Raiders of the Lost Mushroom

"Raiders of the Lost Mushroom" is the forty-ninth episode of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. Its corresponding live-action segment is "Cyrano de Mario". The title is a reference to the Indiana Jones 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Plot synopsis
Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad have traveled to Jungle Land in a red hot air balloon, complete with Mario's trademark "M" emblem plastered on it. Their reason for traveling to Jungle Land is that they hope to find a magical statue known as the Lost Mushroom. However, according to Mario, King Koopa is looking for it as well.

Still flying in the balloon, Princess Toadstool tells her friends that the Lost Mushroom can grant the wishes of whoever possesses it, and that they must find it before King Koopa does himself. Toad points out that it won't be easy, as they don't know where to start looking. Before they can continue, Luigi points to a nearby, flying Albatoss. Toad remarks that the Albatoss works for King Koopa, and before any of them can react, the Albatoss swoops down and pierces a hole through the center of the balloon, causing it to deflate and crash down towards the ground.

Having survived the crash, the group feels relieved, until they discover that they've actually crashed into a quicksand pond, which they slowly start sinking into. After making a wry comment, Toad finds himself victim to a mysterious whip that wraps itself around his arm and it mysteriously put him on to dry land. As that happens, Toad sees that the whip belongs to an explorer. The explorer introduces himself as Indiana Joe, the self-proclaimed greatest treasure hunter in Jungle Land. After Indiana Joe agrees to find the Lost Mushroom for Princess Toadstool, he uses his whip to rescue her from the quicksand, along with Mario and Luigi.

Meanwhile, King Koopa, who is with Mouser, Tryclyde and Koopa Troopa, has been spying on the heroes through binoculars from atop a cliff. King Koopa comments that Indiana Joe is going to lead them to the Lost Mushroom, and that he knows the location of every hidden treasure in Jungle Land, as well as every shortcut leading to them. When Mouser whines that Mario's group will reach the Lost Mushroom before they do, King Koopa comments that the statue was left to him by his Great-Great Grandkoop, and is rightfully his. Addressing King Koopa as Kolonel von Koop, Tryclyde asks what they can do about it. Kolonel von Koop responds by saying they'll follow the other group and let them find the Lost Mushroom, so that they can simply take it away from them. Mouser, Koopa Troopa and Tryclyde nervously remind Kolonel von Koop that they'd be stealing, so Kolonel von Koop has to remind them that they're supposed to steal since they're bad guys, and smacks them all with his whip.

Eventually, Indiana Joe leads Mario's group to the entrance of the Temple of Koopa, which he explains was built by Kolonel von Koop's Great-Great Grandkoop, and that Lost Mushroom lies inside it. Although Mario is eager to enter, Indiana Joe starts shivering, and comments that the Temple of Koopa is too terrifying for him to enter. Mario mentions that he thought Indiana Joe wasn't afraid of anything, but Indiana Joe confesses that he has Koopaphobia, and that the very sight of a Koopa sends him into panic. Mario tells Indiana Joe to just wait outside the Temple of Koopa while he and his friends go inside.

Inside the Temple of Koopa, Mario's group proceeds with their search for the Lost Mushroom. When Princess Toadstool asks what Indiana Joe could possibly be afraid of, the ceiling behind them caves in, blocking their way out. Suddenly, a fireball goes flying over their heads, which they manage to dodge by ducking. Toad then points out the Fryguy that shot the fireballs, and the group proceeds to run away. While fleeing from the Fryguy, the group runs towards a large Cobrat in a glass bowl that they barely manage to leap over. Although the Fryguy continues to chase the group, they eventually slip into another chamber and block the entrance with a boulder, stopping the Fryguy's pursuit.

Upon sealing off the chamber, Princess Toadstool points to the Lost Mushroom, which is lying atop a pedestal before the group. The group runs up to the Lost Mushroom and Mario picks it up. Luigi then points out that all they need now is a way out of the Temple of Koopa, and Mario inadvertently wishes for a trap door. The Lost Mushroom responds to Mario's wish by opening a panel in the floor beneath the group. Upon falling through the floor, Mario's group winds up being spat out at the entrance to the Temple of Koopa. Before they can celebrate their victory, Kolonel von Koop steals the Lost Mushroom right out of Mario's hand. Kolonel von Koop orders Mario's group to put their hands in the air, while Tryclyde opens his mouths, and Mouser and Koopa Troopa each pull out a small Cobrat akin to a gun, which they aim at them.

Later, Kolonel von Koop's group has led Mario's group to a caged tree hut, where they're holding them prisoner. Mario demands to be released, but Kolonel von Koop sarcastically responds at his threat and laughs with his henchmen. Kolonel von Koop's group leaves the tree hut, and leaves Mario's group trapped inside. As soon as Princess Toadstool wonders what Kolonel von Koop plans on doing with them, a trap door opens up, and a Shy Guy Lion pops out, which Toad assumes will eat them for lunch. Bracing his fear, Mario asks for Luigi to lend him his plumber's snake, which he uses as a whip to tame the Shy Guy Lion. Mario then orders the Shy Guy Lion to free them, and it crashes through the door, providing them with a way out. Princess Toadstool remarks that they still need to find a way to defeat Kolonel von Koop. Toad points out that they can't do it alone, as the Lost Mushroom makes Kolonel von Koop too powerful. Mario suggests that maybe Indiana Joe can help, and that they can help him overcome his Koopaphobia, so the group sets off to find him.

Mario's group arrives at Indiana Joe's hut, and discover from a sign hanging next to his front door that he's offering a babysitting service. Entering the hut, they see Indiana Joe trying to look after three whiny Mushroom kids. Mario asks Indiana Joe why he became a babysittier, and he responds by saying that he can't be a treasure hunter due to his Koopaphobia, so he went into babysitting instead. Princess Toadstool asks for his help, and tells him that they can't defeat Kolonel von Koop alone. Unable to stand the kids' behavior, he puts them down, joins up with Mario's group, and comments that while Kolonel von Koop may be scary, he's nothing compared to looking after bratty kids. Indiana Joe then instructs Mario's group to leave as the kids proceed to throw toys around the hut. Meanwhile, the Koopa Pack is at a clearing, where Kolonel von Koop plans to test out the Lost Mushroom. Kolonel von Koop asks for the Lost Mushroom to build him a castle made of solid gold, which it does by making one appear right before his eyes. Ecstatic over his newfound treasure, Kolonel von Koop is too slow to stop Mario's plumber's snake from stealing it out of his claws. Mario is then joined by Indiana Joe, who is holding his whip, along with Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad, who have plumber's snakes of their own.

Kolonel von Koop, Mouser and Koopa Troopa use their gun-sized Cobrats to try and ward off their opponents, while Tryclyde spits fireballs. Mario and Indiana Joe proceed to fight Kolonel von Koop with their plumber's snake and whip respectively. Tryclyde attempts to shoot Princess Toadstool with fireballs, but she wraps her plumber's snake around his heads and tosses him aside. Luigi dodges the bullets fired from Koopa Troopa's Cobrat, and manages to wrap up and toss him aside with his plumber's snake. Toad then dodges Mouser's shots, and he too uses his plumber's snake to wrap up Mouser and toss him away. Indiana Joe succeeds in grabbing Kolonel von Koop's Cobrat out of his claw with his whip, and soon Kolonel von Koop finds himself surrounded by Mario, Princess Toadstool, Toad, Luigi and Indiana Joe. Kolonel von Koop pulls out a Magic Potion and uses it to create a Warp Zone that disappears once he jumps down it.

Back at his hut, Indiana Joe thanks Mario's group for helping him conquer his Koopaphobia, and proceeds to take down his babysitter sign, which Toad in turn tosses into the nearby pond. Princess Toadstool then asks as to what happened to the Lost Mushroom, and Mario, who is inside the Indiana Joe's hut with it, wishes for the place to be filled with pasta. As noodles start to fill up the entire hut, none of the others can believe what they're seeing, but Mario is thrilled, and comments that he and the Lost Mushroom are going to get along just fine.

Cast

 * Lou Albano &mdash; Mario
 * Danny Wells &mdash; Luigi
 * Jeannie Elias &mdash; Princess Toadstool
 * John Stocker &mdash; Toad, Albatoss, Indiana Joe, Mouser, Koopa Troopa, baby #1
 * Harvey Atkin &mdash; King Bowser Koopa, Tryclyde
 * Robert Bockstael &mdash; baby #2
 * Joyce Gordon &mdash; baby #3

References to Indiana Jones
This episode was based heavily on the original Indiana Jones movie trilogy, aside from the title. The third movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was released a few months before the airing of the episode, and is most likely the impetus for its production.
 * "Indiana Joe" is a parody of "Indiana Jones", who is also a treasure hunter.
 * In place of Indiana Jones' whip is a plumber's snake.
 * Indiana Joe's Koopaphobia (fear of Koopas) is the equivalent of Indiana Jones' Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes).
 * The Lost Mushroom is the equivalent of the Chachapoyan Idol, which Indiana Jones retrieved in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 * The Plumber's Log entry number is 1938, the year when The Last Crusade takes place.
 * The fact that Indiana Joe did not have a face is also a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark, in which Indiana Jones's face was not visible for a while.
 * The Temple of Koopa is derived from the Temple of Doom, a location in the eponymous movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
 * Kolonel von Koop is based upon Colonel Dietrich, a major antagonist from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 * In keeping with the fact that Dietrich was a member of the Nazi Party in the film, the Koopa Pack are shown with red WWII-era armbands with black "K" marks, as opposed to the Nazi swastika.

Animation and Continuity errors

 * After the Warp Zone disappears, it can be seen again two shots later. Additionally, Toad can be seen standing right above it.
 * Also after the Warp Zone disappears, Mario and Luigi stand with their clothing switched.
 * When Kolonel von Koop and his minions are shocked that Mario and friends survived, Koopa Troopa's entire face is green.
 * When Mouser notes that stealing is wrong, his ears are much smaller and his overall body size is diminished.
 * The cage that the gang encounters the Shy Guy Lion in is much smaller on the outside than it is on the inside.
 * When the Shy Guy Lion flees and breaks a hole in the door, the hole is in the center, but when Princess Toadstool walks through it, it is closer to the bottom.
 * In the shot where Kolonel von Koop is whipping Mouser, Koopa Troopa, and Tryclyde, the "K" insignia on their shoulders is missing.
 * King Koopa's pith helmet continuously becomes outlined throughout the episode.
 * The Lost Mushroom randomly appears without it's belly button throughout the episode.
 * When Indiana Joe yanks Toad out of the quicksand pit, Toad is at the edge of the swamp, but in the next shot he has moved slightly inland.

Trivia

 * Although Tryclyde refers to King Koopa as Kolonel von Koop, Mario and his friends refer to him as Kolonel von Koopa.
 * The episode shares a similar title with an episode of the later Donkey Kong Country animated series, "Raiders of the Lost Banana."
 * This is the final appearance of Tryclyde.
 * As Indiana Joe's eyes can be seen in a single scene and that none of the characters react to his abscence of a face, it was widely believed that said lack of facial features was an animation error. However, in a 2018 interview, the episode's writer Perry Martin explained that he had described the character as "a dashing caricature of in a leather jacket and a fedora hat." in the script, but that the character model sheets had Indiana Joe drawn without a face, which Martin speculated was because DIC wanted to avoid a potential lawsuit from Harrison Ford or.
 * In the same interview, Perry Martin stated that he considered "Raiders of the Lost Mushroom" the worst episode he wrote for the show, even giving an apology to Bruce Shelly when he submitted the script.