The Super Mario Bros Super Show!

In the late 80’s, Super Mario Bros. was one of the most popular video games in the world. It was only natural that someone would turn it into a TV show. That someone was DIC and the 65 episodes they produced ran five days a week in syndication. There were two parts to the show: first, of course was the Mario Bros. cartoon where Mario, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool battled King Koopa in almost every episode. These cartoons would often be take offs on movies or popular legends. Bookending the cartoons were live action segments (sometimes with guest stars) set at the Mario Bros.’ plumbing business in Brooklyn. Once a week on Fridays, the Mario Bros. cartoon would be replaced by a Legend of Zelda one (“Well, excuuuuuuse me, princess!”).

The show is goofy, cheesy, tacky, all of the above, but it’s still fun to watch and there are some genuinely funny moments in it. Of particular note is Captain Lou Albano’s memorable performance as Mario. If you liked the show as a kid, it’s worth revisiting and if you’ve never seen it, you should give it a try. It’s kind of a shame that Nintendo games don’t get cartoons anymore, but Shout Factory has been nice enough to release the ones we did get on DVD and for that, they should be commended.