Did you know? Nintendo ran a giveaway promising a role in the movie “The Mask 2” – and ended up giving the winner $5000

Can you imagine Nintendo giving away cash to a fan after a failed contest? Well, it actually happened, and the reason involves none other than Jim Carrey , the classic film The Mask , a sequel that was never made… and a boy who was just 12 years old. Get ready to learn about one of the most surreal and curious stories from the golden age of video games, which spans the pages of the legendary Nintendo Power magazine , a canceled film production and an unexpected prize that became a legend.

📚 An Unforgettable (But Ill-Fated) Competition

In October 1995, in issue 77 of Nintendo Power magazine — the official vehicle of Nintendo of America and sacred reading for gamers at the time — an unusual promotion was launched: the winner of the traditional Player’s Poll Contest would have the opportunity to be an extra in The Mask II , a sequel to the hit starring Jim Carrey.

For an audience that still lived without the internet and consumed all game information through magazines and promotional VHS, the idea seemed magical. But there was one detail that no one knew: the film was not even confirmed. And, when Jim Carrey refused to return to the role of Stanley Ipkiss , the project was put on indefinite hold.

The winner? A 12-year-old boy named Nathan Ryan Runk , from Arbutus, Maryland.

🎮 The Nathan Ryan Runk Story: From Dream to Check

In an interview with Destructoid , Nathan said that he rarely entered contests, but that he couldn’t resist when he saw Jim Carrey involved. After winning, he started receiving calls and letters from Nintendo with updates on the progress of the film’s production. The person in charge of keeping him informed? None other than Leslie Swan , then editor of Nintendo Power and future voice of Princess Peach in Super Mario 64 .

When it became clear that the film would not happen, Nintendo and distributor THQ took a rare but admirable step: they sent Nathan a formal apology along with a series of awards, including:

• An official jacket from the production team of The Mask II (now missing);
• Several Super Nintendo games, including The Mask itself ;
• And the most surprising thing: a check for $5,000 — the estimated value of the total package according to the contest rules.

Nathan also said that when he spoke to Nintendo staff on the phone, he was asked if there was anything else he wanted. Since he had just purchased a Nintendo 64, he asked for the game Pilotwings 64 — which arrived within a few days, along with the check. “It was the right decision!” he said.

🎥 What about the Movie?

The real The Mask II never happened. It wasn’t until 2005 that a sequel called Son of the Mask was released, without Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz or any of the actors from the original. The film was a critical and box office failure, and Nathan says that even if he had been offered the role in this film, he would still have preferred the $5,000.

🤫 Nintendo’s Silence

Interestingly, Nintendo kept the case under wraps for nearly two decades. It wasn’t until the final issue of Nintendo Power in 2012 (vol. 285) that the company published a brief apology in a discreet note on page 39. Nathan believes the company chose to do this to avoid the image that it had let its fans down — even though it had resolved the matter with great class.

“They didn’t want to look like they failed their fanbase. That could have called into question the credibility of the promotions, which would have been unfair. Nintendo has always had a reputation for being a good company, and that’s almost impossible to maintain,” Nathan explained to Destructoid.

🕹️ A Forgotten Chapter of the Nintendo Power Era

Today, Nathan lives a quiet life and still occasionally plays games like Mario Kart 8. He fondly remembers his time as a Nintendo Power subscriber, describing the magazine as a magical source of information in a pre-internet world. “It was like that store you used to love when you were a kid, but it eventually closed down. Today’s kids will never understand what it was like to wait a whole month for a new issue of the magazine and discover the secrets of the games.”

And he concludes poetically:
“One day, Power is over.”

🧠 When Nintendo Fails… But Gets It Right

The story of The Mask II ’s competition is both a planning error and a lesson in responsibility. It shows that even when plans don’t go as planned, a company can still honor its commitments in a creative and respectful way . Nathan didn’t become a movie star, but he did go down in video game lore as the kid who won $5,000 for a movie that never happened.

And you, would you have made the same choice? Or would you have waited for Hollywood’s call, even if The Mask had become a joke?

📌 Source cited: interview given by Nathan Ryan Runk to the Destructoid website on February 4, 2015.