Contest: Your Fondest Nintendo Memories [Win Prizes]
March 17th, 2008
[Update 4/1/2008: The contest is now closed. Thanks for all the great entries. The winning entries have been posted here.]
Nintendo fanboys and fangirls, here’s a chance for you guys to win some awesome prizes. Just share your fondest Nintendo-related memories (by posting a comment below) and you could win an original custom Nintendo collage by fan favorite artist Chris Lange.
Chris has generously donated the following prizes for the best entries that we receive:
- 1 Grand Prize winner
Custom handmade ‘mini’ collage of any Nintendo character you want - 5 Runner Up winners
Signed 8×10 digital print of Mario, Yoshi, Waluigi, or Peach
Plus, if we get at least 100 contest entries, we’ll throw in a random drawing for $50 Amazon certificate which you can use to buy a new Nintendo game with. So even if your story doesn’t win, you’ve still got a chance to go home with a prize.
Contest Rules
To enter the contest, simply leave a comment at the end of this article, telling us your fondest Nintendo-related memory (in 150 words or less). Share any Nintendo story you’d like, but we’ll be awarding the prizes to the ones we think are the most creative, entertaining, outlandish, sentimental, humorous or just downright enjoyable.
To get your creative juices flowing, Chris has contributed this story which best describes his fondness for the “Big N”:
From the time I first picked up an NES controller, to now where I have to force myself to put the Wii controller down, there have been a lot of great Nintendo memories to choose from.
Most important to me is the game that took my fondness for video games and turned it into a passion; Ocarina of Time.
There isn’t really a singular moment I recall best, I just remember the feeling I got when playing through it the first time. I could sit on my family room floor and play for hours, happy to simply ride around the fields of Hyrule. For me, that was the game that made me realize I wanted video games to be a part of my life for years to come.
All entries must be received prior to 11:59pm Central Time on Monday, March 31, 2008 to be eligible. You must post using a valid e-mail address, and only one entry will be accepted per e-mail account. Winners will be selected by Technabob editorial staff and the artist to determine one Grand Prize winner and five Runners Up. We reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments and comment spam.
About the Artist
Chris Lange is an up and coming artist based in the Washington DC area. He is best known for his Nintendo themed collages, which are made entirely of old Nintendo Power magazines. Fittingly enough, these collages have been featured in Nintendo Power magazine, and one is even displayed in the Nintendo of America headquarters on the west coast.
Mr. Lange, an avid gamer and die-hard Nintendo fan, has attracted significant international attention for his work. In addition to his collages, his portfolio includes black and white and color photography, and computer illustrations.
If you’d like to find out more about Chris Lange or request a custom collage visit his personal website. If you are interested in purchasing one of Chris’ originals or even one of his prints you can do so at his Etsy or eBay pages.
Comments (109):
Categories: Geek Art + Craft Video Games
Tags: art chris lange collage contest craft game mario nintendo princess peach prizes yoshi
My fondest Nintendo memory is when our daughter, who is now 16, was around 4 years old and would play our first Nintendo system. When she wanted Mario to jump she would not just push the button would lean over and literally give the controller a little bump in the air. I have video of her and each time I still giggle as I watch her moving her body in her effort to move Mario.
My favourite memories are when I was younger growing up with Mario and playing the original on the first nintendo system.
Then soon after growing into a teenager. Going to my friends house and we’d have 4 way mario kart battles and race each other! It was some serious competition. After we got tired of that we’d go into battlemode and compete it was a weekly tradition to see who was the king or queen of mariokart!
I was one of the boys and beat the boys a few times.. they didn’t like that too much. It was my shining moment!
I LOVE MARIO!
My fondest Nintendo memory is of our daughter happily playing with the Nintendo system during the holidays and keeping out of our hair while we bustled around, making food and setting the table for the entire extended family.
My fondest memory of Nintendo is of my son, now 23, who was 5 years old when he saved the princess on Mario Brothers. The entire family gathered around the tv in absolute awe, as we watched this little kid beat the game, which none of us could do. To this day, he’s got extremely good hand-eye coordination, and in fact, is a professional athlete. Thanks Nintendo!
my best nintendo memory is recently teaching my husband to play super mario brothers, cause he never played it when he was young – so fun and silly
My favorite memory is watching my husband showing my daughter the Zelda game for the first time. My daughter is now 8 years old and her favorite video game character is Link.
I remember playing Super Mario 2 and 3 for years and never tiring of them as a teen. It was so much fun that I bought the same games for my kids and now they are enjoying them too.
Super Mario was my children’s favorite game when they were growing up.
Playing The LEgend of Zelda for hours on end!
My favorite memeroy of anything nintendo has to be when I was only 5. I sat around watching my older brother play the Zelda games four hours, once he finnaly beat it, it was excentric.
My fondest memory was very recent. Don’t get me wrong, I am 29 and still have the orginal Nintendo my parents bought me for Christmas in 1984! With that Nintendo my two son’s 6 and 9 actually play together! This is rare because my 6 yr old has Autisum, nothing holds his attention except Nintendo! He plays like a pro and have solved Super Mario 1 and 2 and is currently on Nintendo Dreamcast. Seeing my sons laugh together and share moments make me so happy. Seeing my 6 year old concentrate and use his fine motor skills,commuincation skills and concentration makes me a Nintendo for life believer, if you like I can send vids of them playing, you’d be amazed!
Mario is my favorite character!
My fondest Nintendo memory was buying SNES just after my 7th birthday. I went to the window with my mom to pick up the system, and the guy working said, “You know it doesn’t come with a game, right?” I must’ve looked pretty sad when I said I knew, and I’d have to get one later, because he slipped Mario Kart into my bag and said “Don’t ask any questions.” At the time, Mario Kart was the hottest game in the world. Playing it was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
My favorite memory with Nintendo would have to be playing Super Nintendo with my youngest niece when she was younger(she’s now 13). The sad part is she was better than me even back then.
My favorite memory, how after awhile you’d have to blow on your cartridges to get them to work in the NES.
When I was a much younger, more innocent geek, I entered one of those supermarket coloring contests. All I had to was color in a pre-drawn picture of Mario and Princess Toadstool for the chance at a super secret grand prize! I got a call one day that I was the winner of… free accordion lessons. Man did they have my geekiness pegged. I went for a couple lessons and in honor of my dubious win, I learned how to play the Super Mario Bros. theme on the piano accordion. I quit my lessons after I realized the actual game was way more fun.
During my youth, I spent my time playing almost every version of Super Mario, either on my regular Nintendo, or on my friend’s Nintendo 64. It was a time where I actually had fun, and learned how to be myself… which was a video game geek, with a sweet tooth fondness for Mario & Luigi.
I played Dr. Mario while the kids were at school everyday until a spider bit me and I got a blood clot in my leg ..so the kids rigged up the controls so I could play from the sofa..an addict is an addict after all. lol
My favorite Nintendo memory has to be all within my SNES controller. I have been playing my SNES since I was 4, and I used to have an awful controller slamming problem. Every time I lost, or Luigi happened to fall off the edge (the older brother always got Mario), The controller would hit the floor with a bang. When Mario Kart made its way to my console, the left button on the D-pad got slammed out of commission. To this day I still play my SNES at least once a week, and still use that broken controller. It is a true showing of the memories that controller brings, as well as the durability of the big N’s products.
When I was about 4, my big brother went to the nearest walmart store with my mom and I. We came home with a new Super Nintendo that came with a super mario all stars game! I was so excited that I was the sencond to test it out! When I was playing super mario, The first thing I fell in love with was YOSHI!!!! He was so cute and when mario jumped on yoshi’s back, it would make a funny hee-hoo noise! Yoshi soon began to fly when caped mario came. When star world was available, RED BLUE AND YELLOW YOSHI’S WERE USABLE! I especially love how blue yoshi can fly when a shell in his mouth XD when i think of Nintendo, the first thing that comes to mind is my best friend of a dinosaur ^_^
Chris – this is your boss. Make me a collage or you’re fired.
Nothing was more fun and hilarious then ,to watch “MY” older brother ( and me ) play Super Mario on the regular Nintendo that I had bought for my 10 year son at the time.Of course me and my brother didn’t know what we was doing and had to ask the son each time we made a move.The fondest (funniest) part is when we kicked our leg(s) out or leaned to side to get Mario to make a jump or move ahead.LOL like that was gonna help.
My fondest memory was watching my four kids, all home for the holidays from college or their out of town jobs, sitting and lying on the basement floor playing NINTENDO together. It was so great to see them come home, kiss their mom, grab a soda and head downstairs. There they were: laughing, fighting for the controllers, spilling their drinks or kidding each other for being lame or having two left thumbs. Truly a MODERN Norman Rockwell moment.
I have 2 fond memories. The first is my brother getting so mad he lost the game that he yanked to controller out of the unit and it whipped him and gave him a black eye! HAHAHA! Second is my husband playing Super Mario Bros on the Wii with our 4 year old daughter. It was very precious to watch as he was showing her the moves and they would both kinda hop and kick with each move!
I can remember playing Duck Hunt and Super Mario way back in the day. But my best memory of Nintendo was a little later, when we first got the Metriod…now that’s a game!
Super Mario, you had my heart then and you have it now. My two sons and I would play for hours together. I think Nintendo games made it possible to bond with my sons, and leave memories forever. What a great giveaway. Thank You. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
My fondest memories are of kicking my sisters butt in all of the Super Mario games!! Nintendo games may just be the only thing I’ve ever beat her in!!! LOL!
If only we could go back to the classic Nintendo… or Super Nintendo!!!
OK. NOw I’m 47 and actually had one of the original Pong games. So nintendo takes me back but i think of nintendo as state of the art – even with super mario brothers. Good times!
Being a Generation X-er, I can remember challenging neighborhood friends to games like Donkey Kong and Mario Brothers on my old Nintendo 64. It seemed back then the action and graphics couldn’t get any better.
I remember playing Super Mario against my dad when I was around 5. We’d sit right in front of the TV and I’d make fun of him every time he jerked the remote when he tried to jump. We always had a great time together! I never did beat the game though:(
Sitting in my kids bedroom and playing for hours on the Nintendo, prior to the divorce
Thanks for participating, and thanks for some great memories.
Keep the posts coming guys!
I remember when I first got a Nintendo. Me and my twin sister were so excited, we hardly turned it off the first couple of days. I remember we were playing Bugs Bunny. When one of us would get killed off or irritated, we would trade until we made it until the end. When it came to Super Mario Bros., we would continually argue about where to go, who was right, who was wrong, and when to jump. One of us would get upset when we would get killed, so we would just take the game out and play another. We would also move the controller to the side, forward, backward, or even UP when we played. It was almost like we were the game.
my best nintendo moment. ha its how i met my best friends i was bored walking around the street saw some kids hanging out side just walk inside to see a kid playing zelda. made atari look like crap so i said hi and just started playing it for hours. best day of my kid life.
I got the Darkness game for my husband. He said he did not want it, but now he can’t play it enough – he is hooked!
A few years ago my kids begged Santa for Mario Party 5. Christmas morning they headed for the tree and looked for a package that was the correct size. The got it and came running to the kitchen wanting to open it immediately. I said ok and then I didn’t see them for an hour. All the other presents under the tree were forgotten.
my fondest nintendo memory is of my husband and i
learning super mario.it was fun and challenging.great memories.
2 words…Mario Brothers
When my brother and I were kids there was a rule that our friends couldn’t come into the house when mom wasn’t home. Well we wanted to play Nintendo with our friends so we put the tv up against the front window, faced it outside and ran the controllers out the door! Lol!
When I was a kid my Dad let me skip school the day that Super Mario Brothers 2 came out so that I could be the first kid to play it.
My fondest Nintendo Memory is playing Yoshi’s Island with my now husband, back when we were in High school. We would play for hours all weekend.
My fondest Nintendo memory is going up to my aunts house during Easter and holidays when I was around 4 years old and sitting on the couch and playing mario bros. with my sister on the NES. I could never get very far since I was little but it was still fun!
When Dr. Mario came out for the original NES, I couldn’t stop playing it to save my life. I saw those pills in my sleep, man!
I remember when nintendo first came out. Actually I still have my games tho the machine hasnt worked for years. I used to spend hours playing mario and zelda and other games. I thought it was the coolest thing. I loved playing those games.
My mother, my father, my son and myself would sit around Nintendo 64 and play Mario party. It was great. We each have our favorite character. Now, it seems like it’s been so long ago. My father has passed away but one sweet cherished memory that we all have is pop being Mario.
When I was young, I remember playing Nintendo with my whole family, especially my dad. We would always play Double Dribble on the original NES. Now that I don’t see him anymore, these memories mean so much.
Like a lot of children of the 80′s and 90s my childhood is filled with NES memories. I got my first Nintendo game system when it was first introduced and spent months learning to beat Super Mario Brothers.
But my favorite memory with Nintendo came recently. My son (4 years old) and I played every level of Mario Galaxy. The joy that he had in interacting with the game was a great bonding moment for us.
As kids we always got to open one gift Christmas eve. We used those to open our first Nintendo system and Sumpper Mario 2. We played all night and kept sneaking into the kitchen to sneak some See’s candy from the fridge that my Mom got for christmas (she is allergic to chocolate so she did not mind if we ate it all, just not at 2 am!!) We each took turns and by morning we had beat the game!! The two youngest had fallen asleep an hour earlier so just myself and my sister were awake. My dad woke up soon after that was a little mad we were awake and sent us to bed. They had to wake us up a few hours later to open the rest of the gifts. We then found out we had also gotten Mario Bros and played that the rest of the day. I remember that I liked playing the princess the most because she floated so well.
My fondest Nintendo memories involve the game “Secret of Mana” on SNES (Does that count?). I would play the game in elementary school up through college (I still have it hehehe). It always cracked me up, and still does to this day, that there is a town in the game with talking mushroom people. Whoever made it must have been smoking something, but it definitely adds to the game’s appeal. Let’s see, if I was going to have a collage, it would be extremely cool to have one of the three main characters from the “Secret of Mana” game, but that seems as though it would be nearly impossible to do.
My favorite Nintendo memory was playing it all the way from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. It was great fun and we didn’t lose any money doing it.