Nice!

[Kotaku]

Since I moved to Japan I’ve begun to notice various instances of copyright infringement in ads, store windows, and various products. The convenient store near my job uses a poorly drawn “colonel” to advertise their chicken and the barber shop down the street has Mickey Mouse in the window for no reason. There just isn’t as tight a hold on improper intellectual property usage here, and so you will often see Mario used as the logo for video game stores that opened around the big Famicom boom in the 80’s.

This game-shop in a Nakano shopping arcade took the trend a step further and copped the plumber’s name for their store “Big Mario (ma-ri-o is written in Katakana).” Nice! Even though the shop sells more than just Nintendo-goods, the name harkens back to when “playing Nintendo,” or even “playing Mario,” could mean gaming of any kind. Ahh the memories.

Taken a few months back at the Computer Game Museum in Berlin, Germany.

sweetness…

These classy kicks are hand painted and all kinds of awesome. Plus, they make you jump higher, just like Nike Airs did back in the 90’s!

[DeviantArt, via Kotaku]

I’m at a loss for words…

Thanks, Alucard!  Anime Boston 2008

Reader JoeyJo sends word this morning that some perfectly of legal drinking age college students at the IT University of Copenhagen had a Mario themed night at the Scrollbar, drinks and all! Who’s for a field trip to Denmark?

Initial idea by Christoffer “Chairman” Holmgård Pedersen. Drink recipes by Mike Khamphokeo, Douglas Wilson, Martin Colith, Martin Woo. Decorations and stencils by Benedikte Mikkelsen (and Julie and Camilla). Poster by Robin Di Capua and Guo Yu Pan. Photos by Guo Yu Pan.

Taken at Millennium Bridge, London for “The Largest Gathering of Games Characters” event which was to be included into Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. 80 people showed up to participate including Sonic, Lara Croft, Gordon Freeman, and others. Though they didn’t break the record, it looks like they had some fun. Hit the link to check out more pics.

Link

Infendo reader Dave writes: “I was at a book sale the other day and picked up The Macmillan Visual Dictionary, which is an amazing resource with picture references of anything you can think of. There is a section called ‘indoor games’ which includes a ‘Video Entertainment System.’ It’s actually the greatest console ever made by Nintendo, the Super NES! Too bad the picture on the TV looks like something off ATARI.”

Luigi was spotted among many characters during the ice sculpting event held in Mt. Clemens, Michigan.

[Thanks, Brian]

Mark from Salt Lake City writes: “I saw this set up at a local McDonald’s. They had two GameCube systems, one with Pokemon and one with Smash Bros. Melee. I wish they had a Wii to help me burn the 6000 calories I just downed.”

link

Thanks, Alucard!

Apprarently the DO celebrate Christmas in Hyrule.

As college students nationwide prepare for a long week of all-nighters and coffee-binges, it is only natural for some to lose focus and doodle panoramas of the Mushroom Kingdom on classroom chalkboards. These girls vandalized their Indiana University of Pennsylvania classroom with such a vintage scene.

Hey, a little Mario never hurt anyone.

My wife and I took our two little girls to Heber City, Utah on Friday for a “Polar Express” train ride complete with hot coco, snow-covered mountains, delicious chocolate chip cookies, and kids in pajamas. Our box car even had an unrelated man and young girl simultaneously playing Nintendo DS.

If it weren’t for the inaudible sleigh bells, not to mention the highway-crossing deer that we hit, killed, and wrecked our vehicle on while driving home, I would have called it a good night.

Mario, made of cans, for a charity event. That’s pretty much all I have to say about that.

…

Cans. Heh.