Growing A Sonic Chia Pet

This post will be a bit different from my normal entries. For a bit of context, I’ve been a fan of the Sonic franchise from a young age. I specifically have distinct memories of playing the Sonic Classic Collection on the DS. Additionally, I have had my fair share of Chia Pets in the past. This particular Sonic Chia Pet (designed after “classic Sonic” from the Sega Genesis games) was something that I received as a Christmas gift. Based on my previous experiences with Chia products, I was certainly expecting to be disappointed. The pets almost never grew correctly, if they grew at all. However, this Chia Pet turned out to be a surprising success rather than a failure. Today, I plan to show you the growth of this Sonic Chia Pet (which includes pictures!).

Before the plant could start to grow, I had to follow a few precautionary steps. First, I soaked the planter itself in water for about an hour. During this time, I also mixed a portion of Chia seeds with water until a “jam-like consistency” was achieved, as per the instruction booklets’ wording. After the planter was drenched in water, I proceeded to spread the Chia “jam” onto the then-colorless and barren section that served as Sonic’s quills. Once satisfied with the coverage of this jam, I left the Chia pet in a sunny area and proceeded to water daily. After about 3 days of watering, this was the result:

To be honest, I was shocked at how much the Chia pet had grown in such a short time. As far as I could remember, this plant seemed to grow much better than any other Chia pet I had previously owned. I was especially happy with how well the chia seeds seemed to cover the entirety of Sonic’s quills, leaving no open “patches” or dry spots. Seeing as this process proved to already be successful, I kept my pattern of watering the pet daily (generally during mid-day), and took a picture of the results 3 days later. This is how the plant looked:

It was clear that the plant continued to grow at a generally fast rate. Regrettably, I did not get additional angles of the plant at this stage. However, my process of watering daily was noticeably effective in maintaining the plant’s health. After another three or four days of watering, this was the result:

Although the plant was still relatively healthy, some signs of its decay began to show (mainly a loss in color and shriveling of a few branches). However, the seeds still seemed to be growing to some extent, which was a good sign to me. I decided to keep my daily watering schedule and return for a new picture in three days. This is what the plant looked like:

Although the plant was not fully “dead” yet, the signs of its decay were becoming increasingly more obvious. Specifically, the branches in the middle of Sonic’s head were now rapidly decaying/shriveling, and the branches continued to lose their color. Although I was worried about how many more days the plant had left, I still maintained my daily watering routine. However, after spending 4-5 days attempting to strengthen the plant, this is what it looked like:

After taking this picture, I realized that the plant was beyond saving. This means it was truly healthy for about 20 days, which is much longer than any previous Chia pet I owned. Thus, I would ultimately call the growth of this plant a (short-lived) success. Because I still have some Chia seeds from the package, I may attempt to start over again and regrow the plant.