MArio Companions
Zombie Mario Set
Genesis
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After creating Zombie Mario for a limited edition, I wanted to expand the idea into a small set of companions that belonged to the same universe and shared the concept of reinterpreting classic Mario characters through the lens of old Hollywood monster archetypes.
During a trip to Shanghai I found the super sized figures of Luigi, Toad, and Yoshi. They were the right scale and quality to intervene, so I brought them to the studio with the intention of reshaping them into new characters.
Ghost Luigi
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Luigi was slightly smaller than the Zombie Mario figure, so turning him into a ghost made immediate sense, especially considering Luigi’s Mansion. To match Mario’s height and keep the set visually cohesive, I designed the piece so Luigi would be floating.
I built a structural chain rising from the ground, anchored to a Chain Chomp head acting as a base element. The chain supports the figure and gives it the “suspended” effect without visible supports.
For the paintwork, I applied a glow-in-the-dark layer over the body to reinforce the ghost concept.
Lagoon Yoshi
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Yoshi’s proportions matched perfectly with Zombie Mario, and his reptile-like quality made the connection immediate. I reinterpreted him as The Creature of the Black Lagoon.
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The technical focus was on sculpting scales, ridges and the characteristic mouth structure of the creature. I made the forward-reaching pose I used in Zombie Mario so the two felt related as part of the same series.
The piece became a playful hybrid between the friendly silhouette of Yoshi and the classic monster aesthetic.
Brain Power-Up
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Toad’s head, essentially a mushroom, was an opportunity to connect him to Zombie Mario without forcing another creature reference, so rebuilt it entirely as a brain-like mushroom, sculpting the folds and texture with epoxy clay.
It works as a small conceptual link. If the original mushroom in the Mario universe is a “power-up”, this version hints at the idea of stimulating the brain: thinking, learning, paying attention to what expands you. A simple twist, but fitting inside the set.
Outcome
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After completing the three pieces, I began discussing a possible limited edition of Ghost Luigi with ZCWO. I shipped it to Hong Kong to be 3D-scanned and cleaned digitally, but the complexity of the floating structure made production unfeasible, so the project didn’t move forward.
Ultimately, the figure was featured in “Figure It Out”, a publication showcasing over 150 designer toys within the contemporary art-toy scene, along with the Zombie Mario piece.
Lagoon Yoshi remained as a studio piece, and I later created a small limited edition of the Brain Power-Up in collaboration with Kaos Community.
