Ben Hurst (1951–2010): Remembering SatAM’s Chief Writer

Benjamin Hurst · 1951–2010
Born	21 May 1951, Los Angeles, California
Died	10 August 2010 (aged 59), according to Sonic Wiki Zone, Saturday Morning Sonic and Luke’s report at the time; Wikipedia gives August 2011
Known for	Sonic the Hedgehog (ABC, 1993–1994): writer and associate story editor
SatAM episodes	10 of 26 – one in Season 1, nine in Season 2
Also	Sonic Underground (1999): writer and story editor
Writing partner	Pat Allee
Studio	DiC, for most of his career

In Memoriam · His SatAM episodes · Sonic Underground · Ben and the fans · Filmography · Sources

By Luke. First published on our old site in 2010; rebuilt and updated in November 2026, with a new episode list and a filmography checked against episode credits.

In Memoriam

It is our unhappy duty to report on the passing of our dear, beloved chief writer of SatAM. Benjamin Hurst has died at the age of 59. The cause of death was reported to be a diabetic coma that he never reawakened from.

Ben was the chief writer of SatAM, and together with Len Janson, created the whole American “SatAM Sonic” universe. His impact on the fandom cannot be understated, as he transformed Sonic from being a video game sensation, into a cartoon and comic book juggernaut that ran in Archie’s comics until 2017 and still has a devoted fandom today, and without him, there would be NO American Sonic the Hedgehog, or SatAM, as we know it! Though SatAM is long gone from our airwaves and cable boxes, its spirit lived on in the form of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic book series — a direct inspiration from Ben’s cartoon show, featuring all of the same characters and locations.

After SatAM ended, he even attempted to use many of his ideas for SatAM in the first few episodes of Sonic Underground, when he was chosen to be a writer for that show ahead of its 1999 debut. However, due to creative pressures and differences with DiC, he would part ways. After Sonic Underground ended, Ben became more active within the SatAM Sonic fandom, and had gone above and beyond what most staff members would do in terms of keeping in touch with the fanbase. In 2005 and 2006, he even answered questions at the Sonic Amateur Games Expo (SAGE). His last known film credit (writer or otherwise) would be his 2007 interview for the SatAM Sonic the Hedgehog DVD box set, released by Shout! Factory.

In later years, according to our original memorial, he would maintain and display exhibits at the Smithsonian Museum, in Washington, DC, United States. (We have not found another source for this.)

Ben Hurst’s SatAM Episodes

Ben wrote ten of the show’s 26 episodes. In Season 1 he co-wrote one story with Pat Allee; for Season 2 he and Allee became associate story editors, and with series creator Len Janson they were the season’s only writers. His episodes include the fan favourites – the two-part Blast to the Past, The Void and the finale.

Sonic Underground

Ben and Pat Allee were brought onto DiC’s next Sonic show to write its pilot, and ended up as its story editors. Between them they scripted 13 of its 40 episodes, including the three-part origin story in which Sonic finds his long-lost brother and sister, and tried to keep the characters true to how they had been in SatAM, but the new direction – Sonic’s royal siblings, and a song in every episode – was not theirs to change. Sonic Underground premiered on France’s TF1 in January 1999 and reached the US that August. Ben later told fans at SAGE 2008 that only 40 episodes had ever been planned.

Ben and the Fans

Few writers have stayed as close to their fans. After SatAM was dropped, Ben posted on the alt.fan.sonic-hedgehog newsgroup and in fan chats, tried more than once to get the show revived, and told fans where it would have gone: Tails growing into a full Freedom Fighter, Knuckles arriving at the end of Season 3, and the red eyes in the last shot of The Doomsday Project belonging to the sorcerer Naugus. He took fans’ questions at SAGE, the Sonic Amateur Games Expo, two years running (2005 and 2006), and in 2007 sat down for Way Past Cool!: A Conversation with Ben Hurst, the interview on Shout! Factory’s complete-series DVD set.

His Season 3 plans are collected on our Season 2 page.

Filmography

Ben’s television writing credits, most of them shared with Pat Allee. Years are those of his episodes.

Credits checked against the episode lists on Wikipedia. Luke’s original table also listed Ring Raiders (1989), The Wizard of Oz (1990), Star Street (1991) and Bums (1993); we have not been able to confirm those credits.

More SatAM on Sonic Scene

• SatAM: the series pageHistory, characters, cast and credits.
• Season 1 (1993)All 13 episodes, characters and the Vault model sheets.
• Season 2 (1994)All 13 episodes, from Game Guy to The Doomsday Project.
• Why SatAM was cancelled
• SatAM airing history
• The fabled SatAM game

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in November 2026.

• Luke, ‘Ben Hurst, Chief Writer of SatAM: Memorial’ (Sonic Scene, 2010)
• Sonic Wiki Zone, ‘Ben Hurst’ (born 21 May 1951, died 10 August 2010; SatAM and Sonic Underground work; SAGE appearances)
• Saturday Morning Sonic, Ben Hurst feature (August 2010, archived copy)
• Wikipedia, ‘Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)’ (“second season head writer”; gives his death as August 2011)
• Wikipedia episode lists with writing credits: ‘The New Archies’, ‘Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theater’, ‘Beverly Hills Teens’, ‘List of The Real Ghostbusters episodes’, ‘Maxie’s World’, ‘List of Tiny Toon Adventures episodes’, ‘Zazoo U’, ‘List of Captain Planet episodes’, ‘Double Dragon (TV series)’, ‘Dumb and Dumber (TV series)’, ‘Street Sharks’, ‘Sonic Underground’ (also for the 1999 premiere dates and the SAGE 2008 remark)
• Photo: Luke’s original memorial page; DVD still via Sonic Wiki Zone