Maybe I should submit Pana for a laugh... In seriousness though, I think this is a pretty cool idea, I just hope there are some decent characters submitted, and that a good one actually gets picked.
Maybe if everyone submits forgotten Sonic characters they'll unknowingly pick one and unintentionally catapult them back into fame.
I designed Sega a new mascot when I was 14. I'm 32 now. Here we go, here's Bad Altitude. I wasn't 14 when I drew this, I was 30. I never let go of any of my terrible ideas.
If any crazy gaijin wants to try entering one of their ideas in this, I have a NicoNico account. Not that it's difficult to get one now, anymore. Huh...
Yeah, and where is the worship and devotion that comes from designing a mascot, huh? I want no less than twenty substandard games with my character, plus three questionable cartoon series and a junk-food item tie in. Plus a Happy Meal toy. Or I'm not entering. Wait. I'm not entering.
Well, this was back in 1994 and Rayman hadn't even been released yet. I originally had a bunch of blob-like characters that were clear and obvious ripoffs of (Silly) Putty but with hairstyles -- the disembodied gloves and shoes were added to give them more 'body' but limbless so I could lazily keep the Putty-fancharacter-donotsteal designs. I was so original, as 14 year-olds usually are. I remember when Rayman came out and people at school said I'd somehow been ripped off by one of the game companies I sent ideas to. News to me, I hadn't even sent them. I was at least smart enough to realise that it's possible for people to come up with similar ideas independently. Incidentally, my rip-off character had more layers to it, since the gloves were Mickey Mouse (or a 3-fingered Sonic) and those sneakers? Toejam & Earl, baby. Sorry, I hijacked the thread. Or not.
For anyone reading this thread and thinking this is "going to kill off Sonic", you're an idiot. That is all.
Keep in mind that this is intended for any lurkers that may have gone to that article, didn't read it and post a dumb comment.
Entries so far: http://seiga.nicovideo.jp/tag/%E3%82%BB%E3%82%AC%E3%81%AA%E3%81%BE%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9%E3%82%B3%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88?lock=1 I like what I see. Namely that they're mostly awful.
Best ones so far. I think the Mega Drive Bat and SEGA Dragon may be my favourites. Then there's these two: