They made Waluigi sexy, but their future is Mushroom Kingdom drama
This April, The Super Mario Bros. MovieBullet Billed its way into box-office records and debuted with the biggest opening weekend for an animated film in history. No one was too surprised that the studio behind Minions successfully shepherded one of the biggest, decades-spanning video game franchises to that bar, but considering the past, it was an achievement: It marks the first time Nintendo had successfully tapped the IP’s potential for TV or film since 1993’s Super Mario Bros. Bob-ombed at the box office.
The 20-year Mario drought of non-game storytelling opened the door for off-beat creators to do their own thing. Ken and Kade, known better as DinoGraveyard and Lovebunny on TikTok, walked through that door. Over the last few years, the engaged couple, who run channels as DinoBunny, has carved out their own niche within the Super Mario fandom, one that started as fashion-driven cosplay and has since evolved into a theatrical rewiring of the Mario canon.
“I’d say it’s like Bridgerton in the Mario universe,” says Kade. “We’re making these characters where they’re not necessarily a good guy or a bad guy, but just people making mistakes.”
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Over a video call, Kade and Ken sit in an office adorned with anime posters and trinkets slathered with pastel pinks and electric blues. Ken’s gaming chair is straight from Princess Peach’s color palette and has a pair of rosy rabbit ears nestled on its headrest. They’re living and breathing the Mushroom Kingdom — but that wasn’t necessarily the dream.
“We didn’t start off thinking, Oh, I’m going to be a professional YouTuber or
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