Gamers in Ohio make life size Mario "Item Boxes", placed them around their town and now may be charged.

Games have been in the news for the wrong reasons many times before, but who could have guessed Mario would join that club. Thankfully it is not for as serious a situation as we have seen in the past.

Five girl gamers (aged 16 - 17) in Ravenna, Ohio found a website showing how to make life size replicas of the item boxes found in the NES classic Super Mario Bros. They made some boxes and placed 17 of them around their town for April Fools. Unfortunatly some residents who didn't know the meaning of the boxes thought they might contain bombs and called the police and bomb squads were dispatched only to discover the boxes were empty.

Ravenna Police Chief Randall McCoy told the online edition of the Record-Courier that one girl came into the police department with one of her parents and claimed responsibility, saying it was just a joke. McCoy said even though no harm was intended by the girls, they could face criminal charges for their actions.

"The potential is always present when dealing with a suspicious package that it could be deadly," McCoy said. "In today's day and age, you just cannot do this kind of stuff." Ryan and Posterchild from the website where the girls got the instructions for making the boxes (Qwantz.com) have responded saying:

"While I feel this is an unnecessary and extreme response, I understand that sometimes people get frightened when they see something they don't expect. I can't recommend that you put these blocks up yourself in a space you're not responsible for. This is not a sinister 'game', it is supposed to be a comment on public spaces being routinely used for advertising (billboards, etc) but not for art (these boxes). Also, despite what Ravenna Police Chief Randall McCoy says, the purpose of these boxes is not "just to see what kind of response you get". It is to bring a smile to people's faces, to get them to connect with their neighbours, to bring colour into an otherwise grey urban landscape. Posterchild and myself are both deeply sorry that things are not working out in Ravenna."

To see pictures Mario Item Boxes hanging in various towns and instructions on how to make your own (plus items to go inside them) visit Qwantz.com

Cheers to R-E forum member Fatrox for the heads up.