Official Props/Costumes Thread

[Serum]

An exciting update is coming this weekend. A long-standing speculation will be put to rest.

Stay tuned.

You've piqued my interest, I'll keep my eyes open.

[Redstar]

Oh, really? After everything you've given us so far I'm certainly pumped!

[Amethyst Dreams]

Can't wait!

[Clous]

I'll be sure to check back this weekend. Sounds like a great surprise.

[billbot85]

Another surprise coming?? Awesome!! Can't wait to see it! All the stuff that you find is always fantastic. I hope I can bring another surprise to forum as well

[moviemaker29]

Another surprise coming?? Awesome!! Can't wait to see it! All the stuff that you find is always fantastic. I hope I can bring another surprise to forum as well

You have my interest piqued for sure!

[moviemaker29]

Okay folks, update time!

This go-round I have a very simple item that never actually ended up getting any screen time in the film, but it's yet another great example of the little details the prop department thought about incorporating into the film. For the scene in which Koopa poses as a lawyer to interrogate Mario & Luigi, the prop guys made a cool little blue snakeskin business card holder along with some "Larry Lazard" business cards that Dennis Hopper would have had. This particular prop is not in the best of condition anymore and has become dry rotted over the years and is pretty brittle, but the 8 business cards inside are still in great shape!



Just a fun little item I figured everyone would get a kick out of! I also got Rocky Morton's canvas director's chair back, but figured that wasn't very interesting to show. It's just black with his name, the Lightmotive logo, and "Super Mario Bros." embroidered in red on it.


Soooooooo, that's probably not the earth-shattering, game-changing update you all were expecting this weekend, huh? You mean the business card holder didn't live up to the hype?

Okay well how about a quick story...

By now most of you know that I am pretty much obsessed with the Stomper Boots. You know all about the searching, high and low, I've done for any boots that might still be out there along with all of the research into the 3 types of boots they made, how many, what happened to them, etc. While surprisingly we've now seen 3 of the foam boots turn up after hearing nearly all of them were destroyed, in the back of my mind, I kept wondering what happened to the multiple pairs of semi-hero boots (resin/metal parts w/o electronics) and the 1 pair of hero boots with electronics. While it made sense that the foam boots be thrown away as they were made to be disposable after all the wear & tear, I had a hard time believing that the semi-hero & hero boots were discarded as well.

And I KNEW that the hero boots were not discarded after filming because I saw them on display at Disney-MGM Studios in the summer of '93. So what on earth happened to them? Since that day, I always speculated that they remained in Disney's possession because the studio has a strict tendency to archive most of their props, especially expensive hero props like the boots. So for the last 20 years I had imagined that they were boxed up and hidden away in the warehouse from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Until 2 weeks ago.

As fate would have it, I received an email from a very generous individual who came across the site here and said that he had found two Stomper Boots in a friend's basement in Hollywood. The boots were both made out of resin & metal parts, functional pistons, and yes, one of them had an electronic light bar across the front of the boot.

Unfortunately, both boots are in poor condition, but this really is a momentous occasion! After 20 years of speculation, we now know where one of the real hero boots is and I am eternally grateful to the former owner that they reached out to me so I could add them to the prop archive.

I'll elaborate on these more later, but for now, enjoy the photos! And yes, I am already looking into have the hero boot restored.

[billbot85]

Wow, what an amazing find MovieMaker!! Thanks for posting! It's so cool to see the actual boot that was used for the flying stunts. To me, this boot seems to be in really good condition despite its age! I'm guessing those wires attached were for the boot lighting up and to trigger the hydraulic action?

[moviemaker29]

Thanks billbot! I realize that I have come across as a little too "boot happy" especially with most of my recent updates involving the Stomper Boots - at this point I imagine people are bored with more boots turning up, however I do find this particular find to be rather impressive since we never knew what happened to the hero boots. At least I now know where one of them is...God only knows what happened to the other one.

To answer your question about the wiring, yes all of that was used to power the light bar and the hydraulics.

In regards to the condition, although it doesn't appear to be too bad from the photos, it does indeed have a number of issues that I just cannot ignore and will need to address as part of a restoration. There are a few parts such as the main foot cover and the cartridge chamber that have broken off from the boot and are loose. The only reason the cartridge chamber is still suspended from the back is because it is attached to the back with a metal cable. Which brings up an interesting revelation about this boot... it is a VERY complex prop; probably one of the most complex props I have ever seen. I had no idea that these boots were this complexly built.

I had always thought that the cartridge chamber was just mounted to the back of the boot as a static element since it served no functional purpose, but that is not the case in the slightest. The cartridge chamber is actually attached to the boot by a lever that pivots up and down and also has a metal cable running from the back of the chamber down into the boot, behind the foam calve padding and into a base plate mechanism located inside the heel of the boot. Due to the current condition of this thing, I haven't tried stepping on the mechanism to see exactly how it works, but it appears that when everything is working properly, this mechanism raises up the light bar cover when pressure is not applied to the lever inside the boot. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone.

The paint on the boot is not terrible, but you can see that it has a number of chips and scrapes that would look better if touched up. However, yes, the paint is still pretty decent in some spots and it has maintained a little bit of its original sheen over the years. The foam padding needs to be fixed and the restoration company I am talking to has a lot of experience repairing damaged foam, so this can be fixed.

Honestly, the most time-intensive issues that need to be repaired involve missing pieces that will need to be sculpted from scratch. The most obvious missing component is the Thwomp logo on the front of the boot. That will probably be the toughest piece to replicate, but I think it is still very manageable, especially since we have plenty of reference material. An interesting note about that logo is that I never realized that the logo actually was split horizontally across the middle so the two halves would separate when the hydraulics were actuated and the boot was lifted up. I find that to be an incredibly fun little feature as it mimics the way the Thwomps slam into the ground in the game whenever the boots are lowered. Speaking of the Thwomp logo, one nice thing about this hero boot vs. the foam boots is that because nearly everything is resin and metal, the Thwomp logo on the bottom of the sole is in perfect condition. I forgot to take photos of that... I'll need to do that.

Overall though, I am thrilled with this boot and am very anxious to find out how much it will be to restore it. There is a lot of controversy in the prop collecting world about if original props should be restored or not and a lot of it has to do with the materials the prop is made from and being able to extend its lifespan. A part of me feels like this boot should be left alone as the paint is not completely horrible, however another part of me wants it to look new again as I remember it as a kid. However, aesthetics aside, I absolutely feel portions of it need to be restored so that all of its components are intact again and it is not as fragile. Surprisingly, even though this is made from stronger materials than the foam boots were, in its current state, it is more fragile than the foam boots I have. It is not an easy piece to move around, especially with the bundle of cables running off of it. Believe it or not, this boot weighs over 20 lbs! It's no wonder they needed the foam boots!

But as a piece that was designed for close ups and to look really damn cool, this thing accomplished that in spades! It is no surprise that this became the most iconic element of the film!

[billbot85]

Wow, that was quite an inside scoop on this prop. Thanks for the info! I love the fact that you find these awesome props, I'm not tired of the boots at all. I didn't know that the boot needed that much work to be done on it. Overall, it seems to have held fairly well for its age. Too bad there wasn't a bullet bill in the cartridge chamber as a little surprise. That thing really weighs over 20 pounds???? No wonder they had the foam boots as well. I personally think you should try and restore it, and do the boot some justice. I can see how some collectors out there may want to keep props as is, but seeing this baby restored would look so incredibly awesome for the website, and would also be great to display for a future screening event.

Once again, amazing find Moviemaker! Let us know if you decide to restore the boot or not. I hope to find something neat for the site soon as well.

[moviemaker29]

Thanks very much for the kind words! I'm glad to hear that at least not everyone is burnt out of seeing the boots yet. I also really appreciate your thoughts on if it should be restored or not. I am going to be getting a quote soon on having it properly restored so we'll see what all will be involved. Personally, I'd like to see it put back together in one, complete piece.

It would have indeed been cool to find a Bullet Bill inside the tube but no luck. However I did try putting the one I have in there and it fits nicely. It's a snug fit but not too tight.

I look forward to seeing whatever item you're trying to acquire. I am definitely intrigued!

[Redstar]

I love the business card find! One of my favorite aspects of the production is just how detailed the world they created became, from the storefronts to little props like this. I certainly never would have expected a business card for a momentary scene to be made!

The hero boots discovery is also amazing. They're simply an iconic element of the film, so I would never get tired of them. Keep on digging! You're an admirable member of our community to keep up the hunt.

[moviemaker29]

Well, as of today the hero Stomper Boot has officially begun the journey down the road to restoration as I shipped it off to New York. The boot will be restored by the remarkably talented Mr. Tom Spina and his fantastic team at Tom Spina Designs in Long Island, NY. I expect the restoration to be at least a month-long process and there is currently no hard deadline for completion. The important factor is that it is restored well and right, both of which the Spina Design team is more than capable of handling. These folks are the Navy SEALs of prop restoration!

So sit back, relax, and be sure to check out Tom's FB page and website as the restoration process is documented over the next couple of months.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/TomSpinaDesigns

http://www.tomspinadesigns.com/home-and-news.html