King Koopa's Kool Kartoons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids King Koopa’s Kool Kartoons |
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| Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Based on | Super Mario Bros by Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Starring | Christopher Collins (1989) Patrick Pinney (1990) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 60 |
| Release | |
| Original network | KTTV |
King Koopa's Kool Kartoons was a fun live-action TV show for kids. It was shown in Southern California during the holidays in 1989 and 1990. The show featured King Koopa, who is the main bad guy from the famous Super Mario video games. It was a spin-off from another show called The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.
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About the Show's Format
The show was like classic children's TV programs, similar to Bozo the Clown. Each episode started with a pre-recorded video. This video led into a live studio audience of children.
The kids in the audience would chant "Koopa! Koopa! Koopa!" at the start. They all wore special hats shaped like Koopa heads. They also got T-shirts that said "Koopa's Troopas." The children got to keep their shirts. However, the Koopa helmets were collected by the show's producers. They reused the helmets for every show.
King Koopa as Host
A live actor dressed as King Koopa was the host of the show. He would introduce old public domain cartoons. These were animated shorts that anyone could use freely. No actual Mario cartoons were ever shown on this program.
At the end of each show, King Koopa would give prizes to a lucky contestant. It was a fun way to finish the program.
Meet King Koopa and Ratso!
The actor playing King Koopa wore a special costume. It was similar to one used in the Super Mario Bros. Ice Capades show. This costume had a very detailed mask. This made the actor look more like the real King Koopa on TV.
Two different actors played Koopa. First was Chris Latta, then Pat Pinney. They both gave Koopa a rough, deep voice. He acted a bit mean, but deep down, he was actually quite nice.
King Koopa also had a pet named Ratso. Ratso looked like a mix between a dog and a weasel. He had big ears like a bat. Ratso had his own special "theater" on the show. Kids could win prizes there too. Ratso was played by a puppet in the theater. In the opening and closing videos, Ratso was played by a real dog in a costume.
Awards and Recognition
By 1990, King Koopa's Kool Kartoons was nominated for an award. It was considered for the best youth program at the Los Angeles local Emmy Awards. This showed that the program was well-liked and recognized.
