Super Mario Brothers Cosplay & Question Mark Boxes

We have eclectic cosplay tastes here in my little circle. What could be more poignant, I ask you, than a vintage Mario & Luigi cosplay for the upcoming Rose City Comic Con?

In an attempt to be ironic, or iconic if you will, we designed an epic prop to pay tribute to a game I know most of the 30-somethings will appreciate from their childhood Nintendo memories: the Question Mark Box. Filled with coins, mushrooms, or stars of invincibility to assist you on your journey through Mario Land, the bright yellow boxes were the ripe cherries of loot just waiting to be picked. 

These costumes were budget-friendly and super fun to wear. We used real work overalls, and essential part of life in the forest if you don't appreciate blackberry scratches or crawling under a house in normal clothes. The hats, shirts, moustaches & gloves were purchased for a song from various sources such as Goodwill, Ebay & Party City's Halloween selection.

The construction of the Question Mark Boxes began with a simple square cardboard box from Uhaul. They sell book boxes which are perfect squares. We removed the top flaps and glued the bottom flaps securely shut. After applying several base coats of white paint and caulking, the construction of a wooden dowel internal frame began. 

After the dowels were inserted in the bottom center & reinforced with hot glue around the holes, a criss-crossed frame was zip-tied in place and glued to the box at each corner. I padded my plastic mesh star with some crumpled paper to add a 3-D element and prevent collapse of the shape. The dowel ran up the middle.

 The mushroom was heavier, so my friend added structural supports all the way around his box to brace the framework. His dowels actually passed through the plastic mushroom shape we had formed out of fence mesh and zip ties. This was the most lightweight, flexible material we had on hand to form the star and mushroom shapes.

At this stage we went on to print out a Question Mark template from the computer (found easily on Google Images) and traced it onto the four sides of the boxes. We added yellow paint around the designs, leaving the question marks white. The upper insides of the boxes were shadowed black, as well as any exposed dowel material. The star and mushroom shapes were padded with batting before being covered in fabric scraps from my extensive collection of costume remnants.

The fabric was hot-glued to the star, since it was a rubbery shower curtain material. Polar fleece eyes were also hot-glued on.

The mushroom top required a little more work. I had to "sew" the red fabric on using flexible craft wire, poking it through the fabric and plastic mesh with large stitches. The white fabric and eyes were glued on just like the star.

After completion, we took these little accessories all around the Con, resting the dowel ends in our pockets to alleviate the pressure of having to hold them all day. The star was considerably lighter than the mushroom of course. 

The positive response at the Con was overwhelming! Plus we finally found Peach! LOL

We even had the opportunity to share our cosplay at the contest.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and can find time to make your own version for future fun!