Inspector Gadget

"Gadget" redirects here. For the toys found in Mario Party Advance, see Gaddget.

Inspector Gadget
Species	Cyborg/Human
First appearance	Inspector Gadget (1982, Inspector Gadget franchise) The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - "Defective Gadgetry" (1989, Super Mario-related media)
Latest appearance	Inspector Gadget (2015, Inspector Gadget franchise) The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - "Treasure of the Sierra Brooklyn" (1989, Super Mario-related media)
Portrayed by	Maurice LaMarche (1989, Super Mario-related media)

Inspector Gadget, also known simply as Inspector or Gadget (real name Augustin Tamare according to French press materials for his home series), is a bumbling detective cyborg who has starred in many animated TV series, specials, and two live-action films. He is well-known for the fact that his mechanical body contains a huge variety of gadgets, most of which are activated by him saying "Go-Go-Gadget-(name of gadget)". Inspector Gadget appeared as a guest star on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! on two occasions.

DIC Entertainment produced the 1983 animated Inspector Gadget series, and has used the character as the company mascot. As such, an animated version of Inspector Gadget is featured in the menu of the Mario's Greatest Movie Moments DVD, where he explains how to use the menu's various options.

History

"Bats in the Basement"

Inspector Gadget is first mentioned by Luigi in the live-action segment "Bats in the Basement" when he and Mario are discussing how odd Count Zoltan Dracula is. Mario mentions how odd it is that Count Zoltan sleeps all day, which Luigi counters, saying that so does Mario, unless an Inspector Gadget marathon is on.

"Defective Gadgetry"

Inspector Gadget first appears in "Defective Gadgetry," where he arrives at Mario Brothers Plumbing in need of repairs. It is his first live-action appearance, predating the film by ten years. As he greets Mario, the two of them shake hands, only for Gadget to accidentally extend his gadget hammer in place of his hand. Mario pulls off the hammer and tells Inspector Gadget to return in an hour. Inspector Gadget replies that he has to stay while Mario and Luigi repair his gadgets, as he is awaiting an important phone call from the Chief. Gadget then answers the call on his top-secret gadget phone, and tells the Chief that he is on his way as soon as the Mario Bros. fix him up. As Gadget hangs up, the antenna on his phone breaks, prompting him to complain about falling to pieces.

Inspector Gadget waits patiently while Mario and Luigi repair his body. Despite what they claimed, Inspector Gadget's body is now in worse shape than when he had arrived, as it is in pieces all over the assembly table. Barely able to talk, Inspector Gadget asks Mario and Luigi how long the two of them had been working for Doctor Claw, his longtime arch-nemesis. Fortunately, Mario and Luigi are able to rebuild Inspector Gadget's body using some spare parts that Luigi picked up. Treating Inspector Gadget as if he was a car, Luigi treats him to a bench check, reporting that his RPM is up by 3000, his oil is clean, and that he has to come back for a left foot alignment at around 3000 miles. Mario then presents Gadget with a thirty-day parts-and-labor warranty, and warns him not to run over any nails.

As he prepares to write out a check, Inspector Gadget asks Luigi where he got his spare parts; Luigi replies that they are from a nearby novelty store. Inspector Gadget realizes what this means, and when he stands up, his hands droop down from his arms on springs. Gadget sarcastically thanks the Mario Bros. for their "work," and vows to leave before they can try and help him again. As Gadget steps outside, he accidentally activates his rocket shoes, which were wrongly hooked up by Mario and Luigi, and goes crashing outside Mario Brothers Plumbing.

"Treasure of the Sierra Brooklyn"

Inspector Gadget later appears in "Treasure of the Sierra Brooklyn," who is called by Mario and Luigi when they find what they believe to be a treasure map they found in their apartment. He responds by telling them he will be over to give them a hand, and when he arrives, his hand involuntary extends out of his arm, confusing Mario and Luigi as the show fades to the commercial break.

The show fades to Inspector Gadget shouting at his hand, holding a hammer, to work, but it fails to respond, and he starts hitting it. Luigi asks if he can help, but Gadget ask him to step back. Before he can finish his thought, the hammer "activates" and promptly hits Luigi in the face. He apologizes and then begins demolishing part of their wall, with Mario congratulating Luigi for seemingly fixing his hammer. Gadget turns to another wall and attempts to hit it, but the scarecrow comes to life and hurriedly tells them that there is not treasure next to him. He then continues down and tries to demolish that part, but the CooKoo Bird pops out, shouting him to stop and to leave. Mario begins to doubt that Inspector Gadget can help them find their "buried treasure" saying that they "should have left him in the cartoon."

Mario, Luigi, and Gadget then begin following the directions on the map again. Gadget takes three steps and Mario suggests that the treasure could be unders his feet. He tries to check by lifting up a chair, but he ends up lifting it with such force that he tumbles into the floor and creates a hole. Gadget apologizes, saying that sometimes he does not know the strength of his own gadgets, though Mario does not mind, saying that they now have a shortcut to the sewer. Luigi enters the hole and retrieves what he believes to be the treasure, to which Mario responds that it is actually the electrical box. Gadget then looks at the map himself, and exclaims that it is actually the wiring diagram for the basement. Luigi, not hearing him, then pulls out some wires. As Gadget reads the warning on the wires that says to not removes them, otherwise all the power in Brooklyn will go out, all of the lights go out.

Gallery

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  Inspector Gadget helping Mario and Luigi in "Treasure of the Sierra Brooklyn"

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  Inspector Gadget as he appears on the Mario's Greatest Movie Moments DVD menu

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
German	Inspektor Gadget	Inspector Gadget
Portuguese	Inspetor Gadget	Inspector Gadget
Russian	Инспектор Гаджет Inspektor Gadžet	Inspector Gadget

Trivia

• Maurice LaMarche, the actor who portrayed Inspector Gadget on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, would later go on to take over the role of voicing him from the late Don Adams several years later, following Don Adams' retirement from the role. LaMarche has voiced several other DIC Entertainment characters including the Oracle of Delphius, Uncle Chuck and Sleet in Sonic Underground.
  • According to LaMarche, Adams was actually approached to portray the character but he declined and instead recommended LaMarche for the role.