3D-Printed Mario Question Box Spits Out Coins IRL

Have you ever played Super Mario Bros. and thought to yourself that it would be pretty neat if there were question marks in real life that you could just smack to get money? Well, maker Jonathan Whalen decided to do just that and built mini 3D-printed yellow cube that spews out $1 gold coins when tapped.

The device employs a small stepper motor to pull down a rubber band launching mechanism, using a gear with teeth on only part of its circumference. When it gets to the end of its gearing, the rubber band shoots a slide upwards, along with a coin resting on top which pops out of a slot. A second slot is used to load the box with coins, allowing up to three disk ejections in sequence.

Coin firing is controlled by an Arduino Nano, which starts the sequence after receiving input from a vibration sensor. 3D printing files that you’ll need to make this design along with Arduino code can be found on Thingiverse. If, however, you’d rather just buy one, he’s selling them on his Etsy store for $50, including a Mario coin model that you can use instead of actual US currency if you so prefer.