Making cute bento boxes is an artform in Japan and parents do like making lunches for their children as nice as possible. Mario is a popular theme.
Takes 2 hours to make and 3 minutes to eat Way better than the unidentifiable lump of brown matter at the cafeteria for sure. 10 years of boarding school, I know what I am talking about...
I find it a bit creepy... I mean the kids will be picking Mario's face and Toad's too with chopsticks... Poor Mario. I don't like to eat any sort of anthropomorphic food.