Ok, I came up with this idea a few years ago, and I think I might have posted it in the past. Anyways, it's long gone, so I'm curious as to what people will think about this.
I'm convinced that Sonic the Hedgehog is secretly a type of propaganda, or at least an allegory towards the Cold War. The two main games that this is relevant in are Sonic 1 and 2. When I refer to communism, I'm not talking about pure communism, but rather the communism of the Cold War era: authoritative, repressive regimes, where the leader is pretty much a dictator.
When you look at Sonic, you can see that he's primarily made of red, white and blue colors. These can be interpreted as American colors. Robotnik wears red, yellow and black. However, when in virtually all of his machines, you can only see red and yellow. These colors are the same as the Soviet (communist) flag.
Even the name Robotnik has a very Russian, or eastern European flair to it. This was the location of the USSR.
Robotnik's main goal is to rule the world. He takes ordinary citizens and turns them into robot enemies. Each robot falls in one hit and gives you the same 100 points (unless you chain them, but that's more of a game feature), so they are all considered equal, except for Robotnik, who traditionally takes 8. This could mean that no individual is greater than any other, yet they all have their own specific function and common goal: Stop Sonic. Robotnik would take more hits because he is the dictator and well, what fun would a game be if the boss fell in one hit?
Note that Robotnik is also heavily involved in machinery and means of production to attain his goals.
Sonic can also be seen as a Capitalist figure. He collects gold rings, which provide points in-game, and also work as a lifeline. The more rings you have, the safer you technically are, since 100 rings adds an extra life, and instead of losing a life when hit, you'll lose rings. So, in essence, it really helps to collect as much gold as possible.
Robotnik nor his minions have any need for gold, or rings. They just happen to do their thing, working towards their common goal of global domination.
Your thoughts?
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