Like most other kids who grew up in the 1980s, I've got plenty of love for classic video games. My earliest years were dominated by the likes of Tandy and Texas Instruments...until the glorious day our family upgraded to a shiny new Atari 2600, that is. Skipping right past the next generations of Atari (in the same way one might go straight for a triple dog dare), the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) magically appeared underneath our Christmas tree in 1987. Though many consoles since have yielded their share of fantastic games, the good ol' NES burned the longest and brightest in my memory. Two buttons (four, if you get technical), a directional pad...and that's it. No triggers, analog sticks, expensive memory cards or vibration features. Blowing on cartridges when they didn't work, whether it was good for 'em or not. The blinking blue screen that meant "cleaning time". Built-in battery packs that bit the dust in five years flat.

Man, those were the days, weren't they?

For the unfortunate souls that clung tightly to their Sega Master Systems, the NES was synonymous with heroes like Link, Samus, Kirby...and, of course, Mario and Luigi. The latter are virtually household names at this point, having been featured in dozens of games, T-shirts, magazines and at least one kind of sugar cereal. Mario---the more popular of the two---first appeared in the classic arcade game "Donkey Kong" (1981), though our favorite chubby plumber was then known as "Jumpman"...well, at least in Japan. After Mario returned in "Donkey Kong Jr." (1982), he and "new brother" Luigi scored their own self-titled arcade game (1983), a one-screen wonder of coin collecting and turtles dropping from sewer pipes which was also ported to home systems like the 2600.

1985 was a particularly big year for the brothers, as "Super Mario Bros." featured the two in their first adventure game (below left)---and unlike most movie franchises, the games usually imoproved with each new installment. 1988 marked the year of the oddly compelling "Super Mario Bros. 2" (a strange remake of the Japanese game "Doki Doki Panic" that Americans got because the real sequel was "too hard"), plus Mario appeared in his first Game Boy adventure. "Super Mario Bros. 3" (1990, below right) was the most popular of the NES installments, prompting many young nerds to check out The Wizard and frantically search for "PlayChoice-10" machines weeks before the game hit stores.

Just before this time (September 1989, to be exact), one of the most infamous incarnations of our heroes surfaced: The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, a strangely entertaining TV series that sucked us Nintendo freaks right in. The show's live action skits---where Mario and Luigi were portrayed by former pro wrestler "Captain" Lou Albano and Danny Wells----featured tons of famous and not-so-famous guest stars, while the other half of each episode featured an animated adventure (and The Legend of Zelda on Fridays, though that's another review entirely). Employing the games' characters, music and sound effects, the Super Show was basically a video game come to life...and for most kids, that was enough. Though it only lasted for one season with roughly 52 Mario-themed episodes to its name, the Super Show spawned cartoons based on Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, among others. Whether holding a controller or a remote, we were glued to the TV.

While The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! originally appeared on DVD in a few stand-alone releases (one of which came inside a cereal box, appropriately enough), Shout Factory has resurrected the short-lived 1989 series with a four-disc, 24 episode set---and according to the extras, another volume is in the works). The series can't help but show its age at every turn, though: among other guests, we're treated to appearances by 80s staples Sgt. Slaughter (at top) and Cyndi Lauper (accompanied by "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", since Albano appeared in the music video). The skits are corny, the animation is bad and the opening raps are even worse than that Zelda commercial...but hey, it's all in good fun. The episode list (seen below) provides the names of the cartoons and live action skits, including the featured guest for each one. Since the DVDs don't include episode descriptions (as each is titled only by its respective cartoon), I hope this list will come in handy.

(24 episodes on 4 single-sided discs)

Disc One (Episodes #1-6)

1. The Bird! The Bird! / Neatness Counts (with Nicole Eggert as herself)
2. Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid / All Steamed Up (with Sgt. Slaughter as himself)
3. King Mario of Cramalot / Day of the Orphan (with Danica McKellar as "Patty")
4. Mario's Magic Carpet / Marianne and Luigeena (with Lyle Alzado as himself)
5. Rolling Down the River / Mario Monster Mash (with Eugene Liebowitz as "Dr. Frank N. Stein")
6. Great Gladiator Gig / Bonkers From Yonkers (with Larry Gelman as "Dr. Sigmund Fruitcake")

Disc Two (Episodes #7-12)

7. Mario and the Beanstalk / Bats in the Basement (with Jim Ward as "Zoltan Dracula")
8. Love 'Em and Leave 'Em / Will the Real Elvis Please Shut Up! (with Fred Travalena as "Elvis")
9. The Great BMX Race / Mama Mia Mario (*gasp*...no guest stars this episode!)
10. Two Plumbers and a Baby / Lost Dog (with Pam Matteson as herself)
11. Stars in Their Eyes / Alligator Dundee (with Paul Elder as "Alligator Dundee")
12. Pirates of Koopa / Do You Believe in Magic? (with Earvin "Magic" Johnson as himself)

Disc Three (Episodes #13-18)

13. Robo-Koopa / Captain Lou is Missing (with Cyndi Lauper as herself)
14. Count Koopula / Magician (with Harry Blackstone, Jr. as himself)
15. Jungle Fever / Dance (with Adolfo Quinones as "Shaba-Doo")
16. Mario of the Deep / Two Bums from Brooklyn (with Joe Bellan as "Mr. Lasagna")
17. The Fire of Hercufleas / The Marios Fight Back (with David Horowitz as himself)
18. Mario Meets Koop-Zilla / Fortune Teller (with Kay Ballard as "The Fortune Teller")

Disc Four (Episodes #19-24)

19. Mario and Joliet / Fake Bro (with Vic Dunlop as "Pietro")
20. Too Hot to Handle / Time Out Luigi (with Nedra Vols as "Angelica")
21. Brooklyn Bound / Cher's Poochie (with Pam Matteson as "Cher")
22. Sherlock Mario / Plumbers of the Year (with Marty Allen as "The Grand Poogah")
23. Hooded Robin / Flower Power (with Scott Nemes as "Young MacDonald")
24. Toad Warriors / E.C. The Extra Creepy (with Clare Carey as "E.C.")

(NOTE: These episodes are presented in production order, not broadcast order)

While this content is presented in its original form visually, it's worth noting that a few 1980s pop music tracks have been left out of the cartoons due to rights issues (though to be fair, they weren't present in syndication and previous home releases either). This may disappoint a few die-hard fans, but it's doesn't seem to affect the segments greatly---and to be honest, I always thought the game-themed music that replaced it was better anyway. Both opening sequences (yes, there are two raps) and the commercial bumpers are present and accounted for, as are the "Zelda" promos (hyping up each Friday adventure) and cringe-worthy "Do the Mario!" closing credits.

When you're not busy laughing with the Super Show, you'll most certainly be laughing at it---and let's face it, anyone who expects this material to hold up is kidding themselves. Though the animated adventures are a fair shake better than their Zelda counterparts, this isn't exactly high-concept stuff we're dealing with, folks. It is pretty entertaining, all things considered, so those who loved the show growing up should be thrilled to have these episodes in decent shape on DVD.

Let's get one thing straight: The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! is about as low-budget as 1990s-era animation gets (well, except for Hammerman), so it's no surprise that the cartoons and live action skits look a little rough. The 1.33:1 transfers are soft and grainy, though the live action segments boast more consistent color levels and image detail. Either way, this is about as good as the show will ever get: it's right on par with broadcast quality (i.e. slightly better than VHS) and looks passable, but don't expect anything spectacular. The audio is presented in what appears to be a 2.0 Stereo mix; while it sounds a bit thin, it gets the job done and comes through clearly. Unfortunately, no optional subtitles or Closed Captions have been included with this release.

Though the animated menus (seen above) could've benefited from...well, more animation, they're easy to use and provide a fun, appropriate atmosphere. Each 22-minute episode includes several chapter stops, allowing viewers to skip the intros or navigate through the animated shorts---especially helpful once you're sick of the opening music. Just for the record, no layer changes were detected during playback. The packaging was not included with this screener, but it'll probably arrive in a thick keepcase with colorful artwork. How about sending a copy my way, guys? Pretty please?

Unfortunately, the extras department is thinner than I'd hoped. Though Shout Factory's website promises a chat with stars Lou Albano and Danny Wells, only the former is featured in a short Retrospective Interview (4:51) on Disc 1. It's not particularly entertaining in content or execution...and to make matters worse, the narrator sounds really bored. Also here is a brief Storyboard-to-Screen Comparison for the opening titles (0:59), while a series of Art Galleries (backgrounds only) are presented in slideshow format on each of the four DVDs. Given the history of the characters and Nintendo itself, I was really hoping for some great bonus material here. Sadly, this compilation doesn't deliver, but Shout Factory can still redeem itself with the second volume.

There's only so much a production company can do with a low-budget relic from the late, great 1980s---and while they could've made more effort in the extras department, this four-disc set offers a nice amount of content for the asking price. Though Mario and Luigi will stick around for as long as Nintendo keeps making games (if not longer), this oddball show from the decade of excess should make for an interesting trip down memory lane. The games may hold up much better than this series, but that doesn't mean The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! isn't worth revisiting. Mildly Recommended, but mainly because you're getting a 4-disc set for $30 or less.