Mario Petitions Mayor for Walk of Fame Star

An unusual spectacle has occurred in Hollywood, as Mario (or at least a man wearing a Mario suit), was accompanied by a supportive throng in delivering a petition to the honorary Mayor of Hollywood requesting a star on the Walk of Fame. The Walk of Fame, begun in 1960 with a star for Joanne Woodward, currently encompasses representatives from film, recording, radio, TV, and theater; the petition presented by 'Mario' and officially supported by his associates at Nintendo requests that Interactive Entertainment be added to the list of categories eligible for a star along Hollywood Boulevard. The online petition amassed more than 3,300 signatures from around the world. Explaining the need for an Interactive Entertainment category on the Walk of Fame, Nintendo representative George Harrison commented stridently: "Video games are a huge part of the entertainment industry. Revenues from the video game industry routinely equal or top revenues from the film industry's U.S. box office. That's how big we are." Harrison did not go into detail, however, on the relevance of games to Hollywood in meriting this inclusion, or mention the San Francisco-based Walk Of Game, which recently awarded one of its first stars to Mario.