Flicky

Flicky is an arcade game made by Sega. First released in arcades in 1984, Flicky also appeared on the SG-1000, the Sega Mega Drive, and mobile phones. Flicky was designed by Yoji Ishii. Ishii was with Sonic Team until August 1999, when he formed Artoon, his own company.

In the game, the player controls Flicky, a bird who has to save her children, the Chirps (the Piopio in the original Japanese), from housecats.

The player has to collect all of the Chirps and guide them through the exit. The player has to avoid the cat, Tiger (Nyannan) and the iguana, Iggy (Choro).

The Flicky birds in the Sonic the Hedgehog games are derived from the bird in the Flicky arcade game. This is most obvious in Sonic 3D Blast, where the birds, who not only resemble but are explicitly named Flickies, follow Sonic around after being found in the same way the Chirps would follow Flicky in this game. Other mechanics were also similar, such as losing Flickies that happen to touch an enemy or hazard, or losing them all if Sonic did (though unlike Flicky Sonic could, depending on the circumstances, survive a hit). The point system (extra points awarded for rescuing Flickies/Chirps together instead of one at a time) had the same principle, as well.

In the Sonic Adventure Chao Gardens, the Flicky species became part of a different variety of animals that are small even in comparison to the playable "animals." This species is known as small animals, but some fans still refer to them as Flickies.