Down the Tubes

Key Points:

• Kim Alswager, a choir director from St. Paul, Minnesota, made her New York Times crossword debut with a vibrant, theme-rich puzzle inspired by the 40-year-old video game franchise, Super Mario.
• The puzzle features a unique grid design where nearly all black squares are replaced by brick wall sections, with three gold squares containing white question marks and two large green pipes entering from the grid's edges, aligning with the puzzle's title, "Down the Tubes."
• Theme entries spread throughout the puzzle provide clues related to the Super Mario universe, including characters like Yoshi, which helped solvers identify the theme despite some initial mystery.
• The puzzle's extensive themed content occupies significant grid space, with specific clues and a revealer entry (41-Down) that highlights the puzzle’s hero, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
• Will Shortz praised the puzzle for its exuberant presentation and noted Alswager’s shift from casual puzzling during a flight in 2024 to dedicating most of her free time to constructing crosswords.