::A Geek in Korea::

I’ve got a theme going with my collectible phone accessories. I’ve been attempting to purchase on Super Mario themed phone accessories to dangle from the lanyard strap that I have on my phone. I don’t do anything to show these large plush toys off or anything. I just throw my phone in my pocket, but whenever I answer a message or handle my phone outside of class, I have swarms of little students around me asking me about them.

My first of these was the small 1up mushroom. This was lucky, because it matched my stylish green case. Plus, it’s awesome. The students who have Nintendo DS would say, “1-up! New Super Mario-itta!” (It’s New Super Mario!). The PC only students would say, “Mushmam Bossot! Mushmam Bossot! Maple Story-itta!” (It’s a Mushroom monster from Maple Story!”) These students earned a glare.

It didn’t improve after the 1up split down the middle and I needed a new accessory. The ?-box came next. Again, students “In the know”, knew where this iconic symbol was from. People with PC games only thought it was an “I-tem boxsu! Kartu-Rider!” (Kart Rider Item Box.) Nevermind the whole Mario Kart spawned the icon racer thing, and Kart Rider is just an admittedly popular online imitation.

The funny thing about the situation is that the students are so young, and Nintendo’s character penetration is so new here, that the students that actually recognize these iconic symbols of my youth only recently got exposed to them. They only know them from the Nintendo DS game, or the Wii if they are super rich. Most of them grew up on online games, and the oldest game they know and still play is Starcraft. I’m now at the point that I have students playing Starcraft that are younger than that game.

My third purchase is the accessory on the left. I just bought the Pirahna plant. It’s hard plastic, and it lights up if you flick a switch. I won’t be putting it on my phone for fear it might scratch up my screen when I put it in my pocket. I’m now buying phone accessories purely to look at or collect them. What has happened to me?

My wife actually was with me when I bought this one. She called me juvenille. Whatever. She has a clear plastic head of Snoopy from Peanuts filled with tiny pink hearts on HER phone, so I don’t think she gets to talk about a light up plant that devours people as being “immature”.