About

You're Too Slow! is an infamous taunt performed by Sonic the Hedgehog in the Nintendo crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Brawl in which Sega's mascot runs in place rapidly with his feet drawing an infinity sign while calling out the line. Online, it is used in a great many remixes and parodies of both Smash Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Origin

Like many other taunts said in Super Smash Bros Brawl, "You're Too Slow!" is a line that was specifically written for the game. However, like Ike Quotes, this is not necessarily out of character for Sonic, as he is known for flaunting his ability to run at high speeds. The first time Sonic was shown running in the figure-eight fashion was in his Super Peel Out move in Sonic CD, where he will instantly accelerate to beyond his normal max speed after charging the move up.^[1]

After the release of Super Smash Bros Brawl in the U.S. on January 31st, 2008, videos online showing off many of the characters' taunts, a special animation that can be performed at any time to provoke opponents or as a short victory quote, began circulating (shown below). In Brawl the Super Peel Out is not performed in combat, only being used as a motion for the "You're Too Slow!" taunt.

The move gained infamy due to it being irritating to many people and its spam-ability both in-game and on message boards. On August 3rd, 2008, YouTuber^[2] onepiececool uploaded an early example of the taunt being remixed into a song, receiving over 285,000 views and 963 likes in roughly 13 years (seen below).

Spread

On July 9th, 2016, YouTuber^[3] Piemations referenced the meme and taunt in one of his videos, receiving over 6.5 million views, 165,000 likes and 16,000 comments in roughly five years (shown below).

On August 11th, 2016, webcomic artist Completely Serious Comics^[4] shared a nine-panel comic of Sonic also referencing the meme (shown below).

"Come on, step it up," another of Sonic's taunts, also became memetic due to a popular machinima, though not as widespread as "You're Too Slow."

Various Examples

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External Resources