14 DAY TRIAL // It seems that Mario & Co. are nowhere close to saying "goodbye" to the world. Actually, the Nintendo All Stars are enjoying a great run of popularity lately, having in mind that two weeks ago we had some incredible Mario bento creations and last year, the nerdy Mario-panties. So, what goes hand in hand with all these accessories and turns you into the greatest fan in the world? Hand painted, unique, custom-made Converse shoes with characters from classics like Super Mario Bros, the Zelda series, Donkey Kong, Ice Climber, and Metroid, as well as those from more recent franchises like Pokemon, Starfox, F-Zero and EarthBound!
Yes, this is true! All the pictures you see (both in the upper left corner and the bottom of the screen, where the sketches are included, too) are real creations of designer Cole Ranze, a guy who decided to make everybody happy and earn an extra buck. The bad thing is that we have a limited amount of custom Converses (only 10). The good thing is that anybody can have one, as long as you keep an eye on eBay (that's the place we spotted them in the first place) where the designer will auction each pair, piece by piece. Here are his words, "Each shoe represents many many hours of painting, my painstaking attention to detail, and what are sure to be a conversation piece and the center of your shoe collection for years to come!". Further, Cole explains the deal, "The shoes you are bidding on have yet to be created! What does this mean for you? It means that the shoes will be tailored and customized for the winner personally! You pick the shoe size, the color, I'll even add special message or monogram or something of that nature (within reason of course). The image on your pair of shoes will be just like the one you see on this pair. If anything they will look even better because (at least in my experience) things always turn out better each time you do them!".
So, here you go! Now you know everything it takes in order to add a new piece of equipment to your Mario-fan costume. The price, though, could be a definite "No" for some people: the first auction was won by somebody with a $255 bid. Well... who knows? Maybe interest will decline and the thing's going to get cheaper.
