"A Little Learning" is the twelfth episode of the Super Mario World television series. It first aired on November 30, 1991. "A Little Learning" is the penultimate episode of the show, preceding the series finale "Mama Luigi."
Synopsis[]
Princess Toadstool starts a school, and a few of the Koopalings happen to be among her students.
Plot[]
Princess Toadstool is running a schoolhouse in Dome City, with Yoshi and the prank-pulling Oogtar (he gives her an apple with a small Wiggler in it) among her students. Hop and Hip catch sight of this and, deciding that "school looks like a blast!", want to go. King Koopa, however, refuses to have them going to school and forbids them ("You are going to grow up to be sneaky, two-faced, cheating illiterates, just like your dad!"). But they disobey his orders and go anyway ("Like King Dad said, lying is an excellent trait!").
When Hip and Hop show up at the schoolhouse, this causes great controversy among the Cave People, showing a rather prejudiced side, but the Princess is willing to give Hip and Hop the benefit of the doubt. A rivalry quickly forms between Hip, Hop, Yoshi, and Oogtar, resulting in them pulling pranks that get the other pair in trouble. Later that day, the Princess announces that they're going to have a science fair, so while Yoshi and Oogtar work on growing eggabega (a mix of eggplant and rutabaga), Hip and Hop work on a fake volcano. And they later sneak back in that night to sabotage Oogtar's project (by planting a Piranha Plant in it) and improving theirs by rigging it to actually shoot lava.
The next day, Mario and Luigi (the latter in a non-speaking role) come to judge the fair, with Hip showing off the volcano while Hop works the pipes underground. King Koopa, meanwhile, becomes suspicious of their absence and goes looking for them, eventually finding Hop underground with the pipes. King Koopa realizes that Hip and Hop disobeyed him. So he picks up Hop. Hop says that he (King Koopa) does not belong here. King Koopa says that Hop shouldn't belong there either. And he says to Hop that when he gets him and his brother Hip home, they are in big trouble. But when King Koopa picks up Hop, the lever spins out of control.
Due to his interference, the volcano erupts for real, and as if that isn't enough, the Piranha Plant runs amuck thanks to Oogtar adding fertilizer. Everybody flees from the lava and the Piranha Plant, the latter of which swallows up the Koopas before being eaten by Yoshi, who belches up the Koopas into a nearby warp pipe. Princess Toadstool yells into the Warp Pipe and says to Hip and Hop that they must not bother coming to school. (That is, since they --Hip and Hop-- are expelled forever.)
After Princess Toadstool expels the Koopalings --Hip and Hop-- she orders Mario to rescue Dome City and their residents as the lava (from Hip and Hop's volcano science project) it is flooding towards the city. Mario and Luigi manage to save Dome City and their residents. That is, by turning the pipe system around. When Princess Toadstool asks Mario what he did with the pipe of the disassembled lava, Mario says it is a "little bed warming" for Papa Koopa.
In the end, Bowser is in his bedroom. Lava comes out of a Warp Pipe in his bedroom. (And the lava, it floods the room.) Then he panics (while standing on his bed). And he pleads that Hip and Hop should save him and get him out of here. He then promises that Hip and Hop can go to school. (That is, as he says, "I SHOULD SEND YOU TO SCHOOL!".) And he says in a soft voice, "Gladly".
Trivia[]
- This is the only episode in which Hop and Hip have voice acting.
- This is the second time in this series where Mario and Luigi did not exclusively star in an episode, the first being "Ghosts 'R' Us".
- This is the only episode in the entire Super Mario cartoon series where Luigi did not speak a line (though he was the only character of the Core Six characters that appeared in every single episode of all three series).
- Like the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show episode "Quest for Pizza," Mario spoke only seven lines, the lowest number spoken by him in the Super Mario cartoons.
- Before school officially starts, the class recites a parody of the American Pledge of Allegiance.
- While depicted as a schoolteacher, Princess Toadstool is never shown in this episode to teach anything.
- This episode marks the last time any of the Koopalings would appear in the Mario cartoons.
- When lava floods King Koopa's bedroom, his bed does not dissolve nor collapse. The bed seems to be in one piece and can seemingly "survive" in burning lava. That being said, it's unknown what actually happened to King Koopa.
- When Hip and Hop are sneaking in to put in a dangerous plant in the science project, the rock pot turns into a green pipe a couple of times.
- Yoshi's saddle color is reversed when Oogtar dumps the bag of fertilizer in the plant.
- When King Koopa gets up out of his throne, the two fish bone decorations on the side disappear.
- When the Piranha Plant jumps out the window of the school, his pot is green, contrary to the original grey.
- When Luigi is escaping the school because of the volcano eruption, one screen has the "L" on his cap white on a black background.
- When the Princess asks Mario what he did with the lava pipe, she says, "What did you do with it?", but her mouth only says, "What did you do?"
- After Oogtar gives Hip and Hop the gum, Yoshi is still sitting down, and his saddle color is reversed.
- After the Princess blows the whistle to end recess, she does not put the whistle away, it disappears clean out of her hand.
- When Koopa is shown in the castle on the throne, the flames on the candles briefly slide over and back to their normal places.
- Before Hip explains his science project, the slanted pipe outside is green instead of gray.
- The episode has become something of an Internet meme, though to a lesser extent than the subsequent episode "Mama Luigi". Lines and scenes that have been made into memes include Yoshi's "Fireballs?! Yum!" and Hip's "This is a volcano!"
- This is the last episode to feature Oogtar.
Quotes[]
- (After Yoshi spits out Bowser and Hop and Hip --Iggy and Lemmy-- and they --the three Koopas-- land into the Warp Pipe.)
- Princess Toadstool: (to Hip and Hop) NO SCHOOL BOYS!
- Hop Koopa: (from the Warp Pipe) You mean it is a holiday?
- Princess Toadstool: (to Hop) NO! YOU ARE EXPELLED...! FOREVER!
- (Princess Toadstool turns to Mario and Luigi.)
- Princess Toadstool: (to Mario about the flooding lava from Hip and Hop's volcano science project) THE LAVA IS HEADING FOR THE CITY!
- Mario: No problemo, Princess.
- (Mario and Luigi grab the toolbox and take out the wrenches. They get to the pipe and turn the piping system around.)
- Mario: (to Princess Toadstool) I'll be right back.
- (Mario shoves the pipe of lava and heads it towards King Koopa's castle. Then he jumps back out of the Warp Pipe.)
- Princess Toadstool: What did you do with it?
- Mario: (to Princess Toadstool) A little bed warming for Papa Bowser!
- (The scene cuts to Bowser's Castle and to Bowser's bedroom. Bowser is in his bedroom and standing on his bed. That is, as lava is coming out of a Warp Pipe in his room and flooding it.)
- Bowser: (panicking) HIP! HOP! GET ME OUT OF HERE! I SHOULD SEND YOU TO SCHOOL! (softly) Gladly.