Bad Rap

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode
"Bad Rap"
Production number	126
Episode	32
Airdate	October 26, 1989 November 6, 1990[?]
Writer(s)	Cassandra Schafhausen Kevin O'Donnell
Plumber's Log #	2-2-4
King Koopa's alter ego(s)	Rappin' Koopa
Cover song(s)	"I Got You (I Feel Good)" "Make It Funky"
Replacement song(s)	"Motor City"
Title reference	A term used to refer to an undeserved poor reputation
Live-action segment	"Caught in a Draft"
Episode chronology ← Previous "The Unzappables" Next → "The Mark of Zero" List of episodes

“We'll sneak you inside and surprise that Koopa fool!”

—Princess Toadstool

"Bad Rap" is the thirty-second episode of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! This episode is the only in the series to have more than one cover song accompany it, as it has two, although one replacement song accompanies it. Its corresponding live-action segment is "Caught in a Draft." This episode notably has most lines done in rhyme.

Plot synopsis

Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad have arrived in Rap Land, because King Koopa had kidnapped Rap Land's king, and is attempting to take everyone's money by playing an eerie theme throughout the land. They are surprised to see the rapper-themed citizens of Rap Land monotonously entering the castle, carrying sacks of Gold Coins. Princess Toadstool assumes that King Koopa is forcing everyone to bring him their money, but Toad wants to know how.

Rap Land citizens giving gold to Koopa.

A message from King Koopa, announcing himself as "Rappin' Koopa", comes out of all the speakers around Rap Land, demanding that everyone give him their money. The group is then approached by the Flab Boys, two obese, yet friendly guys who tell them that their earphones blocked out Rappin' Koopa's sound. They then explain that Koopa has trapped King James in his own castle. Mario then decides that they will all head over to the castle to set things straight.

At the castle, Rappin' Koopa makes another announcement for everyone's money. He then taunts King James, who is tied up and sitting on an enormous turntable. King James tells Koopa that the Flab Boys are going to save him. Although Koopa doubts him, from looking out upon Rap Land through a telescope, he finds Mario's group and the Flab Boys arriving at the castle.

As Mario's group reaches the castle, they spy on a Koopa Troopa collecting everyone's money. One of the Flab Boys runs towards the castle, and it takes the combined strength of Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad to stop him. Mario explains that he has a plan: have Princess Toadstool dress up like a rapper and offer a bag of coins to the Koopa Troopa that Toad is hiding in. Just as the Princess hands over the bag with Toad to the Koopa Troopa, Koopa announces that the Princess's disguise is fake, and the Koopa Troopas uncover the real Princess.

Princess Toadstool captured by a Koopa Troopa.

Mario tells the others that they need to save the Princess, who soon gets tied up by the Koopa Troopas. As they run towards the castle, the Flab Boys create a small tremor, causing Mario and Luigi to fall over. Because they all had to stop, the Koopa Troopas start to bring Princess Toadstool into the castle. The Flab Boys try to stop the Koopa Troopas by throwing records at them, but they are ineffective. Mario manages to hit the Koopa Troopas with his plunger, causing the Princess to fly out of their hands and into the claws of Rappin' Koopa.

As Koopa brings the Princess into the castle, several Albatosses show up and start dropping Bob-Ombs at the heroes. Luigi mentions cannolis, and this prompts Mario into retreating for a lunch break.

Meanwhile, Koopa places a tied-up Princess Toadstool with King James on the giant turntable, and turns on the record player. As the needle slowly lowers towards Princess Toadstool and King James, a Koopa Troopa reports to Koopa that the Mario Bros. got away. As Koopa leaves the room, Toad, who had avoided being caught, sneaks in, turns off the record player, and unties the two captives.

Super Mario cuts off Rap Land's supply.

Toad, the Princess and King James manage to meet up with Mario, Luigi and the Flab Boys outside the castle, where James points out that they need to cut off Rap Land's power supply to stop Rappin' Koopa's takeover; a huge cord plugged into a hydroelectric dam, the Royal Plug. Luigi is afraid to pull the plug, as he fears that he will get electrocuted. Mario decides to do it, and is given a boost up to the outlet by Luigi and the Flab Boys. As Mario grabs onto the cord, he gets shocked, but the power surge transforms him into Super Mario, giving him the strength to unplug the cord. Mario gives King James a handshake, which electrocutes him, and everyone laughs.

With the power cut off, Rappin' Koopa announces an attack on the Mario Bros. At the same time, Mario's group readies themselves by giving Princess Toadstool and King James two stereo-shaped guns that can shoot exploding records, while Toad puts on an army helmet and hides in a small hole. Mario poses as an announcer with a microphone, and Luigi takes on role of a DJ with twin turntables.

Rappin' Koopa.

Rappin' Koopa shows up with a portable turntable, and is accompanied by his Koopa Troopas and a flock of Albatosses. Mario tells Princess Toadstool and King James to stop the Albatosses, and they do so by firing exploding records at them. Mario then tells the Flab Boys to do a roll, and they respond by rolling down a hill, knocking out the Koopa Troopas on the way.

King James giving Mario a crown.

Rappin' Koopa gets mad, and claims that he will not be leaving Rap Land without everyone's money. Luigi is afaid of what Koopa is about to do, but Mario reminds him about Toad, who is still hiding in his hole. As Koopa runs over Toad, Toad pops up and knocks him over. Mario's group surrounds Koopa, and the Flab Boys threaten to sit on him. Koopa pulls out a Magical Potion, which he uses to create a door that he escapes through.

Back at the castle, everyone in Rap Land is celebrating Rappin' Koopa's defeat. Princess Toadstool then announces that Rap Land deserves a new song, which the Flab Boys identify as "The Mario Rap." Toad plays the record, and everyone dances to the rap song. After the song, King James declares Mario as number one in a rapping duel, and gives him a special crown.

Gallery

• 

  Title card

Characters

"Rappin' Koopa"

• Mario
• Luigi
• Princess Toadstool
• Toad
• Rappin' Koopa
• Koopa Troopas
• Albatosses
• Bob-Ombs
• Flab Boys
• King James

Cast

• Lou Albano — Mario, Flab Boy #1
• Danny Wells — Luigi
• Jeannie Elias — Princess Toadstool
• John Stocker — Toad, Koopa Troopa
• Harvey Atkin — Rappin' Koopa, Flab Boy #2
• Greg Morton — King James

Animation and continuity errors

• When Rappin' Koopa looks through his telescope, part of the background can be seen at the edges of the screen.
• When Koopa laughs at King James, the rim of his shell turns the same color as his body. This also happens with one of his shackles when he notices Mario and his friends.
• When Koopa grabs a Koopa Troopa, the Koopa Troopa's eyes are yellow circles with black pupils, and shortly after, its eyes are white instead of yellow.
• In the second shot of Koopa tying Princess Toadstool and King James onto the spinning record, the Princess's nose is missing until she starts speaking.
  • In the same scene, the record is black, but when Toad saves Princes Toadstool and King James, it turns brown. A similar error occurs with the record a Flab Boy tosses to Toad, where it is initially black, but turns brown when Toad puts it on his turntable.
• When Princess Toadstool and King James are trapped on the spinning record, the actuator appears to be rising upward instead of lowering down to slice them in a couple of scenes.
• When Mario transforms into Super Mario, he briefly disappears.
• In a couple of scenes, Koopa's turntable is colored blue like Mario and his friends' instead of orange.
• When Koopa takes out a Magic Potion, his right arm is the same color as the rim of his shell.
• After the Warp Zone disappears, it can briefly still be seen.

• 

  The telescope error

• 

  Rappin' Koopa's miscolored shackle

• 

  Rappin' Koopa's miscolored turntable

Profiles

• Netflix: With Koopa holding the King of Rapland hostage, Mario and Luigi must speak in rhythmic rhyme to set him free.
• Off the Map DVD: Koopa kidnaps the King of Rapland where everyone speaks in rap rhyme. It's up to the rapping Marios to save the day.

Dub edits

• In the French and German dubs, "The Mario Rap" is played normally. The dubs also use the first part of the rap instead of the second.
• In the original, the Plumber's Log number is given as 2-2-4. In the Latin American Spanish dub, it is given as 1-2-3.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Chinese (simplified)	歹意的说唱 Dǎiyì de Shuōchàng	Bad Rap
French	Le Roi Prisonnier	The Prisoner King
German	Schlechter Rap	Bad Rap
Italian	È l'ora del Rap[?]	It's Time for Rap
Portuguese	O rap de Mario	Mario's rap
Spanish	Mala melodía	Bad tune

Notes

• In the original, the song played in Mario's honor at the end of the episode is a lower-pitched version of "The Mario Rap Part 2."
• As everyone dances in celebration, the song abruptly stops and all on-screen audio is muted until the episode is over. However, in original and foreign airings, the audio is not muted, and a sound bite of James Brown saying "It's got to be funky!" at the beginning of his song "Make It Funky" can be heard. This sound bite can also be heard on The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!: Robo Koopa VHS.