Weekly Roundup: Ten 3D Printable Super Mario Bros. Things

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For me, there are two types of people in this world. There are the people who can hum the Super Mario Bros. theme song, even if they haven’t actually played the game in a decade or more, and then there are the people who cannot. It probably won’t surprise anyone reading this that I’m clearly the former type of person. While my head may be full of useless things like old video game theme song tunes and the location of the secret level-skipping warp pipes, which often forces more useful information out, I choose to believe that one day that knowledge will save my life. Somehow. I have no idea in what way the Super Mario Bros. tune will be useful in a life and death scenario, but it’s kind of how I get through those days when I randomly can’t remember my ATM PIN despite it remaining unchanged for almost twenty years.

I wish I could tell you that I had a specific reason for choosing Super Mario Bros. as my theme this week, but I really don’t. I just found myself humming the tune while I was grocery shopping the other day and it got stuck and never left. I tried to fire up the old Game Cube and jump on a few Goombas, hoping that would get it out of my head, but sadly that didn’t work. So I went looking for 3D printable Super Mario Bros. stuff and here we are.

Yeah, I know, this week’s introduction is both riveting and exposes far too much of how my brain works, sorry. Anyways, here are the Ten Best 3D Printable Super Mario Bros. Things!

QUESTION BLOCK BOX

Mario Question Box by Carles Bolart

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

There are actually a lot of different question mark boxes from the Super Mario Bros. games available on the various 3D model marketplaces, but this is one of the nicest that I found. Not only are the smooth, rounded edges much nicer than the squared edges from some of the other versions, but the inner lip on the lid is going to make it much easier to open it up and get at whatever you’re storing inside of it, be it mushrooms or coins.

Of course you do not need to 3D print this box in orange filament, and you could even take the time to paint it up really nicely. Personally, I think 3D printing it in one of the brass or bronze filaments and polishing the box up would look fantastic.

SUPER MARIO BROS. DESK LAMP

Mario Themed Desk Lamp by Sparky6548

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Now this is a 3D printing project perfect for any video game nerd who really wants to give their home or bedroom a Super Mario Bros. theme. This desk lamp is a real show stopper, and is probably one of the coolest 3D printed lamps that I’ve ever stumbled on. Just be warned, this is not going to be an easy project, and you will need to know a bit about post processing, painting 3D prints and using a lamp kit to make it. But man, would this be worth the work. Thankfully the designer includes full printing and assembly instructions, as well as the actual lamp kit model number, which is available on Amazon.

And yes, I realize that this is like the twentieth Ten 3D Printable Things list that I’ve posted that includes a lamp. I really do have a problem.

SUPER STAR PEN TOPPER

Pixel Star Pen Topper by roman_hegglin

Found on: Pinshape
Cost: Free

If you’re anything like me, then first of all I’d like to apologize because no one should should suffer like that, but secondly you have a bunch of naked pencils lying around that really need to be covered up with something. What better pencil topper can a Super Mario Bros. fan think of than a pixelated version of a super star?

In addition, you could always use these stars as ornaments, 3D print them in a translucent filament and use them as string light toppers, or use them as wall decorations. The 3D model can be scaled up or down depending on how you want to use it, so the 8-bit sky’s the limit, really.

MARIO STAR ORNAMENT OR TREE TOPPER

Mario Star Decorations by tone001

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

While I guess this is technically a Christmas decoration, it doesn’t really have to be. It’s just a cute, Mario-themed star that can be used year round. If you really want to put it on top of your Christmas tree, it includes a cone that fits on the bottom to hold it in place. There is also a version of the STL that includes a hoop on the top of the star so it can be used as an ornament, or it can even be scaled down and worn as a pendant.

There are also two different versions of the star available depending on how you prefer to 3D print your projects. There is a solid version that will need to have supports included in order for it to print properly, or a version that has been divided in half that won’t need any supports, but will need to be glued together.

WARP PIPE SELF-WATERING PLANTER

Venus Fly Trap Super Mario Warp Pipe Self Watering Planter by LadyDeadpool89

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

If you’re serious about decorating your habitat with Super Mario Bros. things then you are really going to need this cool self-watering planter shaped like a warp pipe. The stack of blocks on the side of the planter is the water reservoir, and the plant pulls the water up from the bottom, so you can set it in a window and leave it be for days at a time. Just make sure that you use a water-tight filament, or be willing to seal it with something, to avoid any unnecessary messes.

Of course you can put any type of plant that you want in the pipe, but the designer used – what else – a Venus fly trap.

BOB-OMB FIGURE

Easy to Print Bob-omb by Garrett Kearney

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

This 3D printable Bob-omb figure was designed to be super easy to print. It will print all in one piece and requires no supports of any kind. It can also be scaled up or down, depending on the size of your 3D printer and its resolution quality. These little Bob-ombs can be used as ornaments, to make Super Mario Bros. jewelry or just as fun gifts for your favorite video game fan.

Sadly, the figure will not print out looking like this; it will need to be painted, so this is probably not the easiest of the projects on this list. But there are instructions for post processing up on the MyMiniFactory item page so you can make it nice and smooth, making it easier to paint.

Check out this video that will walk you through the entire process here:

PIRANHA PLANT PENCIL CUP

Piranha Plant Pencil Topper by BrandonW6

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

If people are always stealing your pens, then storing them next to a deadly piranha plant is a great way to keep them safe. Sadly, the plant itself won’t actually bite anyone trying to gank your stuff, but it could serve as a warning.

You don’t need to use this as a pencil cup (I don’t know why the designer calls it a ‘pencil topper’) if you don’t want to; on its own it’s a really cute Super Mario Bros.-themed project and could really be turned into anything. You could plant real plants in it that will grow up around the piranha plant, or just leave it empty. It should be pretty easy to print, and the designer says that it won’t require any supports, even for the plant parts.

SUPER STAR NIGHT LIGHT

Mario Star Night Light by Justin Shook

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

If you don’t want to stick your Super Mario Bros. super star on top of your pens, then here is a great project that lets you turn it into a nightlight. Just get yourself a cheapie little torch light, the kind that has a small LED bulb that will fit up inside of the star, and you’re all set. 3D print the star using a translucent filament, paint on the eyes and you’ll be powered up all night long.

The 3D print itself looks to be a pretty simple one, though you will need to make sure that your printer can use translucent materials. The designer makes these little lamps himself and sells them, but he has offered to answer any questions if you want to try to make your own; just drop him a line on MyMiniFactory.

WARP PIPE-SHAPED DOG POOP BAG HOLDER

Mario Pipe Dog Poop Bag Holder by aswen001

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Let’s face it, making something Super Mario-themed makes everything better, even something as unpleasant as picking up dog poop. I mean, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out walking my dog and found myself bending down to pick up his freshly deposited poop thinking to myself that if only I had a poop bag holder shaped like a Super Mario Bros. warp pipe this wouldn’t be as gross. In reality, it would be just as gross, but every time that I needed to pull a bag out of the pipe I could make the “blewpblewpblewp” sound and smile while doing something gross. It’s the little things in life that make it worth living.

YOSHI EGG-SHAPED EGG SHAKER

YOSHI Egg Shaker by Marco Autilio

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

I’m typically not a kitchen gadget kind of guy. Usually they take more work to use and clean than they may save doing things the old fashioned way, or overcomplicate what is actually really pretty easy. This Yoshi egg-shaped egg scrambling device most certainly falls in the second category, but it’s so damn cute that I really have to give it a pass. Plus, it may be easy for me to scramble an egg, but I have full use of my hands; this could be a great assistive device for someone who may not be able to hold a whisk.

The only part of this project that isn’t 3D printable is the glass jar that was used. The parts were specifically designed for the glass Nutella jar that is typically sold in Europe, though I do see them occasionally in the US. Before you decide to print this Yoshi egg you may need to make sure that you can track down a similarly-sized jar and adapt the 3D model to fit it.

I promise that whatever theme I choose next week will NOT include any 3D printable lighting of any kind. And by promise, I mean that if I end up finding a cool 3D printable light next week I will come back and edit this promise out, just like I never made it.

As always, I love to see what you are 3D printing, especially if you find a project on one of my lists. Feel free to tweet me @SJGrunewald or you can just email me. Happy 3D printing!