stephen-harper

Latest

  • Mario more recognizable in Canada than Prime Minister

    by 
    Ross Miller
    Ross Miller
    11.13.2007

    We're not sure if it's a testament to Nintendo's popularity or yet another sign of voter apathy, but a Harris/Decima survey found that more Canadians can identify a photo of flagship character Mario than they could current Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose held that post since January of 2006. (To be fair, that's less time than the Wii has been available in the territory.)Of course, this Nintendo-commissioned survey just happens to coincide with the release of Mario Galaxy. We don't think the game company's Canadian branch will be receiving a Christmas card from Harper this year. Then again, if Canadian politicians are looking to cater to the much-coveted gamer demographic, perhaps they should lobby to undo this last-minute Rock Band delay.[Thanks, Ninja-bot]

  • Mario for Prime Minister of Canada

    by 
    Candace Savino
    Candace Savino
    11.13.2007

    Nintendo of Canada commissioned a survey (for bragging rights, perhaps?) to find out whether Mario or Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was more recognizable. The winner? Yep, our favorite plumber.In the cities of Toronto, Calgary (where Harper was a Member of Parliament), and Halifax, more people could identify Mario's picture than Harper's picture. On the one hand, it's not surprising that everyone seems to know Nintendo's icon. On the other hand, however, it's embarassing for the human race in general that we can identify more with a fictional (albeit lovable) character more than our world leaders.So, what did Nintendo of Canada have to say on the issue? The company's general manager Ron Bertram responded, "Canadian politicians are lucky Mario doesn't have his Canadian citizenship and could campaign for office." Oh, snap! Hear that, Mr. Harper? You may want to fire your campaign team and hire Nintendo's PR sector instead.[Thanks, Ninja-bot!]