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Read the press release here.

Nintendo to Turn Times Square into Life-Sized Mario Bros. Kingdom

By Jill Colvin | November 10, 2011 12:11pm | Updated on November 10, 2011 1:45pm
Nintendo is planning its installation to promote Super Mario 3D.
Nintendo is planning its installation to promote Super Mario 3D.
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Business Wire

MIDTOWN — Get those overalls ready. Nintendo is taking Super Mario Bros. to the next level.

In honor of the release of its latest video game, “Super Mario 3D Land,”the company will be turning Times Square into a real-life Mushroom Kingdom this weekend, complete with life-sized warp pipes and trampoline coin jumps.

The “Epic Super Mario Celebration” will kick off at 10 a.m. Saturday and gives fans the chance to play the new Super Mario 3D Land for Nintendo 3DS before its official release. The day will end at 4 p.m. with what organizers are dubbing a “flagpole finale.”

A "Mushroom Kingdom" pizza truck will also be parked nearby, offering free mushroom slices to customers who tweet about the event.

Fans are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Mushroom Kingdom characters, from Mario to Princess Peach, and will be able to take home "Tanooki" ears and tails.

The new game, built for the company’s hand-held system, features old-school items like "Fire Flowers" and "Super Mushrooms," as well as new characters, including “enemy Goombas with tails,” “Piranha Plants” that “spit ink” to a obscure player’s view, according to a release.

This is not the first time Nintendo has pulled a Times Square stunt. Back in 2009, they transformed a portion of the square into a beach to promote its Wii Sports Resort video game.

The Epic Super Mario Celebration will take place Sat. Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Military Island in Times Square.