Mario Ice Capades

A scene from the show, showing the Koopa Army coming on stage.

Mario Ice Capades is a Mario Ice Capades special. It was seen on television on Thursday, December 7, 1989 on ABC. The show starts out by some people playing Super Mario Bros. while Jason Bateman, "Video Prince", tells the plot of the game to Alyssa Milano, who has never played any video games. Suddenly, the television screen starts to glitch, and King Koopa (played by Christopher Hewett) appears on the screen. The rest of the show then takes place inside the game (the background of the stage has props with pixelated clouds, coins, and castles).

King Koopa, while riding a moving fort, explains that a NES can be used to infect computers with viruses, and that is just the thing he is going to do. Koopa then calls out two green Koopas, two Goombas, one Hammer Bro., one red Paratroopa, and a Spiny. King Koopa then sings a song about his diabolical nature, riding his moving fort while the Koopa Troop dances around him.

Princess Toadstool calls Mario and Luigi, who literally appear out of the sky, so they can help her. The princess helps the brothers by sneaking kids from the audience on carts while carrying plumber tools. One of the kids gives Luigi some type of weapon that shoots fire. Koopa sends out all of his troops, only to be defeated by the weapon. Koopa then goes to fight the brothers and the children while riding on his fort; however, the children surround Koopa and attack him with the plumber tools. Koopa is then defeated, and the children are returned to the audience.

Princess Toadstool then congratulates the brothers and gives them the "Purple Plunger for Bravery". The show returns to the Earth, where Alyssa says that she beat the game.

Trivia

• Bowser is only referred to as Bowser in the beginning of the show but is called King Koopa from then on.
• The Purple Plunger Awards that Mario and Luigi receive are based on Purple Hearts, an award in the military.