The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (1989)
The beloved 1989 animated series that brought Mario and Luigi from Nintendo's game world to weekday afternoon television screens across America.
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - Series Information
- Original Title: The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
- First Air Year: 1989
- Last Air Year: 1989
- Created by: Bob Forward, Reed Shelly, Phil Harnage, Bruce Shelly
- Type: TV Series
- Genres: Animation, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy, Kids
- Content Rating (US): TV-Y7
- Episode Runtime: Average runtime per episode: 22 minutes
- Number of Seasons: 1
- Number of Episodes: 65
- Status: Ended
- Original Language: English
- Spoken Languages: English
- First Air Date: September 4, 1989 (United States - TV-Y7), September 4, 1989 (Canada - C8), September 4, 1989 (United Kingdom - U), September 4, 1989 (Germany - 6)
- Networks: Syndication
- Alternative Titles: The Legend of Zelda (US), Die Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (DE)
- Production Companies: DiC Entertainment, Binder Entertainment
- Production Countries: United States of America
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - Plot
In 1989 the two most famous plumbers from Brooklyn burst out of the Nintendo game world and onto television screens across America. The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! aired weekday afternoons and brought Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and King Koopa more thrilling adventures as cartoon characters. And if that weren't enough, each episode also contained live-action segments featuring Mario and Luigi running their Brooklyn plumbing shop - all before they were flushed down a drainpipe into the Mushroom World.
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The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - Cast & Crew
Creator(s)
- Bob Forward
- Reed Shelly
- Phil Harnage
- Bruce Shelly
Main Cast
- Louis Albano
- Danny Wells
- Harvey Atkin
- John Stocker
- Jeannie Elias
- Cynthia Preston
- Jonathan Potts
- Tabitha St. Germain
- Len Carlson
- Elizabeth Hanna
Writers
- Phil Harnage
- Bob Forward
- J. Larry Carroll
- David Bennett Carren
- Perry Martin
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - FAQs
Where can you stream The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!?
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp, and Sensical via Amazon Channels. Free ad-supported options include Tubi TV, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Cineverse, and Fawesome. Hoopla offers it for free as well. You can also buy episodes on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and Fandango At Home.
Is The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! based on a video game?
Directly inspired by Nintendo's iconic Super Mario Bros. video game franchise, the show transplants Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and King Koopa from the Mushroom Kingdom into a lively animated format. The series also incorporates characters from The Legend of Zelda, reflecting Nintendo's broader gaming universe of the late 1980s.
Who played Mario and Luigi in the live-action segments?
Professional wrestler and WWF personality Lou Albano portrayed Mario in the live-action bookend segments, while comedian Danny Wells played Luigi. Their chemistry gave the show a distinctly goofy, lovable charm that resonated with young audiences and became a nostalgic touchstone for an entire generation of Nintendo fans.
Why does the show include Legend of Zelda episodes?
Every Friday episode swapped the Mario cartoon for a Legend of Zelda segment, featuring Link and Princess Zelda in their own adventures. This arrangement was part of the show's original syndication deal and allowed DiC Entertainment to showcase another beloved Nintendo franchise alongside the Mario content within the same weekly block.
How many episodes does The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! have?
The series ran for 65 episodes across its single season, which aired in 1989. An additional 11 special episodes are also associated with the show. Episodes aired on weekday afternoons in syndication, making it a staple of after-school television throughout the United States and several other countries.
What is The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! about?
Mario and Luigi, two Brooklyn plumbers, get flushed through a drainpipe into the fantastical Mushroom World. Each episode follows their animated adventures alongside Princess Toadstool as they battle the villainous King Koopa. The show also features live-action bookend segments set in the brothers' Brooklyn plumbing shop, giving it a unique dual format.
What is the content rating for The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!?
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! carries a TV-Y7 rating in the United States, meaning it is designed for children aged seven and older. The series was also rated C8 in Canada, U in the United Kingdom, and received a 6 rating in Germany upon its original broadcast in September 1989.
What shows are similar to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!?
Fans of the show often enjoy other video game adaptations like Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man: Fully Charged, and Ace Attorney. For modern animated fare with a similar playful spirit, The Cuphead Show!, Spidey and His Amazing Friends, and Pokémon Generations are popular picks worth exploring.
More About The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Explore further details about the series on these authoritative resources.