The surprise announcement of Smash Bros. fanart. The art, drawn by Nickelodeon storyboard artists, was originally part of an in-house Smash Bros. tournament. Now, it's seeing a revival as an oddly prophetic image.
Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl was revealed rather suddenly and quickly took the internet by storm. The game is obviously influenced by Nintendo's crossover fighting series, Super Smash Bros. Instead of video game characters, All-Stars Brawl uses characters from Nickelodeon cartoons both past and present. Smash fans made no shortage of memes and inside jokes, comparing the two titles and the infamous Smash Bros. competitive scene.
As pointed out by Nickelodeon has crossed over with Smash Bros. In 2019, Nickelodeon storyboard artists Tim Prendergast and Kurt Synder drew a parody of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate box art. The art replaced the Nintendo and third-party characters with characters from Nickelodeon shows. The art was made as part of the annual Nickelodeon Animation Smash Bros. Tournament. While the game's development team was undoubtedly in with the animation department, it seems unlikely that these two artists would have been in the loop. It's also not known how long Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl was in development. However, Prendergast has retweeted the game's announcement and liked several memes on the topic, but neither is enough to confirm his involvement.
The art itself uses both familiar Nicktoons characters and a few more obscure faces. SpongeBob as Mario is fairly expected, but who could have predicted ChalkZone's Snap as Mr. Game and Watch? Other mashups lean into the two characters' similar personalities or abilities. For example, My Life As a Teenage Robot's Jenny takes on the role of Mega Man. Manny Rivera from El Tigre is dressed up as Incineroar. Zim and his robot sidekick GIR appear as Olimar and his Pikmin. Perhaps the most fitting is CatDog as the Ice Climbers (or Angry Beavers' Norbert as Sonic the Hedgehog).
Whether a piece of intentional foreshadowing or not, the art is still a fantastic tribute to both Nicktoons history and Nintendo's fighting franchise. All-Stars Brawl is not the most original concept, but fans are excited to see just how it measures up to its inspiration. Although nothing will sur Bubble Bass as King K. Rool or Nigel Thornberry as Wario. Both of those are untouchable.
Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl releases fall 2021 for Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation.
Source: Oh Boy 3 AM/Twitter, Tim Pendergast/Twitter