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The Cucky (クッキー[1], Kukkī?) is a creature in the Sonic the Hedgehog series which first appeared in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. They are a race of chicken Animals that live all over Sonic's world in various regions, and are close friends of Sonic the Hedgehog and his allies. The Cuckies are constantly hunted by Dr. Eggman who seeks to use them as energy sources for his various Badniks and often imprisons them in Capsules for later use.

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Description

Anatomy

The Cuckies are very similar to the Flickies in overall anatomy. They resemble white-feathered chickens about half a meter tall with a round-shaped head, two large grey eyes (originally black), a tiny orange beak, and thick cheeks. Their wings are medium-sized compared to their bodies, which are smaller than their heads, and they possess smooth yet sharp tail feathers and soft orange feet with three toes on each foot. Additional features include a rather large red comb and a small red wattle under their beaks.

Characteristics

Like actual animals, the Cuckies can only speak in a language consisting of clucks and cowling. Although recognized as animal life, Cuckies are remarkably intelligent and sociable, being capable of understanding normal language and establishing their own Animal communities.[2] All Cuckies are generally good-hearted, helpful, friendly and playful, but their small stature leaves them rather defenseless on their own. They also have great respect and appreciation for nature, choosing to live in complete harmony with it.[3]

Habitats

Cuckies reside in various natural environments like forests all around Earth and its unusual satellites, such as South Island, West Side Island, Angel Island and the Lost Hex, where they have established their own small villages, more often than not with other Animal species.[2]

Game appearances

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

The Cuckies' first appearance was in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog. In this game, the Cuckies were some of Sonic's Animal friends on South Island whom he went to rescue after Dr. Robotnik captured them and used them to power his Badniks - all as a part of a plot to collect the Chaos Emeralds.[4][5] They can be found in Spring Yard Zone and Scrap Brain Zone Act 1-2 where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or the opened Capsule at the end of Spring Yard Zone Act 3. They also appear in the ending cinematic where they celebrate Sonic's victory in the Green Hill Zone.

Cucky also makes an appearance in the 8-bit version of the game with same name. Here, they appear from the opened Capsules at the end of the third Acts for Bridge Zone and Jungle Zone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

In the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the Cuckies repeated their role from the first title. In this game, they and the other Animals of West Side Island were captured by Dr. Robotnik and used to power Badnik workers which Robotnik needed to finish the Death Egg.[5] The Cuckies can be found in Mystic Cave Zone and Sky Chase Zone where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or the opened Capsule at the end of the Mystic Cave Zone Act 2. When clearing the game as Tails, a Cucky herd will appear flying behind the Tornado during the ending cinematic.

In the 8-bit version of the game with same name, Cuckies appear from opened Capsules at the end of the third Acts for Sky High Zone and Gimmick Mt. Zone, much like in their previous 8-bit appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball

In both versions of Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, Cuckies can be found in all four main levels (namely Toxic Caves/Toxic Pools, Lava Powerhouse, The Machine and Showdown/Final Showdown) where they pop out of destroyed Badniks. Exclusive to The Machine, the player can also free Cuckies from the animal prisons and the Veg-O-Machine.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and its add-on continuation Sonic & Knuckles, the Cuckies reprised their role from the first main installments. In this game, the Cuckies and other Animals of Angel Island were kidnapped and turned into Badniks by Dr. Robotnik, who needed workers to help him relaunch the Death Egg.[6] The Cuckies can be found in Angel Island Zone, Marble Garden Zone and Launch Base Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and in Mushroom Hill Zone, Sandopolis Zone, Lava Reef Zone, Sky Sanctuary Zone and Death Egg Zone in Sonic & Knuckles, where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or opened Capsules (excluding the Sky Sanctuary Zone and Death Egg Zone which have no Capsules).

At the beginning of Knuckles's storyline in Sonic & Knuckles, a herd of Cuckies and Rickies can be seen playing around in Mushroom Hill Zone where Knuckles is relaxing until an EggRobo scares them away by dropped a bomb in front of Knuckles. Also, in Sky Sanctuary Zone, Cuckies and Pockies can be seen fleeing from the towers that EggRobos emerge from to attack the player.

Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld

In Sonic the Hedgehog's Gameworld, Cucky appeared along with Sonic, Tails, Amy and other Animals. In this game, Cucky is featured in the Concentration Memory Cards mini-game where it appears on one pair of cards.

Sonic the Hedgehog The Screen Saver

In Sonic the Hedgehog The Screen Saver, the Cuckies make several small cameos in several of the game's artwork images as one of Sonic's friends.

Sonic Jam

In Sonic Jam, the game's Character House features conceptual sketches of Cucky and the other Animals.

Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure

In Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, a Cucky appears alongside several Animals in the game's perfect ending that appears after clearing Chaotic Space Zone, where they cheer over Sonic's victory.

Mario & Sonic series

In all of the titles in the Mario & Sonic series games, the Cuckies are seen amongst the audience of every event along with other characters from both the Sonic and Mario franchises, cheering on the competitors.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4

In Sonic the Hedgehog 4, the Cuckies reappeared in all three episodes of the series where they reprised their roles from the first main titles. In Episode I, the Cuckies and other animals were this time captured by Dr. Eggman to power a new and improved Badnik army that Eggman sought to defeat Sonic with.[5] The Cuckies can be found in Casino Street Zone in Episode I, and Oil Desert Zone and Sky Fortress Zone in Episode II, where they pop out of destroyed Badniks or opened Capsules after the boss Acts.

At the end of Episode Metal, the Cuckies see Sonic and Tails off with the other Animals as the duo leaves in the Tornado, but are then scared away by Metal Sonic when he arrives, only to see Sonic leave.

Sonic Generations

In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, Cuckies appeared alongside other Animals in the Challenge Acts Rescue the Animals! and Rescue the Animals 2!. In these Acts, the player has to find a certain number of Capsules containing the Cuckies and other Animals, and free them. Additionally, a statue of the Cucky along other Animals can be unlocked in the Statue Room.

Sonic Jump (2012)

In the 2012 remake of Sonic Jump, Cucky appeared along with Flicky, Pocky and Picky. In the intro scene of the game, Dr. Eggman kidnaps once again them and traps them in the prison unit of his Egg Mobile and flies away with them to the sky. Sonic however, discovers the kidnapping and decides to follow him to save the Animals.

In gameplay, the player will encounter a cage with some Cuckies after reaching the end of each Boss Act. Touching these cages will set the Cuckies inside free.

Sonic Dash

In Sonic Dash, Cucky makes an appearance in the game's update to version 4.0.0. In the game, players are able to collect them by destroying Badniks once the Sky Sanctuary Zone is unlocked, and can then use them to rebuild that Zone. Vector, Blaze and Classic Sonic also have an affinity bonus towards the Cuckies, which will double the amount of Cuckies saved while playing.

Sonic Lost World

In Sonic Lost World, the Cuckies, along with other Animals, are shown to inhabit the Lost Hex. During the events of the game, Dr. Eggman, with the assistance of the Deadly Six, resumed kidnapping Animals, the Cuckies again among them, to create a new Badnik army. A small group of Animals that included a Cucky managed to evade capture however, and remained with Knuckles and Amy while Sonic and Tails went out to save their friends, during which they had fun at the expense of Knuckles.

The Cuckies and the other Animals serve as collectible content used to progress with the game. Once the players have collected a set amount of Animals, they gain access to the fourth Zone in each World. They player can collect Cuckies by defeating Badniks, opening smaller Capsules in the Zones, and opening the larger Capsules at the end of most Zones. Cuckies and other Animals can also be collected from Circus tents. The Cuckies can be found in the following places (depending on the version of the game):

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, a Cucky appears alongside other Animals as a part of one of the collectable trophies representing the Sonic the Hedgehog series:

Name Picture Description Fauna of Windy Hill Windy Hill, a plain on the floating Lost Hex continent, is the first area in Sonic Lost World. It has giant windmills and mysterious caves and is home to a wide variety of animals...that Dr. Eggman has gone and used as a power source for his robot collection. Typical... Just destroy the robots and set those animals free. (Wii U): Sonic Lost World (10/2013)

Excluding the trophy, the Cucky also occasionally makes a cameo appearance in the background of the Windy Hill Zone.

Sonic Runners series

Sonic Runners

In Sonic Runners, the Cuckies played supporting roles to the main cast in the storyline. In this game, most individual Cuckies are referred to as "Cucky". Over the course of the game, Team Sonic comes across the Cuckies several times, whom they usually save from Dr. Eggman and/or his lackeys. Occasionally, the Cuckies will also ask the team for help solving different problems, whether it be either Eggman-related trouble or more personal issues. Sometimes though, the Cuckies will help Team Sonic as well, usually by providing information or handling smaller tasks.

In gameplay, Cuckies will pop out of destroyed Badniks and bounce a little further down the path before falling behind the player. If the player grabs them as they pass by, the player will build up their Combo and earn 2,500 bonus points on the result screen for each Cucky.

Sonic Runners Adventure

In Sonic Runners Adventure, the Cuckies reprised their roles as power sources for Dr. Eggman's Badniks. In gameplay, Cuckies will pop out of destroyed Badniks in any stage and then bounce out of the player's sight.

Sonic Mania

In Sonic Mania, and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, the Cuckies reprised their roles from the Sonic games on the Sega Genesis by being organic power sources for Dr. Eggman's Badniks again.

In gameplay, the Cuckies pop out of destroyed Badniks or the opened Capsule at the end of the second Act of the Zones they appear in. In 1.03 of Sonic Mania and the versions prior to it, the Cuckies appear only in Metallic Madness Zone. In 1.05.0713 of Sonic Mania and Sonic Mania Plus on the other hand, the Cuckies appear in both Lava Reef Zone and Metallic Madness Zone. Also, in 1.05.0713 of Sonic Mania and Sonic Mania Plus, when the player destroys the Metal Sonic Projector at the end of Stardust Speedway Zone Act 2, a few Cuckies will occasionally appear until they are chased off by Metal Sonic.

A Cucky also appear during the ending of the "& Knuckles" mode in the game, which features a Cucky listening to Knuckles' recount of the game's events.

Sonic Forces

In Sonic Forces, Cuckies can be found inside Capsules in blue SOS Mission at random. The objective of these missions is to rescue the Cuckies and the other prisoners in the Capsule using either Sonic, Classic Sonic, the Avatar or Shadow. After the Cuckies and the other prisoners have been freed from their Capsule, the player has to complete their stage to complete the SOS Mission.

In other media

Comics

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic

Cucky along with other animal friends, appears in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic manga. She appears in several panels in all three of the stories.

Sonic the Comic

In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, Chirps is an anthropomorphic chicken and one of the Emerald Hill Folks, although he was never explicitly named. During the series' early run, he would often be one of the unfortunate victims of Dr. Robotnik's schemes for the subjugation of Mobius.

Archie Comics

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Cuckies are named Cluckies. In this media, they are a Mobini species native to Mobius, and later Sonic's World.

Animation

Sonic X

In the Sonic X franchise, Cucky is an animal species native to Sonic's world. Several of them got sent to Earth by Chaos Control, but they were returned home not long afterwards.

Early Sonic canon

In the first years of the Sonic series, when all the Animals were renamed by Sega of America for the western media and market in the Sonic Bible, Cucky's gender was defined as male and was named Chicken in the bible's first draft.[7] He would later be renamed Chirps in the bible's second draft.[8] According to the Sonic Bible, Chirps comes from a large family like other Animals (which was intended to explain the appearance of multiple identical Cuckies in the games) and helped raise an orphaned Sonic.[7][8]

In the bible's first draft, it is said Chirps taught Sonic how to squawk like a rooster and wake up everyone in the morning.[9] In the second bible's drafts, Chirps is said to have been the greatest influence on Sonic, having inadvertently helped him develop his Super Sonic Spin Attack. When Chirps tumbled out of his nest while trying to learn to fly, Sonic teased Chirps by imitating him and in the process performed his Spin Attack for the first time.[10]

Trivia

The Cuckies were presumably created by Naoto Ōshima, the character designer on the original Sonic the Hedgehog.