Is there any creature as elegant as the noble blue hedgehog? The way he spins through the air, nimbly dodging spikes and crab claws, reaching for golden rings and landing deftly on those handsome red sneakers has captured videogaming hearts and minds. But what if Sonic the Hedgehog wasn't the crack 8-bit 16-bit athlete we all know and love? Cartoonist Zac Gorman posted a goofy Sonic animation with the tagline "I think it'd be cute if Sonic ran like an idiot." It turns out plenty of cartoonists and animators agree, creating their own riffs on dumb-running Sonic.

After Gorman posted his animation, Nedroid creator Anthony Clark followed suit, adding, "It is my sincere wish that everyone draw a dumb-running Sonic." And lo, did the floodgates open, spilling forth dopey Sonics (and the occasional loopy Tails) from creators like Jess Fink, Becky Dreisdadt, Josh Lesnick and more. You can see the gifs in all their animated glory at the Dumb Running Sonic tumblr.

[via Metafilter]