Sonic the Hedgehog Returns to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®

SEGA Celebrates the 20^th Anniversary of its Iconic Character with a 48-Foot Tall Helium Balloon in the Famed Holiday Spectacular

SAN FRANCISCO & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A beloved blue blur is set to return to the skies of New York City, as SEGA^® of America, Inc. today announces that Sonic the Hedgehog will fly once again at the 85^th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade^®. On Thursday, November 24^th, Sonic will defy gravity and soar as a giant helium balloon in the famed spectacular in celebration of his 20^th Anniversary. A trailblazer from the start, Sonic in 1993, made his debut as the first-ever video game character to appear in the heralded march down the streets of Manhattan. Over the past 20 years, Sonic has evolved as one of gaming’s greatest icons, with his blue body and unforgettable spikes being recognized worldwide as a symbol of speed, adventure and fun.

“Sonic continues to be a worldwide phenomenon and we are thrilled that this Thanksgiving his distinctive blue spikes will once again be seen parading down the route, as part of his 20th birthday celebration.”

On Thanksgiving, the Sonic balloon will sky rocket into the atmosphere with massive blue spikes, his signature white gloves and red shoes, shining in the sun. For his parade return, Sonic will measure approximately 48-feet tall, 60-feet long, and 26-feet wide, solidifying his presence, once again, as a historic character in the 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade line-up.

“Sonic the Hedgehog was a Macy’s Parade trailblazer the moment he charged into the line-up, becoming the first-ever video game character to fly in our annual march,” said Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Sonic continues to be a worldwide phenomenon and we are thrilled that this Thanksgiving his distinctive blue spikes will once again be seen parading down the route, as part of his 20^th birthday celebration.”

“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a celebration of the most famous faces and characters in our culture, so it was a simple decision to bring Sonic back to the parade to celebrate his 20^th anniversary in great company,” says Judy Gilbertson, Senior Brand Manager, SEGA of America. “It will be a thrill for Sonic fans young and old to see the balloon this Thanksgiving.”

Alongside his parade return, Sonic’s highly anticipated new title, Sonic Generations, will be released this holiday season, commemorating Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20^th anniversary.

Sonic Generations features Sonic the Hedgehog playable as both the much loved classic 1991 character and the modern day video game hero he has become. In this exciting new fast paced adventure set across three defining eras from 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog, you can now speed through some of the most iconic environments, playing as Classic Sonic in re-imagined 2D side scrolling levels and as Modern Sonic in all new, stunning 3D levels. Sonic Generations will be available this holiday season for the PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Nintendo 3DS™.

The 85^th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationwide on NBC-TV, Thursday, November 24, 2011 from 9:00 am – Noon, in all time zones.

For more information please visit www.sega.com.

For press assets please go to www.sega-press.com.

About the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: With more than 50 million viewers across the country and more than 3.5 million spectators that line up along the streets of New York City each year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a national icon that has grown into a world-famous holiday event. For more than 80 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has marked the official start of the holiday season. Growing in size and scale, the Parade proudly marches down a more than 2-mile route in New York City with more than 8,000 participants in tow including Macy’s employees, their families, celebrities, athletes, clowns and dance groups spreading holiday cheer. The Parade also features America’s best marching bands, fabulous floats and Macy’s signature giant helium character balloons. For more information on the Macy’s Parade please visit www.macys.com/parade or call the Parade hotline at [phone].

About SEGA^® of America, Inc.: SEGA^® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA^® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com

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