Accidents: 1991-1998 Balloon: In 1991, the balloon's right hand was torn by the tower at Waseda University. Although, it is a common misconception that Sonic hit a lamppost and deflated this year, similar to 1994. In 1992, the balloon almost hit a tree in Shinjuku Park. In 1994, the balloon was speared in the shoe by a lamppost in Times Square, causing it to rapidly deflate and be stabbed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD). From 1997 to 1998, the original balloon had a noticeable crease on the bottom of the right shoe, possibly due to the string pulling it. Another reason it has he crease is because of the accident in 1994. In 1999, the balloon's right arm was ripped. In 2000, the balloon's stomach was ripped apart, meaning the balloon had to finish lower than usual. Along with this, his left shoe was punctured, and his nose was deflated. In 2001 and 2002, the balloon's left buckle was dangling off his left shoe, possibly due to the previous year's accident. In 2002, Sonic went out of control due to the winds and eventually collapsed, Sonic eventually suffocated a man and his wife, who were watching the parade. He was later destroyed by a streetlight and was eventually by an TMPD officer. According to the balloon handlers, one of their colleagues had perished during the hedgehog's collapse, however the TMPD could not confirm this. Due to the major damage of the balloon, it was retired. In 2003, Sonic's torso, ears, and head spikes were pushed around due to the heavy rain, but the balloon remained undamaged. As a result, the balloon occasionally flailed around. In 2005, Sonic was nearly pushed into the crowd, but was moved back without being damaged. In 2006, Sonic hit a lamppost, but bounced back and no damage was done to the balloon. In 2008, Sonic's left hand's index finger was deflated and his left ear got damaged due to the overnight windy conditions. In 2009, wrinkles started to form on the balloon. It was possibly due to the age of the balloon. In 2010, Sonic sprung a leak in his eye at Mosaic Street. Because of this he couldn't be moved, so he had to appear one last time in 2011. In 2012, he went towards a lamppost which caused his left buckle to deflate. Since the left buckle was a connected part of the balloon, that also caused his left shoe to rip. In 2014, his torso spikes were deflated. It's speculated he faced turbulence along the parade route and hit an obstacle, & his nose was punctured. In 2015, the balloon went out of control at Shibuya Crossing, causing his body (except his head) to deflate. In 2016, he was pushed around once again by high winds, but this time, he wasn't damaged. In 2018, his start was delayed due to the winds. During the route, his shoes and legs were deflated at Shibuya Crossing, but this time it was later torn along with his right arm by a lamppost at Asakusa-dori due to the strong winds. The balloon survived and finished the route, but suffered so much damage that the NHK telecast used archival footage. In 2019, before the parade began, the balloon went out of control because he didn't have enough handlers (the ones not there were sick), causing him to crash on a lamppost, tearing him in the stomach in the process. Sonic then had to be deflated as a result. In 2020, he was not completely inflated in order to fit on the safety buggies.
Height: 1991-1998: 52 feet 6 inches 1999-2002: 46 feet 9 inches 2003-2011: 69 feet 10 inches 2012-: 62 feet 5 inches
