Blog Talkback: CIC: Super Mario Bros. Super Show

[Matthew Williams]

In 1989, the Nintendo Entertainment System was at the height of its dominance. Millions of kids around the world were becoming familiar with characters such as Mario and Luigi. Merchandising was inevitably all over the place, and a cartoon of course was quick to arrive. But DiC didn’t just produce a Mario cartoon, oh no. They produced the Super Mario Bros. Super Show.

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[Gorbash]

I liked Lou Albano's do the Mario. It's such a hilariously cheesy rendition. Also, don't think the animation was too bad in quality for the 80's, compared to a lot of other stuff DIC had.
Also, I don't think Nintendo has gotten too far from that original portrayal of Mario, only in terms of voice. In terms of personality, he has been commented as a heavy eater at times.
Luigi's modern personality was shaped by this show as well, being the coward we know and love.
Peach hasn't done anything since this show, and I only think she was portrayed as this tomboy during the show was because of female depictions that were going on in 80's tv.
Bowser's always been an idiot, an egotist, and a gimmick lover. *coughClownCarcough*

This show couldn't get too far with the plot at times because of how limited the scenarios were in the games themselves. They definitely got better in the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 because of the increased cast and stories to play with. At least this series had some good moments and Lou made a very respectable Mario.

 

[Mario500]

The live action Mario and Luigi would encounter creatures both real (Vanna White, Nicole Eggert, Magic Johnson) and fantastic (Dracula, Inspector Gadget, Cyndi Lauper

Zoltan Dracular was the full name of the character on the show show. Zoltan was the name of Count Dracula's dog in the movie "Dracula's Dog".

(“Hooked on the Brothers?” What does that even mean?)

According to the lyrics in the opening song, "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"), some folks will not get enough of the Mario Brothers. Many TV viewers and listeners certainly did not get enough of their series and watched or listened for every chance they got.

(Most notably, [Lou] Albano does a weird shift as he attempts to hold his pose at the end.)

He was placed in the center of the screen during the last few notes of music. I never found it weird, just an amusing way to end the show and the dance ("Do the Mario, swing your arms from side to side. Come on it's time to go do the Mario. Take one step and then again").

Even though the production of the cartoon segments was rushed and awkward moments in animation came as a result, I still enjoy the show and I would not consider it to be so bad it's good. If I were a producer of this show and had a good feeling the 52 Mario cartoon segments and 65 real life (live action) segments would be loved and considered fascinating many years later, I would have assured the highest quality animation, colorization, and dubbing similar to that of the production of "Inspector Gadget", another series from DIC Entertainment.

 

[Infusions]

There was something I was always wondering when it came to the idea of a Mario cartoon.

Back then they based it heavily on the game so the plot didn't have much to work with, but who says people need to follow the game to the letter? You have the world they live in, the characters (And very funny and easy to work with characters at that), it seems like someone could make a very solid Mario cartoon using just that.

I mean, I see it in terms of making episodes like Paper Mario or the Mario & Luigi series games. Where they end up doing some adventure and meeting these characters along the way in the episodes, etc. It wouldn't have to be a continuing plot, but it's definitely possible to make a series just as solid as something like Courage the Cowardly Dog or Spongebob using the Mario characters+world.

EDIT: This is more of a comment directed to today commentors who say a Mario cartoon is just not possible now-a-days because the game is very limited and would be boring, even though many American cartoons are typically about the characters and/or atmosphere of the cartoon rather than the long-term plot of it.

 

[ABrown]

Ya know, for as "cheap" as this show was, it really worked. I mean I had bought one of the small "volume" releases. And not only did I enjoy watching the episodes, but my step-son really enojyed them as well.

 

[Wonderwall]

("Do the Marion, swing your arms from side to side. Come on it's time to go do the Mario. Take one step and then again").

Who's Marion? Is that Mario's surname?

I remember watching the show as a little kid but it was always a frustrating experience because it never got to the cartoons fast enough. Although I thought it was cool back then if they showed the Zelda shorts because it was different and they didn't always show it.

 

[Mario500]

Who's Marion? Is that Mario's surname?

I remember watching the show as a little kid but it was always a frustrating experience because it never got to the cartoons fast enough. Although I thought it was cool back then if they showed the Zelda shorts because it was different and they didn't always show it.

Thank you for mentioning the typographical error in "Do the Mario". It has been corrected.

I find the real life segments to be the most interesting parts of the show years after they were first broadcast. I did not mind them when the Family Channel presented the show and sometimes I play my DVDs just for those segments.

 

[CyclonatorZ]

One thing I would add is that the two later cartoons based on the super mario series (adapting Super Mario Brothers 3 and Super Mario World) stayed a bit closer to their origins that the Super Mario Super Show. The producers mostly abandoned the variety show-esque plots that spoofed various media works, in favor of ones that actually used the license more effectively. They were still cheesy and rather low quality, but they at least felt a bit more "Mario-ish" than Super Show.

 

[Harley]

I just updated the blog post with the "Do The Mario" end theme for extra awesomeness.

 

[Antiyonder]

Just a reminder, this show is available for free (and legal) airing on Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/super-mario-bros-super-show

EDIT: This is more of a comment directed to today commentors who say a Mario cartoon is just not possible now-a-days because the game is very limited and would be boring, even though many American cartoons are typically about the characters and/or atmosphere of the cartoon rather than the long-term plot of it.

Agreed. I mean more storybased cartoons would be nice, but there still is a charm to the simple comedies or lighthearted adventures. And Mario would be the idea character to make such a show.

 

[Harley]

I put a hulu widget for SMBSS at the bottom of the post as well.

 

[Manga4life]

I was in love with this show back when it used to air, I was a huge NES fan when I was a kid and when Mario & gang got their own cartoon I was so excited to watch it whenever it came on (which was M-F). I loved that every Friday they aired the Zelda cartoon, it really gave fans of Nintendo something special to look forward to at the end of the week and it basically helped to usher in my weekend, man those were the days. I own the Mario boxed sets as well as the Zelda boxed set now, I waited forever for them to come out and I still remember the day that I looked for it on Amazon and I saw that it had a pre-order date set, I placed my order and not too much after that it was on my front porch just waiting for me when I came home from work.

Classic stuff!

 

[Astrolupine]

Always preferred the live-action wraps, Albano and Wells were having so much fun that it was hard not to smile. Particularly when they faced an invasion by Sgt. Slaughter.

As for 'Do The Mario', it remains a guilty pleasure. Particularly the fanmade version tuned to Metalicaa.

Lou Albano > Walker Boone
Danny Wells < Tony Rosato

 

[PC!]

I loved TSMBSS when I was a kid, despite the fact that it was extremely clear DiC didn't put nearly enough care or effort into making it. Man, some of the animation errors that show had were downright inexcusable. Still, ya gotta love it.

As for 'Do The Mario', it remains a guilty pleasure. Particularly the fanmade version tuned to Metalicaa.

Heck yes, I love that rendition!

 

[Zorak Masaki]

One of the best things about this show (which was also done with captain n and the zelda cartoon) is that all the sound effects (and some of the music) was taken directly from the games. Lets hope if they make another mario cartoon they use that same method.

 

[Marvin Tikvah]

I have given this show plenty of chances, but there's no helping it. I absolutely hate it. As a wrestling fan, I get a kick out of Lou Albano's role, but he alone cannot save those live-action segments. The actual cartoon is also pretty lame since its just a bunch of movie parodies with Bowser as the bad guy.

I've actually got both The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World on DVD, but I doubt this will ever join them. They may have still suffered from DiC's quality control, but the use of actual locales from the game, plus some plot points (however flimsy) from the game make them more enjoyable to me.

 

[Classic Speedy]

SMBSS hasn't aged well, at least not nearly as well as some other shows from the same era. Its animation is full of errors and lifeless, the script is bland and ripe with puns and predictable dialog, and the lack of a consistent setting hurt it. Yes, having a bunch of worlds gave it more variety, but few of the worlds were really that fleshed out anyway. I wouldn't even say the animated portion has a "so bad it's good" quality like, say, Street Fighter. Most of the time, it was just boring and forgettable.

Still love the guilty pleasure theme song, though. And the live action segments also had a camp charm to them.

 

[Daxdiv]

Looking back on this series thanks to my brother giving me the best of DVD for Christmas, I do wonder how I tolerated Peach/Princess Toadstool's voice as a kid. Toad's voice was always annoying for me as a kid. Still like Bowser/King Koopa's voice was pretty good back then.

Though, the only live action segment I remember was that one where they had to fix Rowdy Roddy Piper's bagpipes. Though I do remember not caring for the live action segments, cause I wanted to see animated Mario, not live action Mario.

Still, I find some enjoyment in this series, even if the animation is crap, and the voice acting is stiff.

 

[Mario500]

Looking back on this series thanks to my brother giving me the best of DVD for Christmas, I do wonder how I tolerated Peach/Princess Toadstool's voice as a kid. Toad's voice was always annoying for me as a kid. Still like Bowser/King Koopa's voice was pretty good back then.

I have always preferred the voices of Jeannie Elias (Princess Peach Toadstool), John Stocker (Toad), and Harvey Atkin (King Bowser Koopa) for those characters. Sometimes I hear the voices in my mind when I read the dialog of the characters in games such as Super Mario RPG and the first two Paper Mario games. Imagining Luigi in the Paper Mario games with the voice of Danny Wells entertains me.

If I were given the job of casting voice actors for a new animated cartoon series based on the Mario games, I would choose all of the aforementioned folks and choose Walker Boone for the role of Mario (both he and Lou Albano were my favorites in the role, since I liked their rough voices).

 

[O-chan]

The whole review was basically criticizing the show but it came from a perspective of someone who took things out of context. When I was 9 years old and had Super Mario Bros. and 2 as my gateway into gaming this show was the bees knees. It was fun to see Mario and the others in animated form and the parodies were amusing pop culture references of the late 80's. Yes, by today's standards the show sucks, but if you were a Nintendo fan in the late 80's this was pure awesome. Besides that, the production values were no worse or better that the Japanese "Rescue Princess Peach" movie that came out about two years prior to this series. Across the board any animated form of Mario was just good fun and should not be taken too seriously in a time when most Western animation wasn't!

O-chan