With all the excitement of the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie, fans of a certain age have been discussing the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie THEY grew up with. Some have even come forward to celebrate the movie in all its weirdness, such as Blake Dumesnil, who’s large collection of props and memorabilia can now be found at the National Video Game Museum in Texas. The museum’s director, John Hardie, comments with the Dallas Observer.
“Blake has collected a lot more pieces that weren’t available to him back then and we figured with the timing of the new movie coming out, it’s time to capitalize on it and bring back a bigger, better version of that exhibit.”
This will be the second time Dumesnil’s collection will be on display at the museum, the first time was 2018. This new display not only is in anticipation of the upcoming Illumination Mario Bros. Movie, but also in celebration of the first Super Mario Bros. movie’s upcoming 30th anniversary in May. Dumesnil currently owns the largest collection of all things Super Mario Bros.
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The Super Mario Bros. movie takes the then-known lore of the games and tells a vastly different story than one would expect. Mario and Luigi, played by Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, find themselves yanked into an alternate dimension where dinosaurs were never killed off from the meteor and evolved into a humanoid race. The brothers vow to save the young archeology student Daisy, played by Samantha Mathis, who was kidnapped and pulled into the alternate universe. King Koopa, who rules the dino-dimension, is played by Dennis Hopper. Koopa plans to take over both dimensions but needs a piece of the fabled meteor that killed the dinosaurs, which happens to be in the possession of Daisy.
The Legacy of Mario Mario and Luigi Mario
Buena Vista Pictures
Upon its premiere, the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie was blasted by critics and game fans alike, appearing on multiple lists of either the worst adaptations ever made, or worst movies ever made. But despite the infamy, a legacy also began to grow. As the years have gone by, the film began to grow a cult following, who found charm in the strange. Dumesnil comments on the props and set choices.
“I really like the tangible nature of the Bullet Bills and B-bombs and how they used flamethrower guns to represent fireballs. I personally like the more adult approach of these spots of bold colors and things used in the costuming and the ’90s vibe that uses a lot of geometric shapes and pastels with costuming.”
The Start Of A Treasure Hunt
Buena Vista Pictures
Dumesnil shared with the Observer that his collection began when he found one of Mario’s jump boots on eBay. While he couldn’t afford the price for the prop, he tracked down the seller and got in contact with him, offering to buy more. What followed was quite the discovery. It turns out the seller was the original prop master for the movie, and boy did he have more Mario stuff in his hands, such as the Bullet Bill and the meteorite necklace. According to Dumesnil, “that’s what really got the ball rolling.”
Since the first display in 2018, Dumesnil’s collection expanded by quite a lot! With fifty movie props, fifty pieces of memorabilia, and over 100 original artworks and blueprints for the sets, props and costumes, it’s like a shrine for all things Mario! According to Hardie, the display has gotten quite the reaction from guests.
“The first time we did it, I wasn’t expecting anything because it’s a tough movie to watch but it has a cult following and we were shocked at how much people were into it. The response was so positive that it was another factor in bringing it back.”
The collection is currently on display at the museum and will be available for the rest of the year.
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