I don't know which I like more, the scientific description of the pseuderanthemum incendia (fire flower), which can be found wild in many places around worlds 1-2 and 4-2, or the fact that you can actually buys these for $20 to $30 a pop. A vase of these could make a great Mother's Day present, if you're mom is cool.

pseuderanthemum incendia (fire flower) [Etsy, via Tanooki]

Have you ever just looked at the Super Mario Bros. box art? I mean, really looked at it until it made some sort of sense? Why is Mario leaping over a lake of lava while tossing fireballs at a wall—the same wall, I should mention, that he's actually leaping into? Did the art department screw up? Where they read "wall" were they meant to read "Bowser?" Where they painted blue blocks were they meant to paint green scales?

The world may never know, but feel free to ponder the question over this oil painting. It's deep because it's oil painting.

Super Mario Bros Paint [Flickr]

It may be lacking in Koopas, power ups and an underworld—not to mention the dreaded embedded MIDI soundtrack—but this Super Mario Bros. clone packed into 14 KB of Javascript is still damn impressive. Using no graphics, rendered entirely in compressed script, the exercise is definitely worth a few minutes of your time, even if the collision detection leaves a bit to be desired. It's only World 1-1, so you won't have to invest much time to get the gist, but a fantastic accomplishment regardless.

Super Mario in 14kB Javascript [nihilogic]

Grey drum pads? Cripplingly boring. Super Mario Bros. style mushroom drum pads? Oh, yes, please! This adorable little Rock Band drum controller mod is, I hope, the start of a trend, inspiring more custom controller art and hopefully fewer video game tattoos. Express yourself via pad, kids! There are plenty of photos on Flickr, proving that Rock Band is still fun when played in front of a sliding glass door, with video backing up the theory.

Super Mario Mushroom Drum Pads for Rock Band [Behold the Mundane - thanks, Alexandre!]

Gaming themed shirts? Check. Gaming themed socks? Ditto. Gaming themed corsets? Hrm. This must be a first for Kotaku: a Mario corset. From the Etsy page:

A supercute corset made from alternating RARE & vintage Super Mario Brothers and red & white polka dot print fabric, topped off with bias tape flanking the bodice, a delicate sweetheart-shaped bustline, two polka dot ribbon bows, crude contrast stitching and silver metal grommets in the back so you can lace up! FULLY boned for support.

I was impressed and a wee bit jealous last year when I posted about four year old George's Mario themed birthday party but these photos from Ethan's Mario/Video Game themed party have left me longing for the days when I could have a cool themed birthday party without people looking askance. An awesomely decorated cupcake table (above), Mario and Luigi papercraft favors, homemade Boo and Kirby pinatas, Mario and Luigi hats, a Yoshi Egg Hunt and a tastefully and detailed decorated back yard. If only cool stuff like that had been available when we were kids we might have been spared the horrors of party clowns.

Video Game Party Decor [SGA Creative's Flickr gallery]
[via The Tanooki]

With Super Smash Bros. Brawl delayed to March, we just assumed that the Smash Bros. Dojo would be running dangerously on content fumes, posting about cursor changes when one hovers over portraits or scraping the barrel bottom for alternate costume choices. We certainly never thought they'd drop the Mushroomy Kingdom on us, the best looking stage yet. It's a Wii-creation of World 1-1 from the original Super Mario Bros., a constantly side-scrolling level that only makes us long for a remake of the NES classic. We'd totally buy this sort of thing via WiiWare, Nintendo, if you're listening.

That bit on the right? It's the alternate version of the stage that appears randomly, a 3D take on World 1-2 from the same game. Who knew we'd get so turned on by a torch nestled under some polygonal bricks?

Mushroomy Kingdom [Smash Bros. Dojo]

Nintendo fever is still in its gestation stage over in Korea. It certainly hasn't hit the level of, say, Japan. But! The brand and its characters are starting to pick up speed. Over at 4CR, Nick Rumas blogs:

I was at a friend's home in the vast apartment wasteland that is North Seoul, when suddenly I heard the faint sound of someone playing a most familiar tune on piano: the SMB theme. It certainly isn't out of the ordinary to hear the reverberation of kids playing piano in Korean apartment buildings, but this was a first for me.

Upon asking, I was informed that learning the Mario theme in piano lessons has recently become a big thing among kids, a nice diversion from the boring numbers they generally have to trudge through. This may be minor anecdotal evidence, but it's still more proof that Nintendo and its DS are making a real impression upon Korean kids, a neat thing to witness firsthand in a place where the company virtually didn't exist a year ago.

Things tend to get a little hairy on NPD sales data day, which, by the way, is not over yet. Media Create sales are due any minute now, so we'll see precisely how well Sony performed with its new 40GB edition of the PlayStation 3 and we expect comments from The Big 3 within the hour. Given all that, Super Mario Bros. cupcakes, specifically, would be a nice break right about now. Something short, sweet, pick up and eat, with that thick leathery frosting might cleanse the palette of bitter fanboy tears.

More detailed pics of these fine pastries at the Flickr photostream.

Super Mario Cupcakes [Flickr - thanks, AxleMunshine!]

Torrel LLC has taken the best of Nintendo, run it through the "urban market" filter with plans to provide thousands of clothes-conscious gamers with over-sized and wildly tacky Nintendo authorized gear. The line, simply titled Nintendo by Torrel, has officially and garishly launched as of this week and will be available at the Nintendo World Store in New York City, starting November 15. Limited to 1000 pieces each and ranging from hoodies to t-shirts to puffy jackets, it features classic Super Mario Bros. and NES era graphics with an urban... uh, twist.

Shots of the first line taken at the MAGIC trade show in Vegas are available at the official site, as are details on the Nintendo World Store launch party. Go ahead. Look. It will either A. be right up your alley or B. make you pine for a label like The King of Games that knows the definition of "understated."

Nintendo By Torrel

UPDATE: Clear pics of Nintendo by Torrel after the jump, courtesy of Torrel himself.