Gotta go fast, gotta be friendly.

Back in September, Hello Kitty and her pals brought some much-needed smiles to the Evangelion cast, as part of a collaboration between Sanrio and the famously somber mecha anime. It was a testament to how Kitty-chan’s crew can get along with anyone, and sure enough, they’re expanding their circle of friends yet again, this time to include Sonic the Hedgehog.

The six Sanrio characters from the Evangelion crossover are here again, each paired up with a character from Sega’s flagship franchise.

With Sonic never having been shy about being the protagonist, the Blue Blur partners up with Sanrio’s brightest star, Hello Kitty, for a kigurumi-esque costumed plushie.

▼ And yes, the hood accounts for his quills.

Sidekick Tails, meanwhile, joins up with Cinnamaroll, the runner-up in this year’s Sanrio Character Ranking poll.

Knuckles, the moodiest of Sonic’s cohorts, is partnered with Kuromi, the edgiest Sanrio character. Of course, Sanrio-edgy is still pretty adorable, which might be why Knuckles looks about as cheerful as we’ve ever seen him.

Amy Rose and My Melody appear to have bonded over their penchant for pretty-in-pink aesthetics…

…and Shadow and Hangyodon have something in common too, as they were both born in space.

And last, showing extreme commitment to Sanrio’s let’s-all-be-friends philosophy, none other than this year’s Sanrio popularity poll winner, Pompompurin, is now buddies with Sonic’s recurring nemesis Dr. Robotnik, or Eggman, as the character is called in Japan.

Between Robotnik’s habit of wearing both eyeglasses and goggles, and Pompompurin’s ever-present beret, there’s quite a lot going on visually…

…but thankfully the crossover design stops short of giving the mad scientist the Sanrio pooch’s famous exposed butthole.

The plushies pictured above are 30 centimeters (11.8 inches) tall and priced at 4,950 yen (US$33). Alternatively, there’s a lineup of “mascot” stuffed animals with straps that are half the size and roughly half the price (15 centimeters, 2,420 yen).

The designs are more or less the same, but the proportions are a little different, and the mascot straps’ legs can dangle down, which you could argue is the proper posture for characters who spend so much time running at high speed during their adventures.

The whole collection can be pre-ordered through Sega’s Sega Fave Store e-shop here, with an official on-sale date of November 7 for all of the items except the Shadoww/Hangyodon ones, which won’t be released until December 11, because no one can make Shadow do something before he’s decided to do it himself.

Source: PR Times
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Sega Fave Shop (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!