Mississippi Madness

Mississippi Madness is the first episode of the first season of Saturday Supercade. As such, it is the first animated program featuring Mario overall.

Plot synopsis
Aboard a cruiser, Mario is describing to Pauline his latest Donkey Kong trap: using a duck to make a hunting dog drop a bucket of water to make a squirrel turn an exercise wheel, unraveling a rope to drop a cage on Donkey Kong. A trio of thieves named Belle, Billy Bob, and Colonel Culpepper interrupt Mario's rant, causing him to leave with Pauline. The trio reaffirms their plans to steal the Emerald of the East, which is being showcased at a local museum.

On their way to the city, Mario slips on a banana peel, and discovers that Donkey Kong is nearby. Donkey Kong flees, and while Mario gives chase, an impressed Colonel, who is watching from a distance, begins to believe Donkey Kong is the ideal character to steal the emerald. Mario manages to corner Donkey Kong, but he instead drops his barrel on a seesaw-like wooden platform, ejecting Mario into the water. Pauline throws Mario a line from the cruiser, but Donkey Kong manages to move the cruiser's rear propeller, crashing it back into the dock. Mario is flung right into some crates, and the thieves begin their plan to mull over Donkey Kong. Pauline frees Mario, and the two immediately search for Donkey Kong.

Donkey Kong stumbles into Colonel, who tries to get him to join them; Donkey Kong refuses at first, but stops short when he notices and falls in love with Belle. They take him just outside of the museum, and ask him in secret to steal the emerald for them, to which a flattered Donkey Kong agrees. Meanwhile, apparently having had no luck in finding Donkey Kong thus far, Mario, on a hunch, walks right into the museum and finds him. Pauline firmly demands that Donkey Kong hand over the emerald, but he refuses, instead hitting two of the guards with the display case and kidnapping Pauline. He then proceeds to throw multiple pillars at Mario; Mario attempts to climb a ladder without success. Donkey Kong escapes the museum with Pauline in tow, and Colonel, Belle, and Billy Bob decide to follow them.

Mario realizes that Donkey Kong must be hiding in a jungle. The scene then pans to Donkey Kong and Pauline, in a jungle, where Pauline is trying to explain that Mario would undoubtedly find him here. Mario arrives in the nick of time, and proceeds with the trap he discussed at the beginning of the episode. Just as the cage is about to drop, Colonel, Belle, and Billy Bob use their personalized motorboat to push Donkey Kong out of the way, causing the emerald to fall into Colonel's hand. However, it also causes the cage to land on the trio instead.

The police arrive and promptly arrest Colonel, Belle, and Billy Bob. Mario insists upon reclaiming Donkey Kong, to which Pauline realizes that Donkey Kong escaped. Donkey Kong is then seen boarding a bus at a bus stop, scaring out everyone inside and allowing him to take control of the bus, driving into the sunset.

Trivia

 * One of the passengers scrambling out of the bus at the end bears a noticeable resemblance to Popeye.