Sonic the Hedgehog fans gobsmacked after learning how beloved character Tails got name
Sonic the Hedgehog has graced our screens for decades and over the years, he’s been joined by a wide cast of characters in the form of allies, love interests and nemeses.
While the titular character is obviously the most famous name associated with the long-running franchise, the character of Tails is never too far away.
Tails, who is Sonic’s best-friend and sidekick, first appeared in 1992 with the release of the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Tails is a yellow-orange, two-tailed fox whose ‘real name’ is Miles Prower.
Younger fans of the Sonic universe will have spotted Tails in the three recent live-action movies, where he is voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey.
The Mirror reports that many fans of the franchise will be shocked to learn the reason behind Tails’ real name Miles Prower, however, because it’s actually a clever pun.

This fun fact was revealed during a Polygon interview with Ben Schwartz, who voices Sonic in the movie series. It was here that Ben mistakenly referred to Tails as Miles Prowler, only to be corrected and told that the surname is actually Prower.
“Prower, right? It’s a pun on miles per hour,” the interviewer said, much to the shock of Ben, who exclaimed: “Oh my God, I never…” before picking up the phone to call the voice of Tails.
“Tails’ real name is a pun on what?” he asked, to which Colleen O’Shaughnessey confidently answered “miles per hour.”
Ben appeared embarrassed that he wasn’t aware of the joke, which alludes to the early theme song, Gotta Go Fast, and the speedy nature of the franchise.
But those who watched the interview on TikTok came to Ben’s defence, with many admitting that the punny name was news to them too and explaining that they believed it was no more than a name such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog and Knuckles the Echidna.
One follower posted: “I didn’t know his name wasn’t Tails!” A second added: “Today I learned that Tails has a real name.” Meanwhile, a third shared: “I don’t know why it never clicked that it was miles per hour, when I did know about Miles Prower.”
Other eagle-eyed fans pointed out that wordplay is no stranger to the franchise, highlighting the villain Doctor Ivo Robotnik – portrayed by Jim Carrey in the silver screen adaptation – whose title is a clever twist coupling ‘Robot’ and ‘Sonic’.
Someone stated: “Did you know Robotnik is just the words Robot and Sonic put together? Robot Nic. And Ivo is pronounced evo in Japan which sounds like evil.”
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