Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon gets 'woke' in new episode

Our latest source of feminist inspiration comes from a Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon. A recent Sonic Boom episode, which aired Saturday, July 29 on Cartoon Network, caught the attention of fans when the character Knuckles dropped some knowledge on the soccer field.

"Can the young woman break the glass ceiling and prove once and for all that a female can be just as good an athlete as a male?" Amy Rose says in the episode "Eggman's Anti Gravity Ray" as she stands in front of the goalpost.

"You know, Amy," Knuckles chimes in, "anytime someone calls attention to the breaking of gender roles, it ultimately undermines the concept of gender equality by implying that this is an exception and not the status quo." Staring back at his astonished friends, he adds, "What? Just because I'm a meathead doesn't mean I'm not a feminist."

The moment was captured and posted online by a fan who mentioned, "We could learn a thing or two from Knuckles."

According to Sonic Boom executive producer Bill Freiberger, "Eggman's Anti Gravity Ray" was written by Marie Beardmore.

Alan Denton, another writer on the show, tweeted about the scene after the episode aired. "The worst part about writing for kids is that my friends rarely see my work. The best part is we get to do stuff like this," he wrote. "Now you know what Knuckles was doing while skipping leg day: He was out getting woke."

Denton added later on, "Little bit of extra clarification on the Knuckles feminist quote in Sonic Boom: It is a *joke*. In a *cartoon*." In another tweet, he wrote, "Part of me wants to clarify that Knuckles joke, but then again, I kind of love the phrase 'Echidnasplaining.' Best to do nothing, I suppose."

Take a look at those tweets.