Princess Sally Acorn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Princess Sally | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Her Royal Highness, Princess Sally Alicia of the House of Acorn (Sally Acorn or Princess Sally Alicia Acorn) is a fictional character appearing in the American Sonic the Hedgehog animated series (commonly referred to by fans as SatAM) from 1993 to 1995 and Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comics.
Sally is a female anthropomorphic squirrel, though the details of this are different between the two continuities she appears in. In Archie's comic Sally is considered to be part chipmunk (on her mother's side) and part squirrel (her father's side). In DiC's Sonic the Hedgehog she's considered to be a ground squirrel. (Incidentally, squirrels and chipmunks are a part of the same family in the animal kingdom - in fact, the sub-category of ground squirrels includes chipmunks.)
Beyond DiC's cartoon series and Archie's comic, Sally has appeared in STI's Sonic Spinball for Sega Genesis as a non-playable character in a bonus stage, and has made cameo appearances in Sonic Christmas Blast and Fleetway's Sonic the Comic. An earlier design of Sally appeared in the "Pre-SatAM" cartoon, which was animated but never aired. She was intended to be a playable character in the planned Sega Genesis game Sonic Mars, which would incorporate characters and elements from SatAM. However, when the project was changed to Sonic Xtreme (which was later cancelled), Sally, along with the other SatAM elements, was dropped from the game. [1]
Contents |
[edit] SatAM Sally
In SatAM, Sally is the leader of the Freedom Fighters. She holds feelings of possible love for Sonic the Hedgehog, the hero who fought with Antoine Depardieu (D'Coolete was Antoine's surname in the Archie series) for the prize (Sally) to be won, so to speak. Sally is also something of a mother-figure or older sister to Tails (Sally and Sonic seem to share parenting roles over Tails, and she usually puts Tails to bed and reads him stories) and a "girlfriend" for Bunnie Rabbot. Sally is trying to defeat Doctor Robotnik and to free her father, the King.
It has been speculated that initially, Princess Sally could be the adapted version of SEGA's Ricky Squirrel, one of Sonic's small furry friends. One of the biggest supports of the claim would include the fact a lot of the Freedom Fighters are animals that are the same types as the small furry animals, and are quite similar in design in the pre SatAM cartoon. The Fleetway STC version of the Princess also resembles Ricky tremendously save a difference in color, and has a similar role to his in the games. Of course, in SatAM and beyond (Save Fleetway, and Sega's related games), Ricky would be given a gender change and be given the title "Princess Sally of the House of Acorn". In SatAM, Sally is voiced by Kath Soucie.
Generally speaking, Sally is portrayed in SatAM as more jovial character than the Sally featured in the Archie comic, who is (or at least has become) more concerned with politics and royal obligations than her animated counterpart, the SatAM Sally often discouraging others from addressing her by her title, claiming that such things are meaningless and that people should focus more on the task of defeating the tyrant Robotnik than on such formalities.
In Season Two, Sally is given black pupils in the middle of her blue eyes (as in the above picture) which she did not have in Season One. She also gets a vest (which in the Archie comics is revealed to have belonged to her deceased mentor, Julayla and was passed down to her along with all her other posessions after her passing), though evidently it doesn't have any pockets because she still carries around her portable computer, NICOLE, attached to one of her boots (previously her only attire.)
In the SatAM continuity, after Sonic and Sally destroy both the Doomsday device and (presumably) Robotnik himself, Sally flirts with and tries to kiss Sonic, but the hedgehog flies off with Sally hot on his heels. Then at the ceremony, Sally and Sonic reveal their love to each other and kiss.
[edit] Archie Sally
Sally is the Daughter of King Acorn and Queen Alicia Acorn. She is also the younger sister of Elias Acorn, sister in law to Elias' wife Meg and aunt of Alexis Acorn. She is the heiress to the throne of the royal family, next in line after Elias Acorn (according to Ken Penders). Alexis, being his stepchild was barred from a chance at the throne, and Elias has made clear in issue #121 that he didn't want his children involved in a life of politics.
Sally's family ruled over Mobotropolis for many generations. Their official dynasty ended shortly after the Great War, to which the treacherous Warlord Dr. Julian Ivo Kintobor (an overlander defector) staged a coup d'etat, usurping the Kingdom of Acorn. Re-christened Ivo Robotnik, the newly proclaimed dictator turned the city into a ruined place and used the horrific roboticization process to transfigure city's population into his mindless robot slaves.
A young Sally, of only five years, was hidden from Robotnik's grasp and sent to live in the protected Knothole Village within the bowels of the Great Forest. Sally grew up to lead a band of ragtag rebel militiamen from Knothole starting at age 10, living with her friends, her governess Rosie, and her mentor Julayla. Early on in the fight, Princess Sally would lose her mentor Julayla, but through the long period of fighting lying ahead of her, Sally would rely on her deceased mentor for strength to lead the Freedom Fighters. The goal of the "Freedom Fighters" would be to oust their oppressive ruler. In relatively close proximity to Robotropolis (capital of Mobius), they carried out numerous guerrilla attacks against Robotnik, constantly striving for his overthrow. The Knothole Freedom Fighters soon discovered that they were not the only ones to start an insurrection... and united their cause around the globe.
Finding the former Princess a definite threat to his reign, Robotnik devised an elaborate assassination plot, nearly taking the now 15-year-old rebel leader's life. Victory seemed to be in the dictator's grasp when he discovered the location of Knothole, to which he built a massive super-weapon in order to wipe it off the face of his world. His "Endgame" scheme was foiled by the rebellion and Robotnik ended up MIA during the weapon's destruction, presumed killed by its backfiring. During the years to follow, Sally worked hard to reestablish her father's government... encountering a myriad of hardships, including the arrival of an alternate reality Robotnik (Robo-Robotnik), who retook Mobotropolis. Robo-Robotnik was destroyed in battle, but through the digital transfer of his consciousness into a new robotic body, he was able to live on as "Doctor Eggman". Now she presides over the newly established Kingdom of Knothole, once a haven from the destructive powers of Eggman until he too, like his mighty predecessor, learned of the location.
She has a compact super computer with her called NICOLE, which can speak and perform other tasks and helps with research, this nifty computer being sent from an alternative future where Sally is queen, feeling that apparently this reality's Sally would seriously need a friend. Unlike in SatAM where Sally carried NICOLE on one of her boots, in the comic she would carry NICOLE via a retractable shoulder strap, or in a pouch on a belt around her waist in some of the more recent comics. Sally is also among the few individuals who can wield the Sword of Acorns, a legendary weapon capable of being wielded only by the ruler of Mobius that allowed its bearer to control minds at will. Other characters who have been able to use it include: Sonic the Hedgehog, Mammoth Mogul and King Max Acorn.
[edit] From Freedom Fighter to Princess Bride
Sally once commanded a ragtag militia called the "Knothole Freedom Fighters" attempting overthrow the evil dictator Ivo Robotnik. The Freedom Fighters were ultimately successful, and as of Sonic #132, Sally found herself a royal princess of a now established kingdom. This has led to the character taking on a significantly different role, unable to lead her friends in combat enemy lines because the kingdom could not afford to risk their only heir to the throne. According to Karl Bollers, (the main writer of the Archie Sonic comic book at the time), there is no longer "Freedom Fighters" because the status quo has changed from a group of "ragtag" rebels to a group of soldiers fighting against Doctor Eggman's terrorism. Others took on the role of field commander (with Sonic occasionally filling that role, but ultimately preferring to act on his own). With the return of her parents, Sally's role has become increasingly unclear - while she was still considered too important to the kingdom to be allowed to endanger herself on missions, at the same time she was no longer allowed any meaningful power in government, with her father retaking the throne. More recent stories about Sally have focused on her growing lack of control over her own life, culminating in a royal marriage that her father had arranged - a marriage quickly annulled when her groom, Patch (the Evil Antoine from an alternate dimension) was revealed to be a traitor.
[edit] Endgame
When the four-part saga known as EndGame (issues #47-50) was first written, the writers' intent was to remove Princess Sally from the comic permanently. An attempt was made to kill the character with enough dignity to not drive away any of the character's fans. Issue #47, written by Ken Penders, showed Sally being killed, with Sonic framed for the crime. The reasoning at the time was that her father's arrival would displace her power, making her unnecessary, and that the restrictions placed on the book by SEGA made it too difficult to continue writing the character as having a relationship with Sonic. SEGA, however, had promotional plans for the character and ordered her to be revived. The character's return was written into issue #50, which interfered with the planned schedule and caused many pages to be cut. Later the issue was revised and reissued as a Sonic Super Special.
[edit] Love life
Ultimately, Sally's first love is her people, and it is for their wellbeing that she frequently sacrifices herself. In issue 144, Sally would reveal that while most of the world believed Sonic dead, there were times that her faith in him would falter, and the thought of their time together brought her great grief. "But then something opened my eyes and I saw my people," she said. "I saw what the war with Eggman had done to them, and seeing it again reminded me about something. It's true... I love Sonic... but I love my people more. And I'll do anything I can to help them."
Of her suitors, Sally had shown the most interest in Sonic the Hedgehog before their breakup. During their courtship however he was not her suitor/ love interest. In the comic she has shown interest in others, particularly Geoffrey St. John, (now married to Hershey the Cat), and Knuckles the Echidna, Sally's childhood friend (who has since fallen for Julie-Su). Geoffrey was the more serious case of those two, and for a period Sally felt she might have been in love with Geoffery. In the end she decided not to pursue Geoffrey until she learned what she had with Sonic.
Sonic, however, has clearly been the dominant figure in her love life. Initially (in much of the DiC cartoon and early comics) the two were portrayed as cute semi-sweethearts, with Sonic usually running away or changing the subject whenever confronted with the possibility of a romance (although Sally was known to bashfully dodge the issue herself). Over the years their relationship progressed, with Sally and Sonic eventually meeting with the King to discuss getting married when they came of age. The road to that point was far from an easy one. Aside from the other love interests they had both had, they had also faced strong opposition from King Max. The King, in accordance with royal tradition, had used the mystical Source of All to decide who Sally's husband should be. Upon learning The Source had decided her husband should be Antoine, Sally was outraged at the lack of control the King had decided she should have in the choice. She would quarrel with her father over this for some time, and thus it was a surprise when he gave his blessing to her and Sonic. Mere moments after the King had spoken with them, however, Sonic found himself in conflict with the alien Xorda - a battle that would result in his being sent to the other side of the galaxy. It would be a year before he would return home, during which time the people of Mobius assumed he had died a hero's death.
Upon returning, Sonic and Sally were quickly reunited, with Sally professing that she had never given up her belief that he was still alive (later however, Sally reveals that this is in fact not true, and that she was deeply wounded during their time apart because she believed he died). The two barely had time to be reunited before Sonic was faced with another crisis - Eggman was threatening to destroy Knothole and Station Square. Nearly losing Sonic again after having been without him for a year affected Sally deeply. When the king and queen decided to leave her in charge of the Kingdom while on a diplomatic tour of the world, Sally asked for Sonic to be at her side governing; but Sonic believed he would make a bigger difference in the world through direct actions. Not wanting to have her heart broken again, Sally gave Sonic an ultimatum - her or adventuring. Sonic felt that his role in the field was too important and refused to give it up, at which point she slapped him and ran away crying; a break up between Sonic and Sally soon followed.
In the issues that followed, the relationship between the two was strained - they had to work together, but cleary they were deeply affected by the breakup. Sally confessed that she still loved Sonic, but could not continue the relationship as it had been. In issues #155 & #156, the arranged marriage to Antoine finally came to pass. What nobody knew was that the real Antoine had been replaced with his evil double from Anti-Mobius, Patch, who had preyed on Sally's uncertainty and feelings of royal obligation. Ultimately Anti-Antione used Sally's love for her people as a basis for convincing her it was her duty to go through with the marriage. The anti-Antoine had been secretly poisoning the King for some time, with the intent of finishing the job after the wedding, and assuming the throne. Sonic reacted with surprise and jealousy upon learning of the engagement, however was clearly uncertain of his relationship with Sally. Later, Sally and Antoine married, but the reception was interrupted by Elias, who didn't trust Antoine. Although Elias had previously abdicated his position in line to the throne to marry a commoner, he declared his right as the eldest to be the new king. Patch, furious, attempted to assassinate the new king, but was stopped and sent back to his dimension. Elias annulled Sally's marriage, telling her that with him as King, she can do whatever she wants. As Sally now lives free to marry whomever she wishes, Sonic has began dating Fiona Fox (although he has stated to her he is in no mood to be in a serious commitment). Sally has patched things up with Sonic as a friend. Even though Sonic is currently dating Fiona, his parents suspect that he still misses Sally.
[edit] Possible Future
In the possible future of Mobius: 25 Years Later (which the Archie editors have stated is not the definite canon future) , Sally is now Queen while her husband King Sonic helps rule by her side. They have two children, Princess Sonia and Prince Manik [obviously named after Sonic's siblings (Sonia the Hedgehog and Manic the Hedgehog) from the Sonic Underground universe.] In the comics, Sonic is very sad and Sally wonders why. He tells Sally he does not feel suited to be a king, and only agreed to become King because he didn't know what he was getting himself into. Sally takes this complaint with a grain of salt, viewing it as part of a mid-life crisis.
Another possible future is revealed in an alternate Mobius: 25 Years Later in Sonic #166 where Sally is married to Shadow, who rules with an iron fist with Knuckles as his enforcer. This is possibly due to King Sonic and Lara-Su going back in time and changing the timeline. Because she is married to Shadow in this future, her children Manik and Sonia cease to exist. However, when Sonic returned to this time line, he worked together with Lara-Su to defeat Shadow. This Sally then explained why she married Shadow, and she and Sonic get back together. Sonic then asks her if she would like to have children.
Still a third possible future is similar in nature to the Mobius: 25 Years Later timeline. In this future, Sonic and Sally are married and have two children, who are not mentioned by name. However, they appear to be similar to the 25 Years Later Manik and Sonia with the boy being a hedgehog and the girl being a ground squirrel. In this future, both children possess super speed. This future is the one from which Nicole comes, as it was this future's Rotor who built her.
[edit] Other friends
Other members of her circle of friends include Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Bunnie Rabbot, Amy Rose, Antoine D'Coolette, Hershey the Cat, Lupe the Wolf, and Geoffrey St. John.
[edit] Alternate Selves
Like several characters in the Archie Comics, Sally has a variety of other-reality counterparts. The first to appear is Anti-Sally, a villainous version of herself from the Anti-Mobius universe. Another is Pretty Soldier Sally Moon, a version of Sally from a Sailor Moon themed Mobius. This version of Sally is the enemy of Ivana Robotnik and has a sidekick called Chibi Rose, an obvious parody of Chibi Usa. In addition, she is the girlfriend—to Sonic's eternal displeasure—of her dimension's Knuckles, known as Tuxedo Knux. Yet another version is Sally McAcorn, an Ally McBeal style lawyer. There is also Saleta, a superheroine with powers based on those of Guardians of the Galaxy member Aleta, and a high-society woman in a 1920s-style world who has a secret identity as "the Princess of the rebellion".
[edit] Differences from SatAM
While there are many similarities between the Archie and SatAM versions of Sally Acorn, many differences in their history have also been noted within both the show and comics that have in turn affected their ambitions, roles and public opinion of the two.
Sally in the comic series was raised to be a good princess since she was very young, which consequently gave her trouble socializing with peers. Even after Robotnik took over, her mentor, Julayla would work to help make Sally a future queen. On the other hand, there was little if any emphasis in the show regarding the issue of any formal training the cartoon Sally could've received to become a queen after her father.
The comic version of Sally has when a freedom fighter, held the dream of restoring the kingdom (which she most recently noted in the 90s whilst deep in thought during a parade in the honor of the royal family). Whereas in the show it was more important to Sally to simply have her father back, and the general restoration of freedom.
It is because of Sally's ambition to rule, and her proven competence, that she nor her family look to see her leave the palace much. The apparent idea behind it is that her safety is protected, and thus the future of the government she's worked hard to restore isn't threatened. It appears she now continues on a similar path she did as a child where she in fact lacked a lot of contact with peers before she fought with them during the war. Sally has expressed missing her friends and was never isolated from them in the show nor the early comics for an extensive period of time. In both the comics and cartoon, Sally relied on friends when she wasn't feeling her best to an extent. Blast to the Past for instance provided an example of Sonic the Hedgehog cheering Sally up when she grew depressed over a failed mission that costed two freedom fighters.
However, such examples can also indicate another difference between the two. The comic version has more difficulty letting people in on her problems than the show's, who has an easier time doing such in her relationship with the Freedom Fighters. Sightings of the comic Sally showing difficulty leaning on others range to early comics such as SIYF (Sonic In Your Face) to later ones (issue #122), where Sally showes in the comic a problem with telling others how she feels. Fortunately for her in the beginning of the series, her friends were there to see signs of her problems, and confront her until she relented and again let them in on it. In her current life, that happens less often. Factors could involve the fact she is less accessible for her friends to see her problems because she is in the palace a lot more (while her friends fight and are shown in the comics as hanging out in more common places like they're used to), she is gradually showing signs of succumbing to the stresses of new problems, without the means of emotional support (her friends) that she was used to. In turn, her stress has led to behavior that many fans question morally, including slapping Sonic and making occasional outbursts. It's been noted by Rosie in issue #84 that Sally's emotional outbursts have to do with points in time where she is overwhelmed by stress.
[edit] Fleetway Sally
Sally Acorn appears briefly in early issues of Fleetway's Sonic the Comic. Unlike her Archie counterpart, Sally has no title and resembles the small furry animal known as Ricky Squirrel on which all the Sallys may have been based. Of course, this version of Sally is more rotund and a bit of a crybaby, and has a brother named Tufftee.
Unlike previously mentioned Sallys, this Sally never develops into a love interest for Sonic, and is replaced as a female lead by Amy Rose.
[edit] "Pink" Sally
Sally had gone through several character design and color scheme changes in the beginning of her career. Originally, DiC designed her as pink with black hair and blue boots with white trim (she also didn't have NICOLE in the pilot, instead using a large, bulky computer on wheels, as seen in the picture to the left). The Archie comics used the same design for the Sonic the Hedgehog limited series (which preceded the current, ongoing series), though strangely made her orange with yellow hair. This has been attributed to lack of color choices from the publisher, and at the beginning of the on-going series, Sally was changed to pink.
Though the pink Sally was used in the comics, DiC changed her look again, modifying her design and changing her to brown with red hair (the pink Sally can still be seen in the pilot episode, "Heads or Tails", which also has an overall lighter color scheme than the finished series). The pink Sally was still used for the comic until issue #16, where she was changed to the modern SatAM look. It is also interesting to note that the pink Sally was used for the game Sonic Spinball.
In the comic, these color changes (even pink Sally) have been attributed to lack of color choices in the early days of the comic, and was later written into the story line in Knuckles the Echidna #29 as Sally's fur responding to immersion in chemicals in a chemical vat while on a mission. (However, observant readers will notice that, in the flashback where she explains this, she is already wearing her vest, which she did not have until issue #18, after the comic switched to her modern color scheme.)
Pink Sally made a brief return in Sonic Christmas Blast, based on the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog syndicated series. Though she was in the modernized SatAM design, she was still pink with black hair, also she has no spoken lines. Sonic gives her Christmas presents at the end of the special and a kiss on the forehead.
[edit] Pre-SatAM Sally
Long before SatAM ever aired there was an advertising in the UK Sonic comic "Sonic the Comic" telling people to watch "The Mystery cartoon" (or what is now known as Pre-SatAM, Before SatAM or Sonic The Hedgehog - The Prototype) which simply pre-dates before AoStH was ever aired. This, what would have been SatAM, showed a completely different Sally with yellow fur, blond hair, a red dress, red and white shoes with the toes sticking out, a bigger mouth and a red bow on her head. This Sally shared no similarities in appearance when compared with the Sally we all know today but they do share the same skill of swinging from a rope, which could prove that this is where Sally originated from. This cartoon however ended up getting scrapped along with the character designs but the idea of the character was later taken on by DiC.
[edit] External links
[edit] Fan sites
- Princess Sally Fanlisting
- Sally Acorn Fans site
- Changes -- the Sonic/Sally relationship fansite
| Archie/SatAM | Sonic | Robotnik | Snively Kintobor | Scourge | Princess Sally | Bunnie Rabbot | Rotor | Antoine D'Coolette | Freedom Fighters (Minor) | Wolf Pack | King Acorn | Ixis Naugus | Knuckles | Julie-Su | Dimitri | Lien-Da | Dark Legion | The Brotherhood | Mammoth Mogul | Elias Acorn | House of Acorn | Secret Service | Mina | Fiona | Anti-Freedom Fighters | Destructix (Drago Wolf) | Minor Archie characters |
|---|---|
| Sonic the Comic | Drakon Empire | Captain Plunder | STC characters |
| Sonic X | Chris Thorndyke | Cosmo | Metarex | Chuck Thorndyke | Bocoe | Decoe | Bokkun | Nazo |
| Underground | Sonia | Manic | Queen Aleena |
| AoStH | Scratch and Grounder | Coconuts |
