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[[Image:Milli vanilla.jpg|thumb|'''Milli Vanilli''' members Rob Pilatus (left) and Fab Morvan.]]
{{group infobox
'''[[Wikipedia:Milli Vanilli|Milli Vanilli]]''' was a band consisting of '''[[Wikipedia:Rob Pilatus|Rob Pilatus]]''' (May 14, 1966 – April 2, 1998) and '''[[Wikipedia:Fab Morvan|Fab Morvan]]''' (June 8, 1965 – ). They are apparently [[Princess Toadstool]]'s favorite rock band.
|image=[[File:Milli Vanilli.png|200px]]<br>Milli Vanilli members Rob Pilatus (left) and Fab Morvan (right)
|first_appearance=''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' ("[[Kootie Pie Rocks]]") (1990)
|species=Humans
}}
'''{{wp|Milli Vanilli}}''' was a German-French R&B duo consisting of '''{{wp|Rob Pilatus}}''' (June 8, 1965 &ndash; April 2, 1998) and '''{{wp|Fab Morvan}}''' (born May 14, 1966). The band appears as a guest star in ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' episode "[[Kootie Pie Rocks]]", voiced by their real selves. They are [[Princess Peach|Princess Toadstool]]'s favorite music group. Milli Vanilli are the only guest stars to appear in the show.


They appeared in ''[[The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3]]'' once, in the episode "[[Kootie Pie Rocks]]". In the episode, [[Cheatsy]] overhears the [[Mario]] Brothers talking about going to a rock concert with Princess Toadstool, for Milli Vanilli. Cheatsy made his way back to [[Bowser's Castle|Kastle Koopa]] and explained to [[Kootie Pie]] what the Mario Brothers intended to do. Kootie Pie was not pleased about the Princess getting something that she wasn't. In the middle of the band's concert, Cheatsy and [[Bowser|King Koopa]] appeared in their [[Airship|Doomship]] and kidnapped the two singers, then made their way back to Kastle Koopa. Kootie Pie wanted the two rock singers to sing for her but they refused. Kootie Pie was enraged, and she turned the two into accountants.
==History==
In the episode "Kootie Pie Rocks," [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]] go to [[Brooklyn]] with Princess Toadstool for a Milli Vanilli concert. [[Larry|Cheatsy Koopa]] overhears them talking about this and tells [[Wendy|Kootie Pie Koopa]] back at [[Bowser's Castle|Castle Koopa]], making her enraged that she cannot also go to the concert. In the middle of the band's concert, however, the [[Airship|Doom Ship]] arrives and [[Bowser|King Koopa]] kidnaps them. They are taken back to Castle Koopa, where Kootie Pie wants them to sing for her. The two refuse, which leads to Kootie Pie using her [[Magic Wand]] to turn them into accountants, and she tells them that they will be trapped in [[Dark Land]] forever unless they perform for her. When they try to escape, two [[Sledge Bro|Sledge Brothers]] block the exit. Kootie Pie then threatens to transform them again, but Milli Vanilli tell her that they cannot perform without a backup band.


Mario, [[Luigi]], the Princess, and [[Toad]] disguised themselves and helped Milli Vanilli escape from the castle, then returned them to their concert.
Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and [[Toad]] take advantage of this by disguising themselves as a band to sneak into Castle Koopa (with Milli Vanilli recognizing Toadstool from the audience at the concert), and they trick Kootie Pie into turning the band back to normal. When Milli Vanilli tries to perform with them, however, Mario and friends play cannot play their instruments, and everyone in the castle flees from the terrible music, allowing them to escape. Back at their proper concert in Brooklyn, Milli Vanilli dedicate their next song to Princess Toadstool.


Milli Vanilli was the only guest appearance on ''The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3''; whereas the preceding show, ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'', had several during the live-action segments.
==Controversy and episode edits==
Despite their popularity, Milli Vanilli attracted suspicions of {{wp|lip sync}}ing to vocals recorded by other singers, owed to Morvan and Pilatus' thick German speaking accents compared to their American-sounding singing voices. These rumors only grew after a notorious live performance where a guide vocal locked up mid-song (only two weeks after the initial airing of "Kootie Pie Rocks", and one week after the group won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best New Artist) and after producer {{wp|Frank Farian}} paid session singer {{wp|Charles Shaw (singer)|Charles Shaw}} to retract a statement claiming that he was one of the real vocalists in Milli Vanilli.<ref>{{cite|author=Fred Goodman & Roy Trakin|date=November 30, 1990|title=Artificial Vanilli|url=https://ew.com/article/1990/11/30/down-milli-vanilli/|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|language=English|accessdate=December 30, 2024|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506074027/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318744,00.html}}</ref> In November 1990, Farian confirmed Shaw's claims, stating that Morvan and Pilatus never recorded a single note on their studio recordings and that Shaw had actually sung together with {{wp|John Davis (singer)|John Davis}} and {{wp|Brad Howell}}. According to Farian, the deception was due to his belief that Morvan and Pilatus were more marketable than the participating trio.<ref>{{cite|author=Richard Harrington|date=November 16, 1990|title=Pop Duo Milli Vanilli Didn't Sing Hit Album|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/16/pop-duo-milli-vanilli-didnt-sing-hit-album/aee6720b-3459-40cd-8b52-1f1e387d337e/|publisher=The Washington Post|language=English|accessdate=July 14, 2024|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706045030/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/16/pop-duo-milli-vanilli-didnt-sing-hit-album/aee6720b-3459-40cd-8b52-1f1e387d337e/?utm_term=.1325383be065|archivedate=July 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite|author=Chuck Philips|date=November 21, 1990|title='We Sold Our Souls to the Devil' : In a Wide-Ranging Interview, the Duo Tell the Whole Story About What It Was Like to Live a Lie|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4670-story.html|publisher=Los Angeles Times|language=English|accessdate=July 14, 2024|archive=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705203237/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4670-story.html}}</ref> Morvan and Pilatus relinquished their Grammy in light of the confession, with conflicting accounts stating that they either returned it voluntarily or had it revoked. The band's US label, {{wp|Arista Records}}, additionally pulled their catalog from print and erased the master tapes that they possessed.


==Controversy==
In the wake of the scandal, subsequent airings of "Kootie Pie Rocks" cut their songs and replaced them with different instrumental music (the pair still move their lips while performing these songs in the re-releases, however, as the episodes were not reanimated to reflect the change), as well as cutting any references to Milli Vanilli throughout the episode. Milli Vanilli's song at the end of the episode was completely cut, without even an instrumental replacement.
Milli Vanilli was actually lip-syncers, and glitches in their equipment revealed this only two weeks after the initial airing of "Kootie Pie Rocks". Subesquent airings of the cartoon cut their songs and replaced them with different instrumental music. (Curiously, the pair still moved their lips while performing these wordless songs in the rereleases.) One of the episode's references to a Milli Vanilli song was also removed, and Milli Vanilli's song dedicated to Toadstool at the episode's end was completely cut, without even an instrumental replacement.


Though DVD releases of "Kootie Pie Rocks" generally censor the aforementioned Milli Vanilli references, the PAL "[[Do the Koopa]]" DVD retains Milli Vanilli's original songs if the language is switched to Dutch.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kootie_Pie_Rocks&diff=161068301&oldid=161068141 Wikipedia] (accessed on 4-20-08)</ref>
==Trivia==
*The name of the ''[[Mario Party 4]]'' minigame "[[Blame It on the Crane]]" is a pun on the name of the Milli Vanilli song "{{wp|Blame It on the Rain}}." It was later featured in ''[[Mario Party: The Top 100]]'' and ''[[Super Mario Party Jamboree]]''.


==References==
==References==
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{{The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3}}
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Latest revision as of 21:00, December 30, 2024

Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli in the "Kootie Pie Rocks" episode of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.
Milli Vanilli members Rob Pilatus (left) and Fab Morvan (right)
First appearance The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 ("Kootie Pie Rocks") (1990)
Species Humans

Milli Vanilli was a German-French R&B duo consisting of Rob Pilatus (June 8, 1965 – April 2, 1998) and Fab Morvan (born May 14, 1966). The band appears as a guest star in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Kootie Pie Rocks", voiced by their real selves. They are Princess Toadstool's favorite music group. Milli Vanilli are the only guest stars to appear in the show.

History[edit]

In the episode "Kootie Pie Rocks," Mario and Luigi go to Brooklyn with Princess Toadstool for a Milli Vanilli concert. Cheatsy Koopa overhears them talking about this and tells Kootie Pie Koopa back at Castle Koopa, making her enraged that she cannot also go to the concert. In the middle of the band's concert, however, the Doom Ship arrives and King Koopa kidnaps them. They are taken back to Castle Koopa, where Kootie Pie wants them to sing for her. The two refuse, which leads to Kootie Pie using her Magic Wand to turn them into accountants, and she tells them that they will be trapped in Dark Land forever unless they perform for her. When they try to escape, two Sledge Brothers block the exit. Kootie Pie then threatens to transform them again, but Milli Vanilli tell her that they cannot perform without a backup band.

Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad take advantage of this by disguising themselves as a band to sneak into Castle Koopa (with Milli Vanilli recognizing Toadstool from the audience at the concert), and they trick Kootie Pie into turning the band back to normal. When Milli Vanilli tries to perform with them, however, Mario and friends play cannot play their instruments, and everyone in the castle flees from the terrible music, allowing them to escape. Back at their proper concert in Brooklyn, Milli Vanilli dedicate their next song to Princess Toadstool.

Controversy and episode edits[edit]

Despite their popularity, Milli Vanilli attracted suspicions of lip syncing to vocals recorded by other singers, owed to Morvan and Pilatus' thick German speaking accents compared to their American-sounding singing voices. These rumors only grew after a notorious live performance where a guide vocal locked up mid-song (only two weeks after the initial airing of "Kootie Pie Rocks", and one week after the group won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best New Artist) and after producer Frank Farian paid session singer Charles Shaw to retract a statement claiming that he was one of the real vocalists in Milli Vanilli.[1] In November 1990, Farian confirmed Shaw's claims, stating that Morvan and Pilatus never recorded a single note on their studio recordings and that Shaw had actually sung together with John Davis and Brad Howell. According to Farian, the deception was due to his belief that Morvan and Pilatus were more marketable than the participating trio.[2][3] Morvan and Pilatus relinquished their Grammy in light of the confession, with conflicting accounts stating that they either returned it voluntarily or had it revoked. The band's US label, Arista Records, additionally pulled their catalog from print and erased the master tapes that they possessed.

In the wake of the scandal, subsequent airings of "Kootie Pie Rocks" cut their songs and replaced them with different instrumental music (the pair still move their lips while performing these songs in the re-releases, however, as the episodes were not reanimated to reflect the change), as well as cutting any references to Milli Vanilli throughout the episode. Milli Vanilli's song at the end of the episode was completely cut, without even an instrumental replacement.

Trivia[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Fred Goodman & Roy Trakin (November 30, 1990). Artificial Vanilli. Entertainment Weekly (English). Retrieved December 30, 2024. (Archived May 6, 2008, 07:40:27 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  2. ^ Richard Harrington (November 16, 1990). Pop Duo Milli Vanilli Didn't Sing Hit Album. The Washington Post (English). Retrieved July 14, 2024. (Archived July 6, 2019 via Wayback Machine.)
  3. ^ Chuck Philips (November 21, 1990). 'We Sold Our Souls to the Devil' : In a Wide-Ranging Interview, the Duo Tell the Whole Story About What It Was Like to Live a Lie. Los Angeles Times (English). Retrieved July 14, 2024. (Archived July 5, 2019, 20:32:37 UTC via Wayback Machine.)