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Mario Wax Statue Unveiling Event

by Jonathan Metts - November 25, 2003, 6:45 pm EST
Total comments: 3 Source: Nintendo of America

Show up dressed as Mario to compete for a prize.

We told you about the Mario wax figure a while back, but now Nintendo is beginning to promote the upcoming debut. On December 9th, Mario will become the first video game character to be immortalized in wax at the famous Hollywood Wax Museum on Hollywood Boulevard.

We'd expect some of our more rabid readers to attend such an event anyway, but Nintendo is adding encouragement with a Mario look-alike contest, to be held on-site at the wax figure's public unveiling. The first place winner will receive:

A cash prize, plus the ultimate Mario package consisting of:


1 Game Boy Advance SP (Flame)


1 Nintendo GameCube (platinum)


Recently released Mario titles:


1 Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3


1 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga


1 Mario Party 5


1 Mario Kart: Double Dash!!


1 e-Reader


1 set Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 e-Reader cards


1 link cable

There will also be second- and third-place winners, but no word on what prizes they'll get. Just show up at the museum by 10:30 AM (Pacific time, of course) on Tuesday, December 9th in your Mario costume and you can participate in the contest. The unveiling will take place at 11:00 AM.

We'll have more coverage of this event, including photos of the wax figure and unveiling, once it takes place.

Mario Spins the Wax

Mario gets honored with his own figure at the famous Hollywood Wax Museum.

HOLLYWOOD HONORS VIDEO GAME HERO MARIO WITH HIS OWN WAX FIGURE

Hollywood Wax Museum Commemorates the 'Season of Mario'

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Dec. 9, 2003 – Brad Pitt has one, Marilyn Monroe has one and Arnold Schwarzenegger has one. So it's only fitting that Nintendo's Mario™, the No. 1 video game star in history, should join those notable figures today with his own wax statue.

It's easy to see how he fits in with this crowd of superstars: Mario has starred in 67 video games that have sold more than 170 million units, a big reason why the video game industry today brings in more revenue than the motion picture box office. The Hollywood honor comes during a time when Mario has four new games available for the Nintendo GameCube™ and Game Boy® Advance systems.

"With four new Mario games in stores right before the holidays, this truly is the 'Season of Mario,' " says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president for marketing and corporate communications. "Mario's induction into the Hollywood Wax Museum further establishes his importance as a pop-culture icon."

The statue now resides at the Hollywood Wax Museum at 6767 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, Calif. Mario, the first-ever video game icon honored with a wax figure at the museum, replaces statues of Matrix actors Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the museum's lobby, even while the final installment of their trilogy remains in theaters.

The Hollywood Wax Museum opened in 1965 and showcases figures of 180 stars like Tom Hanks, Cher and Michael Jordan. Now fans will be able to visit their favorite video game star, who himself was overcome with the excitement of the day. "My fans always said that no one could hold a candle to me," Mario said. "Now they'd better not!"

Despite his wax figure honor, Mario will not rest on his past success as he offers fans four new games. For Nintendo GameCube, Mario stars in Mario Kart®: Double Dash!!™, the hottest game for the holidays, which already has sold more than half a million units, and Mario Party® 5 with more than 60 new mini-games to attract fans of all ages.

For Game Boy Advance, Mario appears in Super Mario® Advance 4: Super Mario Bros.® 3, the hand-held version of the best-selling video game of all time. He also teams with his brother, Luigi, for a wisecracking adventure in Mario & Luigi™: Superstar Saga.

Planet GameCube is covering the unveiling and will have more news later today.

Talkback

Fluke WormNovember 25, 2003

face-icon-small-cool.gifcool

Quote

Mario will become the first video game character to be immortalized in wax at the famous Hollywood Wax Museum

Is he also the first fictional character?, if he's not I'd guess Betty Boop

demoncronoNovember 26, 2003

nah,if i remember right they have all these old movie monster wax figures of like frankenstein and dracula...so..

Fluke WormNovember 26, 2003

Quote

if i remember right they have all these old movie monster wax figures of like frankenstein and dracula

Oooo, thanks for the response, so, do they have Betty too?face-icon-small-smile.gif

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