The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handhelds and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
As every successful endeavor requires an unexceptionable sequel, we've created just that with this installment of The DS Life! We're revisiting last week's theme of "Dear Santa" notes, promising a production packed with more laughs, more special effects, and most importantly, more letters. We actually can't guarantee those first two points, but we're almost absolutely sure we'll deliver on that third one!
To streamline the gift-wishing process, the kindergarteners at Buckeye Valley North Elementary were provided with crayons and a simple form to illustrate their hearts' desires. What follows are a few of the results from the school's "Dear Santa" project.
eBay seller viper640_0 (who hails from POWER SELLER VILLAGE, apparently, which is near A+++ town), has posted two custom DS Lite paint jobs featuring those wily Pokémon. Rather than going on at length about these hot little numbers, we'll let viper640_0 tell you all about them:
Dont pay 350.00 or more for Pokémon Diamond & Pearl DS-Lite when you can have this one and save 100.00 or more. (Well, tell us more!)
Note: there are some small imperfections in the clear coat. but this is still an awsome work of art!!! (Hmm, the number of exclamation points raise suspicion.)
I took a Crimson Red & Black ds -lite and made it 200% better (Well, it's certainly de-seniored, at least.)
This DS-Lite is awsome in every way. (But will it wash the car? That would be pretty awesome.)
There's another custom job up for auction as well -- another retooled Crimson and Black Lite -- that is Poké-free. At least, we think so. It's hard to tell exactly what that is. We are, however, sure that it would be just perfect for that "birthday Girl or Boy."
Read - Diamond & Pearl Lite
Read - Pink Pikachu Lite
A French street artist known as Space Invader created this brilliant piece for an exhibit called "The Streets of Europe." We're sure you recognize these troublesome ghosts from the Pac-Man franchise, which were made so retroliciously from Rubik's Cubes. The concept is so simple yet brilliant that we can't help but be awed.
If you should feel so inclined to see this work of art in person, head to the Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York City during the month of December.
Is there some kind of link between Mario and the building trade that, until now, we were blissfully unaware of? It seems that way. After all, what else could explain the mustachioed one's recent appearance on a classic builder's white van, or more recently on this bag of cement mix?
This was spotted in Spain by Go Nintendo reader Pedro, who dutifully snapped it and sent it to the site. We suspect Nintendo has released the lawyers from their cages already. They can smell blood from a whole continent away, you know.
You know what your Christmas tree needs? More tongue -- and by that, we mean more Yoshi. Luckily, poorlulu of Etsy has your back; you can get all the ornamental wool tongue Yoshi that you need ... or even a Mario, if you so prefer.
We do not, however, recommend that you lick or otherwise ingest the Yoshi. Wool just does not go down well.
Using the official Capcom Phoenix Wright and Edgeworth papercrafts as a template, some brilliant artist has expanded the Phoenix Wright papercraft universe with spot-on Damon Gant and Prosecutor Godot figures. Every detail is perfect, down to Gant's weird gloves (for which he is named) and Godot's ubiquitous coffee mug (Phoenix Wright 3 spoiler: Godot enjoys coffee).
It is officially time for this genius to go papercraft crazy and make templates for every character in the Ace Attorney universe, as well as a courtroom set. You know, so we can play with them display authentic recreations of our favorite scenes. Since all that ever happens is talking and pointing, these would be perfect.
Marcelo Perfetti and Martin Urrutia's production is an imaginative display of how a stylus-supported version of Super Mario Bros. would play on the Nintendo DS. This paper-powered approximation of the NES classic's first level even comes complete with a tinny version of the Overworld theme! That creative bit with the flag at the end is extra charming, snuck in with a wink.
Why can't more kids use up their near-limitless amounts of free time to entertain us with these homemade picture shows? Now, if only they had gone the extra mile and flicked a lighter underneath the screen to burn in some fireworks ...
Try making a Mega Man boss select screen in latch-hook. None of Dr. Wily's castles can compare to the endless hand-cramping nightmare of trying knots in canvas with a byzantine hook contraption. The end result is one of the coziest level menus we've seen, so we suppose the work is justified (especially since it's not our work.)
The work actually represents a melange of Robot Masters from Mega Mans 2-4, with portrait borders from Mega Man 3. It was completed by Craftster user obesolete (whose Punch-Out cross-stitch was featured on Wii Fanboy) and her boyfriend. We hope their hands have recovered sufficiently to allow them to play Mega Man again.
More tiny Mario characters made out of clay, with loops jammed in the top! For attaching to things! The last set was identified as charms, while these are ornaments. That's totally different, right? Actually, it is, because these numerous Mario series characters are made for hanging on a tree -- perhaps a holiday-related indoor tree.
If we had the time, Sculpey, and talent, we'd do this ourselves so we could remove the family memories and appropriate holiday-themed baubles with which we've decked out our own Christmas tree, and replace them with more Nintendo stuff. The Christmas tree is the one area that's not completely Nintendo-saturated yet (now that we've had that Clu Clu Land mural painted on the front of the oven.)
Many of the modded DS consoles we've posted about in the past have reallyknockedoursocksoff. But they don't all turn out so peachy. Sporting a truly appalling sketch of Suigintou from the popular manga Rozen Maiden, this poor, defenseless handheld is at the other end of the spectrum. And by that, we mean almost dropping off the other end. Seriously, we're not even sure if this level of DS abuse is legal in some parts of the world.
In case you were wondering, it's the work of one "Gto46492004," and is currently up for auction over at Yahoo Japan (where, bafflingly, somebody has placed a high bid of ¥17,500, the equivalent of $160). Clearly, console modding comes to the guy about as easily as counting backwards comes to Tara Reid. Somebody really needs to share this information with him, before any more DSes are harmed.
As a bonus item, Japanese retailer Sofmap is including a collectors' edition box with copies of Izuna 2. The box features artwork of scantily-clad Izuna and Shino relaxing at an onsen, and is designed to mirror the appearance of PC eroge (hentai games.) No, Izuna 2 isn't a hentai game. But it does star female characters with whom plenty of otaku are no doubt obsessed.
Publisher Success is partly making fun of eroge, we think, and simultaneously serving and mocking any prurient interest in their characters. Can you imagine an American game made to look like pornography for the purpose of sales? But it's different in Akihabara, where apparently you wouldn't want to be caught dead buying just a DS game and no porn.
Craftster pixidance may not have been entirely happy with these little clay charms, but we sure are. Each charm is only about half an inch in diameter, which means pixidance might want to attach them to something before they roll away and disappear forever into the dark realm of the couch or something.
Bob-ombs have been popular over there lately, but who can blame Nintendo crafters? They're just so explosive.
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handhelds and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.
Watching too much television ruined the surprise and magic of St. Nick for me. Though I'm not sure which exact program it was that unbagged the Christmas cat, it's kind of hard for a pragmatic kid to not figure out the great conspiracy on his or her own, given enough time to think about the inconsistencies. That didn't stop me from writing my wishlist to Santa every year, though, as I was still too young to break the fashionable habit.
But since I knew the letters would always find their way to my mother's hands no matter what North Pole address I scribbled on the envelope, I only asked for trivial things, G.I. Joe figures and NES games, instead of the impossibilities I prayed for every night, the pitiful petitions that served no good to ask out loud -- a girlfriend to hold hands with at school, a father who'd come back home to us after years of estrangement, or a home that wasn't a cramped apartment in dirty, dilapidated downtown Detroit.
So, that was my "Dear Santa" experience. If you need something to lift you up out of the depressive state I've put you in, read on for a much more cheerful (and adorable) letter.
Still on the fence about homebrew? This demonstration of what is possible with the homebrew drawing program Colors! will boot you off the fence and send you shopping for an R4. All you need to create gorgeous watercolor-looking portraits like this one is homebrew capability, the Colors! program, and to be Joe Quinones. Which, unfortunately, you aren't. Unless you are, in which case you've already seen these. In addition to this portrait, he painted a lovely Princess Leia portrait that we think would be quite an achievement even if it hadn't been made with a DS. It proves that Star Wars fan works don't necessarily have to be embarrassing for everyone involved or watching. [Thanks, Jason!]
Our Etch A Sketch skillz are limited to jagged representations of dogs with different length legs and houses with no windows, so our only response to this depiction of Mario by the Etch-a-Sketchist is one of hushed awe.
If we could manipulate aluminum filings with such faultless precision, the very last thing we'd think about would be erasing this. Heck, we'd be hanging the damn thing on our wall.
Is there some kind of link between 
Craftster pixidance may not have been entirely happy with these little clay charms, but we sure are. Each charm is only about half an inch in diameter, which means pixidance might want to attach them to something before they roll away and disappear forever into the dark realm of the couch or something.
