The fine folks at Mashable have come up with what might be the cutest blending of internet and video game culture that this writer has ever seen. Meet Sonic, the real flesh and blood hedgehog. The video appeared on Mashable’s channel The Watercooler just a few days ago, and while we’re sure a few people have seen it, there can always be more. Take a second and watch this short little video a few times, because it just gets better with each viewing.

If you were like me, Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the very first video games you played. Okay, to be fair you would have to fall into a very specific age range for that to be true, but I’m sure you understand what I mean. Clutching that plastic controller and sending the little blue hedgehog through a billion hoops and around loops to collect all the gold he could possibly collect was one of the only things that got me through the weekends as a kid. In the 90s, the graphics were awesome and the need for speed was real.

Well, Sonic the IRL Hedgehog is not as speedy as his spiky blue counterpart, but he’s pretty darn adorable. I particularly like the gold he collects and that he really only has 3 lives left so you better take him seriously. I’m very glad to see that there are no real threats to Sonic IRL though. That would be incredibly stressful. The video also gives the hedgehog a nice realistic background to replicate the graphics I grew up playing on, too. The grass and burlap mimic the 16-bit style of the game well and don’t draw too much attention to the digitally placed gold he’s collecting.

Alright, that’s it. I’m going to have to go and locate an old Sega so I can play some Sonic the Hedgehog now.

HT: Mashable