Giant Super Mario emerges from big pile of snow in Caraquet

When the snowbanks in Caraquet got too high for Jean Pascal Brideau, he did something about it: he began sculpting colourful characters from movies and video games.

The artistic barista started this winter entertainment last year, creating the quirky yellow Minions from the hit movie franchise Despicable Me.

"The kids liked it," Brideau told Shift NB. "The neighbours liked it."

Brideau uses his snowblower to build the snow pile, then lets the snow sit for two or three days. He begins to sculpt with a chain saw, and once that's finished, adds the colour with diluted dollar store paint. 

This year, Brideau created a Super Mario sculpture that stands 11 feet (about 3.3 metres) tall. It took him about 20 hours.

The inspiration came from playing the 1985 classic Super Mario video game with his family. He says it's a great way to spend time with them.

"They are pretty amazed by what I can do," he said.

He even made one of the character Tow Mater from the movie Cars. 

Brideau, a barista at Grains de folie, describes himself as artistic.

"Often people from all over New Brunswick want me to make their coffee because they want me to draw something," he said.

Brideau can make anything from a bird to a lobster in a coffee.

He said he takes pictures of his sculptures to keep the memory alive even after they melt in the spring.