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New Articles: Super Mario’s Halloween & Dunkin Donuts’ Spooky Pails.

A reader (if you're that reader, please e-mail me!) sent in a video with old episodes of "The Super Mario Bros. Super Show," and lo and behold, a few of 'em were worthy of a Halloween feature. Picture quality was shitty as Hell, but I couldn't resist the material. Included at the bottom is a bonus feature, with five short reviews of the commercials that were airing way back then. Mario and Luigi's guests on these two reviewed episodes? Dracula and Ernie Hudson. Oh yes -- those two. Also, the Countdown's been updated (on time, nyah), with a review of Dunkin Donuts' new Munchkin-filled glow in the dark "Halloween Pail." Good times all around. Temporary layoffs, Good Times.

Posted by Matt on 10/10/2003. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 151 comments

"The Write Channel"
That seems to ring a bell, I thought I was the only one who ever saw that show. Do you know that lil’ critters name allicat?

Also…
How do all these TVOntario shows end up in the US?
Specifically in Philadelphia, in 1980 sumtin’, & at 5:30am on Sat. morning?

P.s. Didn’t the lil’ bug have some kind of contest you could enter by sending him (it) a news story?

P.s. (again) What city Matt?

Chestnuts roasted by TheCleaner420 @ 10/16/2003 9:00 PM

is it just me or is matt being slack lately? not updateing….

Chestnuts roasted by Rachel @ 10/16/2003 10:21 PM

The scariest part of Halloween? Matt not updating his site b/c he’s passed out from the sugar high. You thought this was bad…

Chestnuts roasted by TOP1214 @ 10/16/2003 10:34 PM

TheCleaner420: I believe the name of the bug on the Write Channel was "R.G. Bug", and his boss was "Red Green", but this particular "Red Green" was a black anchorwoman, not some Canadian do-it-yourself guy played by Steve Smith, of course.

Everyone: A Google search for "Mississippi" and "Write Channel" confirmed my earlier recollection that it was from Mississippi Public TV. I can poke around with your memories a little to prove it’s American, not Canadian: remember towards the end of each episode, after the WORD-TV Evening News, they show an establishing "master" shot of an apartment building and then R.G. Bug asleep in front of his TV? It’s the end of WORD-TV’s broadcast day, so, on R.G. Bug’s television, they show a graphic of an American flag being raised up and down the pole whilst the last two bars of the "Star-Spangled Banner" play in the background. Then there’s a second of fuzz on the television, then the scene cuts to "The Club, The Club, The Club, The Club, The Club, etc…"

For people thinking it’s from TV Ontario, I think you’re all confusing it with one of three TVO-produced programmes from roughly the same era: http://members.rogers.com/ambrozic/tvo/readalong.html">Readalong, the reading show for young children with Boot, Pretty (a pink shoe), Granny, the Explorer, and "Bones" the skeleton; http://members.rogers.com/ambrozic/tvo/writeon.html">Write On!, for young teens, wherein a reporter writes articles containing punctuation, syntax, or verb tense errors, falls asleep, and then the characters in his dreams (played by him, the editor and the secretary) face the consequences of the mistakes he wrote when the altered meanings of the sentences come true; or, perhaps, the most famous reading-related TVO programme of all, http://members.rogers.com/ambrozic/tvo/read.html">Read All About It… the show wherein three kids in "The Coach House" start their own newspaper, The Herbertville Chronicle, and uncover a conspiracy from the Mayor to mine King’s Park, because the Mayor’s really the evil silver floating head alien Duneedon, and he needs the minerals in the park to activate the transporter in the Coach House and travel back to Trialviron for some nefarious purpose I can’t quite remember. Also, there was Otto, the dot-matrix printer, and Theta, the talking computer monitor.

Damn, why am I such an expert on 15-minute educational shows from the late 1970s? I guess I stayed home "sick" a little too much back when I was in elementary school…

Chestnuts roasted by Steve Brandon @ 10/16/2003 10:35 PM

Your knowledge is almost as impressive as it is disturbing. ;)

Chestnuts roasted by MrRottenTreats @ 10/16/2003 11:15 PM

Ok, Steve Brandon. You seem to know a thing or two. How about a challange? Tell me what you know about…. Romber Room.

Chestnuts roasted by Mr. Mr. Mr. @ 10/17/2003 12:40 PM

Well, Romper Room was originally an American show, but the version Canadians saw, with Miss Fran, was filmed in Kitchener, if I remember correctly. But, unlike the other shows I’ve mentioned, I never enjoyed Romper Room, even as a little kid. The show was mostly watching other kids play… about as exciting as looking through a daycare window (except the police made me sign a paper saying I wouldn’t… just kidding). Not counting Doo-Bee, the puppets and stuff they added in the mid-80s was years after I stopped watching, though I got glimpses of it back when I had to get up before 6:30 a.m. for high school.

Chestnuts roasted by Steve Brandon @ 10/17/2003 2:02 AM

Yeah I remember all of those shows on TVO. Read along was kinda lame,
but read all about it was cool. I remember it being really creepy and I used to have to watch with my sister so I wouldn’t be to scared. Say what you want, it was scary at times what with there ghosts and stuff. I had the biggest crush on lynne she was definately the babe on the show. Samantha was the brainy type and not without her own charm. She left the show for awhile in the early seasons before they all hit puberty. Steve, do you remeber that live action show on TVO with a rip off of rocky and bullwinkle?
Something to do with a cucumber?
Things I miss most about montreal:
bagels, peel pub, look out on mt. royal, belle province hotdogs, foufounes.
Hey, one more for you. In the late 70′s-early 80′s there was a show teaching french. They had skits with a guy dressed like a drunk/bum with clown makeup on. That show was hilarious definately one of my favorite childhood memories.

Chestnuts roasted by turkeys can't fly? @ 10/17/2003 12:28 PM

Yeah, I remember Cucumber… "Children’s Underground Club of United Moose and Beaver for Enthusiastic Reporters" I always got a kick out of the "Underground Club" part, like it was some sort of shady place with drug dealing and table dances and cock fighting. Also the "United Moose and Beaver" part, because my mind is in the gutter sometimes. Alex Laurier was doing a Bullwinkle impression, wasn’t he? Also, I had forgotten that both http://members.rogers.com/ambrozic/tvo/cucumber.html">John Candy and Martin Short had appeared in specific episodes of the show, though that was before SCTV started so they weren’t too famous.

Chestnuts roasted by Steve Brandon @ 10/17/2003 3:58 PM

Hey,

Matt’s article on the Super Show sure bring back memories of when I watched that show everyday on the then Family Channel, which I managed to tape on every viewing, along with "The All New Popeye Show" a few commercials, and show promos for "Punky Brewster" and "That’s My Dog"….whoah getting of topic a bit. I even taped episodes of the other Mario series. In response to another poster, Luigi was indeed funny. Watch the second "Dracula" sketch, the "Sigmund Fruitcake" sketch, and maybe even that sketch with Mario thinking he promised 15 years (from 1989) to marry Vanna White and Luigi helps out. Hey, maybe Matt could let me right reviews for some episodes he’s not able to reach.

Now if y’all excuse me, I’ll be eating some Krispy Kream donuts while watching that sketch with "Marianne and Luigeena".

Chestnuts roasted by Mario500 @ 10/17/2003 11:34 PM

Thank you so much Steve Brandon!
My neural transmitters have just experienced a massive kick in the ass…
I remember it all, even the boss. Ha!
Thank you.

P.s. Didn’t the lil’ guy live behind a grate below the house?

Chestnuts roasted by TheCleaner420 @ 10/18/2003 12:21 PM

And then there was Mr. Dressup. and The Friendly Giant.

-A Nostalgic former Vermonter/Montrealer
jsheldonsf@yahoo.com

Chestnuts roasted by js @ 11/21/2003 7:44 PM

I need to find these so called ‘episodes’ of Read All About It! Maybe after a closer review I can see how these bratty kids foiled my transgalactic plans with a typewriter and an Atari. Plus, I’d rather not pay $55 bucks on ebay to watch grainy VHS copies.
On a serious note…I LOVED this show. After some careless net-fumbling I saw somewhere someplace that TVO had given up/lost the rights to RAAI! and that is why you can’t buy the episodes from them. However, you CAN search libraries in Can. and see if they have the episodes taped. But if anybody has them converted to mpeg, holler.

Chestnuts roasted by Duneedon @ 11/21/2003 7:48 PM

Hello to Steve Brandon &
Mr. Mr. Mr.
My name is Claude Lee. My wife Fran and I live in Topeka Kansas. Fran was Miss Fran on Romper Room School in Wichita Kansas from 1967 through 1979. Her live broadcasts went only to western Kansas, and a part of NE, CO and OK. But a number of people tell us that they have seen her show over the years since then until recently in various parts of the east and south USA. Your comment Oct 31 03, is the first we have heard about Canada. We have no ax to grind, legal or otherwise, but would like to know if it is true. Probably ego: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" and I guess that includes video tapes. I have seen a number of RR teachers and she was very very good–the best–so it would not be surprising if they used her tapes. I have attached a City of Wichita home site that includes a picture of Miss Fran. If you or anyone else has seen my Fran on Romper Room anywhere, any time in the world except the above, please drop me a line at my e-mail: clee191@cox.net. Thank you for your trouble.
Claude Lee.

Mr.http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/wdl/searchresults.asp?yr=1970s

Chestnuts roasted by CLAUDE LEE @ 01/05/2004 11:53 PM

I had those batman and ghostbusters toys! I remember getting the proton pack and trapper for my birthday one year and every kid was trying to steal it from me. I also remember getting exceptionally pissed at not being able to holster the damn thing on my back. It was impossible I tell you, impossible!!! Anyway, is there anyway you can host those batman and ghostbusters commercials as video files, even if for just a little while?

Chestnuts roasted by realmeanmotorscutor @ 01/26/2004 2:07 PM

I had those batman and ghostbusters toys! I remember getting the proton pack and trapper for my birthday one year and every kid was trying to steal it from me. I also remember getting exceptionally pissed at not being able to holster the damn thing on my back. It was impossible I tell you, impossible!!! Anyway, is there anyway you can host those batman and ghostbusters commercials as video files, even if for just a little while?

Chestnuts roasted by realmeanmotorscutor @ 01/26/2004 2:13 PM

I had those batman and ghostbusters toys! I remember getting the proton pack and trapper for my birthday one year and every kid was trying to steal it from me. I also remember getting exceptionally pissed at not being able to holster the damn thing on my back. It was impossible I tell you, impossible!!! Anyway, is there anyway you can host those batman and ghostbusters commercials as video files, even if for just a little while?

Chestnuts roasted by realmeanmotorscutor @ 01/26/2004 2:14 PM

wow, what a screwy guestbook. I remember apologizing for the repeat posting when I originally wrote that and now when I check back to see if anyone responded to me what do I find? My apology never went through. Screwy I tells ya. Here’s hoping this one goes through.

Chestnuts roasted by realmeanmotorscutor @ 02/02/2004 1:24 PM

wow, what a screwy guestbook. I remember apologizing for the repeat posting when I originally wrote that and now when I check back to see if anyone responded to me what do I find? My apology never went through. Screwy I tells ya. Here’s hoping this one goes through.

Chestnuts roasted by realmeanmotorscutor @ 02/02/2004 1:25 PM

My friend had the Ghost Trapper. Damn, that thing was awesome…

Chestnuts roasted by hitokiri_diesel @ 02/25/2004 12:25 PM

You Should All Be Ashamed Of Yourselves!!!!

THE SUPER MARIO BROS. SUPER SHOW is a wholesome as THE THREE STOOGES CARTOON SHOW; Infact, it is almost exactly alike.

I hope to see EVERY SINGLE show with the LIVE ACTION and CARTOON pieces in original air-date forms in a DVD boxset.

Now if you want to talk SHIT, I mean REAL SHIT! See the SUPER MARIO BROS MOVIE!!! That is the only true reason why The Mario Character has Trouble getting back it’s devotion and respect as a Video Game Character that CHANGED THE WORLD!!!!!!

MICHAEL HEMPHILL

P.S: Eisner’s Goin’ Down!!!!

Chestnuts roasted by Mike @ 03/14/2004 5:36 PM

SUPER MARIO BROS SUPER SHOW ROCKS!! but I cant seem 2 find a damn episode for download or something… I would kill somebody for it… (believe me, I would) -_-

Chestnuts roasted by Lars @ 03/30/2004 4:51 PM

Wow! This is fantastic! I can never seem to find anybody who remembers "Read All About It". I absolutely loved that show. Just finding a mention of it has made my day.

Chestnuts roasted by chanteygrrl @ 04/29/2004 4:29 PM

You know what celebrity would have been a good special guest on this show? REM frontman Michael Stipe. Think about it, "Stand" was a chart-topping hit back when the show was on the air and Michael with his fun and charismatic personality would have fit right in with the Mario Brothers. I could also imagine a wisecrack being made by Mario or Luigi about it being "The End of the World as we Know It" and feeling fine.

Chestnuts roasted by Tim @ 06/07/2004 2:41 AM

I’m going to have to get a copy of this, for the Mega Force commercial.

Chestnuts roasted by Imp. Yes, THAT Imp. @ 06/28/2004 3:58 PM

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