Most likely due to the box art, I always used to see Robotnik in Sonic 2 (my first Sonic) as a giant bearded MODOK-esque flying severed head, tilted back, in a helmet that obscured his eyes with buck teeth, who flared his nostrils at you when he got hit.
Observe...
I can see the little fat man now, and it took a while for me to re-see the head version, but I swear this was Robotnik to me as a child.
I think he reminded me of the Dopefish.
People see stuff. 8-bit sprite Dr. Wily in his ufo looks like he has gigantic feet sticking out.
Oh, you want Sonic and what I saw? I made a whole section on my very old (and never gotten around to updating) based on this ALONE.
Here's an entire page based on Marble Garden.
Ignore the theory link on the bottom, as I was younger then and it is stupid fluff trying to connect things in thin air.
The other page I made, the main one.
This was back before I knew and was afraid of emulators and roms. I think this was the "the rom is only legal if you delete it within 24 hours" era. I only had what was ported to the PC/resold in disks. I have even more images that I was going to update the page with, but right then I lost intrest with the whole thing all together. I can post the extra ones if you like.
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Like the Labyrinth Zone heads, I think these creepy smileys are intentional. Maybe it is a tribute to the face that appears in the background of Scrap Brain Act 2/Final Zone.
Sandopolis Zone has many. If you look at the block Sonic rides, you can see a face with a LARGE nose with big nostrils. This NEVER went away when I looked at it.
Like Ice Cap Zone, In the middle where the zig zag lines mirror creates a simple "bird?" face looking right at you.
Ah yes, mirroring ANYTHING seems to get results.
Due to the shading, the boss rock is a face looking right at you. It has big eyebrows with dinky eyes under them. The center is the nose as usual, and the black under it is the mouth. Just by that, LOOK AT THE EXPRESSION IT IS MAKING.
I'm totally hearing the Sonic 2 beardy 'botnik boxart - I used to think the exact same thing.
GT... wow. Just, like, wow.
I've found an interesting thing in Eggman's Sonic06 appearence, which I guess relates somewhat. It's an indication of whom he was modelled after in that game:
Firstly here's our mystery individual with the extra features... looks pretty close right? So who could it be?
Oh My God! It's Phil Collins! Just squash his face down a little to make it a bit rounder and its totally him.
Sandopolis Zone has many. If you look at the block Sonic rides, you can see a face with a LARGE nose with big nostrils. This NEVER went away when I looked at it.
Due to the shading, the boss rock is a face looking right at you. It has big eyebrows with dinky eyes under them. The center is the nose as usual, and the black under it is the mouth. Just by that, LOOK AT THE EXPRESSION IT IS MAKING.
Thank you. Now I can't unsee that nose.
And I'm so glad I'm not the only one who saw a face in that miniboss.
Oh My God! It's Phil Collins!
Sandopolis Zone has many. If you look at the block Sonic rides, you can see a face with a LARGE nose with big nostrils. This NEVER went away when I looked at it.
IT'S GOLIATH XDXDXD
GOLIATH! HE'S TRANSPORTING MEEE! GOO-LIE-UTTHHHHH
GOLIATH IS GOING TO TRANSPORT YOU WITH HIS HUGE EYES AND WEIRD NOOOSE! Gooliaaathhhhh.....
Due to the shading, the boss rock is a face looking right at you. It
has big eyebrows with dinky eyes under them. The center is the nose as
usual, and the black under it is the mouth. Just by that, LOOK AT THE
EXPRESSION IT IS MAKING.
GT stop making us see or hear things that aren't there. Because of you I can't hear Casino Night without thinking about Donald Duck!
I see Wario
I always saw casper with a mustache.
The mountains in the background of one of Marble Garden's acts always looked like a bat's face to me, and I always thought one of the ice floes in the background of Ice Cap's outdoor areas was shaped like Australia.
I always saw casper with a mustache.
Why I switched to photobucket. For the record, he is speaking about the NiGHTS platform on my site.
GT stop making us see or hear things that aren't there. Because of you
I can't hear Casino Night without thinking about Donald Duck!
I'm glad that the lyrics thread still had such an affect on people.
What do people think about the Ice Cap cat platforms?
I´ve always seen a skull with glowy red eyes and crossbones on that block. You know, like a pirate flag. o_o
I always thought it ment the moving block was deadly and could squash you.
Talking of pirates, GT has totally piliged this topic.
I should've seen it coming really.
For those who just can't see what I'm trying to say I see when I look at Sonic 2 Eggman, watch this video
and, instead of looking at Eggman's head to see his eyes, look into the
dark space above the back of his chair, and try to see it as the same
sort of dark, empty eyes as the American Boxart. The complete illusion of the head sort of reminded me of Yosemite Sam, wearing the magic helmet over his eyes.
Okay, I undestood what you originally said about the beard on the US/PAL Sonic 2 box art, but Yosemite Sam? Really? Although having looked at the video, I can see where you are coming from. But I think that I only noticed it because I was looking for it, not because its really there: I HOPE YOU'RE LISTENING GT~!
-Is talking to TTG
-Says GT at the end
frownface.jpg
Desided to upload to photobucket for the lazy people, as well as some unuploaded ones I missed.
Cat.
Duck
Clownface
Close up of the MM smiley OH GOD
Nights Platform.
The scrap brain face, which can also be seen in the Final Zone.
Well he was addressing me and then at the end he turned to whisper harshly to you.
The icecap platform looks kind of like a robotic wolf looking down.
Oh My God! It's Phil Collins!
You mean the same person that killed Genesis? He WOULD make a great villian! 
Indeed. And since that band shares its name with the US Mega Drive it makes total sence... Just don't get him to provide the voice. Guy can't act for crud. Have you ever seen 'Buster'? Wow, that's a bad film.
I had this whole joke lined out, and then it turns out "King of Pain" is a Police song.
Ah, well. Not the first time I've confused his voice with Sting's. *points at Emperor's New Groove*
I'm sure there's tonnes of jokes you could do. For example:
What does Dr. Phil Collins Robotnik have to do to repeatedly activate Metal Sonic?
"Turn it o~n. Turn it on, turn it on again."
