The toy and model company First 4 Figures has posted an interest check for a series of statues focusing on the cute and adorable Chao from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The Chao are still a prominent and popular part of the series despite being relegated to a cute mascot character in the last decade compared to how the classic Sonic Adventure games gave players the ability to raise and breed their own versions of the tiny creatures. For the last several years, all kinds of fans have been begging Sonic Team to bring back this forgotten feature, to which the developers have replied that they would do their best with enough interest.It seems that same interest is being put to the test as First 4 Figures has revealed on Twitter that it plans to create a set of Chao statues themed off of the gardens they usually inhabit. However, in order to allow production on these statues to go ahead, its asked fans to sign up for an email newsletter regarding potential preorders so the company can see how many people would buy the statues if they were actually made. F4F hasn't said exactly what kind of turn out it's looking for, but the statues won't go further into development if they don't see "significant interest."Luckily, for Sonic the Hedgehog fans, First 4 Figures has at least begun to design concepts for these statues as in order to incentivize people into showing interest. To go with the announcement, the toy producers have shared an initial concept for the Sonic Adventure 2 Dark Garden statue, which looks incredibly adorable already.
However, fans should note that the statue is likely to change during development. Not only did F4F ask for fan feedback on the above concept art, but a few keen-eyed fans have pointed out that the Chao on the far right isn't accurate to the game, and was instead taken from a screenshot from a modded version of SA2. It's likely that this Chao will be holding a different prop that was actually used in the game as a result, such as a flute or cymbals. Even then, it may be some time before fans see what'll come of these Chao statues as there's yet to be an update on F4F's last Sonic-based interest check for a statue of Blaze the Cat.
At the very least, it's something for Sonic fans to look forward to in the future, depending on how the interest check goes. If these statues are greenlit, there's a very small chance that Sega could look at how well they sell as its own interest check towards how much fans want the Chao Gardens to return in the next Sonic the Hedgehog game considering a sizable amount of support on its own is needed to make the statues happen.