He was one of the world’s first computer-game sensations, yet this “screen capture” of the Nintendo mascot Super Mario is decidedly low-tech: the 3’ x 4’ image was created using 17,000 pushpins by students filling in time between classes at the University of the Fraser Valley’s Student Computing Centre.
“We decided on Mario because he is a simple, recognizable figure,” explains computing information systems student Robert Turner, who helped create the image with fellow students Ryan McCann, Jeff Pernitsky, and Brent Hunter. It was fun to see the image progress from day to day, says Mr. Turner. “It just continued to grow” and has now become quite a popular student attraction.
More photos of “Pushpin Mario” can be seen on Flickr.