 | |
| Series | Sonic Underground (DiC, 1999) |
| Season | Season 1 (the only season) |
| Episode | Episode 23 of 40 (production order) · production no. 423 · WildBrain no. 123 |
| French title | Mascarade |
| First aired (France) | 24 March 1999 · TF1 |
| First aired (US) | 29 September 1999 · BKN Kids II (syndication) · 23rd in US broadcast order |
| Written by | Bob Forward |
| Directed by | Marc Boreal, François Hemmen and Daniel Sarriet; Tom Smith (US) |
| Song | “Part of the Problem” |
| Previous episode | Mummy Dearest (S01E22) |
| Next episode | Six Is a Crowd (S01E24) |
A masked prisoner“Uncle”?The band splits
Hedgehog in the Iron Mask is episode 23 of Sonic Underground, DiC’s 1999 cartoon about Sonic, Sonia and Manic, the hedgehog triplets of Queen Aleena. It is number 23 in production order – the order TF1 first showed the series in France, where it premiered on 24 March 1999 – and it was the 23rd episode to air in the United States, on 29 September 1999. It was written by Bob Forward, and its song is “Part of the Problem”.
Synopsis
Their search for their mother takes the siblings to a prison tower, where they free a masked prisoner who claims to be family: Queen Aleena’s twin brother, and so their uncle.
The stranger is bait in another of Robotnik’s schemes. He stirs up an argument over which of the three should take the throne once Robotnik is gone, and the bickering breaks the band apart, leaving each sibling alone and vulnerable.
Trapped inside the same prison walls that once held their mother, the siblings have to patch things up and work as a team again to break out. The song, “Part of the Problem”, spells out the lesson: squabbling over power is exactly what Robotnik wants. Bob Forward’s script builds the whole episode around the question every royal family faces sooner or later: who gets the crown?
The Song: “Part of the Problem”
“Part of the Problem” is the siblings admitting their own share of the blame once the band has split up.
Key Moments
- The siblings rescue a masked prisoner who claims to be their uncle.
- An argument over the throne splits the band.
- They escape from the tower where their mother was once held.
Trivia
- The title spoofs The Man in the Iron Mask, Alexandre Dumas’s story of a masked royal prisoner.
- The masked prisoner claims to be Queen Aleena’s twin brother, a relative the series never mentions again.
- WildBrain’s upload is titled “The Hedgehog in an Iron Mask”, and Sonic Retro uses “The Hedgehog in the Iron Mask”.
Watch the Episode
The full episode, uploaded by WildBrain’s official Sonic The Hedgehog – WildBrain YouTube channel (checked 6 November 2026).
Part of our Sonic Underground episode guide. The series page covers the characters, the songs, the prophecy and the show’s history.
Sources: titles, writers, songs and air dates from Luke’s original Sonic Scene guide, cross-checked with Wikipedia, Sonic Wiki Zone and Sonic Retro (Wayback copy); synopsis written for Sonic Scene from the episode, its official description and several fan references; title card and screenshots via Sonic Wiki Zone, copied to our media library.