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Fidget Spinner Shows Super Mario's Original Running Animation

The flipbook-like quality of the 8-bit animation is impressive and weirdly mesmerizing.

David Craddock

May 31, 2017 3:15 PM

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Less than two weeks remain until E3, and publishers are staying mum until the floodgates open to unleash the industry's annual deluge of trailers, tweets, and press conferences. This Mario fidget spinner, which shows a spot-on animation of 8-bit Mario strolling along circa Super Mario Bros., should fill the void.

I don't know a lot about fidget spinners because I'm not that hard up for things to occupy my attention, so my gut reaction upon learning about them was that they're pretty dumb. This one, however, is mesmerizing. I've watched the YouTube video a dozen times and I feel tempted to spring for one. Can I buy one? Can you buy fidget spinners, or do you make them yourself? And if so, is there a Pinterest board with instructions one can follow?

These questions haunt me, as will this Super Mario fidget spinner. It's a good thing Nintendo hasn't seen this video. At least, we can assume they haven't because it still exists. If they'd seen it and dropped a ban hammer on it, there would be another hole in my heart. E3 will fill one void, but the other belongs to this weirdly awesome Super Mario fidget spinner.

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.