SEGA’s famous mascot, Sonic The Hedgehog, hasn’t lost any of his charm over the last few decades, as evidenced by the well-received, recently released hit movie based on the titular character. Multiple generations of gamers have enjoyed the vibrant fun of the Sonic games, but few really know much about the principle characters.

Here’s 10 things you may never have known about Sonic the Hedgehog and company. Think you can keep up? Let’s race!

10 SILVER’S POWERS WEREN’T DESIGNED FOR A SONIC GAME

Silver the Hedgehog debuted in 2006’s Sonic The Hedgehog game as a means of taking advantage of a new physics system developed for that particular title. His psychokinetic abilities are a trademark of his character, but they almost didn’t make the cut.

In fact, his abilities were meant for another action game, entirely. When development commenced, Silver’s character began to take shape, and his abilities were found to be a good fit for the game’s branching play styles.

9 KNUCKLES IS RASTA

Knuckles was conceived as a possible rival for Sonic, becoming successful enough to star in his own breakout game alongside his hedgehog competitor. What many don’t know is Knuckles’ heritage.

Whether fully Jamaican or not, Knuckles has embraced Rastafarianism to the point of adopting its colors, while sporting dreadlocks and speaking in a Rastafarian accent (though not shown in the original games).

8 DR. ROBOTNIK WAS ORIGINALLY A GOOD GUY

During the concept phase for the original Sonic game, several sketches came across the table, one of which was an early draft of Dr. Robotnik. The character was supposed to be a caricature of Theodore Roosevelt wearing pajamas.

While the character was dropped as a possible successor to SEGA’s mascot at that time (Alex Kidd), he would instead be adapted as the franchise’s signature villain, the dastardly Dr. Robotnik.

7 SEGA UNDERESTIMATED SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG

Sonic Adventure 2 was meant to incorporate a bit of dark grittiness into the Sonic franchise, and that’s what led to the creation of Shadow The Hedgehog by Sonic Team writer Shiro Maekawa.

When Shadow bit the dust at the end of Sonic Adventure 2, fans cried out for more of him. He’d eventually make a few more appearances before landing his very own game in 2005, proving that he was more than just a clever plot device.

6 SONIC CAN’T LEGALLY DRIVE

1998’s Sonic Adventure would see a refresh of the character with a strong emphasis on his 15 year age. It was the first time the series had definitively nailed down a concrete fact about the character.

The ironic part? Sonic can run faster than lightning, but couldn’t legally get behind the wheel of a car.

5 TAILS’ FULL NAME IS A PLAY ON WORDS

While most gamers refer to Tails simply by that name, they may not be aware that it’s actually a nickname. Tails’ actual name is Miles Powers.

This is a play on words of “miles per hour,” designed to give the character a bit of wit, while showcasing his capability for great speed.

4 AMY ROSE WENT THROUGH MULTIPLE CHANGES

The character of Amy Rose was first introduced in a manga series, before finding a spot on the classic platformer Sonic CD. Her first iteration was a damsel in distress type who fawns over Sonic to the point of obsession.

Over the course of the franchise, Amy would mature several times and learn to back off from showering Sonic with too much non-reciprocated affection. Her age and physical appearance also changed to give her a more independent look, but it also made her more bossy and aggressive at the same time, which was a far cry from her Sonic CD debut.

3 TAILS WAS ORIGINALLY A TANOOKI

After the runaway success of the first Sonic game on the Sega Genesis, plans were drawn up for the sequel. To capitalize on the success, fan favorite Tails was added as a playable character for co-op.

Tails was originally supposed to be a tanuki, a creature of Japanese folklore, but he was changed to a fox due to avoid overlap with Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers 3, which featured the popular Tanooki suit.

2 CREAM’S NAME SERVED A PURPOSE

The character of Cream the Rabbit was intended to serve as a sidekick to Amy Rose, much the same way as Tails was to Sonic. Her name might appear to lack connotation, but that’s not the case.

Her name was designed to evoke connections with “cream cheese” and “vanilla cream,” which has a direct connection with her friends Cheese and Vanilla the Rabbit.

1 SONIC’S ORIGINAL NAME WAS AWFUL

SEGA’s original round of concept designs for a new company mascot included a few that went on to have games of their own, such as Ristar. It would take a bit of time to settle on the correct choice.

Sonic was initially chosen, though his first incarnation was named “Mr. Needlemouse.” By the grace of a higher power, the character was then renamed Sonic the Hedgehog, and the rest is history.

NEXT: 10 Dark Things That Won’t Make Sense For Kids In The Sonic The Hedgehog Movie