The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (TV Series 1989) Poster

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6/10
It's Not Very Good, But Enjoyable
rcoaster-3771530 October 2020
This show is so damn cheesy and corny that it's unintentionally hilarious and OH BOY IT'S A JOY TO WATCH for that alone.
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7/10
A poorly made show that I enjoy watching anyway
purplehpurple1 June 2018
DIC spared nearly every expense with this show. The animated segments are full of animation errors. Hooded Robin is a tour de force for what not to do in animation. It's really quite stunning what got missed in this show. That being said, the show is endlessly entertaining, even if it's mostly on accident. Danny Wells does a good job as Luigi, and while I wouldn't say Lou Albano does a good job, I love his Mario anyway. The main character you want to hear least is Toad, who's squeaky voice seems almost designed to irritate. If you're watching the series these days you're likely watching an edit made after the license ran out for the song parodies, so there will be one action sequence per episode set to stock Mario music that seems out of place and awkward.

Don't even get me started on the live action segments. Pee-wee's Playhouse this ain't. The Mario sound effects are always out of place here, the weird transitions are so bad, and "Uh oh" catchphrase is so low effort it hurts. Lou Albano can't quite keep up with his co-star, and in many segments resorts to just shaking his body in place of properly emoting. Every episode also fills some time with an out of context clip from the Legend of Zelda cartoon, which always begins with an intro that you will memorize if you watch enough episodes.

It's honestly a pretty bad series, but I rate things based on how much I enjoy them, not on how good they are. The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! is both fascinating and hilarious in its failures, and I enjoy it a lot.
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6/10
Delightfully Bad
musthavedata28 April 2008
As a person who enjoys watching poorly made productions for fun sometimes, this show was fantastic. The cheesy script, set, costumes, music, and animation will leave you stunned until the end. Sometimes it almost crosses the boarder between "good-bad" and simply "bad-bad" but quickly returns to its "good-bad" side. This show is not recommended for marathon viewings however, due to the mass destruction of brain cells that can occur, so it is suggested that people watch only 1-2 episodes per day to be safe. I would recommend this show to anyone who, like me, enjoys laughing at poorly made productions because that is the only use you will get out of it. Personally I enjoyed it quite a bit.
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Enjoyable
dtm6666 September 2004
Contrary to what many claim, Mario's first initial cartoon appearance was NOT the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Rather, it was in an obscure Donkey Kong cartoon that aired as part of Saturday Supercade during the early-1980s, before Nintendo rose into prominence. You wouldn't have noticed, because in that cartoon, Mario was a generic guy who pursued the big dumb ape. But that's irrelevant, because before 85, Mario wasn't a big deal. After '85, he practically salvaged the video gaming industry and got a cartoon out of it.

Every Mario cartoon had the same basic plot; evil King Koopa (Bowser, although he never goes by that name in the cartoon) wrecks havoc in various worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom and it's up to Mario, faithful brother Luigi, loyal Mushroom Retainer Toad, and the Princess (when she isn't kidnapped) to spoil his nefarious plans. Rinse, lather, and repeat.

Odd thing was that this had more in common with Super Mario Bros. 2 (Mario USA to Japanese folk - the less said, the better) than it did the original game, but I'm not complaining.

The way I see it, the cartoon (and even the Captain Lou Albano live skits) was what truly defined Mario as an Italian plumber from Brooklyn who enjoyed eating pasta rather than this fat plumber who ate mushrooms, something that the games depicted. The cartoon stayed true to the original games, as opposed to the later movie which was a bastardization of what was good and wholesome. The stories are rather cheesy, crude, and cheap parodies of certain series and movies, but who cares? They were fun and back then, that's all you really needed.

The animation was decent for its time. You have some minor technical errors here and there (sometimes Mario would be speaking with Luigi's voice, or his hat would be the wrong color), but these things happens in all the old cartoons (see the old Ninja Turtles as a good example - yes, you know who you are!) The voices were pretty good; nothing great, but alright nonetheless. Characterizations were pretty good (even though it's based off a video game and you actually had no frame of reference as far as characterization goes).

Of course, the cartoon is only part of the show. Bookending the cartoon are live-action skits featuring Captain Lou as Mario and this other guy as Luigi, in their Brooklyn basement, where they have to deal with these guest stars' problems. I'm not just talking nameless hacks looking for a quick buck, but actual stars whom were popular at the time. Like the cartoons, the skits were cheesy but fun. And it's always a welcome sight to see Captain Lou make an idiot out of himself by doing the Mario. (Now, if the REAL Mario were to have done that in any of the modern Mario games, it would have actually prompted me to buy a modern Nintendo system.)

Every Friday, they'd throw in a little Zelda cartoon. Back then, when I first saw them, I never touched the original game, but still enjoyed them nonetheless... although these days, hearing Link whine "Excuse Me, Princess" every fifth minute irritates me to no end.

After some time, the Super Mario Bros. Super Show changed its format and became Club Mario. While you had the same IL' good cartoons, instead of live Mario and Luigi, you had two 'hip' guys in a messed-up apartment with lots of stuff that boggles the mind. Every once in a while, they have actual 'storylines' such as one guy's evil twin trying to take over the show. Sometimes, I wish good IL' Koopa showed up during the Mario Bros' off-day and took over the show so he could cancel it, because even back then, it was bad.

Even today, it's still a good wholesome cartoon that's good for a few laughs and maybe can be genuinely enjoyed. I think you can find them on Yahoo somewhere, who airs the shows online. Check 'em out if you have the chance.
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6/10
Hey, paesanos!
jynaylorrandles27 November 2017
Hey, paesanos! 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! Uh! You'll be hooked on the Brothers Gimme gimme, gimme gimme! You're in for a treat, so hang on to your seat. Get ready for adventures and remarkable feats. You'll meet Koopas, the Troopas, the Princess, and the others, hangin' with the plumbers, you'll be hooked on the Brothers! To the brink! Uh! Uh! Huh, huh, I said hoo- hoo-hoo-hoo-hooked on the Brothers!

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. Let's do the Mario, all together now! You got it! It's the Mario! 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. Let's do the Mario, all together now! Come on now. Just like that!
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6/10
A great attempt, but unfortunately bland.
QLoo1228 January 2018
The voice acting was... okay. the animation was okay. the story was okay. EVERYTHING was just OKAY. and that's the problem. for a show to be good, it needs episodes that can be considered great or awful. the middle area leaves for a forgetful episode. and ALL the episodes were in the middle area. many people remember the series, but none of the episodes. however, younger kids may get a liking to it, as seen when my little brother watched it for 2 hours yesterday. I'd say it's a good show for kids aged 4-9.
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4/10
Like it ... I guess ...
yggfan21 October 2020
I remember owning a copy of "Mario in the Deep" and I remember it didn't have the live-action segments.

I kinda like this show, maybe because it's live-action but has animated segments, setting the standard for The Chica Show and Wild Kratts years later.
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10/10
A great nostalgic feeling
mbe-1010 April 2007
Wow. As a child of the 80's, I remember the craze of the Super Mario Bros, TMNT and so on. I remember rushing home from school every day that this cartoon was on and commandeering the TV. It was a great show then, and it is now. Watching it reminds me of being in elementary school, where life was simple, and all I had to worry about was simple mathematics and getting past the castle in level 7 of Super Mario Bros (that one was crazy, it still confuses me to this day!). I'm glad to see that all of the great cartoons and video games of the 80's are making a comeback, and am pretty sure that most, if not all of the "children of the 80's" will agree. This is a great tribute to our childhood and something wonderful to share with the young kids of today. 10 out of 10 stars!
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3/10
Not Too Compelling
dinosaurchickencafe1 June 2021
I first watched The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! When I was about seven years old. Even at the time, I don't remember it ever really captivating my interest that much. I'd watch it on occasion, but I don't think I ever cared about it too much as a whole. For that reason, I actually find this show to be the least enthralling of the Mario cartoons, even though it's probably better on a technical level (which really isn't saying much).

The Super Mario Super Show! Feels dull and hackneyed if taken seriously. The animation and writing are unimpressive, and this leaves some of the plots to be forgettable as a result. However, if you are a fan of boundless Italian food references and persistent alliterative insults, then this is incontrovertibly the show for you.

Thus, in order to watch the Super Show!, you need to sustain the expectation of unintentional hilarity. Because there are some absurd episodes. My favorite is probably when Mario loses his memory in the jungle and thinks he is the king of the jungle. He is subsequently raised by apes or whatever (whose names I'm pretty sure were taken from Leave It to Beaver, but that's neither here nor there), and he goes by the uproarious and witty name of... Marzan.

Definitely the Umbrella Academy of its day.

To be fair, the live-action segments are charming (the sound effects are kinda weird but whatever), Captain Lou Albano and Danny Wells were great as Mario and Luigi, respectively. I unironically appreciate the live-action portions of the show. And there's also "Do the Mario," wherein Captain Lou Albano dances while the credits roll (it's amzing though and I love it so much).

Regardless, I will probably never forget about the existence of this show. Despite its evidently brief run, I keep being reminded of it. It's strange; its apparent monotony features an almost subtle addition of inadvertent entertainment. And I'm all for it.

So yeah, three stars, I don't know. The fact that I decided to make this show my first IMDb review is admittedly harrowing.
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8/10
It is like cheese, it gets maturer and better the more you watch it.
CaptainR112 September 2006
While I haven't seen every episode (compared to the other Mario cartoons) and also the Legend of Zelda segments, I still think that the show is good. The show was split into two, a live action part with guest stars from the era (the 80s) and the cartoon. I didn't mind and even liked some of the live action parts with goofy Lou Albano and Danny Wells as Mario & Luigi but I enjoyed the cartoon better. There are parodies of film, books and legends in the show, but I only seen some of the parody episodes but I liked them but not as much as the earlier produced episodes which give a vintage charm due to better plotting.

I don't know why, but I find this series better animated than the next 2 Mario cartoons due to less colouring goofs and better voice acting, especially from Princess Toadstool (compared with SMB3 and Super Mario World) and the Mario Brothers sound more courageous (even Luigi, believe or not) which also introduced their Brooklyn accent. Even Mouser in the show has a good Pseudo German accent and character as well as King Koopa, my favourite character due to his lines and actions however he looks different compared to the games. During an episode, there would be a music track in the background that are covers from real bands and singers like Michael Jackson's Bad or Proud Mary. It is a shame that the US DVD releases have these omitted, while it doesn't make much difference in Super Mario Bros. 3 (except the Milli Vanilli episode) this is like a huge difference in mood and setting. I even compared King Mario of Cramelot US when it was aired on Yahooligans with the UK DVD which has the original music and I found the UK one more enjoyable with the Mario and King Koopa scenes, the US one was far less exciting, however it still had the remixed soundtrack of the Mario games as well in all episodes. One thing that's legendary is Do The Mario which still shows the test of time and is quite fun to dance to for the kids.

This is probably the best Mario cartoon since it started it all and is such a timeless classic that you should buy it or if it is aired somewhere, watch it.
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4/10
Truly Mediocre
HumanBean55522 March 2020
I was obsessed with this show when I was younger. I am unaware how I thought it was good in any way. All the episodes are structured like this. The showstarts with a cheesy rap sequence that would make The Nutshack cringe. Then it transitions to a live action section with two actors that I didn't bother figuring out the names to dressed up as Mario and Luigi. They meet a random celebrity, (including Elvis Presley in one episode) and humor ensues. Next is the cartoon. The stories tend to be nothing more than parodies of other famous stories or themes like Wild West or Indiana Jones. The animation is quite lazy and many frames are reused. The voice acting does not fare much better, as some voices tend to get grating (especially Toad, who sounds like an elderly smoker. ) But agruably the worst thing about the Super Mario Super Show is the dialogue; it mostly amounts to pasta puns and poorly delivered lines. The only positives of this show is that it uses a lot of music and sound effects from Super Mario Bros 2, which it more closely resembles than the original Super Mario Bros and the very ridiculous dance referred to as "The Mario" one of the actors does during the credits, which I found very silly yet hilarious. Overall, I would not recommend this, especially if you are a fan of Mario, as you will be somewhat disappointed.
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Missing it. . .
Zalis2 February 2000
I loved this show to death. The live action sequences featured funny cameos from celebrities, and the cartoons. . . they were just awesome, with my favorite video game heroes in amazing escapades. They really don't make them like this anymore.
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1/10
Rubbish. . .
donovanmcrale21 June 2018
A poor excuse of a show, doesn't hold up to anything.
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10/10
Great cartoon!
penagosfernando26 August 2022
I want to give this show a perfect 10 out of 10. This is because my favorite character in this series is Toad. I love his color scheme in the first three episodes. Moreover, he is also my favorite character because to me, he is very cute. I love how he squeaks all the time in the series. He has a cute voice and I think he is an adorable mushroom in this cartoon. Toad is by far my favorite character in the series. My favorite episode of this show is the very first one. It's not only because I love Toad in that red color scheme but how he also uses his hat as a parachute after the birdo drops him from 30,000 feet. I also like the episode known as Star Koopa. This animated series is very enjoyable. I like all the good guys in this show but Toad is my favorite character in the series. He is extremely cute and I not only love his appearance but how he makes all those cute squeaky noises from time to time when he either lands or is touched. I really miss this show and I will never forget Lou Albano or Danny Wells. They did a really great job playing the live action versions of Mario and Luigi.
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3/10
A Terrible Cartoon Which is Only Loved Because of Nostalgia.
Cutiepuffle7 June 2013
OK. I used to call this show the worst ever. That is until I saw Fred and Annoying Orange on TV but that's another story. Cons: -Stupid Plot (Its based off Mario on the NES. You can't make that into a show without making it unfocused and have no set plot.) -Ripoffs (We see a Sherlock Holmes ripoff and some others. References don't make this funny or unique. It's unoriginal and dumb) -Unimaginative Place Names (Car Land,Robot Land and so many other "Lands". Seriously put in effort. - Stupid Humour (This is the worst. Making Mario Want pasta because he's Italian, an annoying Toad and puns are not funny.) - No Decent Action (It's just like Krypto the Superdog. Once they catch the villains, the villains are quickly pwned. And the villains are all Bowser.)
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10/10
Great show
moviefanintheusa22 October 2009
I used to watch this show when I was a little kid. I'll just say that it was amazing. If you are a Mario fan, it's impossible not to like. Super Mario is amazing. The video games and TV shows are great. I guess the movie wasn't to great, but I also watched The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and the Super Mario World show. Although they were good, neither of them are as good as this was. I still remember a lot of the episodes I used to watch as well. It's true, the Mario Brothers have gone a long way since this show ended, but I can't say hat I've forgotten this show at all.

In short, great show!
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My first ever experience to the plumber.
SSJAniFan4 July 2003
Believe it or not, before I saw this series, I didn't know who Mario, or Link from the Zelda series, was. I did not own a Nintendo Entertainment System until my fifth birthday, and I first saw this show while I was three years old, which gave me my first real taste on the wonderful world of Nintendo. I loved it, and even now I miss this series. Having animated versions of both Mario and Zelda were fantastic. Mario would usually battle variations of King Koopa(who was a fused version of Mario villain Bowser and Mario 2 baddie Wart), usually in versions of movies like Indiana Jones or Frankenstein. The Zelda ones featured Link and Zelda(who actually fought in the Zelda cartoons), facing Ganon(who else?), as he tried to capture the Triforce. I thought it was really cool how both toons would use the actual sound effects from the games. I also noted how the characteristics of Mario and Luigi in the show are now the ones used for them in the current Mario games. This show reminded me of how KUSI-51 used to be cool, when they had shows like this, Ninja Turtles, Jetsons, and Tiny Toons. What happened to those days? I guess they went the way of the Disney Channel, Disney Adventures, Fox, and USA. Oh well, I was ticked off when they changed the theme song during the 90's, and instead of the host sequences of a live-action Mario and Luigi they now featured..... two guys on the top of an apartment with a big-screen TV!? Luckily, the few videos and taped episodes I have give me the chance to relive my childhood memories.

BOTTOM LINE: I don't care what anyone else says, I love this show!
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1/10
Easily the worst cartoon show ever made. Absolutely Hilarious!
goofyboy9518 June 2013
This is easily the worst cartoon show on the planet. The animation is weird, the plots are inane, the jokes are dumb, and the acting is downright laughable. It's the perfect blend for cheesy B-movie.

The show starts with one of the silliest songs imaginable, and goes right on in to the live action segment, where Mario always seems like he's not all there, Luigi never helps Mario at all, and dozens if characters you don't know and/or don't care about stop by for... Well no reason most of the time. The sound effects, while taken straight from the game, always seem inappropriate for scene. Finally, after the cartoon Mario gang does some pasta related parody, the show ends with live action Mario singing "Do the Mario", possibly the dumbest dance ever. And Lou looks drunk out of his mind the whole time.

This show is so ridiculous, it's an absolute riot. If you're looking for pure campy fun, look no further than "The Super Mario Brothers Super Show".
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8/10
Good stuff from the 80's line of cartoons
emasterslake10 November 2005
This here is a one of a kind video game spin off of Super Mario Bros. 1 & 2 and a spin off of the first 2 Legend of Zelda games.

It was made back in 1989 and ran for one season. What's cool about it is you get to see WWF's Captain Lou Albano as Mario. Even get to see him dressed as Mario in the Live Action segments of each episode.

You'll see some Celebrities on each live action segments as well. Best ones are with Ernie Hudson(when Ghostbusters 2 was still new) and Magic Johnson(before he announced he had HIV).

Throughout the series the Mario Bros. along with Peach and Toad travel the Mushroom World and being chased by King Koopa(Bowser) who's accompanied by Koopa Troopas, Shy Guy, or sometimes Tricycle the 3 headed serpent and Mouser the giant Mouse with shades.

Despite that this was made 16 years ago, the animation seemed better days. A good number of the episodes have animation mistakes, wrong lines, and a few flaws in the story that make an episode so and so.

But it's still good to see. Just know it has a lot of stuff you wouldn't find in the game. Plus King Koopa looks way different than his Video Game appearance.

And also there's the Legend of Zelda episodes(13 in total). They're OK to see. A few good ones, just wish they do a better job with Link and Zelda's appearances. Link has brown hair and is less serious than his video game appearance, and Zelda is more tomboyish and doesn't even wear any thing similar to what's she's like in the Video Game. At least it has stuff you'd find from the old Zelda Games. Just 75% different.

I highly recommend this to certain Nintendo Fans. Mainly those who are obsess with old school games or cartoons at least. This cartoon is suitable to all ages. Just contains cartoon mischief.

"Do the Mario" is a really cool theme song.
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2/10
Not good, not faithful to Mario...
botlok28 December 2022
The show is not good. The animation sucks, the jokes are not funny, the characters are annoying, and it's not faithful to Mario whatsoever. I don't recommend at all. Maybe back then it was considered good but nowadays it just hasn't aged well. The episode plots are dumb and most of them don't make sense. This just feels like a bad generic cartoon with Mario characters plastered over it. All of these episodes could've been done in SpongeBob. Not a good adaptation. I wish this show was more like The Cuphead Show or Arcane. Those are some really good video game adaptations.

Not to mention, the live action segments are pretty cringe.

All in all, 2/10. Not a good adaptation, and not a good show in general. I don't recommend it.
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9/10
The first and still the best of the Mario cartoons
maddoxacox10 November 2021
With the Mario movie starring Chris Pratt coming up fast, i've decided to take a gander at the older cartoons, and this one is the best of the three. Yes, it's goofy, and there's tons of animation errors, but it adds to the old-school charm of the show. Harvey Atkin rocked it out as King Koopa.
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Oldschool Nintendo
Pelagia4 May 2003
You'd have to have been born somewhere between the late seventies and early eighties to have fully appreciated Oldschool Nintendo. Even though the major Nintendo stars such as Mario and Link are still with us today, their innocence doesn't hold up any more in a gaming world full of violence and mature themes. I remember watching this show religiously every day after school, during a time of my life when anything Nintendo was sacred.

I had the opportunity recently to watch some of the episodes, and found it a fun experience to relive that bit of nostalgia. Even though cartoons have vastly improved over the years, I believe that the episodes still hold up pretty well. Memories of the time I had a crush on Princess Toadstool and Zelda, sang along to the Mario song, and pretended I was Link dueling with bad guys in my back yard seem to come back to me as I watched.

The style of the cartoons is outdated in comparison to the superb quality we have today, but if you fit into that age range I mentioned previously, you'll find some great nostalgic value in these cartoons.
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5/10
Jackson Frazier
jackfrazier-5015531 January 2020
So bad it's good with a lot of funny moments of animation errors characters having each other's voices.
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8/10
Super Mario Bros Super Show. Crap, but very enjoyable
daves_train21 December 2009
I picked up the first DVD box set of this show (are there a second box set?) and I have to say that it is one of the cheapest and ridiculous shows I have ever seen. And yet I really love it, it puts me in a good mood and I love when Lou Albano is fooling around dressed as Mario. I have to say that compared to todays shows that this show is a real treat to watch. Its one of shows that I can relax and laugh at. It doesn't want to make me pull out my hair like shows on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. I don't know if I want to watch the Legend of Zelda show though, that would be pushing it. And if anyone wants to complain about this then, Excuse me Princess.
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