World record Mario hug planned for Australia

Nintendo Australia has taken a somewhat different approach to marketing today, announcing its plans to celebrate the release of Super Mario Galaxy 2 down under with a hugging competition in Melbourne next week.

The publisher hopes to beat the current world record for the most hugs by a mascot character in 20 minutes by asking as many people as possible to hug Mario during the game's launch at the Swanston Street EB Games on July 1.

The current world record for most hugs by a mascot is held by 51-year-old Jeff Ondash from Ohio, US, who hugged 7,777 people in a 24-hour period outside the Paris Las Vegas casino in February this year. In order to beat this record, Mario will have to hug more than 108 people in 20 minutes.

To encourage huggers, Nintendo will give everyone who attends the launch a personalised photo of the occasion, as well as hands-on time with Super Mario Galaxy 2. In addition, every person who purchases or collects a preorder copy of the game from the Swanston Street EB store between 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on the day will go in the running to win a signed copy of Super Mario Galaxy 2 by Shigeru Miyamoto.

There will also be giveaways for the best dressed, as well as competitions throughout the morning. If you'd like to go along and give Mario a big ol' hug, make sure you arrive at the EB Games store on Swanston Street, Melbourne, at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 1.