Chris in the media
Chris, being an attention whore of sorts, has frequently managed to find himself in the media spotlight. Whether it be television, newspapers, magazines or, of course, the Internet, if Chris can find some way to get his 15 minutes of fame, he'll do it.
Traditional media
Richmond Times-Dispatch
In 1993, the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper ran an article detailing how Chris changed his name from "Christopher" to "Christian". This was Chris's first known appearance in media.
Sonic The Hedgehog Watch And Win Sweepstakes
- Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog Watch & Win Sweepstakes
Chris's second appearance in the media was a news report in 1994 chronicling Chris's first victory, winning a contest celebrating one of the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons.
Chris Chan in the PokéNews
- Main article: Chris Chan in the PokéNews
In 1999, Chris made his third appearance in a news report on the growing success of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. He was 17 years old at the time, and he was playing Pokémon cards with kids as young as 8.
Nintendo Power Magazine
- Main article: Nintendo Power Magazine
Twice, Chris has used the magazine Nintendo Power to get himself attention. First was a letter Chris wrote telling Nintendo how he used a video game to cure his fear of talking to girls. The second time detailed Chris's Animal Crossing video, though there he was known as Sonichu, not Chris.
Shoujo Beat
- Main article: Shoujo Beat
Chris sent a letter to an anime-themed magazine that got published in its November 2005 issue. In it, he complains about JERKS taking away all the pretty boyfriend-free girls and leaving him to be a lonesome virgin. A response was published in the March 2006 issue, in which the writer instructs Chris on the error of his ways.
Daily Progress
On 14 July 2007, the Chandlers were mentioned in the Daily Progress section of their local newspaper.
Toucher and Rich
- Main article: Toucher and Rich Segment
On 12 May 2009 Chris's antics became so famous that it sparked the interest of a radio podcast in Boston. The whole media furor was sparked by the "I Got A Fish" video. However, most of the show covered Chris's videos addressed to Ivy.[1]
Kevin and Bean
- Main article: The Kevin and Bean Show Segment
One of Chris's Captain's Logs is dissected by the hosts Kevin and Bean. Notably, the video in question required a full two minutes dedicated to disclaimers, as well as censoring of certain unairable acts .
Web Soup
- Main article: For G4s Web Soup
Once again, Chris's "I Got A Fish" video was briefly featured, this time on G4's Web Soup on 2 July 2009. While the segment lasted less than 30 seconds, Chris initially felt honored and used the opportunity to try to score some china, only to belatedly realize after he uploaded an entire video about it that shows like Web Soup are devoted to mocking people like him.
Save McIntire Park
- Main article: McIntire Park
In July 2009, Chris briefly appears in the background of a news segment about saving McIntire Park, Charlottesville. Later, Chris receives recognition at a council meeting for drawing a large sign.
Slylock Fox
On 25 September 2011, Slylock Fox & Comics for Kids, a comic strip about comic strips published by King Features Syndicate, featured a black-and-white image[2] of Sonichu in the "Your Drawing" panel. The illustration, which ran in thousands of papers nationwide, was accompanied by text, which read: "Today's terrific artist is Christian Weston Chandler, Age 9." The strip's author, Bob Weber Jr., admitted on the Comics Curmudgeon blog[3] that he fully believed that the "artist" was 9 (rather than 29) when he selected the drawing out of the dozens that are submitted to the strip every week.
Opie & Anthony
- Main article: Opie and Anthony
On 27 May 2009, The Opie & Anthony Show on Sirius XM Radio, which was broadcast to 18.5 million units, did a commentary segment on Chris's video response to drinking his own cum and shitting his adult diapers. It is unknown whether he's realized that his autistic antics have technically been broadcast to low earth orbit.
Houston Press
On 12 July 2012, the Houston Press published an article on Rex Nabours III of defunct folk punk band Guwange and his attempts to raise money for sick children. Nabours was quoted in the article saying "I did a Christian Weston Chandler (the Sonichu guy) covers album earlier this year with the intent of giving any money I made off of it to Autism-related charities because the dude is basically blackface for autism".[4]
Failosophy
MTV's show Failosophy mocked Internet idiots like Chris. While the show lasted a mere 3 months due to negative reception, one of his Tomgirl pics memorably and unsurprisingly showed up in the 4th episode of the show, viewed by almost a million people. Jump to 0:26 for his appearance.
Chris-Chan on MTV's Failosophy | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Chris, unusually, gave a response via Facebook.
I had no ill will against MTV. I enjoyed the women in "Undressed"; I like Daria; the dating game show was fun to watch, and to put them way at the bottom, Beavis and Butt-Head were so stupid, it became crazy-funny.
I have been the victim of Trolling/Cyber-Bullying for the past greater than five years. I get that whatever gets onto the internet is near impossible to remove. And now I find that among the shit I was trolled of, this ONE photograph, which was originally taken for a WOMAN years ago, gets compared with a literal meat-head and a plush-head, and is made available on iTunes for two dollars! From the one woman's words, Jamie Lee... I don't know what is worse, that she would not date me, or that she would put me in jail over a freaking couch. Lee, My Once Good Name was actually Jailed, because of the SET UPS those Anonymous, LULZy, Shit-Faced TROLLS. At least I was more clean, sexy and gung-ho than either of the ugly, grimy freak shows I was compared with. If I did not have a very good day beforehand today, I would seriously be calling my Attorney on your damn show's ass. |
To this day, Chris has not followed up on this threat of legal action. The episode with Chris in it also remains available on iTunes.
Local TV Broadcast
- Main article: Destruction of Chris's House
A local TV broadcast gave a brief report on the Destruction of Chris's House.
Fire at 14 Branchland Court | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
New York Magazine
On 19 July 2016, New York magazine featured an article on its website, "Kiwi Farms, the Web's Biggest Community of Stalkers". The article was meant as an attack on Kiwi Farms, inaccurately describing it as a vague group across multiple websites instead a single forum community. However, in describing the site's origins and operations, it largely focuses on Chris himself and the "torment" he faced from trolls during his internet heyday. There is also a mention of A-Log and his fallout with other Christorians.
The article is notably one of the few pieces of positive press Chris has received since his rise to internet fame. In addition to attacking his trolls, the author, Margaret Pless, describes him in sympathetic terms such as "artist, gamer, and creative type" and fails to mention his horrific opinions, statements, or actions. Pless is also under the impression that Chris is legitimately transgender, and accordingly refers to him as "Christine" and with female pronouns.
Major Internet media
Honest Game Trailers
Three minutes into the video, Chris is brought up as an example of the horrors of the Sonic fandom, particularly showcasing Warning - Naughty Women ;). Less than a minute later, Sonic is jokingly referred to as Sonichu.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (Honest Game Trailers) | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Fark.com
The world-renown Internet portal Fark to ECV 00095 on 5 May 2009.[5]
“ | You don't need to search any longer, the creepiest person on the internet has been found | ” |
A Farker |
Heavy.com
Chris tops the site's list of the 20 Worst Internet Losers, posted 13 July 2010.
“ | There could be no other choice to close out this list. Christian Weston Chandler, aka Chris-Chan, is like every horrible thing about the Internet made flesh. Lives with his parents, sponges off the government and uses the cash for PlayStation 3 games and sex toys, walks around the mall with his Game Boy looking for girlfriends, posts incoherent YouTube videos of himself humping an anime bodypillow and yelling “Oh, Julie,” the list will go on forever. C.W.C. is the ne plus ultra of Web losers. | ” |
Heavy.com, 20 Worst Internet Losers |
Harry Partridge
Animator Harry Partridge (best known for his slanderous mockery Saturday Morning Watchmen) has made several references to Chris and Sonichu, the first of which being a drawing of Rosechu uploaded to Newgrounds.[6] An animated version of Chris appears briefly in the animated cartoon short "Nicolas Cage Wants Cake", a musical remix of a scene from The Family Man.[7] In the animated short "Skyrim", Son-Chu's "SONICHU" license plate can be seen in the background during the first scene.[8] In the Followup, "Song of Skyrim", Chris makes a brief cameo in the crowd scene.
Harry himself has commented on TheCWCvilleLibrary's upload of the Christian and the Hedgehog Boys song "I'll Never Leave You, Ivy", jokingly stating "I want this played at my funeral."
When interviewing Harry Partridge on Animation Aficionados, the hosts asked Harry about Chris's cameos in some of his videos (from 0:19:43). The discussion the hosts have with Harry about Chris is quite lengthy, during which Mr. Partridge admits that he is "obsessed with him":[9]
“ | I really am obsessed with him... I check Sonichu.com, the wiki about Chris-chan and his weird life, if not daily, every couple of hours... there must be more written about Chris-chan than George Washington. | ” |
Harry Partridge |
Atop the Fourth Wall
Comic book reviewer Lewis Lovhaug (a.k.a. "Linkara") goes on a brief tirade in his 99th video "Top 15 Things I Will Never Review" about Sonichu on the subject of webcomics at the 24 minute mark.[10]
Linkara Discusses Sonichu & Chris-Chan | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
“ | "But wait," the internet cried back, "let me tell you about the horror that is called...Sonichu!" Yes people, I have heard of Sonichu. I really wish I hadn't heard of Sonichu. I would be a much happier man if I hadn't. | ” |
Linkara, speaking for everyone who has ever become aware of Sonichu. |
While he'd previously made the point that he wouldn't review webcomics in general, Linkara didn't want to review Sonichu in particular because he didn't want to acknowledge it further. He describes Chris as a "creepy stalker". Towards the end of the episode, a character tries to pressure Linkara into reviewing Sonichu before Linkara settles on reviewing a Sonic the Hedgehog comic for his 100th episode. At the end of the video, he uses "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Do I Creep You Out?" as the credits music, a possible jab at Chris.
RayWilliamJohnson
=3 - I will end you! | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
“ | Wait a minute, did he just say he recycles his...HOLY SH*bleep*IT! Oh, that is some NASTY sh*bleep*t, oh, oh GOD! | ” |
Ray, representing pretty much anybody who saw the video for the first time |
In an early episode of =3 (pronounced "equals three"), vlogger Ray William Johnson made fun of Chris's habit of recycling his navy. Though he never gave Chris's name, referring to him rather inaccurately as "your average Star Trek fan", he did provide a link to Chris's old channel. Jump to 2:09 in the linked video.
Something Awful
Sonic the hog | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Subject Matter | Reupload by Owldof Hootler |
The last episode of Something Awful's “Webcam Ward” is a commentary on ECV 00002.[11]
Also, the first episode of The Flash Tub's "Gaming Guyz", while not mentioning Chris outright, directly references his medallion, and how Sonic cured his autism in Part 12.[12]
SpliceToday.com
An article[13] posted on 6 January, 2011 on this multimedia blog decried Chris's latest exile from the Internet. It sums up Chris's history and behavior while sharing a personal account of the author taking steps to improve his life in order to distance himself from the similarities he saw between Chris and himself.
“ | It’s a little sad, and a little beautiful, and somewhere out there, Christian Weston Chandler is heating up his Hungry Man lunch in a supermarket microwave (because his kitchen microwave has been buried under old Christmas decorations) and playing his Nintendo DS, and maybe ogling a salesgirl from across the produce section before he approaches her awkwardly and uses a pickup line that he misread from the Internet, and I wish I could continue to see it all. | ” |
SpliceToday.com, Come Back, Christian Weston Chandler |
Nicole Richie's twitter
On 5 December 2009 American socialite Nicole Richie posted on Twitter[14] an image of Chris in his mother's underwear and humorously presented it as a picture of Benji Madden, brother of her then boyfriend (now husband) Joel Madden.
Sega Acknowledges Sonichu
On 13 January 2012, two Sega of America employees corpsed in one of their "Free Stuff Friday" videos when one talked about a Super Sonic plush they were giving away and the female called it "Sonichu?". While this is not TRUE and HONEST Sonichu merchandise, it shows that at least some Sega employees are aware of Sonichu's existence. Jump to 3:50 in the linked video.
SEGA's Free Stuff Friday - January 13, 2012 | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Chris saw the video and commented, I do not find that commentary funny at all. In fact, I feel pissed off to be ridiculed soo lightly.[15]
Maddox
Internet comedy writer George "Maddox" Ouzounian, best-known for his website The Best Page in the Universe, critiqued Chris's first drawing of Sonic the Hedgehog on one of his side-projects, I Am Better Than Your Kids, as one of many children's drawings to help promote his novel of the same name. Like most other works on the site, Maddox gave the drawing an F. [16]
Cvillepedia
On a wiki dedicated to Charlottesville culture and "celebrities," he has what can only be described as a tongue-in-cheek article.[17]
Cracked.com
Chris showed up on Cracked's front page as #22 on 9 April 2014 as part of "25 Insane Subcultures You Won't Believe Actually Exist".[18]
Smosh
Chris's Sonic Totem statue was featured one Smosh's site, via the 'Smosh Pit' section which mostly contains articles, countdowns and memes. It was listed in the '22 People Who Tried Crafts On Pinterest and TOTALLY NAILED IT' article.
IMDb
Chris has his own IMDb entry page. To date he only has two credits, both in the "archive footage" category; the aforementioned =3 video, and the later WTFIWWY segment.[19]
Wii U Daily
The website Wii U Daily has an article on the GameStop incident that occurred on 26 December 2014.[20] Chris eventually found the article, then proceeded to go on a long rambling on Facebook on why the writer should respect him and his terrible ways--even going as far to call the writer a horrible male, despite the writer being female.
There is an entire subreddit on the popular website Reddit entitled "r/cwc", which is predictably all about Chris and his shenanigans. Eventually, however, it was later set to private mode and cannot be viewed unless you are a moderator or approved submitter.
On 23 September 2014, the subreddit r/shittykickstarters linked to Chris's Kickstarter project for getting Legos.
On 1 January 2015, the Wii U Daily article about the 26 December 2014 incident was linked to another subreddit, r/rage.[21]
SleepyCabin
On 14 December 2014, Spazkid, creator of Sonichu: The Animated Series described his fascination with Chris, how he began trolling in 2007, and why he ultimately regrets doing it.
“ | Chris-Chan is—he’s an enigma which to so many people—they thought he was a troll. Because they’re like, “there’s no way this motherfucker is real” because he’s like the most saddest human being ever. And it’s SAD because it’s like… I spent four years of my life fucking with him and people are like, “bring it back!” And I’m like, “NO! LET IT DIE.” It’s like depressing—it’s not the golden age—it’s the depressing age. | ” |
Spazkid, rebuking the weens. |
Interestingly, the SleepyCabin podcast members reveal that Harry Partridge once contacted Chris about developing a game with him. Apparently, Chris turned Harry down because he thought he wasn’t a talented enough animator. Jump to 1:43:25 in the link.
SleepyCast 11 - [Spooktacular Q&A Spectacular] | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Radio Dead Air
- Main article: WTFIWWY Segment
On the 29 December 2014 edition of his What the Fuck is Wrong with You? podcast, Radio Dead Air (and Channel Awesome) star Nash and his co-star Tara discussed the 26 December 2014 incident. Until this point Nash had shed away from discussing Chris for much the same reason as Linkara, but decided he had to discuss it to the overwhelming volume of attention and e-mail the incident generated, along with the utter insanity displayed by Chris.[22]
Design & Trend
On 30 December 2014, website Design & Trend also posted an article about the 26 December 2014 incident.[23] The article link has apparently been tweeted 15 times, according to the website.
ReviewTechUSA
Chris Chan Assaults Gamestop Employee Over Sonic Boom | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
On 2 January 2015, ReviewTechUSA made a video about the 26 December 2014 incident.
The Mysterious Mr. Enter
Animation reviewer The Mysterious Mr. Enter made a slight nudge at Chris while preparing to rant about the infamous "I Am Autism" commercial from Autism Speaks (one of many reasons why the organization is disliked among the autism community), saying that it "makes autistic people look worse than...I dunno, Chris-Chan does." Jump to 2:15 in the linked video--and by the way, that is a microphone, not a giant Icee cup.
Mr. Enter Speaks About Autism Speaks | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Game Grumps
Leisure Suit Larry 6: Too Easy - PART 13 - Steam Train | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
“ | Ross: "You'll be like Sonichu- the electric hedgehog Pokémon."
Suzy: "Oh man, my dreams come true..." |
” |
In an episode of Steam Train, Suzy walks into the Grump Room mid recording to quietly grab a blanket. Ross and Dan draw attention to her anyway, and they warn her they blanket is full of static electricity and it may just make her like Sonichu, to which Suzy is less than enthusiastic about. Jump to 6:00 for the whole conversation.
SuperPrincessDaisy64
Boom Shadow | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Chris appears at 1:13 where the song mocks him for disliking the blarms. Of note is that Mike Pollock, the TRUE and HONEST English voice actor for Dr. Eggman, has commented on the video and given it his approval, meaning yet another of Chris's heroes is at least tangentially aware of his existence.
Sega Acknowledges Sonichu Again
On June 10, 2015, a fan asked the official Twitter account of Sonic the Hedgehog (which has been verified and everything) if Sonichu will be playable in Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice.[24] Their response?
“ | Maybe, but only if we give Sonichu blue arms, three scarves, and ultimately just redesign him as Big the Cat. | ” |
Crave Online Australia
Crave Online, a website showcasing various video coverage from games, films, sports and others topics covered a convention in Australia called Supanova in 2015. A duo cosplayed as Chris and Sonichu, making a brief reference to Nintendo rejecting Chris's game proposal.[25]
Larry Bundy, Jr.
Chris made a cameo appearance in the "Apaches" episode of Films Yanks Can't Wank, during a mention of Jimmy Hill. Jump to 1:55 in the linked video.
Films Wanks Can't Wank - Apaches (HD) | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
CatalystEXE
CatalystEXE, most famous for being the voice of Shrek is Love, Shrek is Life, made a drawing of Christian, Rosechu (with a china for a mouth), a pickle, and Sonic during a livestream. Watch from 46:12-58:21 in the video to see him draw the picture. He also made two comments regarding Christian.
Art | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Drunken Peasants
Chris appeared on the Drunken Peasants podcast (starring TJ, also known as The Amazing Atheist) episode 129 on July 10, 2015.
THAT IS MY VIDEO
This video has been removed from YouTube and/or elsewhere by Jerkops, and requires immediate replacement.
|
TJ Slaps Stevie - Confederate flag Taken Down in SC - Stupid Ads - DPP #129 | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
The Jimquisition
In his review of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 3D for the 3DS, Jim Sterling gives a list of reasons why the original Sonic 2 was an all-time classic. In this list, Jim mentions that the game is "a great way to meet boyfriend-free girls," and also makes reference to the blue arms controversy.[26]
Your Movie Sucks
33 seconds into YMS's review of Cyberbully, the infamous picture of Chris wearing Barb's bra and panties is shown when Adam says "You can control what you post." The photo was actually leaked, but the point still stands given that one can control what pictures they take of themselves.
YMS: Cyberbully (Full Review) | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Adam Baldwin's twitter
On 5 December 2015, actor Adam Baldwin tweeted an image showing photos of various people who are either opposed or supporitve of GamerGate. At the top of the image on its far left side a picture of Chris can be seen.[27] The tweet was later on deleted.[28]
Gawker
On 5 May 2016, Gawker wrote about deleted Wikipedia articles, including "Sonichu (comic)".[29]
Return of Kings
Chris has an article on the Kings Wiki, the wiki of controversial neomasculinity group Return of Kings.[30]
Video Games
McPixel
On 25 June 2012, the indie game McPixel featured a homage to Chris' sexcapades with inanimate objects by having a special ending sequence depicting the titular character dry-humping a PS3 in the same stance Chris was.
McPixel Extra Ending | |
Search for video | YouTube, archive |
Goat Simulator
The "Goat MMO Simulator" DLC pack adds a simulated MMO mode that parodies games such as World of Warcraft. AI-controlled goats simulate the presence of other players, and their names are drawn randomly from a list of pre-generated names. 'Chris-chan' is one of the names on this list.
Akinator the Genie
"Chris-Chan Sonichu", "Sonichu", "Rosechu", "Magi-Chan", and "Bob Chandler" are guessable characters in the online/iOS game Akinator the Genie.
OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo
An iOS/Android beat-em-up based on a Cartoon Network pilot, OK K.O.! introduces certain characters with a short biography screen (including a quote). The one for Carol (the player character's mother) has her saying "Go out and defend our Plaza--to the extreme!" (clearly echoing the cover to Sonichu 0).[31]
Worth noting is that OK K.O.! is intended for general audiences.
References
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ [3]
- ↑ http://blogs.houstonpress.com/artattack/2012/07/rex_nabours_extra_life.php
- ↑ linked
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ [5]
- ↑ [6]
- ↑ [7]
- ↑ [8]
- ↑ [9]
- ↑ [10]
- ↑ [11]
- ↑ [12]
- ↑ List of Christian's comments on Youtube#SEGA's Free Stuff Friday-January 13, 2012
- ↑ [13]
- ↑ http://www.cvillepedia.org/mediawiki/index.php/Christian_Weston_Chandler
- ↑ [14]
- ↑ IMDb page
- ↑ Man maces GameStop employee over Sonic Boom | Wii U
- ↑ Man maces employee over Sonic Boom : rage
- ↑ WTFIWWY Live: The Passion of the Chris Chan
- ↑ GameStop Employee Maced In Shocking Assault By 'Sonic' Fanboy Over Sonic's Arms: 'Sonichu' Creator Jailed
- ↑ https://archive.is/eWfjQ
- ↑ http://www.craveonline.com.au/entertainment/articles/869761-watch-supanova-pop-culture-expo-2015-sydney-wrap
- ↑ [15]
- ↑ [16]
- ↑ [17]
- ↑ http://gawker.com/a-tender-loving-sonic-pokemon-crossover-and-more-artic-1774546168
- ↑ [18]
- ↑ http://imgur.com/wvpZ8uW