In the early days of the video game industry, there were quite a few abortive attempts to mix the medium of interactive entertainment with the more passive pastime of just sitting and watching telly. Shows like GamesMaster and Bad Influence in the UK would try and capitalise on the amazing popularity of video games, but in general, there haven't been many successful shows which have stood the test of time.
Which is why you probably don't remember The Super Mario Challenge, which appeared in European TVs back in the very early '90s as part of The Children's Channel. If you thought Bob Hoskins was a poor choice in the Super Mario Bros. movie, then you're going to feel positively ill when you find out that American magician John Lenahan (the first person in 85 years to be expelled from The Magic Circle, and the voice of the toaster in Red Dwarf, fact fans) was cast in the role of Mario – despite the fact that he's as thin as a rake.
As you can see from the footage above – lovingly archived by Larry Bundy Jr – the format isn't a million miles away from GamesMaster, or the cult 1989 movie The Wizard. Two kids battle it out across a series of challenges set within the Super Mario game series. It's all very cheap and nasty looking, but then again, most kids shows were in the very early '90s.
It's almost impossible to imagine Nintendo allowing this kind of thing to air today as the company is a lot more careful with its brands. But still, we're glad that The Super Mario Challenge exists, if only because it means we now know a lot more about John Lenahan than we did when we woke up this morning.
Comments 20
A Larry Bundy Jr. thumbnail without obscene imagery? Bonkers!
Aww, I did very much enjoy the toaster from Red Dwarf. Really wasn't expecting that to come up in this article.
With the gradual increase of interest in eSports, speedruns, and Let's Play videos, it's a shame these types of shows never got a chance to catch on and improve over time. I blame the rooms full of 40 year old business men trying to decide what 10 year old kids wanted to see.
@Desrever In fairness, this is a British website run by a group of the nerdiest people in the country, of course Red Dwarf would come up eventually.
@Desrever don't write it off - surely it's not impossible for someone like Netflix to commission a reboot of something like this. No 1337 haxxor e-sports, no attempts at journalism, just a game show where the contestants must play games - classic, new, or indie. The only problem of course is that the contestants for this nostalgia fest would all be 25-45 so you'd lose the true excitement of a kids' show.
I don't want any smegging toast!
@FredBiletnikoff The question is : given that God is infinite, and that the Universe is also infinite...would you like a toasted teacake?
@Stocksy @FredBiletnikoff I don’t want any toast, tea cakes, crumpets, hot cross buns or anything you can put in a smegging toaster!
I remember watching this, it’s what got me my NES for Christmas
I just recently watch video on the history on the Russian Sonic the Hedgehog game show during 1994.
@TheFanatic waffle?
A Talkie Toaster reference!
That plus the comments here - this site does make me smile.
"If you thought Bob Hoskins was a poor choice in the Super Mario Bros. movie"...but was he though? The movie was bad, yeah, but was Bob Hoskins a BAD Mario? No he was pretty good. I'd take a Lou or Bob anyday. And you know what? Actually I like Luguizino as a little brother too.
@Fuz I fear that’s more of a testament to the lack of quality on the TV at the time.
They where going for Waluigi obviously
Looks like Nintendo hinted at the skinny mushroom in Mario Maker about 20 years before it came out.
I remember it, and I even have vague memories of watching an episode. I also remember it being largely awkward and terrible.
Excuse me......
King Koopa's Cool Cartoons? Say what??????
Than WE... a better memory than WE, not US!
@Stocksy But I toast, therefore I am.
The real surprise to me was the King Koopa show!
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