World 1-1

I've always been fond of Super Mario. When I was a kid, the first time I saw the classic NES game, I immediately fell in love with this Italian plumber's cuteness; I've always been one of the shorter guys, and seeing a short game character growing up suddenly after getting the fancy mushroom definitely made an impact on me--it made me believe that I could power-up myself if I found my own mushroom in my world. I felt that Mario was a kindred spirit: I was young when I realized that I was gay and I felt like a lot of what was in my World 1-1 were obstacles to my flagpole: I would imagine myself stamping on the ugly goombas who blocked my way, and, oh boy, with fire flower, burn all those stupid turtle-looking koopa(l)s, who were too sheltered in their heads. I found myself feeling free when I played Super Mario.

Fast-forward to more than two decades of learning symbols in books and media, I find myself laughing at how the imageries in Super Mario could be viewed with homosexual undertones. For starters, what's up with the phallic mushrooms?

     
And don't get me started with the collecting of Flowers.

Notice also that Super Mario got more handsome through the years?

I remember I had a classmate in a computer class who strangely enough looked a lot like Mario. I remember wishing he were gay. Too bad there was a time I invited him and another classmate to watch the Oscar-winning musical, Chicago, which screams gay if you know what I mean. Seeing that he and the other guy classmate were really bored with the show, I accepted the fact that he was just too damn straight. Even before that, I knew that he was also married, but hey, I was naive and foolishly hoping that maybe there's a gay bone lurking somewhere in him.

I stopped playing Super Mario during high school, and it was only when the Wii came out with New Super Mario Bros. Wii that I felt nostalgic about how much I loved Super Mario.

Maybe he's the reason why I love Italian food so much and why I love men in uniform. Maybe he's the reason why I usually feel horny when I see random "Tubero" signs in the streets. Maybe he's the reason why I love guy's mushrooms (and I remember feeling giddy when some of my exes gave me flowers). Maybe he's the reason why I love collecting gadgets and traveling to new worlds. And maybe, he's the reason why I still go on even though there are no princesses in the castles of my world.

To hell with the oblivious princess. I'm happy with my mushrooms.



Images' Sources:
http://www.auntiepixelante.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/supermariobrosbeginning.png
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/Amanita_muscaria_%28fly_agaric%29.JPG/200px-Amanita_muscaria_%28fly_agaric%29.JPG
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltk4zkH4Qx1r3dxg4o1_500.gif