Perched above a storefront in Lyon, France, street artist In The Woup carefully positions a mosaic of a pixelated character resembling Mario, the famous mustachioed plumber who has inspired more than 200 of his artworks scattered throughout streets worldwide. The self-taught mosaic artist, who refuses to be known by anything other than his pseudonym, grew up with the red-capped character whose video game "Super Mario Bros." is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

For the past 15 years, In The Woup has been reimagining the pixelated universe of this globally recognizable "icon," spreading his creations across French cities and internationally to Mexico, India, Kazakhstan, and beyond. "What if Mario had other costumes? What might he look like?" asks In The Woup, his face hidden behind a mask featuring the Italian plumber to maintain his anonymity.

The father has already created pixelated versions of 500 characters "from manga, comic books, video games, cinema, and current events," including the Mona Lisa, the pirate Redbeard from the Asterix comic series, rapper Orelsan, and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. He has subtly placed half of these creations into urban landscapes, reminding passersby of the nostalgia of early Mario video games – his personal "Proust's madeleine." Born five years after Mario's first screen appearance in 1981 as "Jumpman," the artist recalls childhood battles with his brother over the game controller.

"Finding elements from my game console in the street was a way to bring immaterial things into reality," explains the artist, who proudly notes that 224 of his works now adorn corners of 56 cities across 12 countries. "Wherever I travel, I always bring mosaics with me," says the thirty-something artist, who maintains a primary job – which he preferred not to specify – alongside his art. When the Lyon-based artist doesn't pack his colorful tiles in his suitcase, he sells his works for "several thousand euros." He also collaborates with municipalities and recently exhibited his work at the Urban Art Fair, the first international fair dedicated to urban art.

His recipe involves a masterful blend of 16-bit technology, used starting with "Super Mario World" in the 1990s – highly pixelated – and the world of "Franco-Belgian comics, American comics, manga, and video games." "The two universes must be perfectly blended in my view," In The Woup explains from his cramped home studio, where Briare enamels – his primary mosaic material – are stacked throughout the small space.

After designing his pattern using a stylus on a tablet, he transposes the image by meticulously aligning colored tiles, transitioning from "pixel artist" to "mosaic artist." This time, he's featuring DJ Bob Sinclar, whom he "really likes," or rather his character – complete with beard, headphones, and hands on turntables. After applying glue strokes to the back of the artwork on a Lyon street and carefully positioning it at the top of a ladder, the figure adorns the black storefront of music label UML Records.

The setting, as always, is carefully chosen. However, he doesn't seek prior approval from property owners, as In The Woup is "not the type to prepare too many things in advance." "Generally, they say yes," because "people really like street art and mosaics," which transform streets into "open-air galleries," he believes. The art charms all generations – 85-year-old Jacqueline Fendler came down from her apartment to admire the new mosaic after spotting it from her window. She finds it "wonderful" and quickly takes a photo with the artist, who puts his Mario mask back on to hide his face.

"All kinds of different people write to me," he observes. "Everyone has played Mario, whether you're broke or loaded – that's what's awesome about it." Through his unique blend of gaming nostalgia and urban artistry, In The Woup continues to bridge the gap between digital memories and physical spaces, creating unexpected moments of joy for people of all backgrounds who encounter his pixelated tributes in cities around the world.