Sonic the Hedgehog’s Twitter account is brilliant at converting trolls into followers

By now we know that a good online presence can do a lot for a brand. It doesn’t matter if it’s two decades old or not. Just asks Sonic.

The nineties Sega classic, Sonic the Hedgehog, is one of the biggest icons in the gaming world. And while the quick, blue little mammal still holds true to a much-loved character, its reputation as a game has been very controversial among fans to say the least.

There’s recently been an outcry from fans on social media following the announcement of the games, Sonic Dash and Angry Birds mashup alongside Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice — titles Twitter followers have been very sensitive towards.

Whoever’s behind the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account though, is doing a great job of warding off trolls, sly comments and the ridiculous but ever-so popular fan art.

According to Twitter Counter, the social media account bounced sky-high as a good hedgehog would through hoops. Over 10 000 new followers in just two days, to be exact.

One way the Twitter account is doing this is by inviting ridicule. For instance, well known for the memes and virtual punches, Sonic’s so-called fan art seems at the forefront of the war against the blue mascot. Just to give you an idea of how big a storm Sonic memes have caused over the past few years, Kotaku rounded up some of the most outstanding ones. At the same time, the Twitter account is calling for people (fans or otherwise) to tweet there amateur art. It’s doing a great job of keeping composure and wit at the same time.

Here are some tweets following the controversial announcement of the Angry Birds mashup:

@etiojbaptiste Of course it's real. No one would joke about birds, it makes them angry.

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015

@DalekPuncher ~ANSWER~ They aren't! Try out Sonic Generations: http://t.co/1Fm1hKpXj1

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015

@PlasmaMagician The things I have seen cannot be unseen. I have gazed long into the abyss of the internet, and felt the abyss gaze back.

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015

The Twitter account is even sharing ridiculous fan art of its own:

@richiejun21 True fast is not measured in miles, Rich. True fast is measured in the heart. pic.twitter.com/IJQIJE9y0r

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015

To give you an idea of how the Twitter account could really boost the brand’s image, see the early converters below:

@sonic_hedgehog Why is the twitter better than the games?

— Gattsu (@kline_gregory3) June 11, 2015

@PlayerDOTexe Buy a game because you enjoy playing it. Don't buy it just because you like our twitter. #realtalk

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 11, 2015