Send in the Clown

"Send in the Clown" is the third episode of the Super Mario World animated series.

Plot
Outside in a field Mario and Princess Toadstool are in the middle of a tennis match, using fireballs from a nearby Fire Plant as balls. As Princess Toadstool scores a point against Mario, she is congratulated by Luigi, who is acting as the game's scorekeeper. Princess Toadstool than proceeds to hit another fireball to Mario; before Mario can hit the ball though, Yoshi, the game's ballboy, gobbles it up.

Mario proceeds to scold Yoshi for eating the ball, saying he is not supposed to eat them, he is supposed to catch them only when they are out of bounds. As Yoshi calls tennis "un-fun", the scene zooms out and shows Kootie Pie Koopa and Big Mouth Koopa putting-up posters for the "Koopaling Bros. Circus". As Big Mouth begins to ramble and yell at Kootie Pie, the annoyed Koopaling shoves a poster in Big Mouth's face.

As Kootie Pie and Big Mouth continue to put-up posters, King Koopa flies overhead in his Koopa Clown Car and using a conch shell, begins to make announcements about how the cave-people can visit the Koopaling Bros. Circus for free. The cave-people follow Koopa to a Warp Tube which leads to "the circus". As the cave-people enter the pipe, Koopa snickers to himself, saying that he hopes his dinosaurs enjoy a "cave-people casserole".

Mario and Princess Peach are still playing tennis, with Princess Toadstool winning. As the Fire Plant launches another ball, Mario makes a futile attempt to chase it, with Yoshi running after him. Mario and Yoshi end-up tumbling into one another. As Mario is helped up by Luigi and Princess Toadstool, he notices that all the cave-people are missing. As Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Yoshi look around, Luigi notices a Koopaling Bros. Circus and panickingly states, "Oh no! Koopa's at it again!"

Using the Star Path, Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Yoshi warp to Neon Castle in search of the cave-people. Entering Neon Castle, the group notice that there really is a circus tent in it. Entering this circus tent, Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Yoshi decide to watch the show and see what will happen. After a performance by acrobatic Koopa Football Players and tight-rope walking Mechkoopas, Big Mouth, the circus' ringmaster, enters and begins an egotistical speech, only to be stopped by Koopa, who has several "clowns" enter.

Performing various stunts, these clowns decide to include a rambling Big Mouth in their act, much to his annoyance. After being flung into a pool of green goo, an extremely mad Big Mouth begins to chase the clowns around, much to the amusement of the show's spectators; the only person not laughing is Luigi, who still believes Koopa is up to no good. Mario rebuffs his brother's claims, telling him to just enjoy the show.

It is only after an incident involving a pie-throwing machine that the clowns are revealed to be Rexes. As the crowd of cave-people flee to the exits of the tent, several Thwomps cover the doors, trapping everyone inside. Flipping a switch, Koopa and Big Mouth dump everyone in a large cage hidden under the floor.

As Mario is hanging over the cage, Koopa begins to taunt him and shoves him into the cage. Before Mario hits the floor of the cage, Koopa grabs him and brings him back-up and, shoving a chair in Mario's arms, he pushes his "dinosaur tamer" in a cage filled with Dino-Rhinos.

After easily destroying Mario's chair, a Dino-Rhino shoves Mario to the ground and, putting on a bib, prepares to eat him. As Luigi and Princess Toadstool mourn Mario's fate, Luigi helps Toadstool remember a Fire Flower was in the princess' hands. She tosses it to Mario to free him. Using several fireballs, Mario defeats the Dino-Rhino and its Dino-Torch friends.

Melting the lock on his cage, Mario runs through Neon Castle searching for something he can help his friends with. While searching, Mario is attacked by an armada of enemies such as Koopa Football Players, Koopa Skeletons, Bowser Statues, Mechkoopas and a Ball 'N' Chain. While fleeing, Mario bumps into a block which shoots out a feather.

Grabbing this feather, Mario transforms into Caped Mario. Using his new powers, Mario defeats Koopa's minions, flinging them at the Koopa king. Mario then proceeds to chase down Big Mouth, who seeks refuge in the circus tent. Once Big Mouth is in the tent, Mario pulls it down on-top of Big Mouth and Kootie Pie.

Approaching the cage holding his friends, Mario is about to release everyone when Koopa in his Koopa Clown Car appears. Koopa from his Koopa Clown Car calls out to Mario (after calling him a plungerface) that he wouldn't do that if he were Mario; unless Mario wants to see his precious princess again. Holding Princess Toadstool captive, Koopa begins to hurl Mechkoopas and Big Steelies at Mario. Stomping on a Mechkoopa, Mario hurls it at Koopa, who easily dodges it. He then proceeds to try and crush Mario with the Koopa Clown Car.

Evading Koopa, Mario (who tells him that he will not do any more clowning around and is being "koo-put"), grabs another Mechkoopa and hurls it at the Koopa Clown Car. When it smashes into the contraption, Koopa loses control of the Koopa Clown Car, dropping Princess Toadstool out of the vehicle. Catching Princess Toadstool, Mario proceeds to release all the captives. After doing this, everyone returns to Dome City.

Back home, Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Yoshi have their own circus for the cave-people, with Yoshi as the clown, Princess Toadstool as tight rope artist, Luigi as an ice cream seller, and Mario as the ring master and juggler, with Yoshi eating the rocks.

Cast

 * Walker Boone &mdash; Mario
 * Tony Rosato &mdash; Luigi
 * Andrew Sabiston &mdash; Yoshi
 * Tracey Moore &mdash; Princess Toadstool
 * Harvey Atkin &mdash; King Bowser Koopa
 * Gordon Masten &mdash; Big Mouth Koopa, singer #2
 * Paulina Gillis &mdash; Kootie Pie Koopa, Female singer
 * Dan Hennessey &mdash; Caveman #1, Caveman #2, Caveman #3, singer #1, dinosaur #1, big dinosaur, caveboy
 * Stuart Stone &mdash; dinosaur #2

Animation and continuity errors

 * At the beginning of the episode, the circus in Dome City can be seen even though Mario and his friends have not hosted it yet.
 * The score for the tennis match at the beginning of the episode can be seen to be 30-love before Luigi announces it.
 * In several scenes, the "L" on Luigi's hat is white on a black background.
 * In a couple of scenes, Luigi has four fingers on each hand instead of five.
 * Similarly, when Mario says that he and his friends should check out the circus, he has four fingers on each hand instead of five.
 * When Kootie Pie is putting up a poster, her snout is the same color as her body.
 * In one scene, the rim around the Koopa Clown Car is white instead of green.
 * When two cave kids enter the Warp Pipe, they move without moving their legs.
 * When King Koopa says the Cave People will become food for his dinosaurs, his claws are the same color as the spikes on his shackles.
 * When Mario goes out of bounds to hit the ball, the stripes on his gloves are the same color as his shirt. This also happens to Luigi when he and Princess Toadstool are holding onto their seats as they are about to fall into the cage.
 * When Mario and his friends reach Kastle Koopa, a railing overlaps on Mario.
 * When Yoshi asks what doom is, his mouth moves before any sound comes out.
 * When Yoshi says that the circus is more fun than tennis, a line on his underbelly appears on his left arm.
 * In the same scene, Princess Toadstool's nose is missing.
 * When King Koopa says to bring on the clowns, the bottom of his feet is yellow instead of green.
 * The audio temporarily goes out of sync in the scene where Big Mouth gets hit with a pie while demanding respect.
 * In the same scene, Big Mouth's body is missing.
 * When the pie launcher starts launching pies, the crank does not move even though King Koopa is cranking it.
 * When a Rex trips on a pie, the nose on its costume overlaps on Big Mouth as he passes.
 * In one scene, Koopa's Rex minions are green instead of purple.
 * When Mario suggests grace to the Dino-Torch, his mustache overlaps on it.
 * When Princess Toadstool toss the Fire Flower to Mario, the underground cage is depicted at ground level. This happens again when Mario pulls down the tent.
 * When Mario jumps over the statue, he is layered in front of and behind the wall.
 * When a Ball 'N' Chain swings over to Mario, Mario overlaps it.
 * When Mario jumps onto a moving platform, he passes through it.
 * When Mario is near the peg holding up the circus tent, the "M" on his cap is white and his hat is completely red.
 * When Mario sees Princess Toadstool in the Koopa Clown Car, his gloves are the same color as his skin. This also happens with Luigi when he is giving ice cream, although the stripes on his gloves are the same color as his shirt.
 * When Mario runs past Big Mouth and some Koopa Football Players, he is layered underneath them.
 * When Mario jumps on a Mechkoopa, his eyebrows are brown instead of black.
 * When Mario and a Mechkoopa duck underneath the Koopa Clown Car, they can be seen to be overlapping on it.
 * When Luigi, Yoshi, and the cave people cheer for Mario, the stripe on Yoshi's tail is colored green instead of white.

Trivia

 * At the end of the episode, when Mario is dressed as a ringmaster, the costume he wears is very similar to the one he wears on the cover of Super Mario All-Stars a few years later, which would also become a costume he could wear in Super Mario Odyssey.
 * This episode's final battle is very similar to the one in Super Mario World. As Koopa throws Mechakoopas at Mario, he throws them back, and Koopa attempts to crush him with the Koopa Clown Car and drops Big Steelies on him. However, when the Koopa Clown Car hits Mario, his cape does not disappear.
 * Though this is Kootie Pie's last animation appearance, she has no dialogue (though she is heard giggling at the antics of the acrobats as they torment Big Mouth).
 * The name "Koopaling Bros. Circus" is a reference to the real-life Ringling Brothers Circus.