View source for Sonic the Hedgehog Watch & Win Sweepstakes

{{quote|a very important moment|Chris, 25 years later.<ref>[[July 2019 social media posts#Remembering The Sweepstakes]]</ref>}}

[[File:NoPhotoCop.jpg|thumb|Chris and Bob picking up the shopping spree award.]]

The '''Sonic the Hedgehog Watch & Win Sweepstakes''' was a contest held in [[1990s#1993|1993]] to promote the first ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' cartoon, the syndicated ''{{w|Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog}}''. 

The contest's grand prize — a $1,000 {{w|KB Toys|Kay-Bee Toys}} shopping spree — was awarded to at least two lucky winners, one of whom happened to be [[Chris]]; the other winner of the contest was a six-year-old girl from California, who decided to split her prize money with her classmates instead.

This seminal event marks both the early peak of Chris's life and the first hint of his future decline into the manchild we know and troll today. His [[Borb|parents]] were hopeful that this win would surely set him up for future success, prompting them to contact the local [[Chris in the media|news media]]. The segment below was from the ''{{w|Dateline NBC|Dateline News}}'' program on [[Charlottesville, VA|Charlottesville]] NBC affiliate {{w|WVIR}}. It was Chris's ''first'' televised appearance, as well as his oldest known appearance on any kind of video, airing 11 years before [[YouTube]] was founded. It occurred shortly after the [[Christopher's name change|"GodBear" incident]] and Chris's move to the suburbs of [[Richmond]]. The segment on Chris's DVD is partially seen twice, as it was repeated and re-recorded on a later edition of the same newscast.

The video shows several revealing things, namely that Chris's communication skills and fashion sense have not improved or changed much since he was twelve. In fact, the only things that have visibly changed are his physical age and his sense of entitlement – some argue that this competition is what stroked his enormous [[ego]]. Chris's [[autism]] is also very evident just from the segment, seeing as his eye contact is very inconsistent as he speaks. Interestingly, Chris is described as a resident of [[Charlottesville]], even though he was living in [[Richmond]] at the time. This suggests that Bob was still expecting to win his case against the Greene County school board, at which point the Chandlers would return to [[Ruckersville]] and Chris would be allowed to attend a mainstream school there. The case would be dropped later that year.

The anchors are visibly impressed by Chris supposedly mastering video games. This claim came from [[Bob]], who wouldn't have an inkling of what mastering a video game looks like. 

Ever since winning the Sweepstakes, [[Chris and contests|Chris has entered several other contests]], expecting to win through the sheer power of his autism – to [[Chop Chop Master Onion's Rap Showdown|varied results]]. 

Of the games Chris bought, only four are known:
*''Batman Returns'' ($49.99)
*''[[Sonic]] CD''
*''Sonic Spinball'' ($49.99)
*"Star Trek" (probably ''Star Trek: The Next Generation: Echoes from the Past'') ($12.99)

Chris is also seen pulling an original "[[Power Rangers]] Megazord" (est. $29.99) out of a bag at the end of the video.

As of [[June 2021]], the only item Chris still had from his shopping spree was ''Sonic CD''; everything else had been sold or [[2014 house fire|lost]].<ref>[[The Place chats (June 2021)#Warhol Book Stress and Hoarding]]</ref>

==Commercial==
<!-- <center>{{#ev:youtube|KMyI6ZnLj3o}}</center> -->
{{Infobox/video
| name           = Sonic the Hedgehog Watch & Win Sweepstakes Commercial
| ytid           = KMyI6ZnLj3o
| stardate       = [[1990s#1993|1993]]
| maker          = n/a
| subject        = {{Television|text}} {{Video games|text}}
}}

==Video==
{{Infobox/video
| name           = Sonic the Hedgehog Watch & Win Sweepstakes
| ytid           = yGlFUf9ZEcM
| stardate       = 26 [[1990s#1994|February 1994]]
| maker          = NBC's WVVIR
| subject        = {{Television|text}} {{Video games|text}}
| style          = {{Reason|[[Chris and contests|The Humble Genesis of a Lolcow Legend]]}}
| shirt          = {{RainbowBoy|text}}
| other          = {{Leaked|[[Christian Weston Chandler...Yep, I'm on TV :)|Leaked]]}} 
| previous       = n/a
| next           = [[Song of Christian#Part 1|Song of Christian]]
}}

=== Transcript ===

'''Anchorwoman:''' Well, we've got a little more for ya, including what Sonic the Hedgehog means to a very special [[Charlottesville, VA|Charlottesville]] boy. And the significance goes ''way'' beyond the high score and [[List of videos|videos]].

[''One clip cuts out and another begins.'']

'''Anchorwoman:''' Finally, tonight, Sonic the Hedgehog is running ''[[wild]]ly'' in [[Chris's_homes#Cloverleaf_Lakes_Apartments|the Chandler household]] this weekend. 12-year-old Christian Chandler of Charlottesville was the winner in [[monthly tugboat|a video game shopping spree]]. Christian is one of only about a hundred winners nationally to receive [[Chris and money|''$1,000'']] worth of Sega games and equipment. For his parents, it’s just another example of how well he's doing. Christian is a high-functioning autistic child. This past fall, of his own initiative, he entered a contest based on a favorite cartoon character.

'''Cashier:''' [''quiet''] $980.8...

'''Chris:''' ...I had to do was exactly...watch ''Sonic the Hedgehog''...uh, ''cartoon''...an—and [[speech impediment|risten]] to what Sonic says at the ''end'' of it…and writin' it down for [[Time Void|a whole week]]. And then, I had to mail it in, and I had to be drawn out of a hat, and I just won!

'''Anchorwoman:''' And [[Bob Chandler|Christian's father]] says it only takes a few hours for him to master an electronic game and then...''move onto another!''

'''Co-anchor:''' Unbelievable...

'''Anchorwoman:''' I can't master any of ’em! That's it for ''now'', and it’s just...comin’ up on the NBA basketball game at 5:30. It’s not 6:30; it’s 5:30. We'll see you back here at 11:00. Thanks for watching.

'''Co-anchor:''' Good night.

'''Other Anchorman:''' Buh-bye.

[''An NBC Dateline News notice appears before the clip cuts out, making a weird "hweeur" noise, followed by a repeat of part of the report.'']

'''Anchorwoman:''' —winners nationally to receive ''$1,000'' worth of Sega video games and equipment. Christian ''is'' autistic, but he's entering the contest completely of his own accord was a sign to his parents of how well he is getting along.

'''Cashier:''' [''quiet''] $980.8...

'''Chris:''' ...I had to do was exactly...watch ''Sonic the Hedgehog''...uh, ''cartoon''...an—and risten to what Sonic says at the ''end'' of it…and writin' it down for a whole week. And then, I had to mail it in, and I had to be drawn out of a hat, and I just won!

'''Anchorwoman:''' And [[Bob Chandler|Christian's father]] says it only takes a few hours for the boy to master one of the electronic games before he moves onto another one.

==See also==
* [[Chop Chop Master Onion's Rap Showdown]]
* [[GameStop Be A Star Sweepstakes]]

{{References}}

{{succession|label=[[List of videos|Chris's videos]]|prevlink=n/a|nextlink=[[Song of Christian]]|}}
{{BearsteinSaga}}
{{CWC on TV}}

[[Category:1990s]]
[[Category:Contests]]
[[Category:Events]]
[[Category:Videos Christian uploaded to YouTube]]
[[Category:Media that has been published in real life]]
[[Category:Chris-chan videos before 2007| 1994-02-26]]