Until very recently, Rock Band on the Wii was little more than a pipe dream. Still, that didn't stop Jennifer and Vance from whipping up what's likely the hottest Rock Band drum kit mod we've seen to date -- one Mario and friends would unquestionably appreciate. We doubt the shrooms will help those fragile pads resist breakage if you're heavy-handed by nature, but it's entirely likely to make rocking out that much more fun when banging on these guys. Leap on past the break for a video demonstration, and check the read link for lots more pics.

Hey kids, listen up. That guy with the red hat and blue overalls in the fancy new Super Smash Bros. game you just brought home? His name is Mario. He's a neat guy. This Wii mod here features the lovable plumber in his natural habitat, World 1-1. On the other side is a pipe, his favored form of travel, which doubles as a Wiimote charger. Pretty great. OK, that's it for today's lesson, stay safe out there!

[Via Wii Fanboy]

Call us crazy (or just packrats, whatever), but we can't just toss a dead gadget in good conscience. Apparently, neither can Josh Burker, who decided to convert a busted Game Boy into a beautiful piece of vintage art. Similar to the playable Paper Mario game we spotted about this time last month, Mr. Burker used his papercraft skills to whip up a familiar scene of Super Mario Bros. and mount it within the space where the display used to reside. Gunpei Yokoi would be so proud.

[Via DSFanboy]

Taking Paper Mario to its logical -- albeit extreme -- conclusion, an artist / DIY'er named Keith Lam has created the first physical, playable implementation of Super Mario Brothers. By emphasizing Mario's movement on the background, and turning the "TV" into the object which moves, the character appears to traverse the familiar landscape of SMB, complete with collision detection, brick movement, and mechanized jumping. The "system" is built using a chain-driven platform, which is shakily directed with an actual NES (well, Famicom) controller, thus allowing for some game play -- though with response times like this, you're better off just watching. Speaking of, check the video after the break and see the system in action.

[Via Wired]

We saw Mark play Mario with his feet a couple months ago, but s00pcan was unimpressed: he can navigate everyone's favorite plumber through the first two levels of Super Mario Bros. with his eyes closed. He claims he can do 1-4 now as well, but all he's got for proof is the first two. If he jumped half a second later, he could hit the warp, but it looks like s00pcan's got a couple more college years ahead of him to make that all happen. Peep the video after the break.

[Via Joystiq]

Fanboys (and girls) with enough cashflow and skill can certainly drop a few jaws with their heartfelt creations / collections, and while the Mac cathedral certainly holds a special place in the hearts of Apple freaks abroad, the Nintendo playhouse doesn't fare too badly either. While the production certainly isn't perfect from an architectural viewpoint, the creativity and sheer brilliance of such a domicile is worthy of applause, as the life-sized Game Boy, littering of characters, and barrage of retro inspirations are enough to make just about anyone show some respect. Unfortunately, we've absolutely no idea where in the world this palace is located, but until the quest to locate it finally concludes, be sure and hit the read link for homegrown Nintendo mania.

UPDATE: We've been informed that this was a part of the spring carnival at Carnegie Mellon University, and we owe this honor to Sigma Phi Epsilon, who had the hand in constructing it. Kudos!

[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]

We were bummed already to miss out on the week-long "Nintendo Museum" at the Hankyu Department Store in Osaka, Japan a few days back -- apparently a round trip flight to Japan, a few days of non-stop sushi gorging and a walk down Nintendo's memory lane doesn't qualify as a business expense, who knew? But we're even more bummed to learn that Mario has traded his trademark peace sign for a more traditional American greeting: a gang sign. Luckily, YouTuber GovernorWatts was there with a video camera to catch the action, comprised of Nintendo toys from all the way back in 1889 through the 1970s and beyond. Peep that dual screen Game & Watch! Video after the break.

[Via DS Fanboy]

We've always considered computers to be entertainment machines first, means to an end second, and tools for learning a distant third, so it's no surprise to see thrill-seekers everywhere squeezing every last drop of excitement from the recently-shipped OLPC XOs. While we've already witnessed someone getting their fix of 1992 by hitting up a few rounds of Doom, the latest case of "installing noneducational software on laptops geared for learning" involves none other than Super Mario himself, as a clever individual has not only got Super Mario Bros. 3 up and running on the XO, but captured a video of the feat as well. So go on and click through to sneak a peek yourself, you know you can't resist.

Remember those five teenage girls from Ravenna, Ohio, who on the eve of April first placed seventeen Mario Bros. inspired question cubes around town? Well, after HAZMAT, the Fire Dept. and the five-O were called in and the dust settled it looked like those little ladies were in for some serious trouble. Though it turns out the town of 12,000's dropping the case against them, the case prosecutor stating of the squeaky-clean teens he does "not believe that they had any bad or malicious intentions." Gee, ya think? Sure, we can understand a little why some people who didn't ever play Mario (unlike Engadget or our readers) might have gotten concerned at the sight of these boxes, but we're just glad that a slight case of Midwest terrorist hysteria didn't ultimately result in some crazed teenage witch hunt.

[Via Joystiq]