The Legend of Zelda was a short-lived television series chronicling the adventures of Link, Princess Zelda and Ganon in Hyrule, which was based off the first two Zelda games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. While the series itself is unrelated to the Mario series, it existed as a sub-series of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.
While The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! was broadcasted five days a week, Mario cartoons only aired from Monday through Thursday. The Legend of Zelda, which was accompanied by live-action segments with Mario and Luigi, aired on Friday.
Towards the end of the live-action segments that aired on Monday through Thursday, Mario, Luigi, and/or the guest-star would speak out to the audience and tell them to watch some scenes from the next The Legend of Zelda episode. A preview featuring several scenes from Friday's The Legend of Zelda episode was then shown before the live-action segment concluded.
As the characters in the live-action segments are aware of the The Legend of Zelda cartoons, the series itself actually exists in the overall Mario series.
The Legend of Zelda is also a popular video game series in its own right. Throughout this videogame series, Mario, Luigi, Bowser and other characters have made cameos. Additionally, Link also made an appearance in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, is also the creator of the Zelda series.
Trivia
- The episode "Stars in Their Eyes" of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! has aliens known as the Quirks singing the theme song of The Legend of Zelda near the episode's end. Similarly, a certain The Legend of Zelda episode entitled "Doppelganger" depicts Link humming the Super Mario Bros. theme while practicing with his sword.
- According to Mario, The Legend of Zelda is Mama Mario's favorite show.