Character Redesign #3: Mario

Another post, another redesign; this time it's Nintendo's main man, Mario!

We all know Mario. Plumber who jumps on turtles. Eats mushrooms to grow bigger. Regularly rescues a princess from his arch-nemesis Bowser. Everyone knows Mario.
His overall design is particularly noteworthy for many reasons, not least because of how little it as changed over the years. However, by far the most interesting thing is how he was originally conceived; everything about his design was based on the limitations of the Nintendo Entertainment System (his hat was so they didn't have to animate hair, his dungarees were so we could see his arms, mustache was added to highlight his nose etc.), making the jumping plumber a brilliant example of minimalist character design.

Image Source: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/sinkx004/myblog/Pixelated_NES_Mario_by_danny1337.png

Image Source: http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120816162011/mario/images/1/15/MarioNSMB2.png

To be perfectly honest, redesigning this guy was a pain in the arse. There's nothing particularly wrong with his design and there's not a lot you can change without losing the essence of the character. Fortunately, I noticed that Nintendo's mascot is mostly made of rounded shapes and had a large head. So, naturally, I decided to do the opposite.

Design sketches for the Mario Redesign

And here's the final result. As you can see, I went for a bulkier, blockier build with a smaller head. As such, it has been dubbed 'Wreck-It Mario' by my peers, although honestly it was intended as a design for a TeamFortress2-esque reimagining of the famous plumber (hell, that's the TF2 colour palette in the corner). Overall, though, I'm pleased with how it turned out.
Next post will be the fourth redesign, Sonic the Hedgehog