Or may be Sonic doesn't want to pass through them since he got more Flickies to save.
Hm... he literally slam dunks himself into those rings. The flickies that follow vanish while he just hangs off the side of the ring.
Yes, they would look ugly from behind, that's why they changed it
But I don't mind the change. I like how they looked in the Dreamcast-era.

Not only is it bad enough item boxes have been phased out for wisps, I do not like how they look in the modern version though.
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They look bland and plastic to me.
I thought Phantom Ruby has gone for good but clones ... who's capable to make such clones.
If Dr. Eggman overlooked the disposal of one Phantom Ruby prototype, perhaps there are more he missed?
Yes, and it's also Ash Wednesday night.

It marks the first day of Lent, so yeah.
Pancake Day was originally Shrove Tuesday. A day where Christians use up all their perishable ingrediants as pancakes in preperation for Lent.
It just became rather Americanized as Pancake Day.