obscure 1993 Sonic popcorn-machine

SegaSonic Popcorn Shop was a vending machine, released in 1993 only in Japan, that dispensed three flavors of popcorn. It also featured a minigame that customers could play on a video display while the machine's microwave was nuking the popcorn.

Created by Sega AM1 and released by Sega on the System C2 board, hardware similar to the one on the Sega Mega Drive, it is a combination of a popcorn machine and a mini-game. The vending machine dispenses popcorn with one of three flavored toppings: butter, salt or chili.

The small screen of the vending machine features a mini-game, starring Sonic and Tails, who assist in making popcorn while Dr. Eggman tries to ruin the event. While the mini-game is being played, actual popcorn is being microwaved in a nearby compartment.

To play the mini-game on the vending machine, the player inserts a coin and chooses one of three popcorn flavors from the buttons—butter, salt or chili. The game includes two segments which the player can influence by moving the green crank on the vending machine.

In Sonic Mania and its expansion, Sonic Mania Plus, there is a popcorn machine-based gimmick in Studiopolis Zone that is a callback to this vending machine, being directly labeled as "SegaSonic Popcorn Shop".

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