Original airdate: November 10, 1991
King Koopa gets the cave people addicted to television, using his programming to hypnotize them into capturing the Mario Bros.
Tropes:
- Faint in Shock / Wild Take: Mario's reaction when he sees the phone bill he and Luigi accumulated when Luigi reminds them of the time they got in trouble with the "Speak to Santa" Hotline.
- Flashback Cut: Played for Laughs. "Remember the trouble we got into with that 'Speak to Santa' Hotline back in Brooklyn?"
- Help, I'm Stuck!: King Koopa becomes crushed by the remnants of his giant television after Yoshi eats the load-bearing blocks. Yoshi then agrees to help him but begins eating the rest of the blocks slowly.
- Mass Hypnosis: Koopa's plot.
- Only Sane Woman: Princess Toadstool is the only person smart enough to recognize the danger of television and refuses to watch it, instead taking Yoshi on a nature walk with her. As such, she's the only one who avoids getting hypnotized by Koopa's brainwashing.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Koopa's disguise as "Robby Rockwell" consists of a badly-crafted human head (with visible bolts) and ill-fitting suit jacket which does nothing to cover up his green reptilian hands. Everyone—including the Mario Bros.—falls for it.
- Shockingly Expensive Bill: A flashback occurs to when Mario and Luigi got in big trouble with the "Speak to Santa" Hotline back home in Brooklyn, which resulted in them racking up a phone bill of $1,295.31.
- Very Special Episode: This episode covers addictions to television and how to overcome it.
