Classico sounds a bit like a jar of tomato sauce, but I suppose the man on the shirt is Italian, so it’s not completely ridiculous. I was never very big on Popeye, the super power up of spinach never captured me (the way a similar power up did on the Gummi Bears).. maybe it had to do with it being spinach. Also, let’s be fair, his girlfriend was not attractive and pretty annoying. Bluto can have her, as far as I’m concerned. Mario, of course, as I’ve well documented, is my guy. Well, he and his brother. I’m not sure if there’s a connection between being a sailor and being a plumber, and, similar to spinach, I was never a huge fan of mushrooms growing up, but I would rock this shirt for sure. (Available at Threadless)
Link! Link linking things! I can’t say there’s a kind of Legend of Zelda shirt that I would pass up (this looks to be Ocarina of Time era Link, no?), and this is no exception. A Link made of HTML links is something that speaks to two things I hold close. I know, you don’t have to tell me. (Available at Threadless)
Classic video games, traditionally one of my biggest weaknesses, and this shirt is no exception. You see the ubiquitous four-brick blocks falling from the sky while playing Tetris, but where do they really come from? This shirt proposes that perhaps their origin is more sinister than a clumsy mason dropping the tools of his craft. Sawblades cut apart classic video game icons (a space invader, a ghost, and a Koopa Troopa are featured, and their alarm is palpable) into the familiar shapes for our Tetrical amusement. Ouch! (Available at Threadless)
Mario, you’ve come so far! To see Nintendo‘s most faithful characters of Mario, Princess Peach, and Yoshi “reconstituted” into some strange kind of medieval realistic image is strange, even for a Threadless shirt. But strange and creepy or not, it’s an awesome shirt. (Available at Threadless)
Poor Mario. I’m not sure what’s keeping him down so far, but he’s definitely got the 8-bit blues on this shirt. Playing his Nintendo cartridge (yes, you can actually buy Nintendo cartridge harmonicas, btw) like a sad sack, I bet a mushroom or nice star would make him happy again. Maybe it’s that his girlfriend keeps getting kidnapped? I mean seriously, Princess, do you even lock the door of your home? Maybe you should get a restraining order against Bowser? Sorry, the girl kind of annoys me. But Mario clearly loves her, so I can see how his heart is tormented so. Play it on, Mario, sing those 8-bit blues. (Available at Threadless)
This guy is pretty sweet. A bomb holding a traditional boom box atop his head (as was a common pose, the deviation from the traditional shoulder shelf pose is excused since this little bomb doesn’t really have shoulders). I assume the reference to Super Mario Brothers Bob-ombs is intentional, given the other Nintendo references on the shirt (the boom box has a mushroom on it, the sneakers have the invulnerable star on it, etc.). All in all it’s old school even aside from the NES stuff – the boom box itself and the bomb is wearing converse! Great references, and awesome shirt. (Available at Threadless)
