Love 'Em and Leave 'Em

Not to be confused with Lava or Leave 'Em.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode
"Love 'Em and Leave 'Em"
Production number	108
Airdate	September 14, 1989 (English) September 13, 1990 (French)
Writer(s)	David Ehrman Sean Roche
Plumber's Log #	1 - 0 - 5 - 11
Cover song(s)	"The Power of Love"
Replacement song(s)	"My Karoobi"
Title reference	"Love 'em or leave 'em"
Live-action segment	"Will the Real Elvis Please Shut Up!"
<< List of episodes >>?

“HELP! My life is over! I'm a prisoner of love!”

—Mario

"Love 'Em and Leave 'Em" is the eighth episode of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! Its corresponding live-action segment is "Will the Real Elvis Please Shut Up!" The copyrighted title for the episode in the United States Copyright Office is "Love 'em & leave 'em."

This episode is notable for being the only episode of the show where King Koopa does not make an appearance, making Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool the only characters to appear in every episode of the show.

Plot synopsis

The gluttonous Queen Rotunda is about to marry Mario.

Inside a castle in the kingdom of Rotundaland, the land's queen, Queen Rotunda, is in the middle of a conversation with another woman named Hildy, who is in the middle of brewing a potion. As Hildy continues to mix her potion, Queen Rotunda asks if Hildy's potion will make Prince Pompadour fall in love with her. Hildy replies that her Passion Potion will definitely make Prince Pompadour fall in love with Queen Rotunda, they just have to make sure that she is the first person he sees after they make him drink the potion. After saying this, Hildy proceeds to put some of the Passion Potion into a heart shaped container.

Outside Queen Rotunda's castle, Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad are standing on a grassy knoll; suddenly, a beeping and rattling noise cuts through the air, surprising Luigi, who asks what the noise is. Mario calmly responds to Luigi's question by saying the noise is coming from his Red-Hot Pepper Detector and proceeds to take a device resembling a chili pepper out of his overalls. As the Red-Hot Pepper Detector begins to shake in Mario's hands, he, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad run in the direction of Queen Rotunda's castle.

After some running, the quartet finds a large field filled with giant peppers. Luigi, having grabbed several peppers, begins to stumble backwards, only to stop from falling when he leans on to a recently thrown lance. While resting on the lance, Luigi suddenly notices three Beezos, one of which is riding an Ostro, wearing armor and wielding lances nearby.

As Luigi is forced backwards by two Beezos and their lances, he alerts Mario, Toad and Princess Toadstool of their situation. As they are surrounded by Beezos, the Beezo riding an Ostro tells Princess Toadstool that they are stealing the red-hot peppers of Queen Rotunda. Princess Toadstool claims their innocence, telling the Beezo that the peppers are growing in the wild (when in actuality, they are fenced in). The Beezo tells Princess Toadstool that everything in Rotunda Land belongs to Queen Rotunda and, despite them giving the peppers back, the Beezo says that they are to be taken to Queen Rotunda's dungeon.

Not wanting to be captured, Mario, grabbing a nearby pepper, throws it at the Beezo riding the Ostro, knocking it off its Ostro. With the Beezo distracted, Mario and the others begin to run, right into a nearby hedge maze. After some running, the group find their way out of the hedge maze and back together. Suddenly, the Beezos that had been chasing them appear and, using their lances, hoist them into the air and tell them that they are to be taken to Queen Rotunda.

In the castle of Queen Rotunda, Queen Rotunda herself is in the midst of thanking Hildy for her Passion Potion when one of her Beezo henchmen enter the room. Approaching Queen Rotunda, the Beezo tells her that she has prisoners in the throne room, who were caught stealing her royal hot peppers. Queen Rotunda, outraged by this begins to leave the room, only to be stopped by Hildy, who gives her some of the Passion Potion; gaining the Passion Potion, Queen Rotunda leaves the room, knocking her Beezo servant aside.

In the throne room, Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad are forced to their knees by several Beezos as a nearby chef wheels a cart filled with food into the room, which Luigi perceives as their last meal. Suddenly, Queen Rotunda enters the room and tells Luigi that he does not get a last meal before eating some icing off a cake on the cart. Eating the icing, Queen Rotunda suddenly kicks the cart of food away, with the chef, saying that the cake is imperfect for her wedding to Prince Pompadour. Going to her throne, Queen Rotunda is reminded of her new prisoners by a Beezo. However, Queen Rotunda simply orders them to be beheaded.

Mario, panicking runs up to Queen Rotunda to tell her that he has the solution to her wedding dessert problem. As Mario is held in place by several Beezos, Queen Rotunda listens to what he has to say; Mario offers to make Queen Rotunda some "hot pepper pistachio ice cream" for her wedding, which Queen Rotunda decides to allow Mario to make for her, before beheading him.

Later, after making his hot pepper pistachio ice cream, Mario presents it to Queen Rotunda. Seeing that the hot pepper pistachio ice cream at least looks good, Queen Rotunda decides to take a bite of it; unfortunately, the hot pepper pistachio ice cream turns out to be incredibly spicy, causing Queen Rotunda to frantically hop around her throne room yelling for water. As Queen Rotunda continues to yell for water, Mario, wanting to help Queen Rotunda, grabs the nearby bottle of Passion Potion on the armrest of Queen Rotunda's throne and pours it in her mouth, throwing the bottle away.

As Queen Rotunda begins to recover, Mario asks if she is alright and if she liked his hot pepper pistachio ice cream, only to be shocked when Queen Rotunda begins to confess her love for him. Grabbing Mario, Queen Rotunda begins to kiss him as Princess Toadstool finds the bottle the Passion Potion was in and discovers it to be a love potion after reading the label on the bottle. As Mario begins to run from the love crazed Queen Rotunda, Queen Rotunda orders her Beezo guards to put Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool in her dungeon.

Still running from Queen Rotunda, Mario exits her throne room and hides behind the door when Queen Rotunda follows him through. As Queen Rotunda continues to search for him, Mario tries to sneak away from her; unfortunately, Queen Rotunda notices Mario and pulls the hallway carpet from under him and proceeds to wrap Mario in it. Trapped in the carpet and Queen Rotunda's grasp, Mario begins to panic and yell for help as Queen Rotunda says she has to prepare her wedding to him.

Inside her throne room, Queen Rotunda is in the process of sealing the flavored wedding invitations for her and Mario's wedding; while licking an envelope, Queen Rotunda proceeds to throw it away, disgusted at its spinach taste. The envelope proceeds to land near Mario, who is being forced to use an exercise machine, who asks if he can lick it. Queen Rotunda suddenly refuses to let Mario lick the envelope, saying he has to stay on his diet for their wedding.

In the dungeons of Queen Rotunda, Luigi begins to bemoan the fate of himself, Toad and Princess Toadstool; as Toad tries to cheer Luigi up though, Princess Toadstool forms a plan on how to escape their cell.

Later, Princess Toadstool begins to yell to a nearby Beezo guard that Luigi and Toad have escaped. The Beezo, running to the cell, notices Luigi and Toad's absence and unlocks the cell door. As the Beezo enters the cell to look for them, Luigi and Toad, at Princess Toadstool's signal, suddenly drop from the ceiling of the cell and trap the Beezo in a blanket; as Luigi holds the Beezo in place, Toad grabs the Beezo's keyring and places it over the Beezo, keeping the blanket covering it in place. After Luigi and Toad finish trapping the Beezo, Princess Toadstool leaves the cell, with Toad and Luigi following her.

In Queen Rotunda's kitchen, Queen Rotunda is in the process of kissing and hugging Mario hard enough to hurt him; eventually releasing Mario from her rough grip, Queen Rotunda decides to have some more of Mario's hot pepper pistachio ice cream and begins to eat a nearby bowl of it, refusing to let Mario have any, saying he is still on a diet. After some begging though, Mario gets Queen Rotunda to let him have some; unfortunately for Mario, he does not get to have any, as Queen Rotunda, in a fit of rage, throws the only bowl of it at a Beezo which had appeared to inform her that Toad, Princess Toadstool and Luigi had escaped the dungeons.

As Queen Rotunda begins to reprimand and threaten the Beezo with a beheading, Mario begins to try and run-off to find his group. Before he can leave Queen Rotunda's kitchen though, Mario is forced back by a Beezo brandishing a sword; with the Beezo blocking his path, Mario is grabbed by Queen Rotunda, who begins to give him several forceful kisses as Mario yells for help from Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool.

In a hallway, Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool, having heard Mario's shouts for help, also overhear several Beezo guards sent to look for them saying that Mario and Queen Rotunda's wedding is in two hours. As the Beezos pass them, Princess Toadstool, Luigi and Toad enter a nearby room. Noticing the various magic potions surrounding her, Princess Toadstool gets an idea, another Passion Potion could be created and used on Queen Rotunda to make her fall in love with someone else.

In the courtyard of her castle, Queen Rotunda is in the midst of preparing her wedding to Mario as several peasants and Beezos look onward; inside the laboratory of Hildy, Luigi and Toad are creating a Passion Potion as Princess Toadstool reads the ingredients in the potion to them. Unfortunately, once Toad adds the odd ingredient of a Fat Boys record, the potion they are creating explodes, forcing them to start over. In the castle courtyard, Queen Rotunda has finally decided to begin her wedding to Mario, as a nervous Luigi watches them from a window. The trio finally manages to create a love potion.

As Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool begin to descend the tower to the courtyard below, Queen Rotunda begins to drag a pink colored tuxedo wearing Mario down the aisle towards a Beezo minister and a Beezo ringbearer. Seeing Luigi, Toad and Princess Toadstool approaching, Mario makes a distraction by pretending to tie his shoe, allowing Luigi to pour the Passion Potion from his flask into two nearby glasses resting on a table. Mario then proposes a toast to Queen Rotunda and the nearby Prince Pompadour and gives the two the two glasses. Drinking the Passion Potion, Queen Rotunda and Prince Pompadour instantly fall in love with each other. Proposing to Queen Rotunda, Prince Pompadour gets a yes from Queen Rotunda as a reply to his proposal and the two instantly embrace.

Mario, happy that he is not marrying Queen Rotunda, goes to thank Luigi, who is waving to him up above. Suddenly, the stair beneath him crumbles slightly, knocking him off balance. Before Luigi falls though, he is grabbed by Princess Toadstool, only to drop his flask of Passion Potion into the wedding's punch bowl. Hildy goes to get a drink of punch to propose a toast to Queen Rotunda for not marrying Mario. As Luigi tries to warn her, Hildy drinks the Passion Potion spiked punch and instantly falls in love with Luigi.

Seeing that Hildy has fallen in love with him, Luigi quickly begins to run from Queen Rotunda's castle and Rotundaland with Princess Toadstool, Mario and Toad, with the love-struck Hildy chasing them.

Characters

• Mario
• Luigi
• Princess Toadstool
• Toad
• Queen Rotunda
• Hildy
• Prince Pompadour
• Beezos
• Ostros
• Shyguy

Cast

• Lou Albano — Mario
• Danny Wells — Luigi
• Jeannie Elias — Princess Toadstool, Servant
• John Stocker — Toad, Beezo #1, Beezo #2
• Denise Pidgeon — Queen Rotunda,
• Greg Morton — Prince Pompadour
• Marilyn Lightstone — Peasant Lady
• Cam Clarke — Rotunda's Guards

Animation and continuity errors

• After Hildy pours the Passion Potion into a vial for Queen Rotunda, the equipment on top of the table is missing. This also happens to the flasks on the edge of table when she gives the vial to her and when Mario's friends enter the dressing room to prepare another love potion.
• When Luigi asks Mario to remind him when a plumber is in danger, the lance that almost stabbed him is shaking.
• When Mario and his friends are told to stop stealing from Queen Rotunda's hot pepper patch, Toad is smiling.
  • In the same scene, the peppers around the group change positions between shots, such as a pepper stuck in the ground suddenly appearing in front of Mario when a Beezo threatens to stow the group in Queen Rotunda's dungeon.
• When Mario and his friends are running through the maze, his friends briefly run on the bushes.
• When a Beezo enters the dressing room, the outline of the door appears on the wall.
  • In the same scene, there are some candies on the vanity, but when she becomes upset with Mario and his friends stealing her peppers, they disappear.
• Throughout its appearance, the cake on the chef's cart changes color while its top changes from a cream puff to a cherry several times.
• When Luigi asks Mario if the cake and pastries are their last meal, the "L" on his cap is reversed.
• When Rotunda says she will never find the perfect desert for Prince Pompadour, the trims on her dress are colored blue instead of yellow. This also heppen when she says that Mario's ice cream looks delicious.
• In several scenes, the bracelet on Rotunda's left arm is missing.
• When Mario pleads to Queen Rotunda to not decapitate him, the two wheels that roll in front of him and his friends from the crash disappear.
• Before Queen Rotunda tests Mario's ice cream, the other pastries and sweets on the cart vanish. They briefly reappear when he runs over to help her, but the ice cream is now missing.
  • In the same scene, the Passion Potion is on her throne, but when she sits down after trying the ice cream, it is in her hands.
• When Mario runs over to Rotunda, his cap is missing.
• After Mario pours the potion into the queen's mouth, they teleport to the positions they had while he was dumping it for a frame.
• When Mario asks if Rotunda likes his ice cream, the lid on the love potion is on, but in the next shot, it is off.
• Throughout the episode, the number of fingers Rotunda has on each hand switches between four and five.
• When Queen Rotunda bundles Mario in a rug, the right strap on his overalls disappears for a frame.
• Despite crumpling up the spinach-flavored wedding invitation, it is still present on the floor when Rotunda heads over to Mario on the card-making invention.
  • Additionally, the stamp on the card is white when it is flying through the air, but turns blue when it lands on the ground.
• When Princess Toadstool says that she and her friends are breaking out of the dungeon, Luigi has four fingers on each hand instead of five.
• Initially, the glass on the kitchen table is only half the size of the bowl of ice cream, but when Queen Rotunda drinks from it, it is much larger than before.
• When a Beezo is hit by the bowl of ice cream, its lance falls onto the floor, but when the queen walks over to it, it is upright.
  • In the same scene, the ice cream on it and the wall behind it disappears.
• The rug that Queen Rotunda captures Mario with is still in the hallway when some Beezos are searching for Mario's friends.
• When Mario's friends enter Queen Rotunda's dressing room, the spots on Toad's cap are black instead of red.
  • In the same scene, he is much larger than normal, but in the next shot, he is much smaller than normal.
    • Additionally, when Luigi walks over to Princess Toadstool, Toad is layered over him.
• After the three heroes prepare the second love potion, the furniture in the dressing room disappears.
• When Mario's friends peek out from behind a tower, Luigi is colored like Mario.
• Despite Luigi pouring all of the love potion into the glasses during the wedding, it is later full when he cheers after saving Mario.
• After Luigi pours the love potion, Mario's arms are missing for a few frames.
• Princess Toadstool lacks lipstick when she saves Luigi from falling off the staircase.
• When Hildy decides to have a toast celebrating Queen Rotunda's marriage, the bowl of punch is layered behind the table.
• In one scene when Hildy chases Mario and his friends at the end of the episode, Mario is in his normal outfit instead of his tuxedo.

• 

  Toad's miscolored cap

• 

  Mario's missing arms

• 

  Mario in his normal outfit

Profiles

• Netflix: Mario finds himself fending off unwanted advances when the gluttonous Queen of Rotundaland downs a love potion by mistake.

Trivia

• In addition to Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool being the only characters to appear in every episode of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, there is a similar trait to this episode, as "On Her Majesty's Sewer Service" is the only episode where Toad does not appear.
• When punishing Mario and his friends, Queen Rotunda says, "Off with their heads!" This is a reference to the Queen of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, who would give death sentences at even the slightest offenses.
• It is unknown how Hildy deduces that Mario is a plumber, as he never mentions it to her or is seen working with pipes in the episode.
• One of the ingredients for creating the second love potion is "one Fat Boys record", which alludes to the real life singers.
  • In the Spanish dub, Luigi also alludes to Mexican singer and songwriter Juan Gabriel when he suggests that the record has to be a Juanga record, "Juanga" being a nickname for him.
• The Brazilian Portuguese dub for this episode was once distributed to Portugal on VHS format, but on that occasion, the episode names were not narrated during the episode, as they used to be. This was done because the episode titles as printed on the VHS cassette box were modified to better suit the European Portuguese pronunciation.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
German	Lieb sie und lass sie[?]	Love 'Em and Leave 'Em
Italian	Amali e lasciali[?]	Love 'em and leave 'em
Portuguese	Ame-os e Deixe-os[?]	Love 'Em and Leave 'Em
Spanish	Amelo y déjalo[?]	Love 'em and leave 'em