Father's Mario obsession becomes toddler's reality
A 30-year old man is molding his two year old into Mario, transforming his son's sleeping quarters into the Mushroom Kingdom and getting the boy started on Super Mario Bros. -- "He usually just jumps up and down and presses pause a lot," observes dad. Determined to see the toddler succeed, the father recently completed a series of Photoshopped screen shots, imagining the Mario-boy in some "stellar Mario scenes." Next on the agenda: getting the kid on an all-mushroom diet.Sure it's seemingly harmless, but should a man let his Mario fixation define a young child's impressionable mind? What happens when the boy discovers there is no Princess Peach?
[Thanks Jason! Keep us updated.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Que @ Dec 3rd 2006 8:15PM
the kids going to grow up and think his dad is really his brother. this could get scary. years of therapy ftw!
Embassy @ Dec 3rd 2006 8:25PM
i have this urge to pray for this child's future.
Stuart @ Dec 3rd 2006 8:25PM
Good christ, that is creepy. Especially since in the last shot you can see all the non-mario toys carefully out of 2-year old reach, tauning you mario from 7 feet up. At least maybe dad and son can learn to grow up together...
Mike @ Dec 3rd 2006 8:29PM
Just don't make have Peach for a daughter and Mario for a son. That could get pretty creepy.
Rabish12 @ Dec 3rd 2006 8:31PM
"What happens when he finds out there is no Princess Peach?"
He goes on a murderous, blood-thirsty rampage, just like all gamers do when something doesn't go their way.
GL @ Dec 3rd 2006 8:33PM
I really hope this father has a balanced side that he is not displaying. This sort of thing going un-checked could really screw up this kid.
Jake11 @ Dec 3rd 2006 8:46PM
I feel terrible for this kid. that guy should nto be allowed to raise this kid
silkylove @ Dec 3rd 2006 8:50PM
I just can't believe that that guy actually managed to score with some chick.
mysteriousmusician @ Dec 3rd 2006 9:08PM
A diet of shrooms? That kid's going to be trippin.
jacobi @ Dec 3rd 2006 9:13PM
@Stuart
That's just a stuffed animal hammock. Not something devised to keep toys away from young children, it's just a stuffed animal "toy box" that is off the floor.
I seriously doubt this guy is a bad father. This was probably something he and his kid did in an afternoon. Picture that? A father spending time with his kid? Guess you can't win no matter how you parent, the internet will judge you...harshly.
p3arl @ Dec 3rd 2006 9:18PM
i hope this dad is just having some family photos and is having a little fun, if this guy was taking all this seriously......well, the effects could be worse than parents letting their little un's play WoW and say its developing their social skills
Cory @ Dec 3rd 2006 9:19PM
Wow. I'm all about kids playing games, but this is scary. it annoys me that his father pushed him into all of this.
john @ Dec 3rd 2006 9:28PM
There's a little princess peach in every woman. If you know what I mean.
Werbal @ Dec 3rd 2006 9:35PM
I bet he just fucks with his kid's head all day. "Sorry junior, but your Cocoa Puffs are in another castle!"
Xian B. @ Dec 3rd 2006 9:40PM
"What happens when he finds out there is no Princess Peach?"
He tries another castle. Of course.
Juan @ Dec 3rd 2006 9:59PM
comments 4 and 15 had me in good old-fashioned stitches. funniest blog comments i've seen in weeks. KUTGW, guys =)
Rizzo @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:07PM
This father better start saving for a therapist, the kids going to need it...
davabran @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:07PM
LOL this is one of my neighbors. Hes actually a really good guy, and they only dressed like this for halloween. Its not all Mario all the time, but the picture doesnt really say that.
ebolaboi @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:10PM
LOL @ John
:DDDD
BenC @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:15PM
This is one of my good friends! I check Joystiq for some wicked gaming news, and who's mug do I see! Bam! You guys have to lay off a little. Didn't your dad or mom ever dress up with you for fun? If not, I say you are the ones who are deprived! I say WOOT to you Jason! These people here must not have had parents who loved them enough to dress up like a Super Mario Brother!
Good call jacobi! He is a GREAT Father!
Farris @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:22PM
Stuart, those toys are that high up to teach the kid to jump like Mario to the roof!
I'm surprised there isn't a large green pipe coming from the floor that is a direct portal to the dining table... or better yet the game room. :D
Quimbone @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:24PM
LOL JASON IS MAKING THE ROUNDS NOW!!!
Jason is a straight up dude, don't worry that kid will be fine.
Splinter @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:39PM
I knew that Luigi was taller, but i never knew he was THAT much taller!
The making of a crazed cosplayer.
otakucode @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:39PM
This is sick. I mean, if the dad were decking out the kids room in his favorite NFL team, dressing him in jerseys, and teaching the kid to play catch, that would be just fine. But videogames? What is the world coming to! The kid will be scarred for life!
/that was sarcasm, parents do 500x worse to kids over sports. at least this guy won't beat the hell out of some other parent at a touch football game
Orangecoke @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:40PM
I'm with Jacobi on this. Looks like they are having fun, and I'm sure they aren't dressed like that all the time :D
Frank N Stein @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:41PM
What pathetic loser that guy is huh?? Creepy and scary, and true, that kid is going to get his ass kicked all through his life!!
Wevie1978 @ Dec 3rd 2006 10:46PM
Yeah, half the retards that had knee-jerk reactions are just going off joystiq.com's "you make the call". what i see here is a Father doing a great job and having fun at the same time, i posted a commment on his blog and hope to see more cool pictures. I wish my parents would have enjoyed videogames that much.
Anonymous @ Dec 3rd 2006 11:12PM
That kid must've been beaten with an ugly stick.
Count Chocula @ Dec 4th 2006 12:08AM
It could be worse.
We could have a Leisure Suite Larry obsessed or Mortal Kombat obsessed father.
bm @ Dec 4th 2006 12:27AM
Yeah, I agree that the negative comments here are rather idiotic. Ever seen little league baseball? Hell, ever seen those beauty pageants for 3 year old girls with obsessed overcompetitive mothers who see them more like show animals than children? Now there's something criminal.
Kralos @ Dec 4th 2006 12:58AM
this kid is gonna grow up and become this guy:
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/14771554/
Spizzartan @ Dec 4th 2006 1:26AM
You guys are serious? Look at the pictures before you say anything negative about this. The kid looks genuinely happy! Hes not being forced to be happy, just look at his face! Hes having a good time with a kick-ass father. I wish I had an awesome room like that when I was that age.
This is a freakin video game website, and you guys are falling into the Jack Thompson Stereotype that video games are evil. If some father pushes his kid into playing football when he doesn't want to, and then yells at him for not doing well, thats fine. But OH NO! Some kid is having FUN with his father with video games? How dare that father spend time with his son.
Jason @ Dec 4th 2006 1:48AM
I am Jason the father. Say what you want, but we only dressed up for Halloween. I needed to do something to spend some time w/ my boy. I get home from work at 6:00pm and he goes to bed by 7:00. He only watches me play video games for about 2-3 hours per week. He loves it and I like to see him happy. I also like to paint so I decided to deck out his room. I thought you guys were gamers, I didn't know you wouldn't want your own kids playing games. My favorite game is Halo2 and I play it online alot, but I used my best judgment and decided he probably shouldn't even watch me play a shooting game at 2 yrs old.
Lost Creation @ Dec 4th 2006 2:21AM
Looks to me like the two of them are having a lot of fun with this. All you folks who are griping are just jealous. I know I'm certainly jealous. When I was this kid's age I had a Winnie the Pooh themed bedroom. Mario so kicks Winnie's butt.
BPM? @ Dec 4th 2006 4:01AM
Hey, I think what the father (Jason) did was pretty cool. And like others have pointed out, his son is actually having FUN doing this. Forced? Hardly.
Though, it'd be hilarious if the kid grew up to be a Sony/Microsoft fanboy. :D
DAC @ Dec 4th 2006 4:02AM
I would've killed for a room like that when I was a kid.
strider_mt2k @ Dec 4th 2006 7:06AM
I think it's awesome.
Have a ball guys, these are the times to cherish!
The rest of you get out of his room, you obviously can't hang.
Q-to the bizzle @ Dec 4th 2006 7:49AM
Trust me Jason, no need to take offense from any of these guys, this is fuckin joystiq for crying out loud, after they left you a shitty comment they went and fapped it to fat amputee porn or self-drawn nude video game bitches. As far as bottom of the barrel goes, these kids are it.
woo yea @ Dec 4th 2006 9:27AM
twas the title's fault.
Tommy Morris @ Dec 4th 2006 9:50AM
You go Jason. My 3 year loves playing Mario. He is getting way to good.
Austin Powers @ Dec 4th 2006 11:02AM
Just thought I'd chime in and say, Jason, that is the coolest thing I've seen a father do for his son.
That being said, I do have to add that comment #15 had me laugh so loud I got strange looks from coworkers.
Paul Gale @ Dec 4th 2006 12:10PM
That's a really cool thing for that father to do. Why not share somethig you're passionate about with your child? Nintendo is family oriented to begin with and Super Mario Bros. is child friendly, so there's no harm done here from that perspective. I don't think any minds will get warped...that is, unless they go down a "secret" warp in the back of the room...
Paul Gale
1up.com
Kris @ Dec 4th 2006 1:33PM
Or worse, when he finds out that the princess is in another castle!
cdoty @ Dec 4th 2006 1:43PM
At least he is involved with his child.
It's probably fostering a good imagination.
Maybe the little boy will be the next Miyamoto.
yubastard @ Dec 4th 2006 2:12PM
if Princess Peach does not exist... then he'll have to find a real one... not bad for parent-teaching-son scenario
thispaceforsale @ Dec 4th 2006 4:20PM
Clearly a joke, and far less harmful than saying juvenile beauty contests
Joe @ Dec 4th 2006 5:00PM
Hey Jason the pics look sweet. This guy is my cousin and he is a really good guy. I'm 22 and I wish I could have that room! lol
Jackie @ Dec 5th 2006 11:51PM
lol @ "Sorry Junior, your Cocoa Puffs are in another castle!" April Fools should be pretty interesting over there.
RazorbladeMinx @ Dec 9th 2006 2:39PM
I would have KILLED for a room like that when I was that age... come to think of it, that's all we had to play back in the day! hehe
Cyndi @ Dec 9th 2006 2:40PM
Hey, I agree with one of the previous posts. He is involved with his child! That's more than most parents can say these days. Most parents spend less than 20 minutes per day interacting with their child. How creepy is THAT?!
There are worse things he could get his child into... professional wrestling comes to mind. Overall, Mario is harmless. At least Princess Peach isn't dressed like a slut and being passed around, or beat up, by men!