"Santa Claus Is Coming to Flatbush" is the Christmas episode for the live-action half of the syndicated series The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Interestingly, it was not paired with the show's animated Christmas episode, "Koopa Klaus", on the original broadcasts nor in reruns; instead, it was paired with the episode "Star Koopa", a Star Wars parody (while "Koopa Klaus" was paired with the live-action segment "Little Marios").
Synopsis[]
It's Christmas Eve at Mario Brothers Plumbing, where Luigi is in the middle of polishing his boot, lamenting that business has been so poor lately that his own boots are the only present that he can afford to give Mario. Mario then arrives, announcing that he's returned with Christmas dinner. Before Mario can enter, Luigi tells him not to enter yet so that he can finish wrapping his present (which he does with old newspaper). After placing the wrapped present under their puny Christmas tree, Luigi calls Mario in, anticipating the feast that he thinks Mario has brought home, only to see Mario empty two measly garbanzo beans from the bag onto a plate. Luigi takes the beans, and tells Mario that he'll place them in his soup to add some flavor. While Luigi is at the stove, Mario tells him to close his eyes, because he's about to give him his present; he then removes his special wrench from his tool belt, places it in the empty grocery bag, and puts it under the tree. At that moment, the doorbell rings, and Mario answers it to find a man in red long johns and a long, white beard standing there, asking if he can use their phone. The man comments that he's very tired and that somebody stole his transportation. After the man falls into Mario's arms from exhaustion, Mario tells Luigi that they now have company.
Later on, Mario and the man, who calls himself Nick, are sitting down at the table, eating their soup. Because Nick finished his bowl, Mario kindly offers his own to Nick. Luigi, having gone outside earlier, returns and tells Nick that he'd been all over the neighborhood, but was unable to find his things. Noticing that his brother is in his socks, Mario asks him why he isn't wearing his boots, and Luigi makes up a story about taking them to a shoemaker. Luigi asks where his soup is, but Mario implies that he offered his bowl to Nick, to which Luigi doesn't mind (he might as well get a head start on his New Year's diet, he comments). Nick thanks Mario and Luigi for their hospitality, after which the CooKoo Bird comes out of the wall to alert them that it's now midnight, and therefore Christmas Day, and wishes them a Merry Christmas. Mario and Luigi excitedly head over to the tree and pick up their presents, to which Nick comments that it must be wonderful to receive presents on Christmas, implying that he's never received a Christmas present in a long time. Feeling sorry for Nick, Luigi tells him that he and Mario have already opened theirs, and offer their presents to Nick. Nick opens the presents, and is thrilled to receive the boots and the wrench.
After waking up the next morning, Luigi, in his pajamas, heads over to the tree and is surprised to see that Nick had returned their presents to them. Mario finds a note in the tree and reads that it was from Nick, who wrote that the cops found his transportation, and that there was a surprise under the seat for them. Mario then reads that the note is signed "S.C." As Luigi comments that he thought the man's name was Nick, he and Mario look out the window to see reindeer pulling Santa Claus' sleigh, and ponder if the man they brought in last night was in fact Santa Claus.
Availability[]
The episode was put together with "Koopa Klaus" on the 1990 VHS release of that episode (which also included the animated episodes "Stars in their Eyes" and "Too Hot to Handle"). "Santa Claus Is Coming to Flatbush" was later included on Shout! Factory's The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!: Volume 2 DVD set in 2006.
Edits[]
- On the "Koopa Klaus" VHS, the scene with Mario introducing the preview for the next Legend of Zelda episode (and the preview that follows) was cut.
Cast[]
Actor | Character |
---|---|
Lou Albano | Mario |
Danny Wells | Luigi |
Kort Falkenberg | Santa Claus |
External links[]
Video Game Adaptations | |
Nintendo | "A Christmas Story" • "Koopa Klaus" • "Santa Claus Is Coming to Flatbush" • "The Night Before Cave Christmas" • "Holiday Hi-Jynx" • "Christmas Night" • "Stantler's Little Helpers" • "The Kongo Bongo Festival of Lights" • "Delibird's Dilemma" |
Other video games | Christmas Comes to Pac-Land • "Just Like Old Times" • Sonic Christmas Blast • "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls" • "Happy Holiday and a Merry Berry Day" • "Santa Pac" • The Division • "A Holiday Tree-dition" / "A Very Devil Christmas" |