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| 5 | [[caption-width-right:350:''You'll be hooked on the Brothers!'']] |
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| 10 | |
| 11 | ->''"Hey, paisanos! It's'' The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!''"'' |
| 12 | -->-- '''Mario''' |
| 13 | |
| 14 | ''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show'' is a 1989 animated/live action Creator/{{DiC|Entertainment}} production and an AnimatedAdaptation of Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s flagship games, featuring the adventures[[note]]the show doesn't coexist nor have anything canon with the games outside of setting and characters, so consider it an AlternateContinuity, just like the WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie[[/note]] of those plucky plumbers from Brooklyn, the Franchise/SuperMarioBros. Mario is voiced and portrayed in live-action by Italian-American professional wrestler Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano, with Canadian actor Creator/DannyWells as Luigi. It is part of a [[WesternAnimation/SuperMarioBrosDic trilogy of cartoons by DiC]]. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | The show was presented in a ThreeShorts style, where one live-action story is split into two parts and straddles an animated short. The live-action shorts play out like typical sitcom episodes and feature the brothers in Brooklyn before they were sucked into the Mushroom Kingdom, providing plumbing duties for normal joes (like Dr. Frankenstein) and celebrities (like Lyle Alzado and Music/CyndiLauper) alike. The animated shorts feature Mario and Luigi who (as shown in a in-show bumper) wound up stuck in the Mushroom Kingdom while doing a routine plumbing job and got sucked down a drain which happened to be a warp pipe. They inadvertently save Princess Toadstool[[note]]her American name at the time, years before the West officially adopted her Japanese name, Peach, in ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' (other than one time briefly beforehand in ''VideoGame/YoshisSafari'')[[/note]] and her servant Toad from the evil King Koopa.[[note]]Bowser. [[ScrewedByTheLawyers Long story.]][[/note]] The episodes saw the group travelling the oddly variously themed sections of the Mushroom Kingdom, as the Brothers and Toad bodyguard Toadstool from Koopa and saving the lands they visited while trying to find a way back home. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | The show ran in syndication for 65 episodes (13 weeks) in the fall of 1989, syndicated by Creator/{{Viacom}} Enterprises. Each of these episodes featured a Mario live-action segment, whilst each Monday-Thursday episode featured a Mario cartoon segment, with Fridays reserved for [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 a cartoon]] based on ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''. It has two sequel series: ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Super Mario World|1991}}''. After its initial run, the cartoon segments became the basis of another show called ''Club Mario'' with different live action wraparounds featuring a pair of TotallyRadical dudes named Tommy Treehugger and Co-M.C., and a segment called "Spaced Out Theater" that showed clips from the old sci-fi show ''Series/{{Photon}}''. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | ---- |
| 21 | !!This show provides examples of: |
| 22 | |
| 23 | * SixtyFiveEpisodeCartoon: Though 13 of the cartoon segments were episodes of the [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989 The Legend of Zelda]] cartoon.[[note]]These were shown on the Friday episodes (i.e., every fifth episode).[[/note]] |
| 24 | * AbhorrentAdmirer: |
| 25 | ** Queen Rotunda in "Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" accidentally becomes this to Mario when she drinks a love potion and falls in love with him.[[note]]This is also the only episode to not feature King Koopa.[[/note]] |
| 26 | ** A female monkey briefly becomes this for Mario/[[IdentityAmnesia Marzan]] in "Mario of the Apes" after a CrashIntoHello. She only appears for the one scene, however, and isn't the focus of the episode. |
| 27 | * ActionGirl: Princess Toadstool. Though she's [[SaveThePrincess kidnapped]] in quite a few episodes, she's also a strong fighter who easily goes toe to toe with the Koopa Pack. In some cases, she's even able to either free herself from captivity or at least help foil Koopa's schemes while he has her locked up. |
| 28 | * ActorAllusion: A few professional wrestlers appeared in the live-action segments, including Wrestling/RoddyPiper, Wrestling/SgtSlaughter and Wrestling/CaptainLouAlbano [[CelebrityParadox himself]]. |
| 29 | * AdaptationalBadass: |
| 30 | ** Trouters were just big-eyed dopey-looking fish in their origin game. They get upgraded to fearsome and dangerous piranhas in ''Super Show''. |
| 31 | ** Most of the basic enemies get a massive boost in power compared to their game counterparts. Unless Mario and Luigi go Super? They always have a hard time fighting even Goombas face to face. |
| 32 | * AdBumpers: As with most shows airing in FirstRunSyndication. For this show, they were usually specific to each live action segment, although the final two weeks of episodes just had standard ones with a still version of the beginning of the opening. This was also one of the few shows to have an ad bumper during the commercial breaks (i.e., without going back to the show): |
| 33 | -->'''Mario:''' Is he talking about us?\ |
| 34 | '''Luigi:''' You better believe it![[note]]This was also sometimes used when going back to the show.[[/note]] |
| 35 | * AffectionateParody: Most of the cartoon segments are movie or pop culture parodies. Such examples include "[[Franchise/StarWars Star Koopa]]," "[[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Mario and Joliet]]," and "[[Film/TheKarateKid Karate Koopa]]." |
| 36 | * AlternativeForeignThemeSong: The Korean version had a different [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixhC_quOOHw opening theme.]] |
| 37 | * AndNowYouMustMarryMe: The plot of the episode "Do You, Princess Toadstool, Take This Koopa..." |
| 38 | * AnimatedAdaptation: Adapts both the [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 first game]] as well as ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2''. (As [[ExcusePlot much as they can be adapted from]], at least) |
| 39 | * AnimationBump: Starting from "Count Koopula" in production order, episodes were produced in digital ink-and-paint as opposed to hand-drawn cel animation. Though WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989, WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3 and WesternAnimation/SuperMarioWorld were still produced using cels. |
| 40 | * ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: After getting a hold of Hercufleas' Great Balls of Fire, Koopa delivers this line: |
| 41 | -->'''King Koopa:''' Think of the destruction, think of the wreckage, think of how this'll lower my heating bill! |
| 42 | * ArtisticLicenseBiology: In "Quest for Pizza", it seems that a venomous bite on the leg from a Cobrat is enough to put Mario into a coma within seconds, rather than sometimes a minute in real-life. |
| 43 | * AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Or in this case, "as long as it sounds Latin". King Koopa is an in-universe example when he calls himself "Emperor Augustus Septemberus Octoberus Koopa" in "The Great Gladiator Gig". |
| 44 | * AssKicksYou: When a robotic Shy Guy latches onto Bunsen in "Robo Koopa", she gets it off by flinging her hips backwards. |
| 45 | * AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Koopa becomes a giant in "Mario and the Beanstalk" and "Mario Meets Koopzilla". So does Mario in the latter episode. And that was before they became giants in their [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros later]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory games]]. |
| 46 | * AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: The episode "King Mario of Cramalot". |
| 47 | * BadlyBatteredBabysitter: When Toadstool is transformed into a baby in "Two Plumbers and a Baby", the Mario brothers and Toad (especially Mario) go through all kinds of heck watching over her. |
| 48 | * BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Toad foregoes a space helmet on Planet Quirk while Mario, Luigi, Toadstool, and Koopa apparently need them. All five are consistently shown to be able to breathe underwater. |
| 49 | * BeanstalkParody: In "Mario and the Beanstalk", Mario sells Princess Toadstool's royal cow to raise money for the Mushroom Kingdom Orphanage. Dealin' Delbert gives them garbanzo bean seeds, which grow into a beanstalk. Inside the Giant's Castle, King Koopa takes on the role of the Giant thanks to a magic spell he cast upon himself, and guards a goose that can lay gold coins. It's up to Mario and his friends to rescue the goose and the Mushroom Kingdom Orphanage. |
| 50 | * BecomingTheMask: For some reason, King Koopa takes on a thematically appropriate outfit and pseudonym for every new location. Usually this amounts to set dressing, but there are episodes where he really leans into his supposed identity, such as in [[GooGooGetup "Two Plumbers and a Baby."]] |
| 51 | * BigApplesauce: While all the [=DiC=] ''Mario'' shows give the Mario Brothers New York accents, [[BigEater appetites]], and, to a lesser extent, [[BrooklynRage personalities]], it's at its strongest in the ''Super Show''. The live action segments even take place in Flatbush, with an EstablishingShot on the Brooklyn Bridge! Makes sense considering they cast Captain Lou, a genuine New Yorker, as Mario. |
| 52 | * BizarreTasteInFood: In the cartoon segments, Mario often enjoys such food as pepperoni cheesecake and mozzarella milkshakes. |
| 53 | * TheBlank: Indiana Joe from "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom" is literally drawn without an actual face and nobody finds it weird at all. WordOfGod stated they actually wanted him to be a Creator/HarrisonFord caricature, but they were scared of legal repercussions from both Ford and Creator/GeorgeLucas. |
| 54 | * BreadEggsMilkSquick: In "Fortune Teller", when Mario is reading off the top four prizes of the Big Time Celebrity Prize Sweepstakes Giveaway, the grand prize serves to be the squick for him and Luigi. |
| 55 | -->'''[=3rd=] prize:''' An all-expense-paid trip to Italy with Creator/SophiaLoren\ |
| 56 | '''[=2nd=] prize:''' A tour of Hollywood, California with Creator/AnnetteFunicello\ |
| 57 | '''[=1st=] prize:''' An evening on the town with Music/{{Madonna}}\ |
| 58 | '''Grand prize:''' Milk and cookies with Creator/ScottBaio |
| 59 | * BrokenAesop: The Christmas special, "Koopa Claus" attempts to make a point about giving being better than receiving. Toad cures Santa's HeroicBSOD over his entire workshop being frozen by offering Santa the snowboard that Princess Toadstool gave to him. Santa then comments that he's never seen anybody express the true spirit of Christmas like him. Never mind the fact that Toad was only motivated to do so because it meant more presents for him, or the fact that he was being incredibly selfish, materialistic as well as an [[TheLoad unhelpful]] {{Jerkass}} throughout the entire episode, who cared more about the snowboard being safe than his ''friends'' when Koopa attacked them. Or the fact that Toad didn't really care about Santa's HeroicBSOD until Princess Toadstool [[WhatTheHellHero rightfully called him out]] on being a selfish brat. |
| 60 | * BrownNote: In one episode, Koopa is defeated by the playing of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'' theme song. Seriously. |
| 61 | * CaptainErsatz: Stand-ins for Franchise/IndianaJones [the above-mentioned Indiana Joe], Myth/RobinHood [Hooded Robin] and Music/ElvisPresley [Elvin Parsley], among others, appear. Plus [[Film/CrocodileDundee Alligator Dundee]] in one live-action segment. ("Hooded Robin" is odd because Robin Hood is a PublicDomainCharacter, but they probably couldn't resist the VisualPun involved in turning the character into an actual talking bird.) |
| 62 | ** "Bad Rap" features the Flab Boys [rap duo the Fat Boys] and King James [soul singer James Brown]. |
| 63 | ** Averted when [[Music/ElvisPresley Elvis]] appeared in a live-action segment, along with Music/{{Cher}} and WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget[[labelnote:*]]another [=DiC=] property[[/labelnote]] in different episodes. |
| 64 | * CardCarryingVillain: Koopa ''knows'' he's evil and revels in it. A RunningGag is someone telling him what a complete jerk he is, then him acting like they just complimented him. |
| 65 | * CelebrityParadox: Captain Lou Albano played Mario in both the live-action and animated segments of the show. In a particularly memorable live-action segment, Luigi mentions that Mario idolizes Captain Lou, who goes missing. Music/CyndiLauper then shows up to lead a search to find Albano. Albano appears at the end of the episode, shortly after Mario leaves... |
| 66 | ** Mario is also apparently a fan of WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget's show, but then there are the two episodes where the Inspector stops by the brothers' pad in the live-action segments. |
| 67 | * CharacterCatchphrase |
| 68 | ** Koopa has two: "He who Koops and runs away lives to Koop another day!" and "Koopa Pack, attack!" |
| 69 | ** Mario has "[[BattleCry Pasta Power!]]" |
| 70 | ** Luigi has "Holy Macaroni!" and "Holy Ravioli!" |
| 71 | ** Mario and Luigi: "Patty-Cake, Patty-Cake, Pasta man! Give us pasta power as fast as we can!" |
| 72 | ** In the live-action segments: "Uh-oh." "Uh-oh?" (both) "Uh-ohhhhhhhh!" |
| 73 | * CharacterInTheLogo: Mario appears in the logo. |
| 74 | * ChristmasEpisode: "Koopa Klaus", "Santa Claus is Coming to Flatbush". Oddly the two segments are not part of the same episode. |
| 75 | * ClumsyCopyrightCensorship: Most of the episodes featured a cover song during an action sequence. When the show was rerun in the early 1990s, these were removed and replaced with BGM from the series. In many instances, the cover songs were the highlights of the episodes, as the subject matter often tied into the action (for example, "Proud Mary" played in "Rollin' Down the River", an episode taking place on a steamboat; "Bad" by Music/MichaelJackson is played in the episode "King Mario of Cramalot" after Mario says, "I'm bad!"; "Thriller" shows up in "Count Koopula", an episode taking place in Koopa's haunted castle), so their removal really hurt part of the show's appeal. |
| 76 | ** The only episode not to be '''COMPLETELY''' affected was "Jungle Fever" and its cover "Jungle Love" by The Time. Though, it's only kept in the first instance it's used with the second being replaced for some odd reason. |
| 77 | * CompositeCharacter: King Koopa leads both his own troops from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' and Wart's minions from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2''. He even kind of looks like a composite of his Japanese box art and Wart, complete with crown. |
| 78 | * ContinuityNod: |
| 79 | ** In the live-action segment "Defective Gadgetry", Mario discovers and subsequently tosses away a dead goldfish named Kenneth, whom Mario had to look after and whom he unwittingly killed in the segment "Goodbye, Mr. Fish". |
| 80 | ** Salvador Drainado from "Brooklyn Bound" - the greatest plumber to ever live - reappears as a statue (quite appropriately) at the titular academy in "Plummers Academy". |
| 81 | * ContinuitySnarl: Averted. Somehow. Despite the show being made during an awkward era for ''Mario'' games in the US, where the only available source material was two completely separate games that originally had no bearing on one another, the show manages to employ the conventions of both in a faithful way consistently (allowing for standard cartoon [[HandWave handwaving]]). For example, most of the enemies from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' are never stomped on, the Mushroom Kingdom people being turned to stone was a plot point in the original ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'', and the use of the items throughout the show plays on both the games' mechanics and player conventions (i.e. Mario being more confident with the Fire Flower as most players are or Toad being able to lift vegetables the fastest and jump the lowest when all the characters jump). It helped that although ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' had come out in Japan in 1988, it wouldn’t come to America until 1990 due to a chip shortage. |
| 82 | * CoolAndUnusualPunishment: The various torture methods given to Toad and the Mario Bros. in "Count Koopula". Luigi is subjected to TickleTorture, Mario's head is placed [[WaterTorture under a running faucet]], and Toad is [[ColdBloodedTorture strapped to the rack]]. |
| 83 | * CoverVersion: Nearly every episode featured a cover song of a famous song, such as [[Music/MichaelJackson "Bad", "Thriller", and "Beat It"]]. Naturally, these had to be replaced in re-airings. |
| 84 | * CoversAlwaysLie: Some DVD releases of the show [[https://www.mariowiki.com/images/9/92/Mario_Super_Show_Volume_3.jpg used artwork]] from WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3, rather than that of this series. |
| 85 | * CrashIntoHello: Happens in "Mario of the Apes" between Mario/[[IdentityAmnesia Marzan]] and a female monkey, who collide whilst swinging from vines. Subverted in that whilst the monkey is immediately smitten, [[AbhorrentAdmirer Mario isn't so enthused.]] |
| 86 | * {{Crossover}} |
| 87 | ** Two live-action segments had the Mario Bros. meet WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget (played by Creator/MauriceLaMarche,[[note]]who would take over voicing the character after Don Adams retired from the role in 1999[[/note]] no less). |
| 88 | ** Capt. Lou Albano also managed to get a couple Wrestling/{{WW|E}}F wrestlers on the show, such as Wrestling/SgtSlaughter and [[Wrestling/RoddyPiper "Rowdy" Roddy Piper]]. Interesting Fact: Sgt. Slaughter was once a semi-regular character on ''Franchise/GIJoe''. |
| 89 | ** Game show host Jim Lange, of ''Series/TheDatingGame'', ''Series/BullseyeUS'', ''Series/NameThatTune'' and ''Series/TheOneMillionChanceOfALifetime'', showed up in one episode to assist Mario when Luigi was hit on the head by their furnace and thought he was a game show host. |
| 90 | * DanceSensation: Do the Mario! |
| 91 | * DemotedToExtra: Clawgrip got this bad. A boss in the [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2 second game]], he was not only reduced to a mook, but a generic mook. |
| 92 | -->"Look out! A Clawgrip!" |
| 93 | ** Fryguy is also hit with this. While he appears in more episodes than Clawgrip and has ''far'' more dialogue, his final appearance in "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom" has Toadstool refer to him as ''A'' Fryguy. Implying he’s part of a species like in the ''ComicBook/NintendoComicsSystem'' books. |
| 94 | * DodgyToupee: In the "Toupee" live-action segment. |
| 95 | * DrillSergeantNasty: Sergeant Kooperman, Mario and Luigi's Plumbers' Academy instructor who has Bowser's voice. |
| 96 | * DrugsAreBad: Because if you do drugs, you go to Hell before you die. |
| 97 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Toad's coloration for the first few animated segments has him in all red and white, which was changed to be the coloration of his SuperMode in later episodes. |
| 98 | * EquivalentExchange: In "The Great Gladiator Gig", a donkey helps Mario and Luigi escape Koopa by giving them a ride in exchange for oats. Once Mario runs out of oats, the donkey kicks them off. |
| 99 | --->'''Donkey:''' No oats, no work. Sorry, fat boy. |
| 100 | * EntitledBastard: Inverted. As noted in SaveTheVillain for "Koopa Klaus", while it does seem very cruel for Mario and his friends not to save King Koopa from an avalanche and plunging into arctic waters? He DID just try to do exactly that to SantaClaus. There’s also the fact that he tries to kill them on a regular basis so they don’t really have to be nice to him, even if it is Christmas. |
| 101 | * EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] like crazy in in "Do You, Princess Toadstool, Take This Koopa..." when Koopa invites his mother to his wedding. |
| 102 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: TheBigBadWolf despite being, well, Big and Bad still doesn't like King Koopa or anyone cutting in on his routine. At the very least he's nice enough to let Princess Toadstool, her grandma and the others go without any trouble once Koopa is beaten. |
| 103 | * EverybodyLaughsEnding: An incredibly common way to end an episode, usually paired with Mario making some kind of horrible pasta pun. |
| 104 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Sam Shalam from "Mario Vs. The Red Baron Koopa" is a liar and a cheat selling the Marios a faulty flying carpet. But when he hears that they're fighting King Koopa, he states that he "gives cheating a bad name" (helped immensely by the fact that Koopa's carpet was stolen from Sam). |
| 105 | * EveryEpisodeEnding: "Do the Mario!" And during the closing credits, as Mario dances, he appears everywhere on the screen. |
| 106 | -->'''Mario:''' Until next time, everybody...\ |
| 107 | '''Everybody:''' ...Do the Mario! |
| 108 | * EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes: The live-action segment "Rowdy Roddy's Rotten Pipes" revolves around the brothers' attempts to disguise the fact that Roddy Piper's signature bagpipes have accidentally been converted into a vacuum cleaner. |
| 109 | * EvilLaugh: This show marks the first time King Koopa / Bowser does this in any media.[[note]]He wouldn't start doing it in the games until ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', and no, [[VideoGame/HotelMario that game]] doesn't count.[[/note]] |
| 110 | * ExpositoryThemeSong: Two, actually. The first for the main series, and then a shorter one for Mario cartoon segments. |
| 111 | * EyeCatch: One-liner style jokes about the episode usally preceded and suceded the commercial breaks in the live action segments. |
| 112 | * FailedASpotCheck: In "Captain Lou is Missing," [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Captain Lou Albano goes missing]], and the governments of virtually every country in the world begin a massive search. After they fail to find him using every advance satellite and agency at their disposal, they sadly declare him missing forever...and that's when Lou himself shows up and reveals that he was just down the street buying fried chicken. |
| 113 | * FamilyFriendlyFirearms: In "The Provolone Ranger" Mario has to learn how to fire a gun, but can't hack it until he starts shooting mini-plungers instead of bullets. |
| 114 | ** In "On Her Majesties Sewer Service" James Blonde wields a pistol attempting to shoot Koopfinger, but doesn’t get a shot out before he’s [[TakenForGranite turned to stone]]. |
| 115 | * FauxAffablyEvil: King Koopa is this straight for this part of the series. |
| 116 | * FilmingForEasyDub: Incredibly {{subverted|trope}}; the series would sometimes waste animation time by mistakenly animating a character saying a line that was actually said by someone offscreen (i.e. King Koopa mouthing one of Toad's lines in "Hooded Robin and his Mario Men"). |
| 117 | * FoodFight: In "Elvin Lives" and "Escape from Koopatraz". |
| 118 | * ForgotAboutHisPowers: Often happens so the plot can progress: |
| 119 | ** "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service." Koopa has a magic ring that can invoke TakenForGranite on you. He only uses it once -- on the local guest hero -- but never even attempts to use it on Mario and co. |
| 120 | ** "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom." The titular {{MacGuffin}} is a wish-granting artifact with no established limits. Yet neither Mario and co. nor Koopa and co. ever think to simply make a JustEatGilligan wish about their enemies. |
| 121 | * ForTheEvulz: Most of Koopa's motive throughout the series is purely for the sake of being evil. |
| 122 | * FountainOfYouth: Appears in the episode "Two Plumbers and a Baby". Toadstool accidentally falls in it, transforming her into an infant. Koopa ends up falling in it too, by the end of the episode. [[HilariousInHindsight Baby Peach and Baby Bowser actually became canon characters much later on]] (in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld2YoshisIsland'', respectively). |
| 123 | * FourFingeredHands: The genie in "Mario's Magic Carpet" has no pinkies on her hands. |
| 124 | ** A few of the humans that appear in the Mushroom Kingdom also have four fingers such as Mugga the medicine woman in "Quest for Pizza" and Dealin' Delbert in "Mario and the Beanstalk". |
| 125 | ** King Koopa as Koopfinger notably has FIVE fingers on his hands in "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service" unlike every other appearance where he plays this straight. |
| 126 | * FriendOrIdolDecision |
| 127 | ** The group finds another plumber who got stranded in the Mushroom Kingdom. He has finished building a machine that could get back to Brooklyn, but it has a short window of use. The Mario brothers have to choose whether to go back home or save Princess Toadstool and Toad from King Koopa, whose theme of the week was Koopa Khan. Here's a hint on what they chose: this isn't the series finale. |
| 128 | ** Another episode has them actually get back to Brooklyn... but find out that King Koopa and his Koopa Pack had followed them and were taking over the city. They end up having to lure Koopa back to the Mushroom Kingdom and destroy the pathway to Brooklyn, thus returning to the old status quo. |
| 129 | * GameOfChicken: Toad (as the Toad Warrior) and King Koopa do a variation in "Toad Warriors", where instead of turning, whoever slows down first loses. |
| 130 | * GoodSmokingEvilSmoking: Herlock Solmes is clearly smoking from his pipe and is one of Mario and the gang's allies. |
| 131 | * GushingAboutGuestStars: The show had plenty of guest stars for the live action segments, and almost inevitably, Mario and Luigi will be avid watchers of their show, consider them an inspiration, or whatever fits for the relevant star's claim to fame. |
| 132 | * HoldTheUnsolicitedIngredient: One live-action episode features a pizza-making machine. Its inventor says the user must ask it to hold anchovies and eggs otherwise it'll put them on the pizza. |
| 133 | * TheHomewardJourney: A common plot device in the ''Super Show'' is the Mario Bros. trying (or at the very least, ''wanting'') to return to their home of Brooklyn. Especially in the episodes "Flatbush Koopa" and [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Brooklyn Bound"]]. [[spoiler:[[StatusQuoIsGod They]] [[YouCantGoHomeAgain never do]].]] |
| 134 | * HyperactiveMetabolism: In "Quest for Pizza", it is said that a pizza can help Mario recover from a coma induced by a venomous snakebite. The problem is, Caveman Land has no pizza parlors, so the remaining team has to make a pizza themselves. |
| 135 | * HypocriticalHumor: Despite King Koopa's hatred of Christmas in the ChristmasEpisode, he dresses up as Santa Claus, rides a sleigh akin to Santa, and even has Tryclyde dress up as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. |
| 136 | * IdiotBall: In the live-action episode "Goodbye, Mr. Fish", Mario is stopped from dropping a meatball into Kenneth's fishbowl by Luigi, yet Mario proceeds to do it anyway. |
| 137 | ** In the cartoon episode "Koopenstein", Mario yells outside Koopenstein's castle to a Shy Guy, who responds by shutting the door. [[WhatTheHellHero Toad calls him out on this.]] |
| 138 | --> '''Toad:''' [[SarcasmMode That was smart!]] Now they know we're here! |
| 139 | * IdiotHero: Mario and Luigi are implied to be as such in the episode "Koopenstein". In that episode, Koopa has captured them and plans to use their brains to complete his monster experiment. Before he does so, he measures their combined brain power; according to the scans, Mario and Luigi's combined I.Q. is lower than that of a potted plant, much to Koopa's disbelief: |
| 140 | -->'''Koopa:''' [[LampshadeHanging No one is THAT stupid]]! |
| 141 | * ILied: In "Do You, Princess Toadstool, Take this Koopa...?", King Koopa turns Toad and the mushroom Kingdom denisens to stone and promises the Princess to turn them back to normal and let them live their lives if she marries him. While he briefly changes them back, he turns them to stone again the moment the Princess is unaware. Of course, once the Mario Brothers inform her that Koopa double crossed her, she is quick to back out of the deal. |
| 142 | * ImpliedDeathThreat: When Mario mistakes Rowdy Roddy for "some hairy lady with a plaid dress", [[ViolentGlaswegian Roddy angrily warns him he just made a mistake that most people only make once]]. |
| 143 | * ImpoverishedPatrician: "Mario And The Beanstalk" opens with the heroes trying to figure out how to get 100 coins to keep the Mushroom Kingdom Orphanage from being foreclosed. They're so broke that that Princess Toadstool has already sold her jewels and mortgaged the run-down cottage they're living in. |
| 144 | * IncredibleShrinkingMan: Mario ended up getting shrunk in two episodes. This came before ''VideoGame/MarioParty4'' and ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros'' created the Mini Mushroom. |
| 145 | * InflatingBodyGag: In "Little Red Riding Princess", King Koopa wearing a scuba suit attempts to kidnap Princess Toadstool. However, she escapes easily by releasing the air in his tank, causing him to expand rapidly and float upward. |
| 146 | * InsistentTerminology: Bowser was always referred to as "King Koopa" (his Japanese name), and never by his first name. Averted with the Princess – "Toadstool" was her Western name until 1996, years after this cartoon ended production. He was referred to by his full name, Bowser Koopa, at a few points in the [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3 next series]]. |
| 147 | * InsultBackfire: Koopa often replies to being insulted by thanking the offender in some way. |
| 148 | -->'''Princess:''' King Koopa, you're disgusting!\ |
| 149 | '''Koopa:''' I know, that's why I love me-self so much. |
| 150 | * ItsFakeFurItsFine: When the brothers think they've struck it rich in a live action sketch, Luigi mentions he always wanted to buy his mother a fake fur coat. |
| 151 | * KansasCityShuffle: In "Butch Mario & The Luigi Kid", Mario and Luigi are being in hot pursuit of King Koopa's minions whilst riding atop Ostros, until Mario spots a pasta saloon on the side that he and Luigi use to give the goons the slip, whilst also getting their coveted lunch. Unfortunately, said saloon is actually being run by Koopa, who proceeds to throw Mario and Luigi into a jail cell with Mouser acting as the prison guard. |
| 152 | * KarmaHoudini: Even though Koopa's schemes occasionally resulted in his own defeat, he always made a VillainExitStageLeft either by running away or by using a warp potion. For some reason the Mario gang did not always try chasing him down while the portal's opened. |
| 153 | * KilledOffscreen: Implied to be Thunder Birdo's fate in "Toad Warriors" when Princess throws a sack of Bob-ombs in her mouth. |
| 154 | * KnowWhenToFoldEm: Whenever Koopa is defeated, he makes a VillainExitStageLeft. |
| 155 | * LastRequest: Subverted. In "Rolling Down the River", when Mario asks Captain Koopa for any requests before he's forced to WalkThePlank, Koopa rightfully points out he's the villain and isn't going to do anything for him. |
| 156 | * LaughTrack: The live-action segments had this. |
| 157 | * {{Leitmotif}}: Since the show re-arranges most of the music from the first two Mario games, the tunes are indicative of the character or type of environment that is currently on-screen. Examples: The Star theme plays when Mario gets a star. |
| 158 | * LightningCanDoAnything: "Bad Rap": An electrical outlet boosts Mario to Super Mario (after zapping him). |
| 159 | * LowCountGag: In "Do You, Princess Toadstool, Take This Koopa...", Koopa decides to invite all his friends to his wedding and the subordinate ordered to send the invitations is surprised at the idea of Koopa having friends. Koopa claims he ''does'' have friends but, unable to recall anyone, decides to invite his mother and nobody else. |
| 160 | * MageInManhattan: One episode has King Koopa traveling to Brooklyn in an attempt to conquer it. |
| 161 | * ManInAKilt: Rowdy Roddy, who threatens to get Mario [[ImpliedDeathThreat kilt]] for making the stock mistake. |
| 162 | * MarilynManeuver: Princess Toadstool in "Count Koopula". When she's falling with Mario, Luigi, and Toad, she makes sure her dress stays down. |
| 163 | * MoodDissonance: |
| 164 | ** The live-action section "Slime Busters" was loaded with this. Its premise was simple--Mario Bros. Plumbing is infected with slime that acts as ghosts, which possesses Luigi, prompting help from Ernie Hudson of ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'' fame. And in the end, the day was saved by pure luck, if we take Ernie's word for it. Sounds horrifying, right? Well, the show doesn't quite present it that way, because literally the whole segment was flooded with laugh tracks left and right--laugh tracks that had adults ''roaring'' with whistles and applause, by the way--and the occasional [[SoundtrackDissonance cheerful music cues]]. Because DemonicPossession is wacky fun, apparently. |
| 165 | ** And then there's "Goodbye Mr. Fish". Apparently a dead fish, tricking the sweet elderly woman who owns said fish by getting [[ReplacementGoldfish a replacement]], and Luigi planning to bilk her and her friends out of money by becoming a pet-sitting service after they successfully fool her are warranting of a laugh track. |
| 166 | * MundaneSolution: In "Bad Rap," Rappin' Koopa (King Koopa's disguise this time around) uses evil rap music to hypnotize almost all of the citizens of Rap Land. The Flab Boys, a pair of massive-but-friendly rappers, retain their free will--not through any particularly fancy trick or tactic, but because they were wearing earphones when Rappin' Koopa attacked. |
| 167 | * MundaneUtility: In "Count Koopula" Bowser has zombie Goombas at his disposal. What vile, nefarious scheme does he use them for? Tomato sauce production. |
| 168 | * MusicalEpisode[=/=]RhymingEpisode: "Bad Rap" [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin is performed entirely in]] [[StylisticSuck (awful)]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin rap]]. |
| 169 | * MyHeroZero: The titular masked bandit in "The Mark of Zero", who is suspiciously similar to Zorro. |
| 170 | * MythologyGag: At one point in ''Brooklyn Bound'' Mario can be heard using the classic Captain Lou Albano / "pirate" voice he (Lou Albano) used during the time he was in the World Wrestling Federation. |
| 171 | * NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: The episode "Count Koopula," King Koopa has become a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire]], the titular Count Koopula, capable of VoluntaryShapeshifting into a bat and having an aversion to sunlight and garlic. No explanation for how he gained vampiric traits is given, and he never displays them again in later episodes. |
| 172 | ** The episode "Quest for Pizza" has Mouser inexplicably present as a giant dinosaur to fit the theme. |
| 173 | ** How the heroes' powered-up forms worked tended to vary on the needs of the episode too. Usually they had the power to throw fireballs, sometimes they evidenced SuperStrength. Sometimes they got to keep their powers until they took damage (or the episode ended), sometimes it wore off after a little while like it would if the player got a Starman in the games. |
| 174 | * NoOneCouldSurviveThat: In "Toad Warriors", Kar-Krazy Koopa blasts a fortress where the heroes are hiding. Though he immediately jeers like he assumes he's defeated his opponents, in the very next scene he refuses Mouser's insistence on the same outcome, thinking that the heroes might be lying low as a trick. It takes a couple more potshots and more urging from Mouser until Koopa finally agrees to move in, which is also when Mario & Co. initiate the plan they had just developed. |
| 175 | * NoSwastikas: In "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom", a riff on ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', King Koopa takes on the persona of "Kolonel von Koop," based on Herman Dietrich. Accordingly, he sports a Nazi armband, but with the swastika replaced with a large "K" due to Nintendo of America's policies against particularly sensitive content. |
| 176 | * NotMyLuckyDay: "Mighty [=McMario=] and the Pot of Gold," an Irish-themed episode which takes place in the Shamrock Kingdom, features a leprechaun named Murphy who ordinarily has the power of [[BornLucky extremely good luck]]--but when King Koopa snatches the titular object, he becomes jinxed, cursing everything he and everyone around him does to end badly. Since he's fighting alongside the heroes, things go terribly for a while...until Mario gets the idea to have Murphy "help" King Koopa by staying by his side. The jinx immediately takes effect, and after a series of disasters, Koopa surrenders and gives back the pot of gold, which brings things back to normal. |
| 177 | * [[ObsessedWithFood Obsessed with Italian Food]]: Mario and Luigi. Never once does a single episode go by without Mario and Luigi making terrible pasta puns. |
| 178 | * ObviouslyEvil: King Koopa and the Koopa Pack. The show, due to its pastiche nature, offered most genres' worth of Obviously Evil design. Because it's a comedic show, though, the lowest Mooks are occasionally given AffablyEvil moments when they think nobody is looking. |
| 179 | * OffstageVillainy: We never see how Bowser captured [[Franchise/SherlockHolmes Herlock Solmes]] in "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario." More than one episode also started with him having somehow captured Mario and company too. |
| 180 | * OnTheNext: Each episode would feature Mario, Luigi or another character in the live-action segments introducing such a segment for that week's ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989''. That meant for different previews for one episode. They were even introduced in some variation of this: |
| 181 | --> "We'll be right back after we watch some/these (exciting) scenes from the next Legend of Zelda." |
| 182 | * OncePerEpisode: The Mario Bros. battling Koopa Troopas to the beat of old pop music. Examples include Mario & Luigi fighting ninjas ("Kung Fu Fighting") and redcoats in 1776 ("He's a Rebel"). |
| 183 | * OnlySaneMan: Luigi in both segments, but especially the live-action segments where he tries (usually unsuccessfully) to stop Mario from getting involved in some kind of ZanyScheme. |
| 184 | * OpeningNarration: "Plumber's Log, Number ______...." |
| 185 | * PainfulRhyme: As mentioned in RhymesOnADime, "Bad Rap" is spoken entirely in verse...and a lot of it leaves much to be desired--the rhymes themselves are often bad, and the meter is frequently ignored or changed with no reason ("We're the Flab Boys, hi-de-ho, this Koopa dude's, got to go!"--yes, there's a long pause after "dude's"). |
| 186 | * PaperThinDisguise: Definitely. |
| 187 | ** In "Count Koopula", Mouser (here playing "Mousigor") leads the group into Koopa's castle while wearing a black cloak that doesn't even cover his entire face or distinctive sunglasses. Despite fighting Mouser dozens of times before, no one in the group recognizes him until he calls Toad by name, prompting the mushroom to become suspicious. |
| 188 | ** In "Rolling Down the River", the Mario Bros. go undercover on Koopa's steamboat and wear ill-fitting suits as a disguise. They work. Toad gets in on the action with a waiter's costume, but this one fails. |
| 189 | ** In "The Unzappables", Mario and the gang have to sneak into Koopa's nightclub hideout. Mouser, who's serving as the doorman, fails to realize that the four people in front of him--a short mustachioed man in a hat and suit with red accents, a taller mustachioed man in a hat and suit with green accents, a young woman in a pink dress with long auburn hair, and an extremely short individual wearing a newsboy outfit--might be the quartet of heroes he's fought in ''every single episode''. And none of Koopa's minions, who are all in the club, recognize them either. |
| 190 | * PendulumOfDeath: "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario" has the gang tied up and subject to this. |
| 191 | * PieEyed: Almost everyone, in a rare modern use that's not a deliberate throwback. Notable too in that it's the only ''Mario'' cartoon that does this. |
| 192 | * PiranhaProblem: Whenever the group comes across a body of water in an episode, You can be sure Trouters will show up to chase them out. |
| 193 | * PlanetOfHats: Most episodes took place in a world built around a particular theme (Pirates, Wild West, outer space, etc.). And that's [[HilariousInHindsight almost a decade before]] ''VideoGame/MarioParty 2'' offered a similar premise with themed boards. |
| 194 | * PleaseIWillDoAnything: After turning Toad to stone, and threatening to squash the Mario Bros. in his dungeon, this is how King Koopa convinces Princess Toadstool to marry him in "Do You Princess Take This Koopa". |
| 195 | * PokemonSpeak: The Pidgits in the episode "Mario's Magic Carpet" typically only say "pidgit". Fortunately, Luigi knows their language. |
| 196 | * PoorCommunicationKills: In "Captain Lou Is Missing," Music/CyndiLauper shows up at the Mario Bros. Plumbing Agency to announce that she and Captain Lou Albano were planning on going on a picnic--but she's discovered a note he left that reads "Cyndi, I'm sorry, but I've gone for good." The whole world searches for him, but all seems hopeless...until Lou himself shows up. He reveals that he accidentally ripped off the bottom part of the note, which reads "I'm sorry, but I've gone for good ''fried chicken.'' Be back in an hour." |
| 197 | * PowerUpFood: In "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario", Mario eats a meatball sub he'd kept in his pocket, and it expands his stomach enough to help him break out of a DeathTrap. |
| 198 | * PoweredArmor: Robo-Koopa. |
| 199 | * PrecisionFStrike: In the infamous anti-drug PSA, Captain Lou as Mario outright states that "if you do drugs, you go to ''Hell'' before you die." |
| 200 | ** "Plummer's Academy" notably uses the song "Working for a Living" by Huey Lewis and the News, which uses the word "Damn" three times. |
| 201 | * PrincessesRule: Toadstool is referred to as "princess" despite ostensibly being the reigning monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom. Of course, it's seldom clear what parts of the world are part of her kingdom, or which of the mushroom people are her subjects. |
| 202 | * ProducePelting: The heroes would often defeat King Koopa by hurling vegetables at him and his minions. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that the cartoon was largely based on ''Super Mario Bros. 2''; vegetables were the only weakness of Wart, the BigBad of that game. |
| 203 | * ProductPlacement |
| 204 | ** As if this show didn't advertise ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' and ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' enough, the episode "Bats in the Basement" shows Mario eating [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Cereal_System Nintendo Cereal System]]. |
| 205 | ** And the episode "Mama Mia Mario" opens with Luigi playing the UsefulNotes/{{NES}} itself. |
| 206 | ** Domino's Pizza was also a sponsor of the show. Pizza boxes bearing its logo can occasionally be seen strewn around the basement. |
| 207 | * PullARabbitOutOfMyHat: In the live-action segment "Magic's Magic", guest star Magic Johnson drops by hoping that Mario and Luigi will help him practice some magic tricks. Luigi succeeds in pulling off the above trick, but unfortunately for him, the rabbit pulls him back ''into'' the hat, dragging him off to parts unknown and forcing Mario to say the magic word ("Please!") to retrieve him. |
| 208 | * {{Pun}}: All the pasta jokes. |
| 209 | * RambunctiousItalian: The titular brothers, especially Mario, exhibit the stereotypes associated with New Yorkers of Italian heritage by being very emotional and passionate. |
| 210 | * TheRealSpoofbusters: The live-action "Slime Busters" segment has Creator/ErnieHudson shows up AsHimself being a Slime Buster who has to stop a Slime ghost that haunts the brothers' workshop. |
| 211 | * TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Herlock Solmes gives one to Bowser in "The Adventures of Sherlock Mario". |
| 212 | * RecycledInSpace: This show '''IS''' this trope. No exaggeration. Literally '''''every single episode''''' had the gang starring in either some all-new world or scenario, be it [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels them becoming desert bikers]] [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs while trying to protect the area's last supply of spaghetti sauce]], duking it out in a typical [[MayTheFarceBeWithYou Star Wars parody]], or better yet winding up in some random place like Spy Land or Car Land; and most, if not all of them, are described as being either a territory or an affiliate of the Mushroom Kingdom. |
| 213 | * ReplacementGoldfish: Played quite literally in the live-action segment "Goodbye Mr. Fish". |
| 214 | * ReReleaseSoundtrack: Even though they were all covers and not performed by the original artists, several episodes featured segments with licensed music, all of which were removed from later broadcasts and all DVD releases of the show. That said, Some foreign releases maintain the songs. |
| 215 | * RhymesOnADime: The citizens of Rap Land all speak in rhyme, matching their "rap" theme. |
| 216 | * RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Princess Toadstool wants to banish Koopa from her kingdom--but instead of simply sending the Mario Bros. to do it, she journeys with them and actively helps fight to liberate her people. |
| 217 | * SamusIsAGirl: In "The Mark of Zero", it's revealed that the masked hero is in fact the waitress from the taco stand. |
| 218 | * SaveTheVillain: Subverted in the Christmas episode: Koopa, who has taken SantaClaus captive at this point and is threatening to throw him into the icy water below, stupidly causes an avalanche. Mario uses his plumbers' snake to rescue St. Nick, but instead of doing the same for the Koopa King, he gestures to the reptile that he'll just have to jump into the water himself (which, surprisingly, he survives). |
| 219 | * SeriesGoal: Find the magic that will save the Mushroom Kingdom and get the Bros. back home. |
| 220 | * SeriousBusiness: In the live-action segment "Captain Lou is Missing," the apparent disappearance of Captain Lou Albano is such a horrific crime that the world leaders of ''every country'' pull out all the stops to find him. |
| 221 | * SesameStreetCred: The live action segments would occasionally feature a celebritiy guest star popular during the time, such as Music/CyndiLauper, Creator/ElviraMistressOfTheDark, and Magic Johnson, [[SoMyKidsCanWatch so their Mario-loving children could watch them on TV]]. |
| 222 | * ShootTheShaggyDog: "Robo Koopa" -- specifically Mario and Luigi's makeshift robot to combat Koopa's new PoweredArmor. The latter quickly destroys the former, leaving Koopa to have to be defeated via tricking him into ejecting himself from his armor/robot -- meaning Mario and Luigi's robot was completely pointless. |
| 223 | * ShoutOut: One episode was based off of ''Franchise/StarWars'', except with Mario characters and a [[MundaneMadeAwesome flying castle in space]]?! Interestingly enough, this was one of Mario's first times in space, before even ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy''. Also, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen one of the original concepts for Star Wars was that most everyone would have Lightsabers, but was nixed in favor of only Jedi and Sith having them]]. In this Mario episode, however, during the first scene [[FridgeBrilliance all of Bowser's mooks have lightsaber knock-offs]]. Coincidence? |
| 224 | ** There's also a ton of pop culture references in episode names, like [[Film/ThreeMenAndABaby "Two Plumbers and a Baby"]],[[Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes "Mario of the Apes"]], [[Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service"]]... |
| 225 | ** Many of King Koopa's disguises/personas in the "theme" episodes are this (as well as the theme episodes themselves). In fact, Bowser's caveman persona/disguise in "A Quest for Pizza", Ally Koop, is named in reference to the old comic strip ''ComicStrip/AlleyOop''. |
| 226 | ** Elvin Parsley in "The King Lives" is both a reference to Elvis, and oddly his voice sounds like James Brown. (Even stating, "I feel good!") |
| 227 | ** There's also King James in "Bad Rap", who both looks and sounds like James Brown (though why a soul singer is the king of ''Rap'' Land is a question that may never be answered). The same episode also features the Flab Boys, a Shout Out to the real-life rap duo the Fat Boys. |
| 228 | ** The phrase "Plumber's Log" is a pretty obvious reference to the "Captain's Log" from the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' franchise (''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Next Generation]]'' was airing at the time). |
| 229 | * SlidingScaleOfRealisticVersusFantastic: Surreal, full stop. The games are borderline Fantastic and Surreal, since their internally consistent gameplay rules keep what would otherwise be a WorldOfChaos setting from getting too weird, but the show doesn't have those limitations. |
| 230 | * SlobsVersusSnobs: ''A Basement Divided'' is about Mario (the former) and Luigi (the latter) starting some resentment, mostly from Luigi. |
| 231 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: Female villains were a rarity in this show, much less King Koopa using female minions. A female Koopa Troopa is clearly seen fanning “Koop Tut” in "The Ten Koopmandments" and of course there's [[Series/WheelOfFortune Vampa White]] in "On Her Majesties Sewer Service". Of note: Queen Rotunda in "Love Em and Leave Em" is the only example of King Koopa not being the main villain in an episode. |
| 232 | * SpeakingSimlish: Dr. Nerdnick in "Robo Koopa" speaks German-sounding gibberish. |
| 233 | * StarPower: As in the games, getting a Starman allowed the heroes to clean house. Notably, Toad and Princess Toadstool benefited from it the same way as the Brothers. |
| 234 | * StatusQuoIsGod: A lot of episodes of the cartoon segment open on Mario's journal entry that the group is entering a specific world, hoping to enjoin its local hero in their fight to depose King Koopa and liberate the Mushroom Kingdom. As soon as Koopa's latest scheme is stopped, they're never seen again. Along with the assurance that Koopa won't bother anyone in that world again, so the local hero should really be freed up to help Mario's party like he was hoping. |
| 235 | * SuperForm: Some episodes saw Mario transform into his Fire form, though for some reason, it was called Super here (Super being when he gets a Super Mushroom, not a Fire Flower). Unlike the games, not every time he did this was caused by getting a Fire Flower. |
| 236 | * SuperNotDrowningSkills: The Bros. and their friends spent an entire episode or two underwater, and had no trouble breathing, talking, or doing what they normally do in spite of it. Justified, as the writers weren't reaching too far beyond what the actual game was like. |
| 237 | * TemptingFate: In "King Mario of Cramalot," the gang finds themselves trapped in a jail cell, much to Luigi's chagrin... |
| 238 | -->'''Mario:''' Take it easy, Luigi! Things could be worse.\ |
| 239 | '''Luigi:''' We're trapped in a DUNGEON about to be EXECUTED! ''How could things be any WORSE?''\ |
| 240 | '''Mario:''' Well, for one thing, [[DescendingCeiling the ceiling could lower]], until it flattens us like a pizza.\ |
| 241 | ''([[CueTheFlyingPigs Right on cue]], the ceiling begins to lower)''\ |
| 242 | '''Toad:''' Very uncool, dudes--the ceiling ''is'' lowering!\ |
| 243 | '''Mario:''' ''(nonchalant)'' Or [[RiseToTheChallenge the room could fill with water]], until we all drown like rats!\ |
| 244 | ''(The pipes in the cell begin to shoot water, which starts rising)''\ |
| 245 | '''Princess Toadstool:''' We GOTTA get outta here!\ |
| 246 | '''Mario:''' ''(still unworried)'' Hey, I just thought of [[RuleOfThree another way]] things could be worse--\ |
| 247 | ''(Luigi promptly covers his mouth)''\ |
| 248 | '''Luigi:''' MARIO, PLEASE! Don't say another word! |
| 249 | * TerribleTrio: The Koopa Pack. |
| 250 | * ThemeMusicPowerUp: What do you expect from a cartoon based on a video game? |
| 251 | * ThemeTuneRap: Doo doo doo da da doo, doo! "We're the Mario Brothers, and plumbing's our game..." |
| 252 | * ThisIsMySide: Luigi does this to Mario in "A Basement Divied". |
| 253 | * ThroughAFaceFullOfFur: In "Crocodile Mario", when Princess Toadstool gives the statue a kiss, its face turns neon |
| 254 | * TookALevelInBadass: Robo Koopa. His episode starts with a DownerBeginning, with Mario and co. on the run from him in his new, NighInvulnerable PoweredArmor -- complete with a [[https://www.mariowiki.com/images/d/dd/Robo-Koopa.jpg design]] that looks legitimately menacing. And their attempt to match him with a {{Mecha}} of their own ends in a ShootTheShaggyDog failure. Only a last-second IndyPloy -- and by one of the local [[OneShotCharacter One-Shot Characters]] instead of, you know, Mario and/or any of his friends -- manages to put a stop to his NearVillainVictory. |
| 255 | * TookALevelInJerkass: King Koopa, to some extent. His game counterpart occasionally had to [[EnemyMine team up with Mario and his friends to defeat a common enemy]], not unlike other villains in certain other games ([[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Eggman]], [[Franchise/{{Kirby}} King Dedede]], etc.). However, literally no episodes from this show had any occasion where King Koopa had to resort to this. This wouldn't be too bad, except Bowser in the games also has some redeeming qualities, such as seeing Mario as a WorthyOpponent, never harming the Princess when he kidnaps her (with [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach a]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory few]] [[VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld exceptions]]), and being a BenevolentBoss to his minions. This version, however, does not share any of these traits. Comparing these two versions of Bowser makes his cartoon self seem completely black-hearted (to the extent of trying to ''kill'' Santa Claus in "Koopa Klaus"). Subverted in the later cartoons, however, where he still doesn't share Game Bowser's previously stated redeeming qualities, but he's shown to be a caring father when it comes to the Koopalings. It should be noted that at the time of airing, Bowser's personality hadn't been fleshed out much aside from being the main villain. |
| 256 | * TotallyRadical: Averted in both the live action skits and, for the most part, the cartoon. However, when the rebroadcast in 1990 replaced the Mario sketches with "Club Mario", it was played [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEwIyV-4uRI straighter than an arrow.]] |
| 257 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: The Mario Bros. ''love'' Italian foods like pasta and pizza, the latter moreso in the live action segments to the extent they describe themselves as "pizzatarians". |
| 258 | * TrainingMontage: In the episode "The Fire of Hercufleas," the out-of-shape former hero Hercufleas must get back into fighitng shape to battle King Koopa, and thus has a training montage. |
| 259 | * TranslationNod: Inverted. The show aired when Princess Peach was still being referred to as [[DubNameChange Princess Toadstool]] internationally. The episode "The Trojan Koopa" sees Toadstool grab a Starman and declare, "Princess P. to the rescue!" This is the first known reference to her original name outside of Japan. |
| 260 | * TrappedInAnotherWorld: Mario and Luigi are from Brooklyn, but were transported to the Mushroom Kingdom through a warp pipe. |
| 261 | * TravelingPipeBulge: Mario and Luigi do this. |
| 262 | * TwistEnding: In the episode "Neatness Counts". the brothers try to fix Nicole Eggert's sink, but manage to get her all messy. They try to keep her from getting messier, but fail at every turn. At the end, Nicole thanks them for getting her ready for a "Sloppy Party" she's attending that night. |
| 263 | * TwoForOneShow: Three counting the ''Zelda'' segments. |
| 264 | * UncannyFamilyResemblance: Each of the Mario Bros.' relatives who visited them in the live-action segments were played by the same actors as the Bros. themselves. And when the two characters appear in the same scene or room, one of them is either offscreen or [[FakeShemp played by another actor with their face obscured]]. |
| 265 | * UniversalAdaptorCast: The main characters - both good and bad - end up in a wide variety of settings, whether it's outer-space, a land of cars, a land of spies, or wherever the story is set. |
| 266 | * UnlimitedWardrobe: King Koopa often has a different outfit depending on the theme of the episode (i.e. dressing like a cowboy in "Butch Mario and the Luigi Kid" and dressing like Julius Caesar in "The Great Gladiator Gig."). |
| 267 | * UnusualEuphemism: "What the koop are you talking about?" "Leapin' lasagna!", and many more of this type. |
| 268 | * UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Nobody seems to consider Indiana Joe's [[TheBlank lack of a face]] something worth noting, or reacts to it in any way. This is because he was originally supposed to look like a caricature of Creator/HarrisonFord, but the creators feared this might get them sued, so they completely removed his facial features. Since he wasn't written as being literally faceless, the story doesn't treat him like he is. |
| 269 | * VagueAge: The ages of all four of the main characters are never specified. Lou Albano was in his fifties when he played Mario, while Danny Wells (Luigi) was in his forties. This contradicts the confirmation that Mario is in his mid-twenties, though this wouldn't be established till long after the show was off the air. It makes sense that they're middle-aged, though, as they not only have their own established plumbing business, but there's never any sign of romantic attraction between Mario and the Princess, who seems to be in her late teens/early twenties. |
| 270 | ** Toad is hit with this worst. As noted above, he's the TagalongKid in some episodes (notably "Koopa Klaus", when his only concern at Christmas is presents). However, he's also old enough to be an official Mushroom Retainer (a title he himself uses in a few episodes), is legally able to drive, and is close friends with Hercufleas, a middle-aged man. |
| 271 | * VerySpecialEpisode: The closest this show comes is a live-action segment where a boy runs away from home to Mario and Luigi's basement. |
| 272 | * VillainExclusivityClause: Barring the episode "Love Em and Leave Em" King Koopa is always the main villain of the cartoons. |
| 273 | * WaterIsAir: "Mario of the Deep" has the main characters spending the entire episode underwater [[SuperNotDrowningSkills with no apparent repercussions]] (of course, [[FridgeBrilliance that kinda problem doesn't happen in the 2D games either]]). In fact, they actually manage to walk around as if they were on land ''and'' they manage to not have their headwear (or the Princess's hair) drift upward once. |
| 274 | ** However, in "The Unzappables", the quartet is given the CementShoes treatment, which is played extremely seriously. Then again, they talk freely underwater and don't seem all that worried about drowning, so it's something of a Zigzagged Trope. |
| 275 | * WeWillMeetAgain: King Koopa often said something to this tune, most often "He who koops and runs away lives to koop another day!" while performing a VillainExitStageLeft |
| 276 | * WeirdTradeUnion: Mario and Luigi had a flashback where they were part of a plumbers' union. The weird part is that it had stringent physical fitness requirements. [[labelnote:Fun Fact]] New York is one of the most (only) heavily unionized states, and plumbers there often are union members.[[/labelnote]] |
| 277 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: |
| 278 | ** At the end of "Flatbush Koopa", the nerdy cab-driver who was turned into a pile of bricks by Koopa is never shown returned to normal (despite [[Main/UnexplainedRecovery a cameo]] in the sequel-show ''Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'' in "Recycled Koopa"). In the same episode, some of Bowser's "Koopa Troopas" were apparently still left in Brooklyn and chased by the police. |
| 279 | ** Also, in [[Film/HoneyIShrunkTheKids "Princess I Shrunk the Marios,"]] Mouser is shrunken, and placed in a jar by the good wizard, and not seen for the rest of the episode (though, earlier, 2 Mousers are seen in the episode – either an animation error, or reference to [[RecurringBoss the fact there are indeed two Mousers]] in the "Super Mario Bros. 2" game). |
| 280 | ** A lot of the cartoon episodes with the heroes setting out to meet someone they hope will join their fight against Koopa, and who is never mentioned again as soon as the credits roll. |
| 281 | * WheelOFeet: Complete with the "spinning reels" sound effect from the slot machine mini-game in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2''. |
| 282 | * WholePlotReference: The usual template for an episode of the ''Super Show'' has the heroes traveling to a PlanetOfHats themed around a reference to a certain medium, and then engaging in a WholePlotReference to said media. For example, "Star Koopa" parodying ''Franchise/StarWars'' and "Toad Warrior" parodying ''Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior''. This type of story was mostly dropped for the next two series. |
| 283 | * WouldHurtAChild: Koopa establishes himself as a danger to children in "Two Plumbers and a Baby", where he overloads the FountainOfYouth so he can turn the denizens of the Kingdom of Youth into helpless babies that he can capture and enslave. |
| 284 | * WrongTurnAtAlbuquerque: The ChristmasEpisode has Toad making a wrong turn at "that last iceberg", resulting in the group winding up at the North Pole. |
| 285 | * YouCantGoHomeAgain: |
| 286 | ** "Brooklyn Bound" did focus on the duo finding a way back home, but they opt to stay in order to protect the Princess. |
| 287 | ** "Flatbush Koopa" had them get home to Brooklyn, only to find King Koopa has invaded. They ended up having to lead him back to The Mushroom Kingdom and destroying the way back to Brooklyn. |
| 288 | * YouDontLookLikeYou: |
| 289 | ** Princess Peach has Princess Daisy's reddish-brown hair. |
| 290 | ** Toad has a red vest, blue trousers, and purple shoes instead of his original red vest, white trousers, and brown shoes. |
| 291 | ** Bowser has completely green skin, and his nose looks like a western dragon. |
| 292 | * ZanyScheme: Mario sometimes has these in the live-action segments. |
| 293 | ---- |
| 294 | -->''[[EveryEpisodeEnding "Until next time, everybody... do the Mario!"]]'' |
| 295 | ---- |
| 296 | -->'''Mario:''' Are they talking about us?\ |
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