The first adaptation of the Super Mario video game series was a cartoon series produced by the powerhouse studio DIC, with live-action segments included. Although titled as Super Mario Bros, the original weekday series would play Mario cartoons for most of the week, with cartoons based on The Legend of Zelda series each Friday.
Wrestler Captain Lou Albano plays Mario in both the live action and animated series, with Danny Wells as Luigi. Before introducing the cartoon, the pair would try to run their plumbing business, with the aide of a guest star – including the likes of Elvira, Magic Johnson, Cyndi Lauper, and Albano’s wrestling peers – usually without anything other than comedic success. The cartoons saw the brothers team up with the other characters from their games to take on Bowser’s latest plot – usually in a parody of a film or classic story.
Two further Super Mario cartoon series followed, along with a feature film only loosely based on the games, and the successful 3D animated feature films. The Super Show may be best remembered for its theme songs, and for Lou Albano’s own ‘Do The Mario’ dance.
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