The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

Based on the popular Nintendo video game series, this kiddie show blended animation with live action and enjoyed a huge following among American youngsters during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Former pro-wrestling superstar Lou Albano and Danny Wells played Brooklyn plumbers Mario and Luigi, who got into outlandish situations with clocklike regularity and extricated themselves in amusing ways (well, kids thought they were amusing) in the live-action segments, which were interspersed with animated adventures set in the mythical Mushroom Kingdom. This deluxe four-disc set contains 24 episodes, the titles of which give viewers a pretty good idea of what to expect: “Butch Mario and the Luigi Kid,” “Mario and the Beanstalk,” “Mario Meets Koop-Zilla,” “The Adventures of Sherlock Mario,” etc. Frankly, the series dates badly, but a number of celebrities pop up in guest-star appearances, among them Magic Johnson, Cyndi Lauper, future Baywatch girl Nicole Eggert, and Reagan-era wrestling superstar Sergeant Slaughter. DVD extras on this set include an interview with Albano, a storyboard-to-screen comparison, and art galleries. At one time a bona fide phenomenon, the Mario Bros. today are quaint reminders of the early influence of video games on pop culture. Optional. (E. Hulse)