Super Mario World (TV series)
The final Mario cartoon series from the DIC era.
The third and final Mario cartoon, Super Mario World, adapts Nintendo’s video game. Its thirteen episodes aired on NBC as part of a block with Captain N: The Game Master. Pacific Rim Productions handled the animation.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action
- Adventure
- Comedy
- Fantasy
- Musical
- Based on
- Super Mario World; by Nintendo
- Director
- John Grusd
- Theme music
- Mark Mothersbaugh
- Opening theme
- "Super Mario World"
- End theme
- "Super Mario World" (instrumental)
- Composer
- Michael Tavera
- Country
- United States
- Canada
- Italy
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
The series used the same voice actors as The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. Toad is absent, replaced by Oogtar, a clumsy caveboy voiced by John Stocker. Yoshi appears as a main character. Episodes center on the Mario Bros. foiling King Koopa's schemes, incorporating new elements from the video game while reducing real-world involvement to references. Original songs were written exclusively for the series and remain intact in syndication and home media. Certain episodes were created to meet Children's Television Act guidelines, addressing topics such as street gangs, obesity, capitalism, peer pressure, school bullying, and television addiction. NBC ended Saturday morning cartoons in 1992 after these results were disputed by the Federal Communications Commission.
Home media
The only VHS release of the series came in 1994 from Buena Vista Home Video under the DIC Toon-Time Video label, a tape called Super Mario Bros. Super Christmas Adventures! that contained just the episode The Night Before Cave Christmas. Legal issues involving Yoshi kept any other episodes from reaching home media until 2007. That year, Shout! Factory and Vivendi Entertainment put out a Region 1 DVD set titled Captain N and the New Super Mario World, featuring all 13 original uncut episodes. MRA Entertainment handled a Region 4 release in Australia. NCircle Entertainment, under license from WildBrain, first issued the series in two separate volumes, then a complete set that dropped the Captain N episodes, likely because of likeness rights tied to Bo Jackson in one episode (though those episodes remain on digital streaming). In Germany, Pidax released a boxset combining the complete series with Captain N: The Game Master Season 3, including English audio. As of November 2023, the series streams on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Pluto TV, and Paramount+.
Legacy
After British satellite children's channel Pop began airing reruns in 2006, the series gained popularity as source material for YouTube Poops alongside other DIC Mario cartoons, Hotel Mario, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and games by Animation Magic. It produced internet memes, notably Mama Luigi. In 2017, 227 animators collaborated to reanimate Mama Luigi in their own styles, dedicating it to the memories of Tony Rosato and Harvey Atkin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which network aired Super Mario World (TV series)?
Super Mario World aired on NBC (United States) and Italia 1 (Italy).
When did Super Mario World (TV series) first air?
Super Mario World first aired on 14 September 1991.
When did Super Mario World (TV series) end?
Super Mario World last aired on 7 December 1991.
More in Italian Children's Animated Fantasy Television Series
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