title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: Through "MST3K", many obscure films have been more visible to the public, and several have since been considered some of the worst films ever made and are voted into the Bottom 100 on the Internet Movie Database. Of note is "", which was riffed on by "MST3K" in its fourth season. "Manos" was a very low-budget film produced by Hal Warren, a fertilizer salesman at the time, taking on a dare from a screenwriter friend to show that anyone could make a horror film. The film suffered from numerous production issues due to its limited filming equipment, and many critics describe the result using a riff from "MST3K", in that "every frame of this movie looks like someone's last-known photograph". The "MST3K" episode featuring "Manos" was considered one of its most popular and best episodes, and brought "Manos" into the public light as one of the worst films ever produced. The film gained a cult following, and an effort was made to restore the film to high-definition quality from its original film reels. "MST3K" also riffed on three films directed by Coleman Francis: "Red Zone Cuba", "The Skydivers", and "The Beast of Yucca Flats", which brought awareness of Francis' poor direction and low-budget films, similar to that of Ed Wood. "MST3K" also brought to the limelight lackluster works by Bert I. Gordon, primarily giant monster B-movies, that gained attention through the show, and many Japanese kaiju movies imported and dubbed through producer Sandy Frank (jokingly referred to as "the source of all our pain"), particularly those in the "Gamera" series.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: "MST3K"s riffing style to poke fun at bad movies, films, and TV shows, have been used in other works. In 2003, the television series "Deadly Cinema", starring Jami Deadly, debuted, which featured the cast making fun of bad movies, "MST3K"-style. In 2004, the ESPN Classic series "Cheap Seats", debuted, which featured two brothers making fun of clips of old sporting events, "MST3K"-style, and is noteworthy for containing an episode in which Mike, Crow, and Tom Servo briefly appeared in a cameo to make fun of the hosts' own skits. In 2008, the internet and direct-to-DVD comedy series "Incognito Cinema Warriors XP", debuted, which used the same "host segment-movie segment" format the show established, while featuring completely original characters and plot. "ICWXP" gained a similar cult following, even earning the praises of former "MST3K" host Michael J. Nelson. In 2010, the television series "This Movie Sucks!" (and its predecessor "Ed's Nite In"), starring Ed the Sock and co-hosts Liana K and Ron Sparks, debuted. It features the cast making fun of bad movies. Creator Steven Kerzner, however, was quick to point out that "MST3K" was not "the creator of this kind of format, they're just the most recent and most well-known". In 2011, the theater silhouette motif was parodied by golf commentator and talk show host David Feherty in an episode of "Feherty". He is shown sitting in front of a large screen and "riffing" while viewing footage of golfer Johnny Miller and is joined in the theater by his stuffed rooster (Frank) and his gnome statue (Costas).


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: Further, the riffing style from "MST3K" is considered part of the influence for DVD commentaries and successful YouTube reviewers and Let's Play-style commentators. DVD releases for both "Ghostbusters" and "Men in Black" used a similar format to Shadowrama for an "in-vision" commentary features. The concept of social television, where social media is integrated into the television viewing experience, was significantly influenced by "MST3K". This social media practice of live-tweeting riffs and jokes on broadcast shows, such as for films like "Sharknado", has its roots in "MST3K". The "MST3K" approach has inspired Internet movie critics to create comedic movie reviews approaches, such as through RedLetterMedia and Screen Junkies which are considered more than just snarking on the movie but aim to help the viewer understand film and story techniques and their flawed use in poorly-received films.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: Public performances of live riffing have been hosted by various groups in different cities across the U.S. and Canada, including Cineprov (Atlanta, Georgia), Master Pancake Theater (Austin, TX), The Gentlemen Hecklers (Vancouver, BC Canada), Counterclockwise Comedy (Kansas City, Missouri), FilmRoasters (Richmond, Virginia), Moxie Skinny Theatre 3000 (Springfield, Missouri), Riff Raff Theatre (Iowa City, Iowa), Twisted Flicks (Seattle, Washington), and Turkey Shoot (Metro Cinema at the Garneau, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada).


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: The Center for Puppetry Arts crowdfunded and successfully acquired Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot in 2019.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: "MST3K", broadcasting during the emergence of the Internet for public use, developed a large fan base during its initial broadcast; which has continued to thrive since then. The show had already had its postal-based fan club, which people could write into and which some letters and drawings read on subsequent episodes, and the producers encouraged fans to share recordings of their episodes with others. At its peak, the "MST3K Fan Club" had over 50,000 members, and Best Brains were receiving over 500 letters each week. Fans of the show generally refer to themselves as "MSTies". Usenet newsgroups rec.arts.tv.mst3k.misc and rec.arts.tv.mst3k.announce were established in the mid-1990s for announcements and discussions related to the show. A type of fan fiction called MiSTings, in which fans would add humorous comments to other, typically bad, fan fiction works, was popular on these groups. The fan-run website "Satellite News" continues to track news and information about the show and related projects from its cast members. Another fan site, "The Annotated MST", attempts to catalog and describe all the obscure popular culture references used in a given episode.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: In addition to the show's fandom, a number of celebrities have expressed their love for the show. One of the earliest known celebrity fans was Frank Zappa, who went so far as to telephone Best Brains, calling "MST3K" as "the funniest fucking thing on TV" (according to Beaulieu). Zappa became a friend of the show, and following his death, episode 523 was dedicated to him. Other known celebrities fans include Al Gore, Neil Patrick Harris, Penn Jillette, and Patton Oswalt (who would later become TV's Son of TV's Frank in the revival).


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: "Mystery Science Theater built something artful, endearing and comedic on top of the foundation other people's work. It had merit to itself."


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: There were two official fan conventions in Minneapolis (run by the series' production company Best Brains) called "ConventioCon ExpoFest-A-Rama" (1994) and "ConventioCon ExpoFest-A-Rama 2: Electric Bugaloo" (1996). At least 2,500 people attended the first convention.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: The various cast and crew from the show's broadcast run have continued to produce comedy works following the show. Two separate projects were launched that specifically borrowed on the theme of riffing on bad movies. After the short-lived "The Film Crew" in 2006, Nelson started RiffTrax, providing downloadable audio files containing "MST3K"-style riffs that the viewer can synchronize to their personal copy of a given popular movie (such as ""); this was done to avoid copyright and licensing issues with such films. RiffTraxs cast expanded to include Murphy and Corbett along with occasional guest stars, and are able to use a wider range of films, including films and shorts in the public domain, and films which they could get the license to stream and distribute. In addition, they launched production of "RiffTrax Live" shows for various films, where they perform their riffing in front of a live audience that is simultaneously broadcast to other movie theaters across the country and later made available as on-demand video. , RiffTrax continues to offer new material and shows. As part of a tribute to their roots, RiffTrax has performed some works that previously appeared on "MST3K", including "Manos: the Hands of Fate", "Santa Claus", and "Time Chasers".


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: Similarly, Hodgson, after some experimental creative works such as "The TV Wheel", started "Cinematic Titanic" with Beaulieu, Weinstein, Conniff, and Pehl in 2007. Like "MST3K", the five riffed on bad movies they were able to acquire the licenses for (including "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians"), which then were distributed through on-demand video and streaming options. They later did a number of live shows across the United States, some which were made available for digital demand.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: In 2000, most of the cast of the Sci-Fi era of the show collaborated on a humor website, Timmy Big Hands, that closed in 2001.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: In 2001, Mike Nelson, Patrick Brantseg, Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy and Paul Chaplin created "The Adventures of Edward the Less", an animated parody of J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and others in the fantasy genre, with additional vocals by Mary Jo Pehl and Mike Dodge, for the Sci Fi Channel website.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: In 2008, Bill Corbett and fellow writer Rob Greenberg wrote the screenplay for "Meet Dave", a family comedy starring Eddie Murphy about a tiny "Star Trek"-like crew operating a spaceship that looks like a man. The captain of the crew and the spaceship were both played by Murphy. Originally conceived as a series called "Starship Dave" for SciFi.com, it was dropped in favor of "Edward the Less". The script (along with the title) were changed drastically by studio executives and other writers, although Corbett and Greenberg received sole screenwriter credit.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: In 2010, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Joel Hodgson, Mary Jo Pehl, Josh Weinstein, Beth McKeever and Clive Robertson voiced characters for "", a computer game created by J. Allen Williams.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: In 2013, Frank Conniff and animation historian Jerry Beck debuted "Cartoon Dump", a series of classically bad cartoons, which are also occasionally performed live.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: Trace Beaulieu and Joel Hodgson were featured in the Yahoo! Screen series "Other Space" in 2015, with Beaulieu voicing a robot companion of Hodgson's character, a burned-out spaceship engineer. Series creator Paul Feig, a fan of "Mystery Science Theater 3000", said that he envisioned Hodgson and Beaulieu as their respective characters while writing them.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: Also in 2015, Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff began performing together as "The Mads", riffing movies at live screenings across the U.S.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: In 2008, to commemorate the show's 20th anniversary, the principal cast and writers from all eras of the show reunited for a panel discussion at the San Diego Comic-Con, which was hosted by actor-comedian Patton Oswalt (who would later go on to star in the revived series). The event was recorded and included as a bonus feature on the 20th Anniversary DVD release via Shout! Factory. Also that year, several original "MST3K" members (including Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff) reunited to shoot a brief sketch to be included on the web-exclusive DVD release of "The Giant Gila Monster". The new disc was added to Volume 10 of the "MST3K Collection" DVD boxed set series, replacing the "Godzilla vs. Megalon" disc which could no longer be sold due to copyright conflicts. The new package was sold under the name "Volume 10.2", and the sketch was presented as a seminar to instruct consumers on how to "upgrade" their DVD set, which merely consists of "disposing" of the old disc and inserting the new one.


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: In 2013, Joel Hodgson and Trace Beaulieu reprised their roles as Joel Robinson and Crow T. Robot for cameo appearances in the fourth season of "Arrested Development".


title: Mystery Science Theater 3000

text: As part of its live show events for 2016, RiffTrax presented a "MST3K" reunion at a live show in Minneapolis in June 2016. Hodgson, Bridget Nelson, Pehl, Conniff, and Beaulieu all joined the three regulars along with Jonah Ray from the revived series. The gathered cast riffed on a variety of shorts as part of the event.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel is a fictional character in Walt Disney Pictures' 28th animated feature film "The Little Mermaid" (1989). Ariel is voiced by Jodi Benson in all official animated appearances and merchandise. The fourth Disney Princess, Ariel is the seventh-born daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena of an underwater kingdom of merfolk called Atlantica. She is often rebellious, and in the first film, she longs to be a part of the human world. She marries Prince Eric, whom she rescued from a shipwreck, and together they have a daughter, Melody. She is the first Disney Princess to be developed during the Disney Renaissance.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: The character is based on the title character of Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" but was developed into a different personality for the 1989 animated film adaptation. Ariel has received a mixed reception from critics; some publications such as "Time" criticize her for being too devoted to Eric whereas others, such as "Empire", praise the character for her rebellious personality, a departure from previous Disney Princesses' roles. Halle Bailey will portray a live-action version of the character in the upcoming live-action adaptation of the original 1989 film.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel was based on the title character of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid", but co-director and writer Ron Clements felt that the mermaid in the original story was too tragic and rewrote the character, resulting in Ariel.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Jodi Benson, who was predominantly a stage actress, was chosen to voice Ariel because the directors felt "it was really important to have the same person doing the singing and speaking voice". Clements stated that Benson's voice had a unique "sweetness" and "youthfulness". When recording the vocals for "Part of Your World", Benson asked that the lights in the studio be dimmed, to create the feeling of being deep under the sea. "Part of Your World", which was referred to by songwriter Howard Ashman as the "I Want" song, was originally going to be cut from the final film, owing to Jeffrey Katzenberg's belief that it slowed the story down, but Ashman and Keane fought to keep it in.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel's original design was developed by animator Glen Keane. Her appearance was based on a number of inspirational sources, Christie Brinkley, Alyssa Milano (who was 16 at the time in addition to hosting the making of the special on Disney Channel,) and model-comedian Sherri Stoner, who provided live-action references for the animators during the development of the film. She would later do the live-action references for Belle (Paige O'Hara) in "Beauty and the Beast". The movement of Ariel's hair underwater was based on footage of astronaut Sally Ride while she was in space. Extra reference was given by filming Stoner swimming in a pool, which also helped guide Ariel's aquatic movement.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: A challenge in animating Ariel for the 1989 film was the color required to show Ariel in the changing environments, both under the sea and on land, for which the animators required thirty-two color models, not including costume changes. The sea-green color of Ariel's mermaid tail was a hue specially mixed by the Disney paint lab; the color was named "Ariel" after the character. The choice of red as Ariel's hair color was the subject of dispute between the filmmakers and studio executives who wanted the character to have blonde hair. It was noted that red hair contrasted better with Ariel's green tail, red was easier to darken than yellow, and Disney's live-action branch Touchstone Pictures had recently released "Splash" that had a blonde mermaid; Ariel's red hair was ultimately kept.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In an interview, Jodi Benson stated that for "Ariel's Beginning", the writers revised the script multiple times to make sure Ariel retained her relevance in a more modern context. Benson complained to them that they wrote Ariel out of character and suggested they bring her back to her roots.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel is the youngest of King Triton and Queen Athena's seven daughters. She is often seen in the company of Flounder, her best friend, and Sebastian, her father's advisor who is often assigned to keep an eye on her. In the television series and first film, Ariel has a fascination with the human world and often goes off to find human artifacts that she displays in a secret grotto. Ariel is often rebellious, wandering off on her own to explore her surroundings, and frequently disobeys the orders of her father or Sebastian, causing conflict between the characters. In "The Little Mermaid", she is depicted as being willing to do anything to be with Prince Eric, even giving up her voice to become human. Clements described her as a typical teenager, prone to errors of judgment. She also is incredibly curious, and her curiosity often leads her into dangerous situations.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel is kind and caring to others no matter what their circumstances, as depicted in the television series. In an early episode, Ariel helps an orphaned merboy who had fallen in with a bad crowd. In another episode, Ariel befriends a supposed bad luck creature and protects it from Ursula and other merfolk who wish it harm. Ariel appears as an adult in "Return to the Sea" and gives birth to a daughter named , becoming the first, and currently, only, Disney princess to become a mother. Ariel is protective of her daughter, as Triton was of Ariel in the first film. After Morgana threatens Ariel and King Triton, Prince Eric and Ariel build a wall around the palace to protect Melody from Morgana and other terrors of the ocean. Although it protected her, it could not protect her curiosity. "Ariel's Beginning" depicts her personality as it was in the original film after Jodi Benson had advocated returning the character to her roots. Ariel is once again rebellious, and after her father decrees music to be banned in Atlantica she runs away with Sebastian and his band.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel first appears in "The Little Mermaid" (1989), in which she is shown as being adventurous and curious about the world of humans, a fascination which annoys both her father King Triton and his court composer Sebastian, as merfolk are not allowed to make contact with the human world. She and Flounder go in search of human objects, which they take to a seagull named Scuttle for appraisal. Ariel falls in love with a human prince named Prince Eric after saving him from drowning, and visits the sea witch, Ursula, who agrees to turn her into a human in exchange for her voice. Ariel must make Prince Eric fall in love with her and romantically kiss her within three days, lest she belong to Ursula forever.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Unknown to Ariel, this agreement is part of Ursula's bigger plan to trap Ariel's father, King Triton and steal his magical trident. After being transformed, Ariel found that she can no longer breathe, nor swim. Sebastian and Flounder take her to the surface. She is soon found by Eric and is taken back to his castle. Ariel almost manages to obtain the "kiss of true love", but is stopped by Ursula's underhanded tactics. On the second day, Ursula transforms herself into a human, calling herself "Vanessa" and using Ariel's voice, bewitches Eric to make him marry her on the third day. After learning from Scuttle that the woman is Ursula in disguise, Ariel disrupts the wedding and regains her voice, but the sun sets as Ariel and Prince Eric are about to kiss, transforming Ariel back into a mermaid. After transforming herself back into her true witch form, Ursula takes Ariel back into the ocean, where she is met by King Triton and Sebastian.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Triton trades himself for Ariel, enabling Ursula to steal his crown and enabling her to claim his trident, which angers Ariel, who will not allow Ursula to destroy merfolk and humans. In the battle that follows, Ariel is trapped at the bottom of a whirlpool. Before Ursula can kill her, Eric impales Ursula with a derelict ship's splintered prow. After Ursula dies, her spell is broken, and King Triton and the merfolk are transformed back to normal merpeople. At the end of the film, after King Triton uses his magical trident to transform Ariel into a human, she leaves the sea to live in the human world. She and Eric marry and live happily ever after.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: A prequel television series that originally aired from 1992 to 1994, depicts Ariel's life as a mermaid under the sea with Sebastian, Flounder, and her father. Ariel appears in all 31 episodes of the series, which is set an unspecified time before the first film. The series follows Ariel's adventures with her friends and family and sometimes has Ariel foiling the attempts of enemies that are intent on harming her or the kingdom of Atlantica.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel's relationships with various characters from the film are highlighted and expanded, such as the love and occasional conflict between Ariel and her father, how Ariel met Flounder and Scuttle, the relationships between Ariel and her sisters, and Ariel's early fear and avoidance of Ursula the sea witch. Other recurring new characters are also introduced, such as orphaned merboy Urchin and mute mermaid Gabriella that become Ariel's friends, as well as the Evil Manta, Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp, who are Ariel's enemies. Ariel's mother is absent, having already died prior to the events of the series, though she is occasionally mentioned in vague terms. In one episode Ariel comes across Hans Christian Andersen, author of "The Little Mermaid", while he was traveling underwater in a primitive submarine. In the fictionalized encounter she saves Andersen's life, inspiring him to write the story.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Some episodes of the series are musical and feature original songs performed by the characters. A soundtrack containing some of these songs was released in 1992 under the title "Splash Hits".


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In "" (2000), Ariel, now the new queen of Eric's kingdom has given birth to a daughter named y. When Melody's safety is threatened by Ursula's sister Morgana after using her as a hostage to get Triton's trident, Ariel and her husband Eric decide they must keep Melody away from the sea. So they build a large wall to separate it from the castle.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: But Melody's love of the sea proves too strong and she visits Morgana, who turns her into a mermaid temporarily. King Triton uses his trident to transform Ariel back into her own mermaid form to find and rescue Melody. Morgana tricks Melody into taking part in a plot to steal her grandfather King Triton's trident. Together with Tip the Penguin and Dash the Walrus she goes to Atlantica and succeeds in acquiring the trident. Ariel arrives as they return with it to Morgana, and tries to persuade Melody to give back the trident. Morgana then reveals her true intentions. She calmly mentions that the spell that turned Melody into mermaid will wear off by sundown, then uses the trident's magic to lord over the ocean, rising to the surface to gloat. Scuttle, Triton, Sebastian, and Eric arrive, and a battle ensues against Morgana and her minions. Soon after the sunset, Morgana's spell wears off, and Melody returns to human form. Ariel saves Eric from Cloak and Dagger who tied him and pulled it into the depths and Melody manages to grab the trident and returns it to King Triton, who then punishes Morgana by sending her to the bottom of the ocean frozen in a block of ice.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Triton returns Ariel to human form, the wall separating Eric's castle from the sea is torn down, and contact between humans and merfolk is restored.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: The prologue of "" (2008) shows Ariel as a young mermaid, living happily with her father, King Triton, her mother, Queen Athena, and her six older sisters. As Ariel and her family relax in a lagoon, a pirate ship approaches and everyone flees except Athena, who returns to recover a music box Triton had given her and is killed when the ship crushes her. Afterwards, a devastated King Triton bans all music from Atlantica and throws the music box deep into the ocean. Ariel and her sisters grow up forgetting music and living under their father's strict rules, enforced by Marina del Rey, their governess.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel meets Flounder and follows him to a secret underground club where Sebastian and his band play music. There she sings the song "I Remember", which reminds her of her distant past surrounded by love and music, and of her mother. Ariel introduces her sisters to the club, but eventually they are caught thanks to Marina, who had followed them. Sebastian and his band are imprisoned and the club is closed under Triton's orders. After arguing with Triton, Ariel breaks the band out of prison and escapes with them.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: With Sebastian's assistance, Ariel finds her mother's music box, and they decide to return it to Triton. On their way back to Atlantica, they encounter Marina, and a struggle ensues in which Ariel is knocked unconscious, witnessed by Triton. Ariel makes a full recovery, and a remorseful Triton allows music back into Atlantica.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In addition to the film's official soundtrack, two original music albums were released by Walt Disney Records for the franchise: "Sebastian from The Little Mermaid" (1990) and "" (1992). The former is a cover album mainly focusing on Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, with Ariel providing supporting vocals, while the latter is a concept album of original songs that depict a day in Ariel's life under the sea. Ariel also appears in "Songs and Story: Ariel's Christmas Under the Sea", a Christmas-themed mini-album with a read-along story and two original songs. Jodi Benson performs in-character as Ariel in all these albums.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: A series of twelve prequel novels were published in 1994 by Disney Press, following young Ariel's adventures living under the sea with her sisters and father. The titles are: "Green-Eyed Pearl" and "Nefazia Visits the Palace" by Suzanne Weyn; "Reflections of Arsulu" and "The Same Old Song" by Marilyn Kaye; "Arista's New Boyfriend" and "Ariel the Spy" by M. J. Carr; "King Triton, Beware!", "The Haunted Palace" and "The Boyfriend Mix-Up" by Katherine Applegate; "The Practical-Joke War" by Stephanie St. Pierre; "The Dolphins of Coral Cove" by K. S. Rodriguez; and "Alana's Secret Friend" by Jess Christopher. The novels mostly focus on the domestic setting of Ariel and her sisters living together.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In 1992, Disney Comics released a four-issue "The Little Mermaid Limited Series" comic book series. In 1994 Marvel Comics released its own title, "Disney's The Little Mermaid", which ran for twelve issues. All these comics are prequels to the film, and feature Ariel a mermaid living under the sea having adventures with Flounder and Sebastian, and thwarting villains that wish to take over or destroy Atlantica.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel appears as a minor character in the 2016 young adult novel "Poor Unfortunate Soul: A Tale of the Sea Witch" by Serena Valentino, which is part of a "Disney Villains" series and is mainly about Ursula the Sea Witch. She is also a main character in the 2018 young adult novel "Part of Your World" by Liz Braswell, which is part of a "Disney Twisted Tales" series and is set in an alternate universe where Ariel was unable to stop Ursula's wedding to Eric.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In 2000, Ariel became an official member of the newly launched Disney Princess line, an umbrella franchise that includes various Disney princesses under its banner. Ariel is one of the original 8 characters that were included at the franchise's launch. The franchise is directed at young girls and covers a wide variety of merchandise, including but not limited to magazines, music albums, toys, video games, clothes, and stationery.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: This franchise includes illustrated novels starring the various princesses, two of which are about Ariel: "The Birthday Surprise" and "The Shimmering Star Necklace". Both novels are written by Gail Herman, and contain original stories about Ariel's life as a human and Eric's wife, but still maintaining close relationships with her father and sisters under the sea. The franchise also includes illustrated short stories about Ariel's life as a human, such as "Ariel and the Aquamarine Jewel", "Ariel's Dolphin Adventure", and "Ariel's Royal Wedding". Ariel also appears as a supporting character in one volume of the Japanese manga "Kilala Princess", where she is seen in her pre-movie mermaid form.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Jodi Benson provides Ariel's voice for her appearances in the Disney Princess music albums, DVDs, and video games. The first original song released for this franchise is "If You Can Dream", which featured Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Pocahontas, Jasmine and Mulan singing together. Other original songs that feature Ariel are "I Just Love Getting Dressed for Tea", "Manners and Etiquette", "The Princess Dance" and "Happy Birthday, Princess" from "Disney Princess Tea Party" (2005); "Christmas Is Coming!", "Christmas in the Ocean", "Ariel's Christmas Island" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" from "Disney Princess Christmas Album" (2009); and "Ariel's Sing-Along Sea Song: the Crab Song" from "Disney Princess Party" (2010). Ariel also appears in the franchise video games "" (2007), "" (2007) and "" (2012).


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel appears in the Broadway adaptation of the 1989 film, which ran at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with previews from November 3, 2007, leading to opening night on January 10, 2008. This original production closed on August 30, 2009, but other US and international productions have followed since. The character of Ariel for the stage adaptation was originated by Sierra Boggess, with the role also portrayed later by actresses Chelsea Morgan Stock and Michelle Lookadoo. Jodi Benson, the original voice actress for Ariel, attended the musical's opening night.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In order to portray the characters underwater, the actors wore Heelys wheeled footwear, which simulate the gliding action of swimming creatures. The actors playing Ariel and the other merfolk had wire-frame tails attached to their hips. Subsequent productions feature different designs for Ariel and the merfolk; the Dutch and Japanese productions use wirework and aerial stunts to create the illusion of underwater swimming.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: The stage musical follows the basic structure of the film, but there are some differences between the two. In this version, Ursula is Triton's sister and Ariel's aunt. In a new subplot, Grimsby holds a contest inviting all the princesses in the land for a singing competition for Eric to choose his bride; Ariel cannot sing, but she dances for Eric, and he chooses her. Ariel also has a more active role in the final battle, where she is the one who defeats Ursula by destroying her Nautilus shell that contains her power.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In addition to the songs in the film, Ariel has new songs by Alan Menken and lyrics by Glenn Slater. "The World Above" is Ariel's introductory song, where she expresses her admiration and curiosity with the human world, "Beyond My Wildest Dreams" is performed after Ariel has become human and given up her voice, and is used to express her thoughts about the human world and Eric, and "If Only (quartet)" is a quartet between Ariel, Eric, King Triton and Sebastian where all four express longing and sadness for their current situation: Ariel saddened that she only has one day left to get Eric to kiss her, Eric's confusion of falling for Ariel despite longing for the mysterious girl who saved his life, King Triton's regret at driving Ariel away, and Sebastian for his inability to help Ariel achieve her dreams.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel makes regular appearances in the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, having a special location called Ariel's Grotto at most of them. Ariel's Grotto was torn down at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom owing to the Fantasyland expansion. "The Little Mermaid" mini-land can be found in the Magic Kingdom's New Fantasyland. It includes a replica of Prince Eric's Castle, a dark ride called , a market called "Prince Eric's Village Market", and Ariel's meeting grotto. She has a major role in Mickey's PhilharMagic and stars in her own live stage shows at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Tokyo DisneySea. A dark ride based on the movie was designed for Disneyland Paris but never built. A re-designed version of the attraction, called , was built as part of the major expansion for Disney California Adventure Park. She also has her own hotel at the Disney's Art of Animation Resort. There is a land in Tokyo DisneySea titled "Mermaid Lagoon". It features many rides and attractions themed around the Little Mermaid. A clone of the dark ride found in Disney California Adventure Park and Magic Kingdom was to be a part of Fantasyland in Hong Kong Disneyland but was never built. A clone of the dark ride was also supposed to be in Tokyo DisneySea but was canceled due to budget reasons. A Little Mermaid dark ride is or was planned in every Disney resort worldwide.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Not long after the film was released, late Muppet creator Jim Henson proposed a live-action show based on the film, titled "Little Mermaid's Island". Ariel was to be portrayed by Marietta DePrima, and she would interact with various puppet characters created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Two episodes of this series were filmed but not aired due to complications after Henson's death.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel appears in various video games based on the films, including the two adaptations of the first film (one for NES and Game Boy, known as "The Little Mermaid", and one for Sega consoles called "Ariel the Little Mermaid") and the popular "Kingdom Hearts" series. In the first "Kingdom Hearts", Ariel's story has an unrelated plot to that of the movie. Ariel also makes an appearance in the sequel, "Kingdom Hearts II", where its storyline loosely follows the plotline of the 1989 film. Ariel makes another appearance in "Kingdom Hearts III" as a summon for Sora. Other video games based on the character include a "" of the second movie and three children's titles for personal computers: "Ariel's Story Studio", "The Little Mermaid Activity Center" and "Disney's The Little Mermaid Print Studio". In addition, Ariel appears in multiple games within the "Disney Princess" line of games, including "" and "".


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In 2001, Ariel appeared occasionally in the animated television series "Disney's House of Mouse" as one of Mickey's guests at the nightclub. She is seen in both her mermaid and human forms.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: On November 24, 2013, Ariel made a brief appearance in a TV special "Sofia the First: The Floating Palace", which is part of the computer-animated television series "Sofia the First". In the special, Sofia is trying to help her mermaid friend, Oona, whose underwater kingdom is under threat. Sofia wishes for help, and the magical amulet of Avalor summons Ariel in her mermaid form, who gives Sofia advice on what to do. Ariel performs the song "The Love We Share" with Sofia. Jodi Benson reprises her role in the episode as well.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: A live-action version of Ariel appeared in the ABC television series "Once Upon a Time", where she was played by JoAnna Garcia.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In 2016 a stripped-down concert version of "The Little Mermaid" was staged at the Hollywood Bowl, featuring the songs from the film and four songs from the Broadway musical. Sara Bareilles performed the role of Ariel for the first two nights of the concert (June 4 and 5), while Jodi Benson, the original voice actress for Ariel, reprised her role for the June 6 performance.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel, alongside other Disney Princesses, appeared in the film, as was announced at the 2017 D23 Expo. She gives Vanellope advice on singing about her dreams, which leads to her singing "A Place Called Slaughter Race" later in the film.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In 2019 ABC aired a musical television special performed with a live audience, where footage of the 1989 film was interwoven with live musical performances of songs from the film and Broadway stage musical. Auliʻi Cravalho performed as Ariel in this production, and Jodi Benson introduced the show.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In July 2019, Halle Bailey was cast as Ariel in the upcoming 2023 live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid", directed by Rob Marshall.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Ariel has received mixed reception from critics. Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" praised the character, writing that "Ariel is a fully realized female character who thinks and acts independently, even rebelliously, instead of hanging around passively while the fates decide her destiny." James Bernardelli of "Reelviews" wrote that Ariel can be viewed as a template for future Disney heroes and heroines. He also praised Jodi Benson's vocal performance for the character. In an article for "Empire", Levi Buchanan stated that Ariel is "powerful and self-reliant." Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" complimented Ariel, stating that "teenagers will appreciate the story's rebellious heroine" and went on to praise Ariel's wit. Josh Tyler of "Cinema Blend" wrote favorably about Ariel, although he believed that the character was eroticized, stating "The scene where Ursula rips out her throat and gives her extremely naked parts below the waist is almost titillating, though I'm sure to little kids it seems entirely innocent." Similarly, reviewer John Puccio said that "Ariel is perhaps the sexiest-looking animated character the Disney artists have ever drawn." In his review of "Ariel's Beginning", James Plath of DVD Town wrote, "For little girls, Ariel is one of the most beloved of Disney princesses, and she holds a warm place in the hearts of parents as well." Rory Aronsky of "Film Threat" praised Jodi Benson's vocal performance in "Ariel's Beginning", writing that "Benson adds more to the appeal of Ariel for older fans, and younger girls just learning about her, as well as generations not born yet who will undoubtedly become attached to her, ensuring the continued existence of the franchise."


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: In their review of "The Little Mermaid", the staff of "TV Guide" wrote that Ariel resembled "a big-haired, denatured Barbie doll, despite her hourglass figure and skimpy seashell brassiere."


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: Tamara Weston of "Time" wrote that while Ariel is less passive and more strong-willed than her predecessors, she still "gives up her voice to be with a man" who comes to her rescue at the film's climax. Hal Hinson of "The Washington Post" wrote that it would be difficult for children to relate to Ariel's "feelings of disenchantment and longing for another world" and that she "doesn't have much personality." However, he also wrote a positive statement about Ariel, saying it was "refreshing ... to see a heroine who has some sense of what she wants and the resources to go after it." Nell Minow of Common Sense Media had a mixed view of Ariel, praising her for being "adventuresome, rebellious, and brave," but also criticizing that she "gives up everything – her family, her home, her voice – for love, even though her trust in the sea witch puts everyone she loves in danger." Daphne Lee of "The Star" called Ariel "annoying" and went on to state that she "is a silly girl who gives up her voice and her family for a man she knows next to nothing about."


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: It was largely the results of these initial negative reviews regarding Ariel, that resulted in then-Disney Animation chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg deciding to add in a "feminist twist" to the next Disney fairy tale adaptation, "Beauty and the Beast", and by extension make the film's female protagonist, Belle, into a feminist, as well as hire Linda Woolverton to act as the main screenwriter for the film. Despite her mixed critical reception, Ariel remains popular with audiences and is considered one of Disney's most iconic and beloved animated characters, with her specific color combination of red hair, lavender seashells, and green tail making her distinctly identifiable. A poll in the Internet Movie Database showed Ariel to be the second most alluring animated character after Jessica Rabbit. In August 2011, Jodi Benson was honored as a Disney Legend for her work as Ariel and her other projects at Disney. Although Belle is still often regarded and praised as Disney's first true feminist princess, fans and critics state that Ariel is because of her desire for independence, as well as being the first Disney princess to save her prince's life in her film.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: A bi-annual convention called ArielCon is dedicated to the character. Ariel is an official "ambassador" for the "Keep Our Oceans Clean" campaign by Environmental Defense, The National Maritime Sanctuary, and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From 2007 onwards, Disney launched an advertising campaign called "Disney Dreams Portraits" featuring celebrities dressed up as various Disney characters and photographed Annie Leibovitz; Julianne Moore was photographed as Ariel for this campaign.


title: Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

text: "Hipster Ariel" has become a popular internet meme, utilizing a screenshot of Ariel with photoshopped glasses accompanied by a humorous caption. The popularity of the Hipster Ariel meme also led Funko to produce a line of Funko Pop figures based on the Hipster Disney Princess meme. Ariel's distinct appearance makes her the subject of "look-alike" events and competitions. In the reality TV show and dancing competition "Dancing with the Stars", Candace Cameron Bure, Peta Murgatroyd, Marla Maples, and Sasha Pieterse dressed up as Ariel in their performances in seasons 18, 20, 22, and 25, respectively.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Ohshima chose to use his previous egg-shaped character to create the antagonist of the 1991 video game "Sonic the Hedgehog", making him the arch-nemesis of the series' eponymous main character.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In the main line of video games, Eggman is a dastardly mad scientist who plans to conquer the world to build his own empire. While he has gone through several major and minor appearance changes throughout the series, his in-game designs retain several basic characteristics, such as his ovate body, red-black-yellow clothing, bald head, a onesie, pince-nez sunglasses, and large mustache. Eggman commonly creates machines and robots, including a wide variety of Badniks. Notably in early games, he has also served as a recurring boss, appearing in almost every level piloting one of his created vehicles.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman has appeared in almost every "Sonic the Hedgehog" video game since his first appearance in the 1991 title "Sonic the Hedgehog" and is also a prominent character in other media, including comics, novels, and cartoons. He made his live-action cinematic debut in the 2020 film adaptation, portrayed by Jim Carrey. Eggman has been well-received by critics and is one of the most popular and recognizable villains in gaming history.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In 1990, Sega president Hayao Nakayama sought a flagship series to compete with Nintendo's "Mario" franchise, along with a character to serve as a company mascot. Several character designs were submitted as part of a contest. Among the designs was an egg-shaped human wearing pajamas who resembled U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt, drawn by Naoto Ohshima. According to Ohshima, the resemblance to Roosevelt was unintentional, saying he was influenced by a variety of characters. Retrospective sources have indicated Ohshima based the character on Humpty Dumpty and Mario. The Roosevelt lookalike did not win the contest; rather, another Ohshima character, a hedgehog named Sonic—prevailed.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: As development of the Sega Genesis game "Sonic the Hedgehog" progressed, however, programmer Yuji Naka and the rest of Sonic Team thought the rejected design was excellent and deserved inclusion in the game. Since the character could not be the protagonist, the team retooled him into the game's main antagonist. In developing Eggman, Sonic Team characterized him as Sonic's opposite. Eggman was designed to represent themes of "machinery" and "development" to play on the then-growing debate between developers and environmentalists, and as a symbol for humanity who views nature as dirty, and roads and buildings as clean. The character was also designed to be easy for children to draw.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: The character was always named Doctor Eggman in Japan, but Sega of America changed his name to Doctor Ivo Robotnik when localizing "Sonic the Hedgehog". In a 2016 interview with "Game Informer", Takashi Iizuka revealed Sega of America did this without consulting the development team:


title: Doctor Eggman

text: The English instruction manual for his debut game "Sonic the Hedgehog" described the character's full name as "Doctor Ivo Robotnik", while the Japanese version's instruction manual for the same game called him "Doctor Eggman". It was not until 1999's "Sonic Adventure" that the character was called both "Eggman" and "Robotnik" in the English version, with all following English releases to date referring to him as "Doctor Eggman". Yuji Naka has explained that "Robotnik" is the character's true last name while "Eggman" is a nickname taken after his shape. Since then, English language sources have listed his identity as Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik at least once, and has recognized both the first name Ivo and the last name Robotnik as recently as 2016 in the video games and 2015 in social media, with "Sonic Frontiers" establishing his acceptance of the name "Eggman" as a way to defy Sonic's mockery of him.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: While no Japanese-language video game has directly referred to the character as Robotnik, less direct usages of the name have occurred, namely a brief appearance of the text "Robotnik Empire" in the background of a cutscene in "Sonic Adventure 2" and the use of (Robotnik Corp.) as the name of his company in "Sonic Riders". Although Eggman's true name was given as Robotnik in an eyecatch card in the Japanese version of the animated series "Sonic X", Eggman's in-game profile in the Japanese version of "" lists his real name as a mystery. The name "Robotnik" has appeared in official Japanese media as the surname of two other characters, both featured in "Sonic Adventure 2" and "Sonic X" and both relatives of Eggman: Eggman's cousin, Maria Robotnik and their grandfather Gerald Robotnik.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Several voice actors have portrayed Eggman/Robotnik in his game appearances. His first voice actor was Masaharu Satō, who portrayed him in a handful of arcade games such as "SegaSonic the Hedgehog". In the Japanese game releases from 1998 to 2015, Eggman was voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka. Kotaro Nakamura assumed the role following Ōtsuka's death in January 2015, beginning with "Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games".


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In animation, he was voiced by Long John Baldry in "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog", Jim Cummings in "Sonic the Hedgehog" (where he also voiced the character in "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog"s unaired pilot), Edwin Neal in "Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie" and Garry Chalk in "Sonic Underground," and Brian Drummond in "Sonic Prime".


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Deem Bristow was the first English-language actor to portray Eggman in a video game, debuting in "Sonic Adventure" for the Sega Dreamcast. He went on to voice him in further games of the series, with his last performance in "Sonic Advance 3" before his death in early 2005. Mike Pollock, who first voiced Eggman in the English dub of "Sonic X", succeeded Bristow in the games, beginning with "Shadow the Hedgehog" and "Sonic Rush" in 2005. While it was announced that the rest of the cast would be replaced from "Sonic Free Riders" onward in 2010, Pollock retained his role, making him the longest-serving voice actor to portray the character in any language.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Jim Carrey was the first to portray Eggman in live-action film, beginning with "Sonic the Hedgehog" in 2020. He reprised the role in the 2022 sequel.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman's original design portrayed the character as a bald, rotund human wearing pince-nez sunglasses, a red flight suit with a yellow collar, a bushy mustache, and black pants with two white buttons. This rotund design was influenced by Ohshima's hope he would be easy for children to draw; Eggman was also based on people Ohshima considered "nerdy, socially awkward, tinker-type with glasses, a mustache and a fat belly". Sonic Team's Yuji Uekawa redesigned Eggman and other series characters for "Sonic Adventure" in 1998. Eggman's updated design adds goggles to his head and gives him a detailed red lab coat. For the 2006 "Sonic the Hedgehog" game, Eggman was redesigned further, being made slimmer and more realistic to better suit the game's updated environment.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman is described as a certifiable genius with an IQ of 300. His fondness for machines has also made him a renowned authority on robotics. Ultimately, his goal is to conquer the world and create his ultimate "utopia", the Eggman Empire (alternatively known as the Robotnik Empire, Eggmanland, Robotnikland, or Robotropolis). He selfishly never gives up on this matter and does not care for others' opinions. He considers those who would interrupt his plans a prime threat. His abominable laughter and maniacal declarations contrast his self-professed softer side, describing himself as a romanticist, and gentleman. Although Sonic has always ruined his evil plans, Eggman begrudgingly holds a secret respect for his determination. Additionally, while he is normally enemies with Sonic and his friends, Eggman has worked alongside them to combat greater threats such as when he works to stop the Space Colony ARK from crashing into the Earth in "Sonic Adventure 2" or against rival villains such as the Marauders in "", though after these threats have been neutralized Eggman returns to being an enemy of Sonic.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Robotnik/Eggman has served as the main antagonist in the majority of video games set in the "Sonic the Hedgehog" universe. Most of the "Sonic" games released before "Sonic Adventure" featured him as the final boss that the player fights at the end of the game. Robotnik also appears as a boss who the player must confront at the end of almost every level in most of the 2D Sonic games, and in "Sonic 3D Blast". In each game in which he makes multiple appearances as a boss, Eggman fights the player using a different machine each time he appears. In most of the 2D "Sonic" games, the player had to hit Robotnik eight times in order to defeat him and move on to the next level, or next boss. In most 3D "Sonic" games since the release of "Sonic Adventure" in 1998, Eggman may serve as a boss at one or more points in the game, although he usually does not serve as the final boss. Many of the final bosses in these more recent "Sonic" games were former allies of Eggman who then betrayed him, while others were a third party that had no connection with Eggman whatsoever. Eggman has often formed temporary alliances with Sonic and others to help them defeat these more formidable foes.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Dr. Eggman (referred to by his full name Dr. Ivo Robotnik in the Western instruction manual) debuted in the 1991 Sega Genesis platform game "Sonic the Hedgehog", where he attempted to collect the six Chaos Emeralds and hoped to turn all of the helpless animals inhabiting South Island into robots under his control. Sonic manages to defeat Robotnik and returns peace to South Island.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Robotnik returned in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", where he once again sought the Chaos Emeralds to create the Death Egg, a huge, orbital space station that bears his appearance, in order to achieve world domination. He attacked West Side Island, turning its animals into robots. He was intercepted by Sonic and his friend Tails, who saved the animals and retrieved the Chaos Emeralds before the evil scientist. Sonic raided the Death Egg, defeating Robotnik again and sending the Death Egg crashing back to Earth. Sometime after this, in the 8-bit Game Gear/Master System version of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", Robotnik ambushes Tails and kidnaps him, leaving Sonic to hound him on another region of West Side Island and defeat his boss robots. After gathering the Chaos Emeralds once again, Sonic confronts Robotnik at the Scrambled Egg Zone and after defeating his war machine, Robotnik releases Tails and makes a hasty retreat.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Robotnik, along with his latest creation, Metal Sonic, travels to Little Planet in search of magical gems called Time Stones that have the power to control the passage of time in "Sonic CD". In the bad ending, Robotnik is seen flying away with a Time Stone, but is shot down by a rock thrown by Sonic.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Following the events of "Sonic 2", the Death Egg crash-lands onto Angel Island, causing critical damage to the ship. While repairing the space station, Robotnik meets Knuckles the Echidna, who he tricks into thinking Sonic and Tails are villains after the powerful Master Emerald that Knuckles protects with his life in "Sonic 3". Knuckles steals the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic and constantly interferes with Sonic's fight. Robotnik is able to launch the Death Egg, but it fails to get into orbit before Sonic sends it crashing back down into the Lava Reef Zone.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Robotnik later reveals his true plan to Knuckles after stealing the Master Emerald during a fight between Sonic and Knuckles and gets the Death Egg into space once again in "Sonic & Knuckles". With help from now-ally Knuckles, Sonic is able to chase the madman into space and completely destroy the Death Egg. Robotnik makes one last chance to escape with the Master Emerald, but Super/Hyper Sonic defeats him.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Having traveled back from Mobius to Earth sometime prior, Robotnik learns of a legendary monster trapped in the Master Emerald named Chaos, and seeks out the ancient gemstone out. Upon finding it, he shatters it, freeing Chaos in the process. Robotnik's goal is to control Chaos and obtain the Chaos Emeralds, which he can feed to Chaos so that it transforms into its most powerful form, using its destructive powers to destroy the fictitious city of Station Square in order to build his own "Robotnikland". However, Chaos turns against him and intends to collect the Chaos Emeralds for itself. Towards the end, Robotnik teams up with the heroes to defeat Chaos. Like other characters in the series, Robotnik was redesigned for this game; here he calls himself "Robotnik", with Sonic and friends calling him "Eggman" as a nickname.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: "Sonic Adventure 2" marks the doctor's first appearance as a playable character, as well as the first game where he is primarily referred to (and refers to himself) as "Eggman" in all regions. Eggman revives the antihero Shadow the Hedgehog from dormancy. Shadow, knowing Eggman's desire to rule the world, agrees to help him by using the Eclipse Cannon aboard Space Colony ARK. In the last story, Eggman aids Sonic in trying to stop a fail-safe put in place by his grandfather, Prof. Gerald Robotnik, which set the colony on a crash course with Earth.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman creates a series of battle ships called the Egg Fleet, which he plans to use to take over the world in 3 days in "Sonic Heroes". He is once again the main antagonist, but it is discovered that he was betrayed and captured by his own creation Metal Sonic, who disguised himself as Eggman, and had taken control of the Egg Fleet for his own plan for world domination.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman is an opportunist who tries to gather the Chaos Emeralds in the middle of the Black Arms' invasion of Earth in "Shadow the Hedgehog". He is an ally or an enemy of Shadow during his missions. He ends up sending his robots to help stop the alien menace in the end. As Shadow interrogates Eggman for information regarding his past, he is met with taunts from Eggman, who claims that Shadow is one of his androids. In some of the game's possible endings, Shadow accepts being an android and kills Eggman. However, in the Last Story during Shadow's final fight with Black Doom, Eggman admits that he was lying about everything he said about Shadow; he had used one of his robots to rescue Shadow from his apparent death, despite not giving further explanation how Shadow lost his memories.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman kidnaps Princess Elise of Soleanna, who harbors the Flames of Disaster within her, in order to control time in the 2006 game of "Sonic the Hedgehog". Once again, he is forced to assist the heroes during the last act, much like previous games. In this game, he was given a realistic human appearance; this new look for Eggman has not been used since, as his physical appearance was back to what it looked like in "Sonic Adventure" in his later appearances.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman is one of the main antagonists in the game, along with Dark Gaia in "Sonic Unleashed". Eggman tricks Super Sonic into a trap and uses his Chaos Emerald energy to power a gigantic laser cannon, which fires into the Earth and shatters it into pieces, freeing the beast contained within: Dark Gaia. He spends most of the game collecting Dark Gaia's power as well as fighting Sonic with various machines, and much like the original games, flies off in his Egg Mobile when defeated. Unlike many previous games, Eggman actually assumes control of his plans at the end of "Sonic Unleashed" by creating Eggmanland and makes no effort to join forces with Sonic to stop his own plans once they have spiraled out of control. Still, Eggman suffers a defeat when he gives Dark Gaia a single order and is shot into the atmosphere by the creature. He is last seen having crashed in the Shamaran Desert, mocked by his robot assistant SA-55 over his failure, only to chase it down in a rage. It's said after this, Sonic and his friends, alongside Eggman, somehow returned to Mobius at some point.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In "" (set between "Sonic Mania" and "Sonic Adventure"), Sonic goes traveling on his own, not knowing Eggman survived the destruction of the Death Egg in "Sonic & Knuckles". The doctor remakes his old badniks, and improves them to destroy his old rival once and for all. Eggman is the main boss in this game and its direct follow-up, "".


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In "Sonic Colors", Eggman is again the main antagonist. While at the behinning claims to be seeking forgiveness for his past transgressions, and attempts to make amends by opening up a interstellar theme park, chaining together several planets to be used as attractions within Mobius's orbit. However, it becomes clear that the park is merely a front for Eggman's true intentions, which involve harnessing the energies of the alien Wisps for his own use; specifically, a mind-control cannon hidden in the central hub of the park which he plans to use to take over the universe. Unlike most 3D Sonic games, Eggman is the final boss, piloting an Eggmobile protected by the Nega-Wisp Armor/Egg Nega-Wisp, utilizing corrupted weaponized versions of the Wisps' powers. After his defeat, he ends up being sucked into his theme park which has transformed into a black hole when the negative energy backfires, consuming the entire park. After the credits, Eggman is seen stranded out in deep space inside the Eggmobile along with his two robot assistants Orbot and Cubot stating he has his revenge plan laid out.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman appears in both his classic and modern designs where in a plot twist it is discovered that he is the main antagonist of the game in "Sonic Generations". After his defeat in "Sonic Colors", while stranded in space, Eggman came across a being known as the Time Eater; after somehow converting it into robotic form, he attempts to use its time powers to reverse all of his past defeats at the hands of Sonic. By using the Time Eater, however, he causes rifts in time to open, bringing Sonic, Tails and himself to meet their classic counterparts. Eggman works together with his past self, Classic Eggman, to attempt to vanquish Sonic once and for all. They serve as the Classic Era, the Modern Era, and the final bosses during the game. Each fights with a different mech: Classic Eggman with the Death Egg Robot from Sonic 2/in the handheld version, he used the Big Arm mech from Sonic 3, Modern Eggman with a redesigned Egg Dragoon from Sonic Unleashed/in the handheld version, he used the Egg Emperor from Sonic Heroes, and together with the Time Eater. Unfortunately for the duo, the Time Eater is defeated when both Classic and Modern Sonic become Super Sonic. In the post-credits scene, both doctors wind up stranded in White Space with no apparent way out, leading Classic Eggman to suggest obtaining their teaching degrees once they escape. Modern Eggman agrees to this as he mentions that he "always enjoyed telling people what to do", although it is unknown if this was a joke or they were serious. Eventually, both Classic and Modern Eggman manage to escape White Space and return to their own time periods.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman travels to a floating planetoid-esque continent above Mobius called the Lost Hex (similar to the Little Planet), as part of a scheme to use an energy extractor to harness some of the world's energy in "Sonic Lost World". Along the way, he takes control of the Deadly Six, a band of villainous Zeti, natives of the Lost Hex, using a Cacophonic Conch to torture them into subservience . When Sonic hastily knocks away the conch, the Deadly Six betray him by using their ability to manipulate magnetic fields to turn Eggman's robots against him. With this turn of events, he is forced to work together with Sonic and Tails, as the Deadly Six plan to use his extractor to drain all of the world's energy to increase their power. However, in the final stage, Eggman ultimately overshadows the antagonistic role of the Deadly Six and is fought as the final boss of the game, by using the energy gathered by the extractor to power a giant mech, so he can rule whatever remained of the desiccated world. After Sonic defeated him, when Eggman tried to retreat, he found that his jetpack was sabotaged by Sonic, and thus falls to Mobius. In the post-credits cutscene, Eggman was shown to have survived his fall by landing on a soft spot of dirt. His servants Orbot and Cubot dig him out, but not before a rabbit chews off half of his mustache.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In "Sonic Mania" (set between "Sonic & Knuckles" and "Sonic 4: Episode 1", and leading into "Sonic Forces"), Classic Eggman detects a signal on Angel Island, revealed to be a gem with mysterious reality-warping powers, the Phantom Ruby. Eggman's elite Eggrobo squad, the Hard Boiled Heavies, is mutated by it and transports Team Sonic to zones they visited in the past. Eggman uses the Phantom Ruby to once again turn the Little Planet from "Sonic CD" into a high tech base via time travel once more, but Team Sonic catches up with him and destroy his creation. If all 7 Emeralds are gathered, the Heavy King will try to take the gem from his creator in a interdimensional void, but Super Sonic takes it away from them and is sucked in a portal along with it.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In "Sonic Forces", Eggman captures a jackal bandit named Indygo and his team, who tried to raid his base and turns him into the new villain Infinite, imbued by the recently rediscovered Phantom Ruby (having come through the portal through time alongside Classic Sonic). Eggman uses the illusions created by his most recent ally to create mass destruction and scare Mobius' population into submission (similar to the "Sonic SatAM" cartoon series and the Archie comic books). While waging war against a resistance militia lead by Sonic's friends, he manages to defeat Sonic with Infinite's powers creating false duplicates of previous rivals (namely Shadow, Metal Sonic, Chaos, and Zavok) and keep him as a prisoner. Sonic breaks free with the help of a new recruit of the resistance (the game's custom character) and rejoins with his friends six months later, forming a coalition to overthrow Eggman's rule, once again joined by Classic Sonic. When the two Sonics and the rookie confront Eggman and Infinite, the villains attempt to imprison them within Null Space with the Phantom Ruby, only for the two hedgehogs to escape and confront Infinite for the last time. After defeating him, Eggman betrays Infinite and seemingly vaporizes him, taking the Phantom Ruby for himself to power a new war mecha, only to once again be defeated by Sonic, Classic Sonic, and the rookie, destroying his mech and the Phantom Ruby for good and breaking the Eggman Empire's hold on Mobius. Eggman's whereabouts at the end of the game are left unknown.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In "Sonic Frontiers", Eggman has resurfaced, engaging Amy Rose in a battle mech, with Sonic and Tails arriving to help her out. After destroying the mech,the trio realize the pilot was a robot decoy, meant to keep them distracted from Eggman's true goal, having learned of a mysterious new archipelago known as the Starfall Islands, home to immensely advanced technologies created by the Ancients who once inhabited them, the ancestors to the Mobians who settled on Mobius in the distant past and the creators of the Chaos Emeralds. Locating an Ancient portal spire in a ruined forest temple, Eggman uses his new A.I. assistant to activate it, only to provoke a force of Ancient Robots to attack him, with his A.I. using the portal spire to pull him into Cyber Space as a means of keeping him safe. Within Cyber Space, the A.I. takes form a holographic young girl, whom he dubs Sage. Eggman tasks Sage with finding a way out of the digital realm while he explores. However, while doing so, Sage also takes it upon herself to dissuade Sonic from freeing his friends, whom she imprisoned after they all arrived on the Starfall Islands, as she is aware of unknown but devastating consequences that would result from his mission. Throughout the journey, Sage slowly becomes influenced by Sonic's compassion and loyalty to his friends and the world as a whole. As such, Sage develops an affectionate regard for Eggman, coming to address him as "father", whom, surprisingly enough, reciprocates, in turn regarding her as his "daughter". Despite her efforts to galvanize the Titans, the Ancients' guardian robots who protect the Chaos Emeralds, against the heroic hedgehog, Super Sonic is able to destroy all three and free Tails, Amy, and Knuckles, but in doing so, releases a malevolent cosmic entity known only as the End, who had destroyed the Ancients' homeworld centuries ago, but was defeated by the four leaders of the beings and was imprisoned in Cyber Space, but managed to manipulate Sonic into freeing it. Sonic then falls into a coma from terminal corruption of the End's digital energies running through him as Amy, Tails, Knuckles, and Eggman are released from Cyber Space, with Eggman gloating at his nemesis' apparent demise. However, unwilling to leave him to his fate, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles sacrifice their freedom to restore Sonic to normal, and with Sage's help, battle and eventually destroy the End's meteor-esque final form, but at the apparent cost of Sage's life. However, after integrating the Ancients' technology with his own, Eggman is able to reawaken Sage's consciousness into his EggNet, to his relief.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Robotnik appears in "Sonic Chaos", "", "Blast" and "Pocket Adventure", as well as the 8-bit renditions of "Sonic 1" and "2".


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In "Sonic Spinball", a pinball-themed game, Robotnik seizes Mount Mobius and turns it into a mechanical base called the "Veg-O-Fortress", setting up an elaborate pinball mechanism to keep the Chaos Emeralds safe. After the Veg-O-Machine is destroyed, Mount Mobius begins to crumble, and once the final boss is defeated, the doctor falls into the mountain which sinks into the ocean.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Robotnik has also appeared in "2.5D" isometric platformers; in "Sonic Labyrinth", he secretly replaces Sonic's famous red shoes with the new "Slow-Down Boots," which take away his ability to jump or run fast, and in "Sonic 3D Blast", he turns innocent Flickies into robots in yet another search for the Chaos Emeralds.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Robotnik/Eggman is also a playable character in such games as "Sonic Drift", "R", "Riders" as well as its sequels "", "Free Riders", "SEGA Superstars Tennis", "Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing", and "Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed" and Team Sonic Racing. Eggman made a cameo appearance in "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" and "3DS/Wii U" as a trophy. He appeared as a playable character in all of the "Mario & Sonic" titles, and as the 2 main villains (alongside Bowser) in the Adventure/Story Mode of Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics for Nintendo DS, London 2012 Olympics for Nintendo 3DS, and Tokyo 2020 Olympics for Nintendo Switch. Eggman also appears in the crossover title "Lego Dimensions", with Mike Pollock reprising his role as part of the level "Sonic Dimensions", in which he attempts to use the game's Keystone Devices to conquer multiple dimensions and defeat Sonic; a haunted parade balloon based on Eggman also appears as a boss in the game's "Ghostbusters 2016" story pack's fourth level, "Breaking the Barrier".


title: Doctor Eggman

text: The only game to feature Robotnik as the central character is the 1993 puzzle game "Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine", in which Robotnik's "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog's" version, along with his numerous badnik bounty hunters seen in the first episode of the same show, attempts to rid all the fun and music on the planet Mobius by kidnapping the citizens of one insignificant town and turning them into robots. Despite the fact that he is the title character, he is still the villain and is the final boss.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: "Sonic and the Black Knight" is the only game in the entire "Sonic" franchise series in which Eggman does not make a physical appearance or receive mention. However, the game makes small references to the character, including a collectible item bearing his emblem, an in-game mission featuring his robots as enemies, and unlockable fan art of the character.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: He appears as a trophy in both "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" and "Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U", as well as a spirit in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate".


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman appeared in "Sonic Rush" and "Rush Adventure", where he is once again the main antagonist, alongside a parallel version of himself called Eggman Nega. Eggman also appeared in "Sonic Rivals 1" and "2", with Eggman Nega appearing as the main villain. Eggman is also a playable character in the Sonic RPG, "".


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Doctor Eggman, under the "Robotnik" moniker, appeared as the main antagonist of two "Sonic the Hedgehog" animated television series that premiered in 1993. His appearance in the syndicated weekday series "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" was designed by cartoonist Milton Knight, and his voice was provided by blues musician Long John Baldry. In the Saturday morning ABC series "Sonic the Hedgehog", he was given the first name "Julian" and was voiced by Jim Cummings. Robotnik also served as the main antagonist of the 1999 series "Sonic Underground", in which he is voiced by Garry Chalk.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In the 2-part episode "Sonic the Hedgehog" OVA, Robotnik (or "Eggman" in the original) tells Sonic that he has been banished from "Eggmanland" ("Robotropolis" in the ADV dub) by a metallic doppelgänger of himself called "Black Eggman" ("Metal Robotnik" in the ADV dub). It is later revealed that the mecha was piloted by Robotnik/Eggman himself, in a scheme to lure Sonic into his base and copy his DNA for his new Hyper Metal Sonic robot. Eggman/Robotnik was voiced by Junpei Takiguchi in the Japanese version and by Edwin Neal in the English dub.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In "Sonic X", Dr. Eggman (which he is usually referred to as in this series, though his real last name in-universe is Robotnik as in the games), is as always the primary antagonist throughout Seasons 1 and 2. In the premiere episode, Eggman, alongside his lackey robots Deco, Boco, and Bokkun, having collected the Chaos Emeralds and kidnapped Cream the Rabbit for an unknown scheme, only for Sonic to confront him and damage his latest machine. The malfunctioning device induces an explosive domed variant of Chaos Control that accidentally transports Eggman, Sonic, and his friends, from their own world Mobius to Earth. Here, Eggman would instead endeavor to take over Earth instead, only to constantly be foiled by Sonic and Co., now joined by plucky human boy Chris Thorndyke and his family and friends. In the first season finale, Eggman once again collects In the second season, which adapts the events of "Sonic Adventure", "Sonic Adventure 2", and "Sonic Battle", Eggman discovers the existence of the ancient watery entity Chaos and frees it, using the Emeralds to evolve it only to be betrayed by it, leaving Super Sonic to defeat and pacify it. Later on, Eggman discovers the Ultimate Lifeform, Project Shadow, hidden in a G.U.N. facility, revealed as a hedgehog resembling Sonic named Shadow. Eggman and Shadow find and reactivate a hidden space station known as the Space Colony ARK. Here, it is revealed that Professor Gerald Robotnik is his grandfather and that Earth was his homeworld, having at sometime in the past traveled to Mobius and sought to conquer it, leading to his ongoing conflict with Sonic and Co.. Eggman again tries to use the Chaos Emeralds to power the ARK's Eclipse Cannon in order to threaten the Earth into surrendering to his rule, only a failsafe put in place by a vengeful Gerald to activate and crash the ARK into the Earth and cause a mass extinction event, leading Shadow and Sonic to team up and destroy the BioLizard, the prototype Ultimate Lifeform who means to see Gerald's revenge through. In the final season, Eggman returns to Mobius with Sonic and friends with intent to resume his campaigns for conquering Mobius, only to reluctantly joins forces with Sonic and his friends to fight mechanical alien menace known as the Metarex. This incarnation is voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka in the Japanese version, and by Mike Pollock in the English dub.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Dr. Eggman appears as the primary antagonist of the "Sonic Boom" animated series, with Mike Pollock reprising his voice role. Eggman's physical appearance was the most drastically changed of the cast, now appearing to have a buff upper body and wearing a militaristic uniform, as well as having a fully brown and smoother mustache. He also appears to be less serious than his mainstream counterpart.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Dr. Eggman makes a handful of appearances in the anime "Hi-sCoool! SeHa Girls". In the middle of the Sega Hard Girls' first exam in the game "Border Break", Eggman hacks into the game world and begins to wreak havoc until Sonic appears. He leads Sonic and the girls on a chase through several "Sonic the Hedgehog" games until they finally defeat him using an invincibility power-up. He later appears in the final episode to wish the girls farewell at their graduation.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Dr. Eggman appears as the primary antagonist of the newest animated series "Sonic Prime", now voiced by Brian Drummond. Having tricked Sonic into breaking open a hidden catacomb in Green Hill Zone housing an ancient gemstone known as the Paradox Prism


title: Doctor Eggman

text: When the first "Sonic the Hedgehog" title was released in 1991, Sega of America developed an origin for Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Robotnik which diverged from the back-stories created in Japan by Sonic Team. In this back-story, set on the planet Mobius, Dr. Ivo Robotnik was originally a benevolent scientist named Dr. Ovi Kintobor ("Ivo Robotnik" with each name spelled backwards; also, "ovi" is the Latin prefix meaning "egg"), a friend to Sonic who helped to develop the hedgehog's super-speed. Kintobor was transformed into Robotnik by a laboratory accident involving the Chaos Emeralds and a rotten egg, becoming his own evil opposite, who frequently used egg-related puns in his dialogue. This story was first featured in a 14-page promotional comic book published by Sega in the United States, written by Francis Mao, that was designed to promote the game, but would go on to greater fame in the United Kingdom, where it would be used by the vast majority of local publications, including the guidebook "Stay Sonic", a series of novels from Virgin Books, and Fleetway Publications' "Sonic the Comic", which was published from 1993 until 2002. In "Sonic the Comic", Dr. Robotnik was dictator of planet Mobius for most of the comic's first 100 issues, while Sonic also had access to an AI computer program based on the personality of Dr. Kintobor. Initially, Robotnik's appearance in "Sonic the Comic" matched that of the video games, but from issue #22 onwards the comic adopted his design from the "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" cartoon series.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Also, from 1993 to 2017, Archie Comics published a "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic book. The series is in a sense, a very loose continuation of ABC's "Sonic the Hedgehog" animated cartoon; as well as a mad scientist, Robotnik is a portrayed as a dictator who took control of Sonic's hometown during a coup d'etat. At the height of this conflict, Robotnik died during a final confrontation with Sonic, only later to be replaced by another Robotnik from a parallel world, becoming the same Dr. Eggman from the video games. In later years, the plot of the comic changed to incorporate elements from the video games, with Robotnik being replaced by his more traditional video game counterpart.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: However, due to legal disputes with former writer Ken Penders, Archie Comics eventually cancelled the comic and ended their partnership with Sega. Sega later announced a partnership with IDW Publishing, intending to launch a brand new comic book, separate from the Archie comic. The IDW comic is depicted taking place after "Sonic Forces", where Dr. Eggman had been flung into a village following his final battle with Sonic, having sustained amnesia as a result. Having become friendly and innovative, Eggman even reinforces the cell he was kept in. Deeming him a new man, the mayor releases him, where he takes up the name "Mr. Tinker", as their residential handyman. When Sonic finally locates him, he is skeptical of his nemesis' supposed change of heart, but after seeing Mr. Tinker protect the children from the Badnik horde, is convinced of his reformation, even defending him from Shadow the Hedgehog who planned to execute him. Mr. Tinker reveals that his new "Eggmanland" is simply a small amusement park for the children, and Sonic thus allows him to remain in the village. It's revealed that the mysterious figure directing the Eggman Empire is in fact his second in command Metal Sonic, who has been upgraded into his Neo form from "Sonic Heroes" once more. Neo Metal Sonic plans to retrieve Eggman so that he may resume command of his Empire, unaware of Mr. Tinker. The peace is short-lived as the upstart villain Dr. Starline finds Mr. Tinker and reawakens the Eggman persona. Eggman then proceeds with a plan to infect the world with a virus that converts organic matter into a robotic form. Quickly covering most of the planet, Eggman is unconcerned when it is discovered that his control over the new robotic life forms has become less effective, prompting Starline to betray him by summoning the Deadly Six. Eggman ultimately teams up with Sonic to defeat Zavok and neutralize the Metal Virus.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Eggman appears in the 2012 Disney movie "Wreck-It Ralph", where the film is set in an arcade and depicts many video game characters living inside the arcade machines. In the movie itself, Eggman appears in his current design from the "Modern" Sonic games, both in person as a member of the villain support group "Bad-Anon", and as a caricature picture on the Celebrity Wall of Tapper's, a bar located inside the arcade machine of Tapper. In the ending credits of the film, he appears in a brief pixel-art styled scene, using his in-game design from "Sonic the Hedgehog 3". Eggman also makes a cameo appearance in the sequel, "Ralph Breaks the Internet".


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Robotnik/Eggman appears in the theatrical "Sonic the Hedgehog" film released by Paramount Pictures in 2020, with Jim Carrey portraying a live-action version of the character. In the film, he is referred to almost exclusively as Robotnik, and is depicted as a twisted scientist hired by the United States Department of Defense to hunt down Sonic after he caused a power outage across the Pacific Northwest. Eventually, he receives the moniker "Eggman" from Sonic after the egg-shaped designs of his robots. Robotnik uses one of Sonic's quills to power up his machines to match Sonic's speed, but is eventually defeated by Sonic. He is transported to a planet filled with mushrooms, and after being trapped there for 87 days, he shaves his head and grows out his moustache, making him further resemble his in-game appearances, as he plots his revenge against Sonic.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: In the second film, Robotnik spent 243 days (nearly a year) on the mushroom planet until he teams up with Knuckles to destroy Sonic and locate the Master Emerald. Robotnik eventually betrays Knuckles and absorbs the Master Emerald, intending to conquer the universe with it. In Green Hills, he uses his new powers to create a giant robotic replica of himself (which resembles the Death Egg Robot from the games), but is defeated after Knuckles knocks the Master Emerald out of him and Sonic uses the Chaos Emeralds to transform into Super Sonic and destroy the robot. Robotnik's whereabouts and living status are unknown by the end of the film.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Although not said on screen, the full name of the character as written in the movie's novelization is listed as "Ivo Gerald Robotnik." The middle name of which is a moniker to his grandfather.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: Reception to the character has been very positive, with Dr. Robotnik going on to become one of the most well-known villains in gaming. GameDaily ranked him number one on their list of Top 25 Evil Masterminds of All Time article, stating "Out of all the evil masterminds in video games, none are more despicable, more cunning, or more menacing". They also included him in their most persistent video game villains list and their craziest video game villains list. In a later article, they listed the "evil mastermind" as one of the top 25 video game archetypes, using Robotnik as an example. He was featured at number three in a "Reader's Choice" edition of GameSpot's "Top Ten Video Game Villains" article, which noted a massive complaint by fans at his exclusion from the original list. Eggman was also named the 15th most diabolical video game villain of all time by PC World. "Game Informer" notes that in "Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood", "Eggman's villain ego shows some amusing tarnish after constant defeat at the hands of Sonic." IGN listed him at number nine above Mario-series villain Bowser in their "Top 10 Most Memorable Villains" article, calling him "PETA's videogame public enemy number one", and has also commented that his character is a "pretty clever riff on Teddy Roosevelt" that has added to the attraction of the series. "Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition" listed Dr. Eggman as 43rd in their list of "top 50 video game villains". In 2010, IGN listed Dr. Robotnik 11th out of their "Top 100 Videogame Villains". Nintendo Power listed Dr. Robotnik as their seventh favorite villain, also listing him as having one of the best mustaches. Nathan Rohe, writing for Odyssey considers him the best video game villain of all-time, reasoning "...he often strikes that perfect balance between silly and sinister. Eggman is often depicted as a bumbling buffoon who gets beaten time and time again by a teenage blue hedgehog and his friends. However, when you actually look at his plans they can be quite vile."


title: Doctor Eggman

text: A macrocyclic molecule discovered by a Harvard University research team to potentially inhibit the protein Sonic hedgehog was named "Robotnikinin" after the Dr. Robotnik character. The researchers felt that after Sonic hedgehog was named after the Sega video game character, they should "adhere to the convention" in naming the inhibiting compound after the character's archenemy.


title: Doctor Eggman

text: The band Intercontinental Music Lab included a song about Dr. Robotnik on their 2008 album, "Superheroes of Science". The power metal band Powerglove wrote a song called "So Sexy Robotnik" based on the boss theme from "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" and features snips from various other level tunes from the same game. It appears as the first track on their 2007 album "Metal Kombat for the Mortal Man".


title: Dyson (company)

text: Dyson Limited, commonly known just as Dyson, is a Singaporean based multinational technology company founded by James Dyson. First established in 1991 at Malmesbury, England, it designs and manufactures household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, hand dryers, bladeless fans, heaters, hair dryers, and lights. As of February 2018, Dyson had more than 12,000 employees worldwide.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In 2019, Dyson announced the company's permanent move to Singapore – its headquarters are located at the St James Power Station, across the island of Sentosa. Ever since, the company has conducted its base of operations out of Singapore, with its headquarters being the hub for Dyson's research and engineering teams, as well as commercial, advanced manufacturing and supply chain operations. In 2022, Dyson announced that it would be investing a further S$1.5 billion in the country.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In January 2019, it was announced that Dyson intends to manufacture its own electric vehicle (EV). However, the termination of the EV programme was announced later that year on 10 October 2019, citing that it was not "commercially viable" at this time. Nevertheless, a prototype of the EV was unveiled in 2020, known as the N526, and it is now showcased within their headquarters.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In 1974, James Dyson bought a Hoover Junior vacuum cleaner, which lost suction after a period of use. Frustrated, Dyson emptied the disposable paper bag to try to restore the suction but this had no effect. On opening the bag to investigate, he noticed a layer of dust inside, clogging the fine material mesh.


title: Dyson (company)

text: Later, Dyson was working on his ballbarrow at a company he had founded (but no longer entirely owned) where a large vacuum system was used to contain the fusion bonded epoxy coating that was sprayed on the wheelbarrow arms as a powder coating. Dyson found the system inefficient, and was told by equipment manufacturers that giant cyclone systems were better. Centrifugal separators are a typical method of collecting dirt, dust and debris in industrial settings, but such methods usually were not applied on a smaller scale because of the higher cost. He knew sawmills used this type of equipment, and investigated by visiting a local sawmill at night and taking measurements. He then built a 30-foot model for the ballbarrow factory. While constructing this at home, Dyson realized the function of the cyclone was to extract dust without clogging. Wondering if this could be applied at a smaller scale to a home vacuum, he constructed a cardboard model with sticky tape, connected it to his Hoover with its bag removed, and found it worked satisfactorily.


title: Dyson (company)

text: The directors of the ballbarrow company thought if a better vacuum was possible, Hoover or Electrolux would have invented it. Dyson was undeterred, and was kicked out of his company. Jeremy Fry provided 49% of the investment for cyclonic vacuum development, and the rest came from a loan. In the shed behind his house, Dyson developed 5,127 prototype designs between 1979 and 1984. The first prototype vacuum cleaner, a red and blue machine, brought Dyson little success, as he struggled to find a licensee for his machine in the UK and America. Manufacturing companies such as Hoover did not want to license the design, probably because the vacuum bag market was worth $500M and thus Dyson was a threat to their profits.


title: Dyson (company)

text: The only company that expressed interest in the new cyclonic vacuum technology was Dyson's former employer, Rotork. Built by Italian appliance maker Zanussi and sold by Kleeneze through a mail order catalogue, the Kleeneze Rotork Cyclon was the first publicly sold vacuum cleaner of Dyson's design. Only about 500 units were sold in 1983.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In April 1984, Dyson claimed that he had sent the prototype machines, drawings, and confidential information to American consumer-products maker Amway as part of a proposed licensing deal. The deal fell through, but in January 1985 Amway produced the CMS-1000, a machine which was very similar to the Dyson design. Less than a month later, Dyson sued Amway for patent infringement.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In 1985 a Japanese company, Apex Ltd., expressed interest in licensing Dyson's design and in March 1986 a reworked version of the Cyclon – called G-Force – was put into production and sold in Japan for the equivalent of US$2,000. The G-Force had an attachment that could turn it into a table to save space in small Japanese apartments. In 1991, it won the International Design Fair prize in Japan, and became a status symbol there.


title: Dyson (company)

text: Using the income from the Japanese licence, James Dyson set up Dyson Appliances Limited in 1991, although it was registered as Barleta Limited. The first dual-cyclone vacuum built under the Dyson name, the DA 001, was produced by American company Phillips Plastics in a facility in Wrexham, Wales, beginning in January 1993 and sold for about £200. Vacuum assembly took place in the unused half of the plastic factory. Due to quality control concerns and Phillips's desire to renegotiate the terms of their contract to build the vacuum cleaner, Dyson severed the agreement in May 1993. Within two months he set up a new supply chain and opened a new production facility in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England; the first vacuum built at the new facility was completed 1 July 1993. The DA 001 was soon replaced by an almost identical cleaner, the DC01.


title: Dyson (company)

text: Dyson licensed the technology in North America from 1986 to 2001 to Fantom Technologies, after which Dyson entered the market directly.


title: Dyson (company)

text: Even though market research showed that people would not be happy with a transparent container for the dust, Dyson and his team decided to make a transparent container anyway and this turned out to be a popular and enduring feature which has been heavily copied. The DC01 became the biggest selling vacuum cleaner in the UK in just 18 months. By 2001, the DC01 made up 47% of the upright vacuum cleaner market.


title: Dyson (company)

text: The company introduced a cylinder machine, the DC02, and produced a number of special editions and revised models (DC02 Absolute, DC02 De Stijl, DC05, DC04, DC06, DC04 Zorbster). On 2 January 2001 the company name was shortened from Dyson Appliances Ltd. to Dyson Ltd. In April of that year the DC07, a new upright vacuum cleaner using "Root Cyclone" technology with seven cyclone funnels instead of the original dual-cyclone design, was launched. By 2009 Dyson began creating other technologies: the Airblade hand dryer, the Air Multiplier "bladeless" fan and Dyson Hot, the "bladeless" fan heater. In October 2019, Dyson released the Pure Cryptomic, available in a fan version and a heater + fan version. The device is able to remove formaldehyde from the air; this flammable and colourless gas can irritate the skin, eyes, nose, and throat.


title: Dyson (company)

text: Dyson vacuum cleaners and washing machines were made in Malmesbury, Wiltshire until 2002, when the company transferred vacuum cleaner production to Malaysia. There was some controversy over the reason for this move, as well as over plans to expand Dyson's factory to increase production. Trade unionists in Wiltshire claimed that the move would negatively impact the local economy through the loss of jobs. The following year, washing machine production was also transferred to Malaysia. This move was driven by lower production costs in Malaysia (30% less than in the UK); it resulted in the loss of 65 jobs.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In 2004, the Meiban-Dyson Laundry Manufacturing Plant was opened in Johor, Malaysia. The RM10 million (approx. US$2.63 million) plant is a joint venture between Dyson and the Singapore-based Meiban Group Ltd., which has manufacturing facilities in China, Malaysia and Singapore. Dyson stated that the cost savings from transferring production to Malaysia enabled investment in research and development at their Malmesbury head office.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In 2007, Dyson formed a partnership with the Malaysian electronics manufacturer VS Industry Bhd (VSI) to take on a major role in Dyson's supply chain, from raw material sourcing and production to distribution. VSI also undertook an extensive production plan to supply finished product to Dyson's markets around the globe (America, UK, Japan, etc.).


title: Dyson (company)

text: It is said that Dyson has around 7,000 employees. Dyson has not publicly stated where those employees are located, though it is known that VS Industry Bhd (VSI) currently has around 4,250 employees at their Malaysian facility which manufactures Dyson products, and in 2007 it was reported that Dyson alone was responsible for 80% of VS Industry Bhd revenue.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In February 2022, Channel 4 News reported allegations of "forced labour" conditions by a Malaysian manufacturer of Dyson products. Not long after, Dyson announced its termination with the manufacturer, known as ATA IMS, adding that "We hope this gives ATA the impetus to improve, and enables an orderly withdrawal in the interests of the workers that they employ."


title: Dyson (company)

text: Dyson launched a US$360 million plant in Tuas, Singapore in 2013, which can produce four million digital motors a year. In 2016, Dyson injected $100 million to increase output to an estimated 11 million digital motors a year.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In January 2017, Dyson announced its US headquarters and operations would move to the Fulton Market District in Chicago by end of year. The move added 100 employees to the company's Chicago headcount with over 40,000 square feet of newly leased office space.


title: Dyson (company)

text: In February 2017, Dyson announced a significant expansion programme in the UK, opening a new high-tech campus on the former RAF Hullavington Airfield in Hullavington, Wiltshire, about south of its Malmesbury site. It has been suggested that research there will focus on battery technologies, following the acquisition of US start-up Sakti3, and robotics.


title: Dyson (company)

text: On 22 January 2019, Dyson announced plans to move its company headquarters to Singapore, citing its intention to be closer with its fastest growing markets throughout the Asia-Pacific as well as stating its unhappiness when dealing with the European Union (EU), which it perceives as being overly bureaucratic.


title: Dyson (company)

text: Its headquarters are located at the St James Power Station, a former coal-fired power plant which it leased. The building underwent restoration works from 2019 to 2021. It officially began moving to its headquarters in end-2021; the now restored St James Power Station was subsequently officially completed on 4 March 2022. In 2022, Dyson announced that it would be investing a further S$1.5 billion in Singapore.


title: Dyson (company)

text: Dyson designs, manufactures and sells household appliances such as vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, hand dryers, bladeless fans, heaters, hair dryers, and lights.