Awesome Nintendo

Adam from North of the Border made realistic versions of some Super Mario Bros. monsters, so it was only a matter of time before he got to Mario himself. His less-cartoony Mario imagines Nintendo’s plumber as a gritty, stubble-faced human with proportions based on the Norse god Thor. Instead of a hammer, Mario carries a pipe to take down his enemies.

Wrenches are utilitarian things so they’re not typically very artful. That’s not the case with this unique wrench, embellished by artist Mihail Kupec with an illustration inspired by Super Mario Bros. He started by sketching his ideas onto paper and the wrench, then used engraving tools and an electrochemical etching process to apply the pattern permanently.

Because the theme song from Super Mario Bros. never gets old, here’s a banjo cover version by the trio Foggy Mountain Spaceship. After bringing their twangy styling to World 1-1, they head down the warp pipe for a banjo version of the Underworld theme. But it’s not all bluegrass here, and things head down a psychedelic prog-rock path by the end.

1up your drinks and warp your thirst to another level with this Super Mario Bros.-inspired can koozie from Toynk. The insulated foam cooler holds cans or bottles in style and is guaranteed not to contain any dangerous piranha plants. Its base is stable enough to use it as a pencil caddy or a small planter, too.

In 1994, Sony and Nintendo collaborated on an unreleased video game console that birthed the PlayStation name. While there is a rare prototype of the system, James Channel thought it would be fun to build his own. His Frankenstein’s monster of a console has the body of a Super Famicom, the brains of a PlayStation, and a sketchy exposed CD-ROM drive.

It’s always fun to hear our favorite albums played with video game sounds. FXSnowy took the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 1991 smutty masterpiece Blood Sugar Sex Magik and covered it using the 16-bit sounds from the Super Nintendo games Donkey Kong Country 1, 2, and 3. All the best tunes are here, from Funky Monkeys to Breaking the Gorilla.

We haven’t checked in with musician Smooth McGroove in a little while, but the talented A Cappella vocalist is still getting his groove on. Nintendo fans will love his multi-track cover of Koji Kondo’s main theme from Super Mario 64, otherwise known as Bob-Omb Battlefield.

Because Adam at North of the Border can’t get enough Mario, he decided to work up sculptures of some of the franchise’s many monsters. Though his “realistic” versions of Boo, Blooper, Piranha Plant, and a group of Goombas are the stuff of nightmares. Adding pointy teeth to stuff is always guaranteed to up the creepy factor.

LEGO builder ScottMakesMOCs spent an unfathomable amount of time creating this Mario Kart roller coaster. The intricate build includes Kart-inspired cars, Bowser’s castle, an airship, and lots of characters and details from the Nintendo game. He’s recently built an expansion to the theme park, and Beyond the Brick has a great interview video.

Game controller makers 8bitdo are now making keyboards in the style of 8-bit game consoles. Their 87-key mechanical keyboards are inspired by the NES and its Japanese counterpart, the Famicom, and come with a programmable dual “Super Button.” Compatible with Windows and Android devices via Bluetooth, 2.4G wireless, or wired connections.

The music from the Super Mario Bros. games can be energetic and uplifting. But it can also be quite relaxing. If you need to calm your nerves on a hard day, all you need is to hit play on this clip, and you’ll get 75 minutes of the chillest Mario music ever. This is the music that spas should play while you get a massage.

Beatboxer SO-SO presents a fun, multi-part performance inspired by the world of Super Mario. There are tributes to Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart, Luigi’s Mansion, Donkey Kong Country, and more. The energy level by the end of the medley is off the charts. It’s a must-listen for Nintendo fans.

Over the years, we’ve heard lots of covers of tunes from the Super Mario Bros. games, but vocalist Kohl Kitzmiller went all-in with this multi-track a cappella medley of 40 tracks from throughout Nintendo’s most popular video game franchise. This man has got some serious vocal range.

This Nintendo Switch title takes 2D platforming action to the max. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is packed with crisp modern graphics, colorful environments, and lots of silly new enemies. And things get really wacky when you find a Wonder Seed. Play as your favorite character, or team up with friends in multiplayer mode. Drops 10.20.23.

The A capella group Maytree is really good at making mouth sounds. In this clip, they replicate the music and sound effects from Nintendo’s classic 8-bit arcade game, Donkey Kong. Though like many of us, they couldn’t make it past Level 1.

Musician Davidlap has become quite the expert at replicating various sounds on his electric guitar. In this video, he does a mighty fine job reproducing sound effects from the Mushroom Kindom, from the satisfying coin collection “ding” to the urgency-instilling “hurry up” music that kicks in when you get a star power-up.

Do you need a break from your regular music playlists? Then open up this video, hit play, and drop it into a background tab. Jorf assembled this epic 10-hour and 53-minute mix of 227 tracks programmed by various chiptune musicians and played with the classic 8-bit sounds of the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The 8-bit NES offered family-friendly games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. But in the hands of Aussie builder Electrosync, the console is now a killer robot. After ripping out the console’s innards, he installed a remote-controlled drivetrain and a spinning sawblade to take down other beetleweight combat robots.

The Nintendo Gamecube hasn’t been produced since 2007, but it still can play some pretty great games. Maker and modder Peter Knetter took it upon himself to design and build a LEGO Gamecube. After sifting through a sea of blue building blocks, he filled the case with the console’s guts and built a matching LEGO controller.

We’ve heard Radiohead’s In Rainbows played with the sounds of Super Mario 64. Now enjoy another classic alternative album played in Nintendo style. Something is Real put together this epic remake of Nirvana’s Nevermind using the 64-bit game console’s sounds. The chiptune version of In Bloom is something special.

Backyard Resin creates bold and dramatic wood tables with inlays of colored resin, small objects, and artwork. Their Nintendo Switch coffee table is CNC-cut from walnut with colorful resin-filled Joy-Cons, and custom airbrushed artwork based Mario Kart. They also make a Game Boy table with Donkey Kong artwork.

Before you start scratching your head, Tetris doesn’t feature a bunch of animated anthropomorphic puzzle blocks. Instead, it’s based on the true story of the man who invented it, the publisher who discovered it, and the hurdles he faced in licensing it from the USSR for Nintendo’s Game Boy handheld. Coming to Apple TV+ 3.31.23.

French artist MOKA pays tribute to the characters of their childhood by creating virtual trophies of their heads. Among his digital creations are taxidermied versions of Pikachu, Mario, Luigi, Toad, the dog from Duck Hunt, and the ghosts from Pac-Man. MOKA hopes to make real-life versions of these trophies using a 3D printer.