Robo Koopa (episode)

Robo Koopa
Robo Koopa eyeing Princess Toadstool and Toad, each trapped in one of his force fields
Chronology
Season	1
Episode	52
Information
Production no.	113
Writers	Cassandra Schafhausen, Kevin O'Donnell
Airdate	November 30, 1989
Navigation
Previous episode	"Star Koopa"
Next episode	"Sneaky Lying Cheating Giant Ninja Koopas" (The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3)

"Robo Koopa" is the fifty-second and final animated episode of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. It is paired with the live-action segment "Captain Lou Is Missing."

Plot

Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad are fleeing through the futuristic city of Robo Land, because Robo Koopa (King Koopa's form in which he wears a robotic suit) is chasing after them and firing Bullet Bills. They are saved when a robot Mushroom lady named Bunsen shows up and messes up the controls on Bowser's suit, forcing him to retreat.

Bunsen then takes the group down a passageway to the workshop of Dr. Nerdnick, the man who was forced into building Bowser's suit. The Koopas have taken over the workshop, and are keeping Dr. Nerdnick prisoner. Mario and the others take out the robot Shy Guys and Koopa Troopas guarding the place, while Bunsen frees Dr. Nerdnick (who speaks in a strange language that only she understands). At that point, Bowser shows up, but he can't figure out how to work a function on the suit. Dr. Nerdnick accidentally gives him the directions, and Bunsen translates for him, allowing Bowser to capture Peach and Toad, while the Marios, Bunsen and Nerdnick escape.

Bowser chases the group through the city, and attempts to knock a small structure on top of them. Mario and Luigi activate a fire hydrant and use the water to stall the falling structure, and manage to electrocute Bowser, while they escape to a junkyard. At the junkyard, Nerdnick puts together a robotic suit called the Plumbinator, which requires both brothers to operate.

Back at the workshop, a robot Troopa informs Bowser that the Mario Bros. have returned, so he goes outside, and is challenged to a duel by Mario. Since Bowser's suit is seemingly more dangerous, the Marios have to come up with other tactics to survive, until Bowser knocks them off a building and destroys the Plumbinator.

Mario, Bunsen and Nerdnick run for their lives, but Bowser grabs Nerdnick and threatens to hurt him. Nerdnick then says something that Bunsen interprets; The suit will run out of power unless Bowser pushes a certain button. Bowser pushes the button, and is ejected out of the suit. Bunsen then explains that Nerdnick purposely fibbed so that Bowser would push the wrong button. After rescuing Peach and Toad, Nerdnick converts Bowser's robot suit into a pizza oven, to the Marios' delight.

Trivia/Goofs

• This episode's title, as well as Bowser's costume, are a spoof of RoboCop.
• The Plumbinator suit is a reference to The Terminator.
• This episode's Plumber's Log, 2001, was also used in "Star Koopa," and it is intended to be a reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• This is the only The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode in which Bullet Bills make an appearance.
• The water from a fire hydrant would not be enough to keep the structure from falling.
• Bunsen tells Bowser to push the red button to avoid running out of power (really the ejection seat), yet he actually pushes the yellow button.
• Bunsen overlaps Nerdnick while he is strapped down in the workshop, when she should be behind him.
• After Robo Koopa breaks the Plumbinator in half, Luigi's face is clearly visible inside his robot, even though he is sitting right next to it.
• The song played in the episode name segment is similar to the episode name segment song played in "Bad Rap," sans the Mario rapping. This also occurs in various points in the episode.

Availability

Super Mario Bros.: Mario's Movie Madness (DVD, 2005/2007)

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - Volume 1 (DVD, 2006)

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! - Volume 1 (DVD, 2012) (NCircle Re-release)