The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! was the first Mario television cartoon to be produced by DiC Entertainment, and the only one to be produced directly for syndication.

Each episode began with a live-action segment starring Mario (portrayed by WWF star Captain Lou Albano) and Luigi (Danny Wells) living in Brooklyn, where they would often be visited by a celebrity guest star at Mario Brothers Plumbing; a basement workshop which doubled as their home.

File:SMBSSIntro.jpg

Mario and Luigi, getting sucked down the warp drain in Brooklyn.

The live-action segment would be followed by a cartoon based on the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2 video games, where Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach (although she used the name Princess Toadstool, or usually just "The Princess"), and Toad would battle against Bowser (although he used the name King Koopa, or usually just Koopa) throughout the many lands of Mushroom World, often in a movie or historical parody. Mouser, Tryclyde and a single, unnamed Koopa Troopa often worked closely with King Koopa, serving as his henchmen. Getting into the spirit of these parodies, King Koopa usually had a different outfit for each one, and would take on a different alias to along with it. For example, in a riverboat-themed episode, King Koopa was "Captain Koopa", while in one of the western-themed episodes, he went by "Billy the Koopa". In many episodes, King Koopa's minions would dress up in outfits as well, to go along with Koopa's themed costumes.

Toad, Mario, Luigi and Princess Toadstool.

King Koopa and his Koopa Pack (Tryclyde, Koopa Troopa and Mouser).

Interestingly, Wart, the main antagonist of the second game, was never in any of the episodes, yet most of his minions managed to appear as members of the Koopa Pack. Like most 1980s cartoons, King Koopa would prolong the series' run by escaping from his adversaries (which he did through the use of Magic Potion), despite the fact that they could easily catch him.

The basis of the storyline (introduced at the beginning of every animated episode) was that Mario and Luigi were working on a bathtub drain which unknowingly was a warp zone to the Mushroom Kingdom, and Mario and Luigi had literally gone down the drain and ended up in the Mushroom Kingdom, by sheer coincidence causing problems for King Koopa and rescuing Toad and Princess Toadstool. Now that they were rescued, the focus for the Mario Brothers was to return to Brooklyn, while stopping King Koopa's tyranny whenever they could. Lou Albano and Danny Wells also voiced Mario and Luigi for the animated segment. It was never revealed if their live action sequences were a prequel to the animated series; or if they successfully returned to Brooklyn and resumed their duties in the plumbing business.

The live-action segment.

Following the cartoon was the third portion of the episode, which continued the story that the live-action segment set up in the beginning. Towards the end, the second live-action segment was interrupted with scenes from that week's upcoming episode of The Legend of Zelda.

The Super Mario Bros. cartoon was shown on Mondays through Thursdays only. On Fridays, the show would air The Legend of Zelda cartoons based on the game of the same name, in which Link and Princess Zelda fought against the forces of Ganon. The Zelda episodes were also accompanied by live-action segments, sans the Zelda preview.

The show later changed its name to Club Mario, replacing the live-action Mario segment with two completely different characters known as Tommy Treehugger and Co-M.C., with occasional appearances by Tammy Treehugger (Tommy's twin sister) and Evil Eric (Co-M.C.'s evil twin brother).

This show lasted from 1989 to 1990, and was available to watch from Yahooligans! TV starting in March, 2004, with a new episode usually uploaded every week. However, it was taken down along with all DiC Entertainment cartoons sometime in December 2005.

Cast

Regulars

• Lou Albano — Mario
• Danny Wells — Luigi
• Jeannie Elias — Princess Toadstool, Birdo, and Shy Guy
• John Stocker — Toad, Mouser, Koopa Troopa and Beezo
• Harvey Atkin — King Koopa and Tryclyde
• Robert Bockstael — (Additonal Voices)
• Dorian Joe Clark — (Additonal Voices)
• Rob Cowan — (Additonal Voices)
• Denise Pidgeon — (Additonal Voices)
• Paulina Gillis — (Additonal Voices)
• Greg Morton — (Additonal Voices)
• Joyce Gordon — (Additonal Voices)
• Greg Swanson — (Additonal Voices)
• Diane Fabian — (Additonal Voices)
• Marilyn Lightstone — (Additonal Voices)
• Marla Lukofsky — (Additonal Voices)

Guest Stars

• Nicole Eggert (herself)
• Danica McKellar (Patty)
• Karen Hartman (Patty's mother)
• Jim Ward (Patty's father)
• Sgt. Slaughter (himself)
• Joseph Griffo (small Mario)
• Lyle Alzado (himself)
• Eugene Liebowitz (Dr. Frankenstein)
• Craig Armstrong (Frankenstein's Monster)
• Larry Gelman (Dr. Sigmund Fruitcake)
• Jim Ward (Count Zoltan Dracula)
• Fred Travalena (Elvis Presley)
• Paul Elder (Alligator Dundee)
• Shabba-Doo (himself)
• Pam Matteson (Cher)
• Clare Carey (E.C.)
• David Horowitz (himself)
• Harry Blackstone Jr. (himself)
• Magic Johnson (himself)
• Pam Matteson (herself)
• Marty Allen (Imperial Poobah)
• Donna Douglas (Ellie Mae)
• Gary Schwartz (Dr. Toby)
• Patrick Dempsey (Plant Monster)
• Regina Williams (Susanna Ross)
• Phillip Clark (HAL 9001)
• Ed Metzger (Einstein)
• Vic Dunlop (Pietro)
• Nedra Volz (Angelica)
• Scott Nemes (Young McDonald)
• Rob Stone (himself)
• Kay Ballard (Madame Agogo)
• Brian Bonsall (himself)
• Craig Armstrong (gorilla)
• Ed Metzger (George Washington, Ralph Washington)
• Gary Schwartz (Inspector Klean)
• Larry Gelman (Vincent Van Gook)
• Sonny Trinidad (Obi-Wan Cannoli)
• Norman Fell (Ted Bull)
• Howard Stevens (himself)
• Jim Lange (himself)
• Gary Owens (The Wonderfully Wacky Willy White)
• Martin C. Gardner (Mikhail S. Gorvbachev)
• Melanie Chartoff (Tawny Tyler)
• Fred Travalena (Mr. Gibbel)
• Gary Schwartz (Doc Freud)
• Vicki Bakken (Queenie)
• Nedra Volz (Mrs. Periwinkle)
• Courtney Gibbs (Luigi's Girlfriend)
• Joe Bellan (Tommy Lasagna)
• Karen Hartman (Mrs. Gamliss)
• Vanna White (Roxanne)
• Rowdy Roddy Piper (himself)
• Kort Falkenberg (Nick)
• Cyndi Lauper (herself)
• Ernie Hudson (himself)
• Moon Unit Zappa (herself)
• Elvira (herself)
• Norman Fell (Fred Van Winkle)
• Willard E. Pugh (Little Robert)
• Paula Irvine (Mad Donna)
• Maurice LaMarche (Inspector Gadget)
• Elaine Kagan (The Old Psychic Lady with the Evil Eye Who Reads Fortunes and Knows Everything Before It Happens)
• Eve Plumb (Jodie)

Episodes

Note: The first titles are the cartoon segments. The second titles are the live-action segments.

Super Mario Bros. Episodes

1. The Bird! The Bird! Neatness Counts
2. King Mario of Cramalot / Day of the Orphan
3. Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid / All Steamed Up
4. Mario's Magic Carpet / Marianne and Luigeena
5. Rolling Down the River / The Mario Monster Mash
6. The Great Gladiator Gig / Bonkers from Yonkers
7. Mario and the Beanstalk / Bats in the Basement
8. Love 'Em and Leave 'Em / Will the Real Elvis Please Shut Up!
9. The Great BMX Race / Mama Mia Mario
10. Stars in Their Eyes / Alligator Dundee
11. Jungle Fever / Dance
12. Brooklyn Bound / Cher's Poochie
13. Toad Warriors / E.C. The Extra Creepy
14. The Fire of Hercufleas / The Marios Fight Back
15. Count Koopula / Magician
16. Pirates of Koopa / Do You Believe in Magic?
17. Two Plumbers and a Baby / Lost Dog
18. The Adventures of Sherlock Mario / Plumbers of the Year
19. Do You Princess Toadstool Take This Koopa...? / Mario Hillbillies
20. The Pied Koopa / Super Plant
21. Koopenstein / Baby Mario Love
22. On Her Majesty's Sewer Service / 9001: A Mario Odyssey
23. Mario and Joliet / Fake Bro
24. Too Hot to Handle / Time Out Luigi
25. Hooded Robin and His Mario Men / Flower Power
26. 20,000 Koopas Under the Sea / Vampire Until Ready
27. Mighty McMario and the Pot of Gold / Heart Throb
28. Mario Meets Koop-zilla / Fortune Teller
29. Koopa Klaus / Little Marios
30. Mario and the Red Baron Koopa / Gorilla My Dreams
31. The Unzappables / George Washington Slept Here
32. Bad Rap / Caught in a Draft
33. The Mark of Zero / Toupee
34. The Ten Koopmandments / The Artist
35. The Koopas Are Coming! The Koopas Are Coming! / Zenned Out Mario
36. The Trojan Koopa / Texas Tea
37. Quest for Pizza / The Painting
38. The Great Gold Coin Rush / Game Show Host
39. Elvin Lives / Home Radio
40. Plumbers Academy / Glasnuts
41. Karate Koopa / Adee Don't
42. Mario of the Apes / Chippie Chipmunks
43. Princess, I Shrunk the Mario Brothers / A Basement Divided
44. Little Red Riding Princess / No Way to Treat a Queenie
45. The Provolone Ranger / Goodbye Mr. Fish
46. Escape from Koopatraz / French
47. Mario of the Deep / Two Bums from Brooklyn
48. Flatbush Koopa / Opera
49. Raiders of the Lost Mushroom / Cyrano de Mario
50. Crocodile Mario / Rowdy Roddy's Rotten Pipes
51. Star Koopa / Santa Claus Is Coming to Flatbush
52. Robo Koopa / Captain Lou is Missing

The Legend of Zelda Episodes

1. The Ringer / Slime Busters
2. Cold Spells / Magic's Magic
3. The White Knight / Wild Thing
4. Kiss 'N Tell / Mommies Curse
5. Sing for the Unicorn / Fred Van Winkle
6. That Sinking Feeling / Tutti Frutti, Oh Mario
7. Doppelganger / The Magic Love
8. Underworld Connections / Defective Gadgetry
9. Stinging a Stinger / The Great Hereafter
10. A Hitch in the Works / Treasure of the Sierra Brooklyn
11. Fairies in the Spring / Pizza Crush
12. The Missing Link / Tutti Frutti Mario
13. The Moblins are Revolting / The Ghoul of My Dreams

Lyrics

Plumber Rap Part 1

Hey paisanos! It's the Super Mario Brothers Super Show!
We're the Mario Brothers, and plumbing's our game
We're not like the others who get all the fame
If your sink is in trouble, you can call us on the double
We're faster than the others, you'll be hooked on the Brothers Unh!
H-hooked on the Brothers. Gimme gimme, gimme gimme.
Yo, you're in for a treat, so hang on to your seat
Get ready for adventure and remarkable feats
You'll meet Koopas, the Troopas, the Princess, and the other

Hangin' with the plumbers, you'll be hooked on the brothers, to the brink!
Unh! Unh!
I say a h-h-h-h-hooked on the brothers!

Plumber Rap Part 2

Yo, yo! It's the Mario Brothers and plumbin's their game
Found the secret warp zone while working on the drain
Lend the princess a hand in the Mushroom Land.
Comin' atcha with the plumbers, you'll be hooked on the brothers!

Nooooooooow, Evil Koopa and his Troopas are up to misbehavin'
They kidnapped the princess; Mushroom Land needs savin'
Abusin' and confusin' everybody he discovers
They can't help but be hooked on the brothers! Unh!

Do the Mario

Main article: Do the Mario

DVDs

• 3 one-disk sets by Sterling Productions.
• 1 one-disk set by Maximum Entertainment (U.K. only).
• 1 one-disk set by Trimark.
• 2 four-disk box-sets by Shout! Factory (released 2006).

Artistic licences

• King Koopa's appearance (crown, green skin) may very well be an amalgamation of Bowser and Wart, even though he was clearly intended to represent Bowser. This was likely done because the producers didn't want the show to have two main antagonists that were both evil kings.
• In several episodes, Birdos were shown to fly, a trait not seen in any Mario game.
• Rather than becoming Fire Mario, Mario (or Luigi) would become "Super Mario" upon touching either a Fire Flower, Starman, or some other source of excessive power. As Super Mario, Mario could hurl fireballs, had super-strength, and on a few rare occasions, could even fly. Although Mario could lose his powers by taking a hit, it was also possible for them to wear off after a while.
• Luigi was given green eyes, despite the fact that game artwork and future appearances have always shown them to be blue. Interestingly enough, on the cover of the Volume 1 DVD set, Luigi's eyes are blue.
• Princess Toadstool was modelled after her in-game sprites from the SMB and SMB2, possibly explaining why she has red hair instead of blonde.
• In the first three episodes, Toad's color scheme was inverted. He sported a red cap with white spots, a white vest and red pants. This was fixed from the fourth episode onwards, although it was reused for Toad's "Super Toad" form in a later episode.
• Trouters were portrayed as being far more vicious than they were in Super Mario Bros. 2, and would pursue anybody who came near them as if they were piranhas.
• Piranha Plants may have been amalgamated with Pansers (who never appeared), as they had the ability to spit fireballs. Oddly enough, Piranha Plants that could spit fireballs appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3.

Trivia

• In another Mario related television series, King Koopa's Kool Kartoons, framed portraits of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! versions of Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool can be seen in various episodes of the show.

• When shown in reruns after cancellation, DiC took out all the song covers played during the chase scenes, and replaced them with instrumentals of songs featured in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.

• The show was sponsored by Domino's Pizza and Reebok.

• From 1989 to 1991, Kid Klassics released NTSC VHS videos of the show. These videos contained two, one, or no live-action segments, and featured the cartoon segments as they originally aired (meaning they included the chase songs that were edited out in later airings). On these videos, the "Super Mario Bros." theme wasn't included before the cartoon segment.

• The episode "Two Plumbers and a Baby / Lost Dog" was aired without an introduction on television.

• There was a View-master three-reel set based on the show (but labeled as "Super Mario Bros. 2"). The A reel showed various scenes from the live-action segments, while the B and C reels were an adaptation of the episode "The Bird! The Bird!" Oddly, although the picture descriptions say "King Koopa", the villain featured in reels B and C is clearly Wart.

• Luigi's personality of being scared and cautious was first used in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Later, this personality appeared in video games most notably in the Mario & Luigi Series.

• Aside from Wart, other enemies from Super Mario Bros. 1 & 2 that didn't appear on the show include Buzzy Beetle, Bill Blaster (though Bullet Bills do appear), Cheep-Cheep, Podoboo and Panser.

Gallery

• 

  Volume 1 DVD boxset, released March 28, 2006

• 

  Vol. 2 DVD boxset, released October 31, 2006

• 

  Mario's Greatest Movie Moments DVD

• 

  Mario Mania! DVD