New Survey Finds Sonic Is More Popular Than Batman And Bluey Among Gen Alpha Boys

Published Aug 13, 2026, 11:44 AM EDT James Lucas is an Executive Editor at TheGamer who has worked in professional journalism since 2018. A Newcastle University graduate with a degree in Journalism, Media, and Culture, they have written hundreds of guides, news stories, and original reports, with bylines in IGN, NME, GaymingMag, and VG247, sourcing interviews with studio heads, legendary industry figures, prominent actors, and more. An expert on FPS games, Soulslikes, RPGs, and survival horror, James has intimate knowledge of a wide variety of titles, providing in-depth coverage and exclusive profiles. Some of the games they have extensively covered include: Half-Life 3, Counter-Strike, Elden Ring, and Fallout. They pride themselves on their consistently thorough research, leveraging nearly a decade of industry experience. You can reach them at James.t@thegamer.com I'm an older Gen Z, so I'm still a bit hesitant to admit that I'm out of touch, but honestly, I feel my brain rotting just scrolling through TikTok, so you won't catch me dead on YouTube Shorts. That means I'm not exactly up to date with Gen Alpha aside from when the odd annoying soundbyte slips through the cracks, like Crocodilo Bombadilo (I'm starting to feel like my dad when he asked me if I'd heard of memes during the pandemic). All of that is to say — if you sat me down and asked what character Gen Alpha liked, I'd probably malfunction and spit out some weird AI thing. Nope, they love Sonic. Lingokids, an educational app that offers ad-free screen time for young children, surveyed over 2,000 parents in the US to find out how Gen Alpha spends their time on tablets and other devices, and who their favorite characters are. As it turns out, the generational divide isn't nearly as wide as I'd expected, at least judging by the responses. It's worth noting that this is a relatively small sample size and may not be an entirely accurate representation of an entire generation, so should be taken with a grain of salt. It does, however, offer some insight into Gen Alpha habits and the media they enjoy. Spider-Man Ranks #1, Followed By Sonic, SpongeBob, And Superman Apparently the winning recipe is a character beginning with the letter S According to the study (good catch, Sonic City), Spider-Man is the #1 character among boys, followed closely by Sonic the Hedgehog. Top 10 Characters Among Gen Alpha Boys Placement Character 1 Spider-Man 2 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 SpongeBob SquarePants 4 Superman 5 Bluey 6 Batman 7 Mario 8 Mickey Mouse 9 Chase (Paw Patrol) 10 Iron Man I'm a little surprised that Superman is higher than Batman, and that Sonic the Hedgehog has jumped so far ahead of Mario, but considering the sheer success of the movies and steady stream of new games, the Blue Blur is unavoidable these days. Now we just need to get Shadow up there. Bluey is less surprising, though I'm always bewildered by the staying power of Mickey Mouse. Bandit looking off in Bluey As for the top ten characters among Gen Alpha girls, there are some similarities. Spider-Man, Bluey, SpongeBob, and Mickey Mouse made the cut, but instead of Iron Man, we have Cinderella. Top 10 Characters Among Gen Alpha Girls Placement Character 1 Barbie 2 Bluey 3 Elsa 4 Moana 5 SpongeBob SquarePants 6 Hello Kitty 7 Peppa Pig 8 Spider-Man 9 Cinderella 10 Mickey Mouse If I've gleaned anything from this list, it's that more Gen Alpha boys need to sit down and watch Barbie, and try out some of those cursed PS2 games. Oh, and that parents need to stop letting their kids watch Peppa Pig. Please.