Gallery Show WIP

Here's a little sneak peek of my piece for WMS' upcoming Retro Arcade gallery show! This is the first official art show I've done since high school, and I could not be more excited. I even purchased some frames and mats, so it's feeling quite real!

Super Mario Bros. 2 holds a special place in my heart for having Peach as an actual playable character. I've read previously her inclusion - as well as Toad's - was mostly a "clone" type deal, pasting their image over another in order to fill up the 4 player slots. Whatever the reason, having the option to play as a girl was truly a fantastic experience for my pre-teen self. She could glide about with her skirts flared out, she could chuck turnips at enemies, and simply put: I loved her pink dress. (You can see her in gameplay here.)

While there were other games and consoles I enjoyed more, I found myself continuously drawn to SMB2. The fact that there was a playable female character - something games still struggle with to this day - was magnetizing, and I'm forever thankful to whoever made that call all those years ago to include Peach as Player 4. Today we see her as the cliche damsel in distress, as that's been a common motif for Mario games since his inception. But for a brief spell she was an inspiring hero, someone who wore heels and lipstick while also taking names.