Uncle Bowser Wants You

Earnest Cavalli

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Uncle Bowser Wants You



World War II-era fearmongering meets Nintendo-brand whimsy in Fro Design Co's new line of Super Mario Bros. propaganda posters.

The limited-edition posters, which are available for purchase at the Co's site [http://frodesignstore.blogspot.com/2011/04/mario-propaganda-set-of-4.html], seem part of some alternate-universe motivational campaign designed by whichever Koopa Kid learned psy-ops from Joe McCarthy.

It should be noted that these designs aren't exactly all that novel. That image embedded at right, which happens to be my favorite of the selection, is pretty blatantly aping this US-depiction of Hitler [http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/warning/images_html/images/our_homes_in_danger.jpg]. That said, the beauty in this line of posters is specifically not in its originality, but in the artist's remixing of all-too-familiar tropes; in this case, American propaganda and Nintendo's most famous characters.

If I have one complaint however, it's that the artist failed to parody/homage any of the US military's hilarious anti-venereal disease posters [http://flavorwire.com/95385/world-war-ii-anti-vd-propaganda-posters]. If it wasn't for the Department of Defense circa 1944, we'd all be describing our recurring syphilis symptoms in Deutsch.

It remains to be seen how Nintendo will react to this news, but given the company's notoriously strict policies against anyone ever profiting on their intellectual properties, I wouldn't be entirely shocked to hear of Fro Design Co receiving a tersely-word cease and desist from the gaming giant.

Translation: If you have a dorm room wall in need of something a bit less cliché than the Pulp Fiction one-sheet, you ought to snag one of these posters as soon as possible. Trust me on this, college girls love gaming-themed, recursive, ironic graphic design.

It's like catnip to them.

[gallery=462]

Source: Geekologie [http://frodesignstore.blogspot.com/2011/04/mario-propaganda-set-of-4.html]

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Agayek

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Oct 23, 2008
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Weren't these also posted in an Escapist news article 6 months ago?

Edit: Turns out, it was [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109752-Super-Mario-Propaganda-Paints-Plumbers-As-the-Enemy]
 

JoJo

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Damn, already ninja'd by the above poster, these have already had a news article in May!
 

Eternal_Lament

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Earnest Cavalli said:
Translation: If you have a dorm room wall in need of something a bit less cliché than the Pulp Fiction one-sheet, you ought to snag one of these posters as soon as possible. Trust me on this, college girls love gaming-themed, recursive, ironic graphic design.

It's like catnip to them.
Having lived in a dorm just last year, I can safely say that this is actually incorrect, and that actually having gaming posters can actually make you an outcast in the dorm rather than a chick magnet
 

Scarim Coral

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Well this is somewhat awkward (yes this news was posted before). Granted the original first post didn't say where you can buy it. None the less these posters are still cool.
 

-Dragmire-

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Mar 29, 2011
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I love the fact that they used the map from Super Mario World.

Maybe I'll order one to give to a friend for Christmas.

 
Dec 14, 2009
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Eternal_Lament said:
Earnest Cavalli said:
Translation: If you have a dorm room wall in need of something a bit less cliché than the Pulp Fiction one-sheet, you ought to snag one of these posters as soon as possible. Trust me on this, college girls love gaming-themed, recursive, ironic graphic design.

It's like catnip to them.
Having lived in a dorm just last year, I can safely say that this is actually incorrect, and that actually having gaming posters can actually make you an outcast in the dorm rather than a chick magnet
Sooo, you're not taking a course in recognising sarcasm I take it...

Also, like others have said, hasn't this article been done before?
 

Alar

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Dec 1, 2009
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Sgt. Dante said:
Ayup, seen these before...

Not like the escapist to slip in this kinda thing...
Was it posted here previously? I can't recall... I do know I've seen it before, in a way very similar to this.
 

Eternal_Lament

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Daystar Clarion said:
Eternal_Lament said:
Earnest Cavalli said:
Translation: If you have a dorm room wall in need of something a bit less cliché than the Pulp Fiction one-sheet, you ought to snag one of these posters as soon as possible. Trust me on this, college girls love gaming-themed, recursive, ironic graphic design.

It's like catnip to them.
Having lived in a dorm just last year, I can safely say that this is actually incorrect, and that actually having gaming posters can actually make you an outcast in the dorm rather than a chick magnet
Sooo, you're not taking a course in recognising sarcasm I take it...

Also, like others have said, hasn't this article been done before?
Unfortunately I failed that course along with Intro to Crimnology. Not proud of it, but there it is.
 

hooblabla6262

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It has indeed been posted before. In fact, I purchased those posters due to the last article, and they are staring me in the face as they stick upon my dorm room wall. And for the poster above, they totally do work as a chick magnet. You just need to be in the right dorm =P

On another note, they have another set of really cool posters with a nes console (and other gaming related icons), and the caption reads "This machine kills fascists". Really nice set.
 

trollnystan

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Dec 27, 2010
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I'm not even a big Mario fan and I want these so bad. Heck, I wanted them when the Escapist did a piece on them 6 months ago. Pity I'm too poor... =(
 

Random Argument Man

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Agayek said:
Weren't these also posted in an Escapist news article 6 months ago?

Edit: Turns out, it was [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/109752-Super-Mario-Propaganda-Paints-Plumbers-As-the-Enemy]
RUN! RUN BEFORE THEY FIND OUT THAT YOU POSTED THIS!!!!
 

Agayek

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Oct 23, 2008
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Random Argument Man said:
RUN! RUN BEFORE THEY FIND OUT THAT YOU POSTED THIS!!!!


I have no idea what you're talking about or why you're yelling about it.
 

Lim3

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I had never seen those don't pick up posters. They were pretty funny, especially the last one: "booby trap".
 

MLChanges

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trollnystan said:
I'm not even a big Mario fan and I want these so bad. Heck, I wanted them when the Escapist did a piece on them 6 months ago. Pity I'm too poor... =(
I know what you mean. I clicked the like so ready to drop $20-25 on one and, oh guess what, It's $80 and you have to get the set.