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Retail stores like video game retailers or general merchandise places need ways to attract customers to their Sonic items or video games. So they use "point of purchase" type displays, cardboard standees and posters, as well as normal signs. Sega sends them out usually to advertise a new game. But, other items can be bought (somehow) by retail places. This page displays things which belonged to stores at one point.
Because there aren't as many retail places as there are people, these items aren't that common. Also, keep in mind that stores are large, so to attract enough attention, the items have to be GIANT! This helps their collectability as well...they make a great centerpiece for your Sonic showroom!
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| Sonic Gear Main * Store Retail Displays 1 * Store Retail Displays 2 * |
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Retail stores may be "chain stores" most of the time, but that doesn't mean they're all alike. Sometimes there are "flagship stores" or other special stores that are larger than others, or special in some other way. This Gamestop in an outdoor mall has gone above the rest and made a special sign. There's a 3D generic kid playing video games above the sign, and then above/behind him many game characters as sort of big 2D cut-outs in a collage. Of course, you can spot Sonic right away! Game Stop wouldn't miss him. But there's also Master Chief, Mario, Spider Man, and to give you an idea of how old it might be, Crash Bandicoot is on one side. This is an attention-grabbing sign. Photo by DustinLee Autry |
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Here's a poster for Wii U Super Smash Bros. game. The poster was used in game stores like Game Stop to announce the newest character to join the roster of fighters: Pac Man. PacMan predates a lot of the characters on the poster. To have fun with the theme, they made the background an old-fashion Pacman level & placed the earliest possible sprites for other Smash characters in it. You can spot SMB1 Bowser shooting a ghost with fire, Kirby eating those dots, Samus running from Pinky ghost, DK rolling his barrel, Peach cornering a blue ghost & there's Sonic, teetering on an edge way up in the top corner. The only super modern thing here is Pacman himself, made to stand out. It's a fun poster, even if Sonic is a tiny cameo. Photo by The Ultimate Hedgehog |
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This is an old neon sign. With this sign, the tubes of glass are bent into a sort-of Sonic shape. The top in red spells out his name. Sonic is presented in a circle, with the 1 finger up / pose. However, because neon tubes can't be bent too far & they must loop/curve around in certain ways, it's not going to be exact. You can't really tell what color it's supposed to be because it's very hard to take a photo of something that's glowing quite brightly. Since this had to be a custom work, the sign was likely expensive. Notice that it's between 2 fiberglass figures. Even with the cropping, you can tell it's "hands on hips Tails" & classic Sonic from elsewhere on Retail Display Gear. |
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Here is an old Toys R Us display from 1999. It was made to demo the Dreamcast in the store. You could lock a system, TV & controllers into it & it stood atop its own DC branded carpet you see here.
This is only PART of the display though. It has velcro on parts of it where all sorts of Sonic Adventure themed parts & die-cut logos / Sonic graphics were to be attached to it. It doesn't look 'Sonic' now because all of its decorations are missing. Do you have a photo of how it looked originally? This is an uncommon kisosk demo display (and even less common to own in-home!) Photo & owned by Superior Tails |
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| This is a somewhat 3D cardboard display that appeared in GameStop around 2002 or so. It's here to promote the GBA Gameboy Advance. It has a collection of characters & logos from popular games, including Sonic. With the edge photo, you can see how the graphics are 'popped out of' the background to draw extra attention in store. Look how they placed Sonic, he's front & center & his logo is at the top right (both most-prominent positions) This shows how popular he is, that he would be chosen by the ad company to headline the display. Photo & owned by Superior Tails |
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Here's something really cool & still mint in the package! It's a Sonic themed brochure or flyer holder for retail counter-tops. It has a flat plastic 'relief' style (not totally 3D but not flat) Sonic. There are 2 boxes to place flyers, and each has a clear plexiglass front so the whole brochure would be visible. The right side box has the Sega logo. The art of Sonic has been altered so the plastic 'fits' the holders. Look how super long and strange that one arm behind the box is. He's not quite on-model either with 1 really long spike & only 3 fingers, and possibly no tail) Despite this though, it's extremely rare to see an unused retail item, especially one this uncommon. It's clearly old / 1990s, so why has no one ever seen even a single one until this incident in 2014? Discovered by: Michael Everhart |
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This looks like a variation of the white Sega & running Sonic light up sign. This one though, appears to have a gray or clear background plastic, rather than the white. The blue lines are meant to give a 'neon' effect. With it sitting atop this official etched glass Sega display case (See the logo there?) full of Genesis games, it gives you a good idea of the size of it. Photo & owned by:Michael Everhart |
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| Remember that curved Sega sign from Displays 2? Here's what happens when you take it out of the tube. It has the exact same look & color, but can be removed from the Sega themed light up tube. Look at the measuring tape, it is about 2 and 1/2 feet long. Photo discovered by: |
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This is a large retail display poster. It is big, likely about the size of a movie release poster. The glasses you see in the corners are full size (not shot or small) Posters like this are generally made out of heavier stock paper than posters for the public/general release. A poster like this would be given out by Sega before the game release (or at it) for retailers to use to decorate the store & promote the game. Remember, in the time of Sonic 1, there were many different offline games retail stores, not just huge ones or chains that would easily put up a poster like this.
This poster is uncommon. Posters, being paper, are prone to damage, easy to throw away, and may fade in the sun. Being a retail-promo item, it also would not have had the amount of production that a regular release would, contributing to the rarity. The original artist who did the artwork has died. The original piece was thought to be a painting work, about poster size. |
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In the time of Dreamcast Sonic Adventure 1, video rental stores were still a big place to go for games. Here, Hollywood Video has a cardboard big size floor standee with SA1 Sonic & the Dreamcast logo. It has "Rent it Now" emblazoned across his shoe/the front, and a logo base. You could rent both the game, and the system to play it on at Hollywood video. It's great to see them using Sonic to help popularize game rentals. (You can see how big this is with the blue baseball cap there off to the side) Photo & owned by Elisto Dragonwings |
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This is a display dangler, made for shop ceilings. It hangs down with fishing-line from a ceiling and dangles cardboard cut-outs to attract attention. The logo top holds a full color Sonic cut out & a yellow square that says "Now Inside Genesis Box". This is to advertise that the Genesis started having Sonic 1 pre-packaged inside. As you historically know, |
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| this was a VERY good move that actually resulted in tons of console sales & lots of Sonic fun. It's nice to see an original advertising piece for it. Discovered by GinyuuFanDBZ |
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Here is a somewhat strange kiosk display.
Why is it odd? Well, first off, it's uncommon. So where was it used? Next, is that it was created specifically to demo a Dreamcast system....and that's the other odd part. If it was for Dreamcast, why ISNT the Sonic on the cabinet Sonic Adventure style? The picture of his face there is from 3D Blast, which was never even on the system.
Was the display made too early, before anyone knew about the modern design? Was it too late to change it? Was it originally for Saturns & someone just 'retooled' it a little and slapped a "Dreamcast" label on there? It's partially dismantled anyway, you can see where a face-plate would have been at the top, the old 'cube style' TV is gone from it & the console hole is empty. That orange bent bar there on the front would have held the controller racks. Notice the "Sega" logo is written in an underwater/wavy look on side, for some reason. |
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Have you seen this demo kiosk in any store while it was active? You can write in with details for credit.
Photos by: Daniel Dread |
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Finally, a new Sonic retail display item appears.
It took till 2021 to get him back in the toy aisle, but here it is . This modern CG Sonic & modern logo appears in the aisles of Target stores anywhere in the USA in the summer of 2021. He's, of course, to go over the Jakks Pacific action figure and play set area which is in the video game toys aisle. There aren't any Sonic toys on the pegs here because they seem to be difficult for Target to keep it in stock. It's good to see Sonic making a splash in the fun aisle again. |
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With store displays seemingly less frequent...
It's nice to see another one appear that's not strictly for toys. In this case, presumably in a Walgreens, there's a GFuel display. The "Peach Rings" flavor for Sonic has enough popularity that Gfuel has made this inflatable pool toy type store display to hang from the ceiling and attract customers to their drink display.
It features modern Sonic sitting on a sideways can of the Peach Rings flavored drink. Being light weight thin plastic it can hang by a fishingline type string from the ceiling of any store. It's pretty big too...no one's going to miss this Sonic display!
It's an ok likeness without 'cheats' (like drawn on only details) the arms/legs etc are fully 3D. It combines the Sonic element and the sales element nicely. |
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Is this a retail display item?
Not...really...it's a subway poster...but it's still sort of an ad and could likely appear wherever public/billboard type advertising appears. What's interesting about this though, is that it uses 1990s cartoon Sonic on an ad for "Tv the way it should be: FAST".
Pluto TV is a free internet TV service app (in smart TVs) that seems to specialize in old & vintage content. It's interesting to see that they acknowledge that Sonic still has enough clout in 2023 to bring up some 1990s art of him and post it in their ad because it would be popular enough to get viewers to go add the app at home. Photo by TanookiJoe |
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