You may remember Posterchild's previous video game to real world work, when the artist started throwing up Super Mario Bros.-style question blocks made of cardboard and wrapping paper that dangled from tree limbs and light posts. Posterchild has taken another iconic video game block, the Weighted Companion Cube from Portal and installed it (with matching portal) on Bloor Street in Toronto. There are much bigger and much better pics of this fantastically super awesomeness at Posterchild's own blog, if you're not in the area to eyeball them yourself.
Companion Cube [Posterchild's Blade Diary via Waxy.org]



















Comments
It would be a bit cooler if each side was in a different state. :)
Nifty.
Sweet I'm going there on Saturday so I'll definitely see it.
I believe it is Bloor street, not "Boor" in that picture...
I knew there was a portal leading to the real world at the bottom of the incinerator where I dropped the cube :)
Good thing they didn't do this in Boston.
1/31/07 Never Forget
Portal is a great game, I just find it odd how popular that cube became.
I threw that shit in the fire so damn quick!
But it's cool it is becoming a pop phenom.
Is there like a map showing where they are in relation to each other?
Cuz it would be cool.
@UltimatePancakeSensation: Of course. Because most people are omniscient and able to detect the joke from hundreds of miles away.
I think it's genius all th way-Placement, style, set-up. Just fantastic.
@Groovy_Guy: lol I just noticed that as well. Maybe you can change that typo Michael.
lolo cake is a lie!!111! companion cube!!1!1 Is the coolness rubbing off on me?! LOVE ME!!!!!!
etc :P
I must check this out!
Where are they on Bloor? It's a pretty big street.
nice idea, but I kind of imagined the real companion cube being made of either some kind of painted aluminum or blow-molded plastic. These ones looks too much like wood or cardboard!
Much better then SMB due to its subtle display in a commuted public place
Another bonus for putting it in K-town/street.
@Groovy_Guy: Yup, thanks for the heads up. Fixed! :)
Wow, that's super cute.
Bloor street, not boor street
this is just so awesome 8D
I hope that Valve is satisfied with the sheer popularity (well deserved, don't get me wrong) of Portal.
Haha I'm going to see if I can check this out tonight.
Hmmm maybe Ill take a look next time I go home... Then again, Ive just seen it here...
Time to go steal this. Somehow.
Nice! Check it out tommorow.
@Polywhirl: Of course. Because most people are omniscient and able to detect the joke from hundreds of miles away.
"Most people" are going to experience this "joke" as you call it via the internet. Given that frame of reference, yes, they are "omniscient and able to detect the joke from hundreds of miles away".
Even seeing one portal is interesting. "Where is the other side?" a player of the game would have to wonder. There wouldn't even need to be one. It's already cool.
Having both portals in decent proximity to each other is cool, and I never in any way said it was bad (note the smiley face in my original post). Still very neat!
But having each portal thousands of miles apart seems like it would be on a much more grand scale. A person might not even know there is another portal, but then to find out that the other side was that far away...it adds a sort of amazingness to it. Then, in person, people in two entirely different locations, whether they knew it or not, would be part of the same "happening".
Anyway, I think it would be pretty neat, Mr. Sarcasm Pants. :)
Ah TO, home sweet home, how many years has it been? So are all the new gangs emerging in TO going to steal this?
I think the coolest part is how there's a photo of "the other side" in each "portal." :)
@Maximus9: that is one of the best ideas to go and do this saturday...i'll even walk there since i live in St. Jamestown
BLEEKER FTW
where is this?? Bloor and what??
Would you guys forgive me if I said I was all Portal/cake/still alive'd out by now? I guess after hearing the 100th rendition of 'Still Alive' you get jaded. :P
(Okay well that was kinda funny.)
I'm SO going to see this on the weekend! I love living in Toronto...
lmao I saw that today! I cant believe it showed up here on Kotaku, I walked right by it, had a good laugh
@PsycheDiver: Much better to go and see NYC ala Max Payne style, aka Toronto. I saw a high speed chase down Younge 2 days ago, with helicopters, NYC police cars. There is also a NYC police station, 51st I believe on bloor.
@Shoemaster: you friggin' beat me to it
@UltimatePancakeSensation: That'd be 'province'. Toronto's in Canada, dude.
(still no 'edit' button... *grumblegrumble*) 'Toronto's in Canada' unless there's another Toronto somewhere in the States, that I haven't heard of (entirely possible).
I submitted this this morning. I was waiting to see how long it would be until it got up here. That is, unless someone else actually submitted it before I did...
Cool...
Anyone else think that this getting a tad bit repetitive?
The Pie is a Lie? xDDDDD
Looks good, but it would be better if it was a VG store... both sides
Wait, aren't the portals on sideways? What's up with that?
Gah, wish I could go down to see it, but can't. Maybe the cube could play for the Maple Leafs? They are hurting right now, yet I'm sure it'll do better than most of the team anyways.
If the cube was in Montreal, I'm sure cake would be substituted for poutine :-p yummmm.
Near where I work. BTW the area they put the stuff on is being torn down for a giant size condo by Bazi. It's 1 Bloor East.
I'm going to check it out. I have friends in Toronto.
Why am I saying this. Who cares...
Awwww. Why can't these things happen when I'm there visiting? ;-; *Has been to Bloor-Yonge a few times.*
@ggodo, strobefx, kingme: lazy, LAZY, LAZY
There's a link in the post to the site. There is nearly always a link to the site if it isn't a kotaku original story. Why don't you try clicking on it?
Or if you're too laaaaazy....
Portal 1:[maps.google.com]
Portal 2:[maps.google.com]
Distance between the two: [maps.google.com]
Good?
Good.
Hopefully they're still there the next time I go downtown. I'm around Yonge/Bloor a lot.
YAY US! And by us I mean Torontonians.
Remember to support Posterchild by buying one of his shirts.
[www.topatoco.com]
@Bluecell: Appologies. That third link didn't work. For those interested, you can just click "get directions" and enter the other portal in the extra field given. They're about 20 blocks apart.
Its on Yonge street just south of Bloor, NOT on Bloor street. Its been there for a bit now - I walk past it every day.
It would be funny if a restaurant did that in the similar manner and offered cake in their menu only for it to be a lie.
Here's a idea, put half the Cube and Portal in Toronto, and the other part in Japan, that would be pretty awesome...
This is awesome. A web phenomenon to call our own, and I completely missed out on the ? Blocks in Queen's park or wherever he put them, so I'll be heading down to see these tomorrow. Also, his shirts really are worth looking at, especially "I'd Hit That."
THATS SO AWSOME!!
I want that in my house, just so when guests stop by they're like WTF!!??
Wow, I wish I can see that in person.