Not to be confused withSuper Saturday.

Saturday Supercade
General information
Format	Children's television series
Creators	Joe Ruby Ken Spears
Directors	Charles A. Nichols John Kimball
Writers	Duane Poole Tom Swale Gary Greenfield Michael Maurer Mark Jones Rick Merwin Cliff Ruby Elana Lesser Gordon Kent Jack Enyart Tom Dagenais Matt Uitz Michael Brown Kayte Kuch Richard Murphy James Diamond Sheryl Scarborough Scott Ben-Yashar
Starring	Soupy Sales asDonkey Kong
Voice actors	Milton Supman Peter Cullen Kenneth Mars Billy Bowles Noelle North Bart Braverman Bob Ridgely Dick Beals Bob Sarlatte Julie Dees B. J. Ward Ted Field, Sr. Frank Welker Marvin Kaplan Judy Strangis Robbie Lee
Opening theme	"Supercade"
Composers	Haim Saban Shuki Levy Dean Elliott
Country of origin	United States of America
Original language	English
Translations	Basque Catalan Galician Italian Portuguese (Brazil) Spanish (Latin America)
Rating	TVPG: - Guidance[1]
Number of seasons	2
Number of episodes	97
Production
Executive producers	Joe Ruby Ken Spears
Producer	Larry Huber
Editors	P. J. Webb Larry Whelan
Production company	Ruby-Spears Productions
Distributor	CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Runtime	50 minutes
Broadcast
Channel	CBS
First aired	September 17, 1983[2] October 24, 1987[3] December 14, 1987[4][5]
Last aired	December 1, 1984[6]
Status	Ended

Saturday Supercade is an animated television series based on several arcade games, includingDonkey Kong,Donkey Kong Junior,Frogger,Q*bert,Pitfall!,Kangaroo, andSpace Ace. Each episode is approximately one hour long and comprises four shorter, self-contained segments based on one arcade game each. The show originally aired on Saturday mornings onCBS Broadcasting Inc. television network beginning on September 17, 1983. After two seasons, the show's original run ended on December 1, 1984.Ruby-Spears Productions produced the series. While theDonkey Kong segments appeared in both seasons, theDonkey Kong Junior segments ended after the first season. In total there are nineteenDonkey Kong segments and thirteenDonkey Kong Junior segments.

Since the show's end, theDonkey Kong andDonkey Kong Junior segments have ceased to air on television. Additionally, the series has not been reproduced in any format, and as such only homemade recordings of the segments made during the show's television airing are available to the public.Music Corporation of America Inc., then-owner ofUniversal City Studios, was the last known holder of the segments (due to a deal made between MCA/Universal and Ruby-Spears in the leadup toUniversal's lawsuit against Nintendo),^[7][8] but it is unclear if Universal or related entities still have any rights to the segments. The copyright to the segments (excluding theSpace Ace segments) was assigned to the owners of the source materials, including theDonkey Kong andDonkey Kong Junior segments; it appears that said segments are owned byNintendo of America.^[9] When questioned by a fan on Facebook, the Warner Archive Collection team stated that the accessible segments of the show may be released on DVD in 2011, with "cool vintage footage" replacing any unavailable segments,^[10] but this did not come to fruition.

PredatingSuper Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyūshutsu Dai Sakusen! by nearly three years,Saturday Supercade marked the first animated adaption of anySuper Mario-related series. A few months before the series aired, however, TV commercials forDonkey Kong cereal and theGame & Watch included animatedSuper Mario characters.^[11][12][13] It also marked the first appearances ofMario andDonkey Kong in a television series, both of whom would later star in their own television series withThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show! in 1989 andDonkey Kong Country in 1996 respectively, as well as the first appearance of Mario's modern color scheme in America (a red hat and shirt with blue overalls). The show also marked the currently only televised appearances of the charactersPauline,Donkey Kong Jr., andStanley, all from theDonkey Kong series.

Overview[edit]

Donkey Kong[edit]

Mario andPauline in theDonkey Kong segment of the show.

Similar to the premise ofDonkey Kong Circus, the season one intro to theDonkey Kong segments show thatMario apparently owns the circus along with his animal trainerPauline and the star of the show,Donkey Kong. However, theKong escapes and makes his way down a dock on a motorcycle, pursued by Mario and Pauline in their circus van. Exiting the van, the pair gives chase on foot until Mario slipped on abanana peel laid by Donkey Kong as a trap. The tables turn, and the pair flee from the approaching Kong. However, Mario and Pauline quickly resume pursuit with a net and follow him up the stairway of a building in reference to25m. Their resultant chase is outlined in theDonkey Kong segments.

The season two intro starts with Mario chasing Donkey Kong across a row of floating barrels holding a net, with the Kong holding Pauline. Donkey Kong then taunts Mario, frustrating Mario. The scene changes to Donkey Kong dressed as a matador in a bullring, who waves amuleta to make a bull charge towards him, who is actually Mario in disguise, referencing "El Donkey Kong". Mario hits a brick wall, dazing him, and the scene transitions to Donkey Kong on a unicycle, who throws a banana peel while holding a bunch of bananas, causing Mario, who is chasing him while holding a net, to slip on it. The scene transitions toPauline, who is dressed as a princess, waving her handkerchief from a tower in a castle, prompting Donkey Kong, who is dressed as a knight, to rush to her rescue on his horse, referencing "Sir Donkey Kong". However, Mario blocks the entrance to castle, and his horse stops at the drawbridge, launching Donkey Kong into the castle. He hits a wall, resulting in his armor falling off, but Pauline also falls in his lap, now in her normal attire, making Donkey Kong smile. He turns his head towards the camera, and the scene transitions to running off with Pauline on a zigzag path in reference to 25m towards the sunset, with Mario in pursuit.

Most stories have the trio happening on crime, with criminals usually involved in schemes involving theft, fraud, and deceit, usually for monetary gain. Sometimes, the crooks realize Donkey Kong's slow-wittedness and try to get him to do their dirty work, but in the end, Donkey Kong either realizes the truth himself or Mario and/or Pauline reveal the facts to the Kong, and in the end, the villains' plot is foiled. The chase then continues.

Donkey Kong Junior[edit]

Bones Bailey andDonkey Kong Jr. in theDonkey Kong Junior segment of the show.

Outlined in the introduction to theDonkey Kong Junior segments, Donkey Kong Jr. travels from the jungle to Mario's circus to see his father, Donkey Kong. Realizing that his dad has escaped and without means of finding him, Donkey Kong Jr. is reduced to tears.Bones Bailey approaches Junior and consoles him. After hearing his story, Bones suggests that they follow after Donkey Kong in his motorcycle. Overjoyed, Donkey Kong Jr. joyously yells his catchphrase, "Monkey muscle!" and takes the driver's seat. With Bones in the sidecar covering his eyes, the two speed off on their adventures which are outlined in theDonkey Kong Junior segments.

Cast[edit]

English[edit]

• Peter Cullen ―Mario
• Judy Strangis ―Pauline
• Milton Supman ―Donkey Kong
• Frank Welker ―Donkey Kong Jr.
• Bart Braverman ―Bones Bailey

Catalan[edit]

• Claudi García ― Mario^[4]
• Glòria Roig ― Pauline^[4]
• Joan Crosas ― Donkey Kong^[4]
• Xavier de Llorens ― Donkey Kong Jr.^[4]
• Pep Sais ― Bones Bailey^[4]
• Jordi Hurtado ― Additional voices^[4]
• Manuel Lázaro ― Additional voices^[4]

Brazilian Portuguese[edit]

• Carmen Sheila ― Pauline^[14]
• Júlio Chaves ―Cabeza^[14]

Episodes[edit]

Donkey Kong[edit]

Title card to the show'sDonkey Kong Season 1 segments.

Season 1[edit]

• "Mississippi Madness"
• "Gorilla Gangster"
• "Banana Bikers"
• "The Incredible Shrinking Ape"
• "Movie Mania"
• "Gorilla My Dreams"
• "Little Orphan Apey"
• "Circus Daze"
• "The Great Ape Escape"
• "Apey and the Snowbeast"
• "How Much is That Gorilla in the Window?"
• "Private Donkey Kong"
• "Get Along, Little Apey"

Title card to the show'sDonkey Kong Season 2 segments.

Season 2[edit]

• "Sir Donkey Kong"
• "The Pale Whale"
• "El Donkey Kong"
• "New Wave Ape"
• "Greenhouse Gorilla"
• "Hairy Parent"

Donkey Kong Junior[edit]

Title card to the show'sDonkey Kong Junior segment.

• "Trucknapper Caper"
• "Sheep Rustle Hustle"
• "Rocky Mountain Monkey Business"
• "Magnificent Seven-Year Olds"
• "The Ventriloquist Caper"
• "The Great Seal Steal"
• "The Jungle Boy Ploy"
• "Junior Meets Kid Dynamo"
• "The Amazing Rollerskate Race"
• "A Christmas Story"
• "Gorilla Ghost"
• "The Teddy Bear Scare"
• "Double or Nothing"

Theme song[edit]

"Supercade"

Note that the lines in red are not heard when the show was broadcasted and are only heard in the full song.^[15]

It's Saturday Supercade, gather 'round,
We'll get your video friends together!
Yes, Saturday Supercade, it's time for fun,
And no one else can do it better!
And it feels so right,
Because it's Supercade time!
Let's have some Supercade fun!


Yes, it's Supercade time,
Let's have some Supercade fun, fun, fun!
Come on to Supercade time,
Join all the Supercade fun!
Yes, it's Supercade time,
Let's have some Supercade fun, fun, fun!
Come on to Supercade time,
Join all the Supercade fun!

Let's have some Supercade time!

Staff[edit]

Main article:List of Saturday Supercade staff

Pre-release and unused content[edit]

• A storyboard for "The Incredible Shrinking Ape" features several differences from the final episode:
  • The storyboard features a zoom-in shot of a city, before cutting toMario andPauline chasing afterDonkey Kong on a sidewalk. The establishing shot is omitted in the final episode, with the episode directly fading in to Mario and Pauline chasing after Donkey Kong.
    • On a related note, the storyboard directly states that the episode takes place inNew York City, where the location is left ambiguous in the final episode.
  • In the following panel, Donkey Kong taunts Mario while saying, "No chance!" In the final episode, he instead says, "Uh, uh! Uh, uh!"
• Similarly, a storyboard for "Junior Meets Kid Dynamo" features several differences from the final episode:
  • The storyboard starts withDonkey Kong Jr. andBones Bailey driving intoSweetville along theHoosier Heartland Highway, implying that Sweetville would have been located inIndiana. The final episode leaves the road Junior and Bones are driving on ambiguous, with them already being in Sweetville.
    • A sign in the following panel also implies that Sweetville would have been a small town, as opposed to the metropolis seen in the final episode.
  • Bones is seen reading a newspaper detailingKid Dynamo stopping a bank robbery in Sweetville, possibly the same one featured in the episode. In the final episode, Bones never shown reading a newspaper, with him instead pointing out a robbery to Jr.
• A reference sheet for "El Donkey Kong" features a green-clothed matador named Señor Alfredo, though he does not make an appearance in the final episode.
• José is never referred to by name in "El Donkey Kong", with it only being seen on a reference sheet of him.
• A reference sheet forKing refers to "Sheep Rustle Hustle" under the preliminary title "Sheep Rustler Story".
• A reference sheet forMr. Barkley refers to him under the preliminary name "Scout Master".
• The burro that Donkey Kong Jr. and Bones use in "The Amazing Rollerskate Race" was originally more brownish in color, as opposed to the more black design used in the final episode.

• 

  Storyboard for "The Incredible Shrinking Ape"

• 

  Storyboard for "Junior Meets Kid Dynamo"

• 

  Señor Alfredo reference sheet

• 

  José reference sheet

• 

  King reference sheet

• 

  Scout Master reference sheet

• 

  Burro reference sheet

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Saturday Supercade.

• 

  Mario

• 

  Donkey Kong

• 

  Donkey Kong Jr.

• 

  Pauline

Translations[edit]

The show is known to have been translated into at least six languages:Basque,Catalan,Galician,Italian,Brazilian Portuguese, andLatin American Spanish. For the show's international airings, the segments were separated from the show and aired as their own series.^[16] TheDonkey Kong andDonkey Kong Jr. segments are known to have aired in Catalan, Galician, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, and Latin American Spanish. The dubs of the show are even more rare than the show itself, with some translations being completely unaccounted for. Information on the status of these translations is as follows:

• Catalan: Only theDonkey Kong segment "Movie Mania" and theDonkey Kong Junior segment "Sheep Rustle Hustle" are available.
• Galician: Only theDonkey Kong Junior segments "The Ventriloquist Caper", "The Great Seal Steal", "A Christmas Story", and "The Amazing Rollerskate Race" are available. TheDonkey Kong segments are completely unaccounted for.
• Italian: The dub is completely unaccounted for outside ofthe title card for theDonkey Kong segment "Movie Mania".
• Brazilian Portuguese: Only theDonkey Kong segment "El Donkey Kong" is available.
• Latin American Spanish: The dub is completely unaccounted for outside of a mention on a wiki.^[17]

Names in other languages[edit]

Donkey Kong[edit]

Donkey Kong Junior[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikipedia has an article onSaturday Supercade.

• Cast and Crew - Full cast and crew on IMDB
• Playlist containing all found episodes ofSaturday Supercade

• Television series
• Saturday Supercade

• Articles with inadequate lost media documentation
• Articles with lost media sections