New research revealed California’s favorite video game characters, with Sonic the Hedgehog taking the top spot according to the press release.

The study, conducted by online casino guide 6Takarakuji analyzed Google search data from the past five years in the state of California to determine which video game character in California. The speedy blue hedgehog was 165,000 searches on Google every month in California. There has been a resurgence of interest in the character as well as the franchise as a result of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, which was released in 2020 and starred Jim Carrey, with the third installment of the movie series being released Dec. 20, 2024.

Allegedly, Pikachu from the Pokemon franchise ranks second. Searches by Californians for Pikachu sit at an average of 90,500 per month. In 2019, Warner Bros released Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, starring Ryan Reynolds which saw searches for ‘pikachu’ skyrocket 708% above average in America.

Pac-man is the third most popular video game character in California, receiving 88,500 average monthly searches in California according to the press release. Originally released in 1980, Pac-man is one of the most popular games across the globe. Kirby, the protagonist from the Kirby series ranks fourth whilst Yoshi from the Super Mario franchise is fifth. There are 74,000 average monthly searches for Kirby in California whilst Yoshi is Googled 40,500 times each month.

A spokesperson from 6Takarakuji commented, “Video games are an integral part of many people’s lives, bringing joy and entertainment to many. This can lead to movies about said characters being made causing their popularity to explode even more. This study offers a fascinating insight into which characters – as well as franchises – interest Californians the most.”

For more information, go to www.6takarakuji.com or contact Maddie Peacey at maddie.peacey@journoresearch.org.

New Data Reveals California’s Most Googled Video Game Character