Posterchild (street artist)

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Mario block with coins

Posterchild is the nom de plume of a street artist based in Toronto, Canada who is best known for his Mario Blocks project, the purpose of which is to install homemade Mario blocks in public spaces. After being featured on Boing Boing the project has expanded as others have made and hung their own blocks.

Currently Posterchild also runs his own website, called Posterchilds Blade Diary. The term comes from the fact that graffiti stencils are cut using a blade. According to the artist, "I'm not writing this diary with a pen -- I'm using a blade to make my mark."^[1] The website features new artwork every weekday, typically a stencil. Usually there is a description of the inspiration for the piece written in the style of a blog. The website also features a large collection of photos of Posterchild's work, including sticker art, poster art, and various other creative forms of street art. There are also tutorials on how to create various types of street art.

Recently, Some of Posterchild's artwork -- a series of stencils of a Betsy McCall paper doll and her dresses -- was featured on the front page of the fashion section of The Toronto Star; the artwork was unsigned, which is typical of street art.^[2]

Starting in November, 2006, a store was added to the Blade Diary. Merchandise featuring the artist's stencils including t-shirts and hoodies are available. Additionally, Posterchild has begun selling canvass paintings made from his stencils on ebay.