After years of abuse from Mario, the forgotten plumber has had it up to here.

http://i46.tinypic.com/10oe55e.jpg
Mario's Dream/Nightmare (click the image to enlarge full-scale)


[thebizarre.]

http://i47.tinypic.com/296hlzq.jpg
'Keeping It Real' by Aled Lewis (Fatheed)

author's comments:
Like a lot of people my age, I grew up on Nintendo, so Mario was present for much of my formative years. I’d never really given much thought to the fact that Mario, for all his heroics, plies his trade as a humble plumber, and I was amused by the thought of the chubby little Italian guy bleeding the air out of a radiator or cleaning out the discharge pipe under a sink. I tried to create the design in such a way that it you could recognise the character through the context and a few visual cues. All the elements worked out well, and the fact that he has undone his overalls and taken his hat off, adds to the feeling that he has been down there a while and that it is frustrating work. I guess this in itself is amusing, Mario being a ‘superhero’ of sorts. Having taken his overalls off the shoulder set up an opportunity to show off a bit of butt crack – the trademark of any good tradesman.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/...d7b4fc5ef8.jpg
'Magic Mushrooms' by Ian Summers

Mario Crossing the Chocolate Mountain Peaks
 

http://i52.tinypic.com/2gumvs5.jpg

*context

Some kind of saga.. Pt.I
 

Mario and Luigi have been around for a very long time, and they’ve become ingrained into modern society in a way. They’re very recognizable, they’ve appeared in tons of games, and they haven’t changed too much in over two decades. For most of us, Mario and Luigi represent a very pleasant part of childhood, and most Mario fan art reflects that. But then there are some artists who decide to go an entirely different direction with their homages to the arcade machine heroes.

http://i48.tinypic.com/2hg8fmo.jpg
"Turnip Murder", illustrated by Winona Nelson

Winona Nelson’s vision is equal parts odd and awesome. It’s strange to see
familiar baddies cast in a slightly more realistic light, but the entire painting
is gorgeous. The realistic Mario and Luigi look ready to fight as they cross over
the Shy Guy-infested log bridge that’s well-known to any lover of Super Mario Brothers 2.


[gajitz.]

Some kind of saga.. Pt.II
 

http://i45.tinypic.com/xpos4k.jpg
Alexei Balashov explores what the famous brothers might look like if they
were actual plumbers with a mean streak a mile wide. The crying goomba
doesn’t do much to win sympathy for the gruff-looking Mario and Luigi.


[gajitz.]

It's just like reading one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books,
except less reading. Help Mario save Princess Peach from Bowser.


[buzzfeed.]

"Pop Wario-Luigi" (bad pun)
 

http://img.ffffound.com/static-data/...f3dfb62e_m.jpghttp://img.ffffound.com/static-data/...b050e516_m.jpg
http://img.ffffound.com/static-data/...c58c335b_m.jpghttp://img.ffffound.com/static-data/...4445f6c5_m.jpg
4 separate framed pieces [Mario, Luigi, Wario, WaLuigi] created by Justin White.

author's comments:
part of the Mario Family Tree series for a gallery show this weekend. (Sep 20th!) [of 2008.]

The show is called Homework Show and each artist chooses an -ology to work with. I chose genealogy. wonk wonk wink!

each piece is half digital and half pen/ink. Hopefully I'll have pics from the show soon. :0

- - - - -

+ bonus

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/...b60f5e1d_m.jpg
"baby mario"

School
 

http://i52.tinypic.com/sd1chl.jpg
"It’s Us All The Way Down"


[shirt.woot.]

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l4...pwi0o1_500.jpg
The Creation of Mario, by Eric Proctor on deviantART

*context

author's comments:
Shigeru Miyamoto creates Mario in a parody of Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam" from the Sistine Chapel.

Well, you beat me to that one, first contributor in over a month (that video above was actually the very next post in my queue).
Thanks for stopping by - please come again.

- - -

Might as well share this one post-haste, seeing as I've held off on it for nearing three months now...

Adorable (and rare!) Super Mario World music box from Japan.


-- courtesy of tinycartridge

http://i56.tinypic.com/5oh91i.jpg
illustration feature from the "I Am 8-Bit" show, 2007.


(for the love of Pete's sake... I spent over 30 minutes and went thru nearly 50 different websites, but still couldn't find the specific author for the above piece.)

I've just now figured out the contextual meaning to this (yes, I know... I'm always late).

The artisit is violinist Teppei Okada (岡田鉄平), and he has a nice building online portfolio to his musical otaku credit.




[buzzfeed.] + [reddit.]

Damsel Envy
 

Another unique and original art installation for, and curated by, the "I AM 8-BIT" v2.007 show, but this time, I can actually refer you to who created it, so Yes! (assuming the "as-if scenario" that you, too, cared as much I do for having your chaos compartmentalized.)

I swore to myself to cut back on the prefaces and forewords (/makes an angry, exasperated face)... sorry.


http://i47.tinypic.com/16jfvo7.jpg
Amy Sol
"Peach & Yoshi In Subcon, The Land Of Dreams"
17" x 23"

author's comments:
i choose the odd Mario 2 originating from the 1st NES. i liked that Princess Peach (originally Princess Toadstool)
could be chosen as a play. i was certainly influenced by video games particularly in the mid 80s-early 90s .
and began playing at around 6-7 yrs old, i think.. mario bros 1-3 i enjoyed particularly during those years

the title is general but since i strayed so far from the original design, i suppose it helps to describe
it's origins.
oh and the girl is supposed to be princess peach, though i couldnt bare to paint a crown on her head.
this piece took about 3 months to finish. finally here it is!


[g1988.]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/4...c19238096e.jpg

Gabe Swarr
"Wario Needs Love, Too"
Acrylic and Ink on Illustration Board

Sir Mario and Lady Peach
 

http://i56.tinypic.com/2mblzt.jpg
Historical Reconstitution by vintz

+ bonus

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l4...xzwwo1_500.jpg
Yoshi's Revenge by Vincent Bocognani (vintz)

http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kz...pwi0o1_500.jpg
bit and run (6), by corey godbey (click the image to go GIGANTIC)


[drawn.]

The official trailer for the upcoming film based on the hit 'Mario Kart'
video games for Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Game Cube, Nintendo DS,
and Nintendo Wii.

Mario Learns an Important Lesson
 

http://i52.tinypic.com/2ldi0ki.jpg
Mario Mural, "World 1-1" ; created by BPAK.

(gah. It took me 25+ minutes to track down the origins and artist for this post.)


[kotaku.au]

http://i28.tinypic.com/142d192.jpg
MK Graffiti: "doing it real big this summer" ; as seen in Montreal (Canadia)

See the wall full-size HERE


[kotaku.]

Sidewalk Mario Bros, by Surfap

“Sidewalk Mario Bros” — A graffiti-style animated Super Mario Bros. speedrun “played” alongside a concrete crash barrier.


[tinycartridge.]

http://img.ffffound.com/static-data/...e986e32c_m.jpg
Its a me, Mario by *Manarama on deviantART

author's comments:
I think I did the first scribble of this pic almost a year ago after I've had played Mario Galaxy.
And finally I managed to finish it [on Dec. 1, '08].

collaboration with Miss Matzenbatzen,
who handled the background in Illustrator.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l5...4fjqo1_500.jpg
Realistic Super Mario Bros. Papercraft

An enterprising individual in Japan spent hours after school for a little over three weeks to do something very important: bring you this clip.

Using stop motion animation, Super Mario Bros. was recreated on the walls of this Japanese school. The total budget for this production? The equivalent of US$55. Money well spent.

Mario jumps over bookcases, flattens Goombas, navigates chalkboards and even makes his way downstairs to the nurse's office.


-- courtesy of kotaku.

http://i26.tinypic.com/dbqcqx.jpg
Mario Products: Super-Mario-Themed Soda Pop

product description:

Nothing is beter after a hard session of game playing then throwing back a cold drink. SO why not make that drink Mario related? These 4 fruity canned drinks, make by Shasta Cola company, each feature a Mario character on the can. You can choose from Mario Punch, Luigi Berry, Princess Toadstool Cherry (should have been Peach =) and Yoshi Apple (should have been Berry =). Each one is chocked full of vitamin C and tastes.. well fruity. These drinks, released shortly after SMW's release, didn't do too well in the US, but were a big hit in Japan. After a short production run, the sodas are no longer being made. If you find some in a collectibles store, it could be a nice little trinket to keep around, and may even be worth something. I wouldn't reccomend drinking it though (mmmm, 8 year old soda)

-- courtesy of SMBHQ.

http://i56.tinypic.com/348m6iv.jpg

author's comments (translated):
[Everything was] created by my girlfriend Judith for her apartment. We both love video games, especially Super Mario. She’s currently studying Mechanical Engineering in Germany and has also built an incredible lightsaber for my birthday. She’s a hardcore Super Mario Land (Game Boy) gamer and we both are fans of the whole franchise.

I designed the shelf for our growing collection of videogames (almost 200 Wii games) and I thought the boxes would be perfect with the backround [of hills] and a cloud (all made of wood). Beside the shelf was a small table for the phone and the Internet and I thought it would be cool if we could have a warp pipe too. So she’s created the warp pipe based on a garbage can [that] big enough to hide all the cables.

We’ve bought the figures and the mushroom to make it perfect. I designed the Game Boy clock [to include] the Super Mario Land scene with objects as numbers, because it is her favorite game … It works very well with the wall color and it’s not too colorful …

Currently she’s working on a small Koopa shell (the same size as the mushroom) for the shelf. So I’m just the guy with the ideas and she’s my Super Judith! ;o)


[gadgetsteria.]

http://i25.tinypic.com/1675z87.jpg
Super Mario Graffiti ; as seen in downtown L.A.



[purepwnage.]

"A Plummer's Work Is Never Done."
 

[gamervision.]

http://i31.tinypic.com/142fme1.jpg
Super Mario Coke Head, conceptualized & created by Dax Norman.


previously: Super Mario Soda Pop

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l0...clizo1_500.jpg
Alone

Do I need ask such questions as "who is your favorite character?" or "what underrated Mario game would you recommend most?" in order to allow for a spark of discussion / conversational piece to come rushing back in here?

It is weird that I provide so much impetus, yet nothing ever becomes of it, because I refuse to ask cliched questions as "is this hot, or not?", 'cause I believe my audience smart enough to gather their own ideas about what they come to see.

- - - - -
onto the content:

Here's a few Mario Kart-inspired stop motion videos I've come across that seem particularly noteworthy. (There are dozens upon dozens of these on youtube, so much so I think they deserve their own sub-category and/or tag function.)

Mario Kart Stop Motion

Mario Kart Parody (+ .GIF)

Back in my day + Mario Kart - Aisle 7 (tandem in lieu of video)

Super Manrio kart parody

(fyi: most of them suck - I spent 30 minutes trying to find more than the two that I liked, but it's basically all crap.)

When I said "most of them suck", I meant the ones you'd typically find on youtube, not the ones that I actually featured above (which are creative, "average"-rating videos). I am horrible at marketing myself.

- - -

continuing (reprising) the Mario-graffiti theme that has arisen, I'll bring forth this post:

http://i52.tinypic.com/29kxgcg.jpg
Wooster Collective: Seen On The Steets Of New York

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l6...pwi0o1_500.jpg
Super Mario Bros. 2 filing cabinet


[icanhasinternets.]


previously: SMB levels

I guess I can't buy a comment or discussion point anymore, no matter how hard I try; (I don't know how to quit).

What is a surprise Mario franchise game that you bought, received and/or sampled, and were completely blown away by how enjoyable it was?

My take: Mario Tennis (N64) was one of the first Mario sporting video game ventures, yet its simple formula was wildly entertaining, especially when you invited your friends over to play. The learning curve was not steep at all, and is a suitable game for really, all ages. I'm still regretting pawning my N64, if only because I think this game's replayability factor is timeless.

Your take?

(I really suck at fostering discussion, it seems.)

http://i54.tinypic.com/24xg9eb.jpg
(I'm not as Mad as Mario here; I'm just disappointed... in myself.)