Celebrate Your Pixel Art Love with These Colorful Plexiglass Sprites

Those of us who grew up playing video games back in the 1980s have a special place in our hearts for the pixel art characters from the 8-bit arcade and home console world. From Pac-Man to Dig Dug to Donkey Kong to Galaga, game artists had to really stretch their creativity and imagination to give us memorable and identifiable characters using the most primitive of blocks and limited color schemes.

If you love old school pixel art as much as I do, then you need to check out this collection I found over on Etsy.

Idaho-based artist Thunktronix makes all kinds of nifty collectible trinkets based on classic video game characters and items, including all of the aforementioned games, along with Robotron 2049, Wizard of Wor, Frogger, Space Invaders, and more. Each of the sprites is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, so you can put a whole bunch of these on your shelf without taking up too much space.

Each one is precision cut from 1/4″-thick plexiglass, with some characters getting colorful backprinting, and others left to stand on their own as see-through shapes. In addition to video game characters, they’ve got a few other great designs, like Ignignokt and Err, the iconic, antagonistic, bird-flipping Mooninites from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which I just had to buy for myself.

Some pieces are sold individually, while many of them come in complete sprite sets. Prices start at just $5 for a single keychain-sized figure, while full game sprite sets range from $25 to $32. You can check out all of their designs over on the Thunktronix Etsy shop.

Guinness reinstates Billy ‘King of Kong’ Mitchell’s world records

Billy "Video Game Player of the Century" Mitchell has been vindicated. Today, Guinness World Records reinstated the Donkey Kong and Pac-Man records that were stripped from Mitchell in 2018. Once again, Mitchell holds the first perfect score on Pac-Ma...

Over 100 Switch titles are discounted in Nintendo’s summer sale

First-party Nintendo Switch games don’t go on sale often, but when they do, it’s usually worth checking out. The company’s annual summer sale is now running, and it includes first-party titles featuring characters like Mario, Donkey Kong and Kirby. T...

Custom-painted GameCubes Feature Classic Nintendo Characters

Over the years, Nintendo has made some great consoles. From the original NES to the Super Nintendo, to the Switch, there are lots of classic systems out there. The GameCube is among my favorites. There was just something so great about the games, the design of the console, and its controller, and it really stepped up Nintendo’s graphical game.

If you’re a GameCube fan like me, check out these sweet custom systems I spotted over on Etsy.

Each of these unique game systems was hand-painted by Mago Serenil of Custom GameCubes. There are designs based on Donkey Kong, Thwomp, Kirby, and Dark Samus, with matching color schemes on both the console and its controller. I can’t decide which one I like best, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for the bubble gum pink Kirby.

Thwomp works great as a cube, but he could use some more spikes. I also wouldn’t recommend dropping him on the floor to crush your Mario or Luigi action figures.

The custom GameCubes are currently listed for sale for $200 each, and would make a great display piece for any Nintendo fan’s collection.

We Want to Play this LEGO Donkey Kong Arcade Machine

LEGO makes some really cool kits, but has never released a set that looked like an arcade machine. But after seeing this awesome build by brick-building expert Frostbricks, we really hope they consider it. What you’re looking at here is a LEGO version of the arcade classic Donkey Kong.

It’s got everything you know and love about the classic Nintendo arcade game, including those wonky red girders and blue ladders, and figures of Jumpman, the Princess, and a brick-build version of that annoying barrel-tossing monkey. I hope that Frostbricks submits this to LEGO Ideas, as I’d love to see a whole series of LEGO classic arcade machines. I’d certainly buy them.

Be sure to check out Frostbrick’s gallery and Instagram page for more awesome LEGO creations and some of his sweet toy photography. I especially love the fast food stands that look like a burger, fries, and a shake.

Donkey Kong Barrel Coffee Mug: How High on Caffeine Can You Get?

Some of the most iconic objects in the history of video games have to be the barrels that Donkey Kong tosses at Jumpman as he climbs girders to rescue his princess. Jumping over those barrels and smashing them with a sledgehammer were the key gameplay mechanics of Nintendo’s breakout arcade game. Now you can celebrate this classic video game object every time you take a sip of coffee.

I wondered what was inside those barrels – I always assumed it had been banana juice, but it turns out it was coffee. This officially-licensed Donkey Kong barrel mug is perfect for sipping your favorite caffeinated beverage, or even as a pen caddy on your desktop.

It’s actually based on the DK Barrel from the Donkey Kong Country series, which freed a defeated Kong when you smashed it. I don’t recommend smashing this one unless you want to throw your money away and get hot coffee all over your lap. It’s available now over at Firebox for just about $18.

 

It’s On Like Donkey Kong with This Awesome Arcade Game Shadowbox

A while back, I told you about the awesome video game inspired 3D shadowboxes that Glitch Artwork makes. Well, since then, they’ve continued to step up their game with new and even better pieces of wall art for fans of classic video games. Now I think I’ve spotted my favorite one yet, a sweet piece of art that looks just like the classic first level of Donkey Kong.

Everything is simply perfect with this meticulously crafted cutout pixel art creation, from the wonky steel girders and broken ladders, to the flaming barrel of oil and Jumpman as he races to the top to rescue his princess from that giant ape. I especially love how they created a border inspired by the one around the screen on classic arcade machine – that really brings it all together.

The only thing I would love is if this were bigger – this shadowbox measures just 5″ x 7″. That makes the craftsmanship even more impressive, but I’d love to hang one on my wall that’s closer to the size of the actual arcade screen. Though I suppose if you buy a bunch of their artwork, you can pack a ton of arcade goodness into a small space.

If you’re game for some sweet arcade artwork, be sure to stop by Glitch Artwork’s Etsy shop and check out their entire collection. It’s a paradise for game geeks.

This Cool LED Nightlight Celebrates Classic Video Games

Gamers, here’s a sweet accent light for your gameroom, living room, bedroom, or any other room that could use a splash of color. This LED cube lantern is covered with images of classic video games, and is sure to be a great addition to any space.

The lamp comes decorated with cutouts of famous games and game characters including Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Mario, Sonic, and Tetris. Etsy shop My Home Art Decor makes these sweet lamps by laser cutting wood panels, which are assembled around a diffused LED light source. The LED inside can change colors using the included remote control.

You can check out a demonstration of one of their other LED lanterns in action in the video below:

Be sure to check out their shop for lots of other cool laser-cut designs, including this sweet Game of Thrones inspired lamp, covered with house sigils. Prices start at just $49, so they’re a great gift idea too.