Mauro Fonseca

my guess is just Ohshima found the name cool (which to be fair I feel Max was overall globally considered a cool name around that time- there's a reason Goofy's son is named such in Goof Troop) and kept trying to find a way to use it lol.

oooh it's either evan or nat haines' call on mika's design, I just drew her in the bg later lol. so I'm not the best person to ask, especially since I'm also not that familiar with the other vocaloids. considering mika is not meant to literally be max the rabbit's design but is just inspired in it, maybe they'd all look like him just in different colours and ear positionings? or maybe they'd be based on other sonic 1 concept characters

that seems an obvious choice. another one would be trying to reverse the pun instead. she's called cream because "cream cheese". what other things would work with "cheese"? maybe they'd be named like "string" and "grilled" lol

As for Sally herself, I don’t think she’s got much there. I basically imagine her as a Hildy Johnson, Lois Lane, 80s April O’Neil vibe. Will go in running to get the article and have no fear while doing it, and then end up over her head and needing the hero (presumably in most stories, Lalla) to go help. Can hold her own and even surpass most anyone in a battle of wits, but then they get out a club to hit her with and she can’t do much.