References to Sega/Film and television

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The following is a list of references to Sega in film, television, and print.

For references specific to Sonic the Hedgehog, see References to Sonic in film, television, and printed media.

Film

Film Release date Description Screenshots
Carry On Spying 1964-07-29 A Diamond 3 Star slot machine is briefly seen in Hakim's Fun House. References CarryOnSpying slotmachine.jpg
Jaws 1975-06-20 Killer Shark is seen being played at a seaside arcade.[1] References Jaws KillerShark.jpg
Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991-07-01 Protagonist John Conner plays After Burner in an arcade. References Terminator2 AfterBurner.png
Surf Ninjas 1993-08-20 Game Gear[2] References SurfNinjas GameGear.png
Airheads 1994-08-05 Multiple characters in the film are seen playing Game Gears, with one security guard playing Aerial Assault.[3] References Airheads Film GameGear AerialAssault.png
Rumble in the Bronx 1995-01-21 Game Gear[4] References RumbleintheBronx GameGear.png
Clockers 1995-09-15 Sega VR (prop)[5], Virtua Fighter[6] SegaVR Clockers prop.png
Mallrats 1995-10-20 NHL All-Star Hockey and a Sega Saturn make an appearance in the film.[7] Allegedly, the film's producers originally wanted to use a Mega Drive and a 16-bit hockey game in said scenes, but Sega insisted that the film feature the company's newest technology, and a Saturn was used instead.[8] References Mallrats NHLAllStarHockey.png
Black Mask 1996-11-09 Virtua Fighter, Darius Gaiden, X-Men: Children of the Atom[7] References BlackMask Saturn.png
Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy 1997-03-26 Goku Jr. is shown playing a video game console roughly similar to a Sega Saturn. References DragonBallGTHerosLegacy Saturn.png
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1997-05-02 Scott asks Dr. Evil, “Hey, I can bring my Sega, right?”[9]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park 1997-05-19 The daughter of Ian Malcolm doesn't want to stay with his friend because "She doesn't even have Sega! She's such a troglodyte.", to which Ian responds, "Cruel, but good word use."[10]
The Replacement Killers 1998-02-06 An Altered Beast arcade cabinet can be seen, around the half-way point of the movie, during a scene where protagonists John Lee (Chow Yun-fat) and Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino) are chased down in a video arcade, by Carlos (Danny Trejo) and Ryker (Til Schweiger) two skilled out-of-town replacement killers hired by Terence Wei (Kenneth Tsang), the antagonist of the movie. References ReplacementKillers AlteredBeast.png
Cucciolo 1998-04-10 Protagonist Mimmo visits SegaWorld London, showing off various Sega arcade games and attractions. References Cucciolo SegaWorld London.jpg
Josie and the Pussycats 2001-04-11 The movie features notable product placement for the games Space Channel 5 and the Dreamcast port of Crazy Taxi, as well as a Dreamcast Kiosk. SpaceChannel 5 JosieandthePussycats productplacement.png
Baby Boy 2001-06-27 Ready 2 Rumble Boxing[6] References BabyBoy Ready2RumbleBoxing.png
The Wash 2001-11-16 NBA 2K2[6][11] References TheWash NBA2K.png
Haker 2002-09-27 In the arcade hall, there are several machines from Sega such as Daytona USA and Crazy Taxi. References Haker DaytonaUSA CrazyTaxi.png
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby 2006-08-04 Around the half-way point of the movie, Will Ferrell's character Ricky Bobby plays and crashes his car in the arcade game NASCAR Arcade. He is then taunted on-screen by rival Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), whose success at NASCAR has allowed him to feature in video games. References TalladegaNights NASCARArcade.png
Wreck-It Ralph 2012-10-29 The film features numerous references to Sega, including: References WreckItRalph villainsanonymous.webp
Ready Player One 2018-03-11 A futuristic motorcycle reminiscent of those from Akira features a large sticker of the Sega logo.[15] References ReadyPlayerOne Sega.png
Ralph Breaks the Internet 2018-11-05 Like the first film, Ralph Breaks the Internet continues to feature references to Sega, such as a cameo from Sonic the Hedgehog and the brief appearance of a Virtua Cop cabinet.[16] References RalphBreaksTheInternet VirtuaCop.png

Television

Television show Episode Air date Description Screenshots
The Price is Right (United States) 1977 Sega-Vision[17] References ThePriceisRight SegaVision.png
Abunai Deka (あぶない刑事) 32 1987-05-17 At around the 8-minute mark, Shooting Master can be seen, followed by a scene in front of a Pasopiard venue. References AbunaiDeka ShootingMaster.png
MTV (commercial) "In real life, you don't get another quarter." A commercial for MTV's "Don't Drink and Drive" campaign, using footage of a player crashing their car in OutRun. References OutRun MTV InRealLifeYouDontGetAnotherQuarter commercial.png
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers S01E08 1993-09-14 In the episode "I, Eye Guy", a promotional photograph of an early Sega VR headset design is in a series of background posters.[18] References PowerRangers TV SegaVR.png
The Drew Carey Show Saturn, Dreamcast[7] References DrewCareyShow Saturn.webp
The Drew Carey Show After Drew Carey's friend suggests Carey was stuck in bed the day prior because he bought a Sega Saturn, he instead responds, "No, I didn't get Sega, but there was a lot of scoring going on."[19]
Neon Genesis Evangelion Asuka owns and plays a Sega Saturn alongside a Sega-branded television set.[20] References Evangelion Saturn.jpeg
You’re Under Arrest 199x-xx-xx Saturn[7] References YoureUnderArrest Saturn.jpg
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars S05E25 1996-11-09 In the episode "Butterflies of Light: A New Chapter On the Horizon", one of the Sailor Scouts plays a game heavily-reminiscent of Fighting Vipers.[21] References SailorMoonSailorStars TV FightingVipers.png
Seinfeld "The Comeback" 1997-01-30 A number of American Mega Drive titles are seen in a video store.[22] References Seinfeld TV videostore2.jpg
Connections3 "A Special Place" 1997-12-30 Dennou Senki Net Merc is demonstrated as an example of new and evolving technology. References Connections3 DennouSenkiNetMerc.png
The Sopranos "Bust Out" 2000-03-19 Flag to Flag[23] References TheSopranos FlagtoFlag.png
South Park "The Tooth Fairy's Tats 2000" 2000-04-05 When Cartman discovers the Tooth Fairy is paying a premium price for his lost teeth, he and the boys seize the opportunity to make some cash - with Cartman's ultimate goal being to purchase a Dreamcast.[24]
My Wife and Kids 2001 A Dreamcast can be seen played by Michael and Junior in various episodes. The console was replaced with a PlayStation 2 in later episodes.[25][26][27] References MyWifeandKids Dreamcast.jpeg
The Shield "Pilot" 2002-03-12 Crazy Taxi[26] References TheShield CrazyTaxi.png
Gin Tama SxxExx 20xx In one episode, the robot Tama is infected with a virus, and changes her appearance to that of older video game characters numerous times. One of her transformations is a polygonal, Virtua Fighter-esque design.[28] References Gintama TV VirtuaFighter Tama.png
Weeds Madworld poster[29] References Weeds MadWorld.jpg
The Inbetweeners Virtua Tennis 2009[4] References TheInbetweeners VirtuaTennis2009.jpeg
Regular Show "Death Punchies" 2010-09-27[30] Protagonists Mordecai and Rigby own a Sega Master System which they play regularly. Other than being mirrored horizontally, its appearance is incredibly faithful to its real-life counterpart. Series co-creator J.G. Quintel was interviewed as saying that his family was the only one he knew growing up who owned a Master System.[31] Additionally, when the show makes official convention appearances, a Master System is often brought along as a prop frequently associated with the pair.[32] References RegularShow MasterSystem.png
Yo-kai Watch SxxExx 201x In one episode, a character takes on a polygonal appearance similar to Virtua Fighter's Akira.[33] References YokaiWatch TV VirtuaFighter.jpg
Squid Girl SxxExx 201x In one episode, two characters are playing Virtua Fighter on a white Model 1 Mega Drive and Super 32X.[34] References SquidGirl TV MegaDrive 32X VirtuaFighter32X.jpg
Peep Show "Chairman Mark" 2012-12-23 Street Fighter II': Special Champion Edition[35] References PeepShow StreetFighterII.png
Inferno Cop 201x-xx-xx A "Data Files" segment on Mecha Cop describes him as being constructed with the CPU of a used Sega Saturn. Additionally, a later episode mentions the Sega Dreamcast.[36] References InfernoCop TV SaturnCPU.jpg
Dads "Pilot" 2013-09-17 Sega Dreamcast[9] References Dads Dreamcast.png
The Goldbergs (season 1) 21 The Age of Darkness 2014-04-29 Adam F. Goldberg the protagonist of the series (played in the series by American actor and voice actor Sean Giambrone), can be seen playing Zaxxon at an arcade. References TheGoldbergs Zaxxon.png
Assassination Classroom (Season 2) 1 2016-01-07 Karma Akabane threatens to expose the Summer Festival worker for ripping people off if he doesn't give him the game console, which is the biggest prize. The game console itself is a Wii-like device that has Sega Saturn aesthetics, called the GAES Jupiter. AssassinationClassroomS2E1GaesJupiter.png
Narcos "Cambalache" 2016-09-02 Streets of Rage[37] References Narcos StreetsOfRage.jpg
Shell advert "Mfon's Driving Change" 2020 A Sega Master System II is implied as one of the inspirations behind Mfon's passion for engineering, and a reason he began working for Shell.[38] References Shelladvert SegaMasterSystemII.png

Quiz show questions

Television show Episode Air date Description Screenshots
The Chase: Celebrity Special Coronation Street Special (S10E04) 2020 Jack P. Shepherd (who plays David Platt in Coronation Street) is asked the question:

In the 1990s, which of these used the advertising slogan 'The more you play with it, the harder it gets'?

  • A) Sega
  • B) Play-Doh
  • C) Twister

He (incorrectly) answers Twister, while the Chaser chooses Sega.

This is referring to a specific advertisement in UK magazine comic Viz which made its rounds on the internet in the 2000s. This was a one-off comedic advert, not a nationwide advertising slogan.

TheChaseCelebritySpecial UK S10E04 Sega.png

Print

Publication Issue Release date Description Scans
Johnny Turbo #43 1993-01 Johnny Turbo and his partner Tony are pitted against villainous androids and monsters from a company called "FEKA" (a thinly veiled parody of SEGA), which misleads children into wasting their money on their CD add-on system (the Sega CD.) File:EGM US 042.pdf
Home Alone 3 1997-12-12 Protagonist Alex Pruitt uses a number of small items and gadgets to defend his home from criminals; among these is a yellow Game Gear sporting black buttons[39] - an unreleased American prototype of the blue Sega Sports Game Gear.[40] While not appearing in the film itself, the Game Gear is shown on virtually all of Home Alone 3's promotional posters and flyers. References HomeAlone3 GameGear.jpeg
Squid Girl 2011 The anime Squid Girl recreated one of the Mega Drive's original Japanese announcement magazine advertisements to commemorate the real-life creation of the custom white Mega Drive system featured in the show.[41] References SquidGirl Print MegaDrivead.jpg

References

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/03/jaws-movie-brought-video-games-films-together
  2. https://www.technobuffalo.com/memorable-movie-tech-surf-ninjas-and-the-prophetic-sega-game-gear
  3. https://www.reddit.com/r/retrogaming/comments/shsm33/sega_game_gear_in_airheads/
  4. 4.0 4.1 https://segabits.com/blog/2011/02/16/sega-in-the-media-game-gear-in-the-bronx/
  5. Sega VR
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://www.playernature.com/2021/04/video-games-in-movies.html
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 https://segabits.com/blog/2011/06/10/the-weekly-five-saturn-in-the-media/
  8. https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/sega-references-in-pop-culture.22988/page-8#post-935834
  9. 9.0 9.1 http://segabits.com/blog/2013/09/18/sega-in-the-media-foxs-dads-takes-the-dreamcast-hostage/
  10. https://segabits.com/blog/2011/10/27/sega-in-the-media-the-lost-world-jurassic-park-doesnt-have-sega/
  11. @SEGADCAesthetic on Twitter
  12. 12.0 12.1 http://segabits.com/blog/2012/06/06/disneys-wreck-it-ralph-trailer-hits-check-out-eggmans-cameo/
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 http://segabits.com/blog/2012/10/09/spot-some-classic-sega-arcade-cabinets-in-the-latest-wreck-it-ralph-trailer/
  14. https://wreckitralph.fandom.com/wiki/Finish_Line
  15. https://segabits.com/blog/2017/07/26/sega-in-the-media-ready-player-one-slaps-a-sega-sticker-on-a-futuristic-bike/
  16. https://segabits.com/blog/2018/02/28/sega-manages-to-squeeze-into-the-ralph-breaks-the-internet-wreck-it-ralph-2-teaser-trailer/
  17. https://segabits.com/blog/2014/10/09/sega-in-the-media-the-price-is-right-for-a-sega-vision-in-1977/
  18. https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/sega-references-in-pop-culture.22988/page-9#post-979186
  19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojF802Xafoc
  20. @raphycuomoalone on Twitter
  21. https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/sega-references-in-pop-culture.22988/page-7#post-857155
  22. https://segabits.com/blog/2016/02/26/sega-in-the-media-seinfelds-the-comeback-has-a-great-selection-of-genesis-games-at-champagne-video/
  23. https://segabits.com/blog/2014/05/21/sega-in-the-media-dont-you-got-school-tomorrow-tony-soprano-wants-you-to-turn-off-the-sega-dreamcast/#more-37645
  24. https://southpark.fandom.com/wiki/The_Tooth_Fairy_Tats_2000
  25. 26.0 26.1 https://dreamcast-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4261
  26. https://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2010/09/elusive-my-wife-and-kids-dreamcast.html
  27. https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/sega-references-in-pop-culture.22988/page-7#post-858940
  28. http://segabits.com/blog/2010/08/24/madworld-poster-spotted-in-new-weeds-episode/
  29. https://regularshow.fandom.com/wiki/Death_Punchies
  30. https://www.destructoid.com/oooooohh-regular-shows-j-g-quintel-and-i-talk-games/
  31. http://segabits.com/blog/2012/07/12/mordecai-and-rigby-bring-their-master-system-to-comic-con/
  32. https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/sega-references-in-pop-culture.22988/page-7#post-858938
  33. https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/sega-references-in-pop-culture.22988/page-6#post-643361
  34. https://segabits.com/blog/2013/05/14/sega-in-the-media-parks-and-recreation-peeks-inside-andy-and-aprils-toolbox/
  35. https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/sega-references-in-pop-culture.22988/page-8#post-868889
  36. https://segabits.com/blog/2016/09/06/sega-in-the-media-pablo-escobar-plays-streets-of-rage-on-narcos/
  37. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj3CkW8qGz8
  38. https://www.reddit.com/r/game_gear/comments/r02q9w/on_the_promo_pictures_of_home_alone_3_you_can_see/
  39. @nvmusa on Twitter
  40. http://segabits.com/blog/2011/07/28/check-out-the-awesome-custom-squid-girl-sega-genesis/