Wait, Sonic?
Iām not sure you can describe him as having āenduredā.
Yeah, call me old and outta touch, but Pitfall Harry has more impact on my 21st century life than Sonic does.
90% of the world wide web is Sonic fan fiction and fan art.
We have an expression here in Russia for that kind of explanations, itās Ā«ŠæŃŠøŃŃŠ½ŃŃŠ¾ Š·Š° ŃŃŠøĀ».
I suppose in the strictest sense, yes, Sonicās bizarre cult following has āenduredā in the sense that they do still exist and are still active, even prolific in their efforts. Iām just not sure any of what they do can be said to be significant. 
The difference, I suppose, is that Link and Mario have maintained a broad, positive, popular appeal, while Sonic has become something of a strangely persistant joke. He gets mentioned every now and then, remembered one might say, often derisively, but sometimes wistfully, touched with longing and nostalgia for better days.
Meanwhile, Link and Mario continue to develop as characters and icons, continue to innovate (albeit slowly and with minimal risk to protect the parent corporationās interests), and most importantly continue to have a larger cultural impact. They are not stagnating, nor are they relegated to a niche existence.
I suppose the biggest test of whether these characters have āenduredā would be to ask the youth of the day. Round up a bunch of teens and little kids, and ask them to name various famous characters. Iāll wager youāll hear Mario mentioned with the likes of Superman, Mickey Mouse, Pikachu, Yoda, and Spongebob as flagship icons and pop culture references. Link is a little less omnipresent, but heās still in a secondary tier of characters that are big names and major players, but not quite so universally everywhere.
But Sonic? The last time one of his games was successful was 2007, when they rereleased the original 1991 Sonic The Hedgehog onto mobile devices, selling 8 million copies, presumably to an older audience of nostalgia seekers. In contrast, the same year Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, a sad excuse of a video game that existed only to be a franchise tie-in crossoever, sold 11.31 million.
I dunno, man. You mention Mario and I think āpublic face of one of the oldest, most venerated video game companies and founders of the industryā. You mention Link and I think āsolid action platform puzzle adventure gaming with a strong pedigreeā. You mention Sonic and I think āGotta go fast!ā, āChili dogs!ā, āItās no use!ā, and āsad, pathetic laughingstockā.
There is apparently a Sonic project from THIS YEAR (featuring Jaleel White as the voice of Sonic, no less!): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2622500/?ref_=sr_6
I miss Sonic soooo much. For the life of me I canāt figure out why they canāt make a decent Sonic game. Sonic Adventure 2 was one of the best games ever made. I donāt know why they donāt remake it the way they do Super Mario Bros for every GD console. Or they way they are doing Windwaker and Link to the Past for WiiU and 3DS respectively.
How about some first person Sonic to wet your whistle?
See? Thatās what Iām talking about. I would play the hell out of that.
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