From the moment that Shadow the Hedgehog appeared in the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, it seemed obvious that Sega’s antihero was going to be the sequel’s breakout character. But few could have predicted that it would mean Sonic 3’s Build-a-Bear line would be disrupted by Shadow’s resurgence.
As reported by Kotaku, Shadow’s Build-a-Bear is sold out and going for ludicrous prices on eBay from $300 on the low end to $1,500 at the highest. Currently, the highest amount that anyone has actually paid on eBay for Shadow is just north of $600. That’s still quite a mark up from the other currently available characters, as you can see below. Note that Tails is an online exclusive, while Sonic is available both online and in stores.
Shadow has been removed from Build-a-Bear’s site, and the company reportedly has no plans to restock the character. That seems counterintuitive, given the clear demand. And the only way to cool off the secondary market for Shadow Build-a-Bears would be if there were enough to meet the demand.
The Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy recently raced past $1 billion at the box office, and Sonic 4 has been announced for a release in 2027. Jim Carrey has already indicated his interest in playing Dr. Ivo Robotnik again, and presumably Keanu Reeves will return as Shadow. Late last year, Reeves reprised his role as Shadow in the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Movie Pack DLC for Sonic x Shadow Generations. Meanwhile, Shadow recently got his own wireless Switch controller, and it’s a lot cheaper than his Build-a-Bear.
