Clever Super Mario ad proves the power of print

The best print ads can really pack a punch, even when it comes to selling a digital product like a video game. An old ad for Paper Mario is generating waves of nostalgia on Reddit, but the piece remains just as clever today as it was over 20 years ago when the game was released.

The title in question is Paper Mario, which is pretty much what it sounds like. Mario was actually made of pixels, but he looked like he was made out of paper, and so did the locations in the game. And Nintendo came up with an ingeniously simple way of plugging the concept.

This magazine ad for Paper Mario from r/DesignPorn

The first of six Paper Mario games was released in 2000 for Nintendo 64. The clever ad shared on Reddit shows an image of our favourite mushroom-powered plumber Mario with a border to cut out as a 'free demo'

"OMG, nostalgia! One of my favorite N64 games ever," one person responded. "Be careful, if you print your own you get sued!" someone else joked.

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