or another) from the start.

-PorpoiseMuffins

[Elisto Dragonwings]

Yeah, I own that, actually. Slightly different one:

Judging from the background of the picture, I'd say you got that picture from the same person on eBay France.

It's not likely this is older than Sonic 1 since it's part of a set including Sonic, Robotnik, Tails, Knuckles and some badniks, and they all have different years on them. They're called a feve...it's a figure that would have been baked into a cake and different bakeries would use different figures. You can see the whole set (not clearly) in a picture somewhere on this site of someone's massive collection of Sonic stuff. There is some question as to whether or not they're official since there is some coloration mistakes on the others in the set and I can't seem to find any information about this set anywhere, other than the fact that there are a number of them out there. They're usually not labeled as Sonic related.

Edit...so I found the link to the collection with the whole set I mentioned, but the images are no longer there....
Here's the other one I have:

[Eriol]

It does seem highly unlikely to predate the game. AFAIK,the offical name was Riki/Ricky, shown in the katakana below, and the character does look a trifle more masculine. And this was the game manual. So if it *did* predate the game, we'd have the very odd situation of a bit-part character already having a seperate localised name in the West before the game was even released! Those characters aren't even shown in the (typically miserly) English manual.

[Eriol]

By her first (named) appearance in Fleetway issue #3, June 1993, she was identified as "Sally Acorn" and explicitly female (although not, of course, a princess. I think that's purely an American addition).

The statue seems to pick up on this coloring (whereas Ricky had the game colouring) which again might date it. Does anyone know if Fleetway added her hair bow, or if that appears anywhere else first?

Also, let us admire the fact that Tails kicks Sonic in the ribs as a conversation opener, which is just plain hardcore, and sets the tone for the whole of my beloved Sonic the Comic.

[PorpoiseMuffins]

Yep, the small animals from the games were all given Western names back when Sonic 1 was released, and Sally Acorn was the name given to the squirrel ("Ricky" in the Japanese manual). You can see in the SoA promo comic from that same year that the squirrel was given a sex change (note the little pink bow on the top of her head), so while she wasn't called by name in it, she likely had one since several of the other characters (Jonny Lightfoot and Porker Lewis--StC, anyone?) were shown and mentioned by name. This little statue (which is also dated 1991) helps lend some further evidence to the belief that the squirrel also had a name: Sally Acorn.

So, it's pretty safe to assume that Sega of America and Sega of Europe had materials that specified things like character names. This material is what the writers of StC (like Nigel Kitching, who I spoke to about this) and the architects of SatAM and the Archie comics (like Len Janson) based many of their ideas off of.

So yeah, in essence, Sally has been there (in one form or another) from the start.

This is the kind of stuff that that article I'm writing is going to talk about... If I ever finish it.

[Eriol]

You can see in the SoA promo comic from that same year that the squirrel was given a sex change (note the little pink bow on the top of her head)

OMG, the possibilities.

reallyreally.jpg (17.62 KiB) Viewed 8349 times

several of the other characters (Jonny Lightfoot and Porker Lewis--StC, anyone?)

*cough*PockyandPicky*cough*

[wring]

Sally's fur color is similar in both versions.

[Cyan]

By her first (named) appearance in Fleetway issue #3, June 1993, she was identified as "Sally Acorn" and explicitly female

Hmm, what about the yearbook(s)? Did those come after this issue?

OMG, the possibilities.

reallyreally.jpg

Now *there's* an idea!! Plenty of scope for a fanfic, maybe more...

[PorpoiseMuffins]

She is also mentioned (I believe) along with the other characters in the UK "Stay Sonic" guide, which was also published in 1993, I think before Fleetway started. I have to double check my copy.

[wring]

She's also mentioned here
http://archive.sonic-hq.net/newsite/cartoon/before/

I guess these are the other names of the tiny animals.
"The team includes Johnny Lightfoot (rabbit), Tux (penguin), Princess Acorn (presumably a squirrel, but she doesn't look like it), Sonic, Joe Sushi (walrus), Chirps (chicken), Porker Lewis (pig), and Flicky (bird)."
I just realised, ALL the tiny animals from Sonic 1 are mentioned in this add, I think this is evidence that these are the SoA and SoE names of the tiny animals. Also, three of the names are also used in Sonic the Comic (Minus the "Princess")

[PorpoiseMuffins]

Yes, they are the SoA/SoE names. They're also given in the Stay Sonic book, and a few of them are mentioned in the 1991 promo comic.

So essentially, the Freedom Fighters evolved from the tiny animals.

[A Knothole Resident]

Yes, they are the SoA/SoE names. They're also given in the Stay Sonic book, and a few of them are mentioned in the 1991 promo comic.

So essentially, the Freedom Fighters evolved from the tiny animals.

Fascinating. Perhaps now the people who claim that the freedom fighters aren't official Sega characters will be eating their words once this news is broadcasted.

[Cybermax]

This is interesting. Hopefully when we show this to those who think otherwise, they will finally acknowledge that the FFs had evolved from small animals, and have been there since the beginning of the Sonic franchise.

[wring]

This is interesting. Hopefully when we show this to those who think otherwise, they will finally acknowledge that the FFs had evolved from small animals, and have been there since the beginning of the Sonic franchise.

But only Sally is there, the rest are completely different, especially Antoine, I have no idea where he came from.

[PorpoiseMuffins]

But only Sally is there, the rest are completely different, especially Antoine, I have no idea where he came from.

Well, it could be argued that Rotor came from Joe Sushi, Bunnie from Johnny Lightfoot (but they wanted another female character). Antoine is anyone's guess, though