The blue speed freak turns 16 today. Celebrate good times, come on!

Sonic the Hedgehog, the iconic gaming character who represented Sega in the days of the Mega Drive and the Dreamcast, has admittedly been and Shadow the Hedgehog, it looked like the reign of Sonic was coming to an end.

Cue Nintendo; once Sega's arch-nemesis, Nintendo provided a warm and loving home for the little spiny fella on their innovative new consoles, the Nintendo DS and Wii. After the well-received Sonic Rush and Sonic and the Secret Rings on the consoles we all know and love, Sonic was back on track. It was even, at one point, admitted by someone from Sega that Sonic had seen some bad times, but he had found a new home with Nintendo. Sega even announced that Sonic would be largely sticking around on Nintendo consoles for the time being.

And true to their word, Sega announced a sequel to Sonic Rush on the DS, a Sonic RPG (also on the dual-screened wonder) and Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games for the DS and Wii (an official Beijing 2008 product). The original Mega Drive games are even seeing releases on the Wii's Virtual Console. Doesn't exclusivity just rule?

And today, on the 23rd of June 2007, Sega celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog's 16th birthday. Here's to sixteen years of nauseatingly quick gaming goodness from the prickly little guy himself: Sonic.