Gaming History You Should Know – History of The Legend of Zelda Animated Series July 13, 2025

Welcome back to another Gaming History You Should Know, where we highlight some of the best independently produced documentaries on gaming history and culture! During Nintendo’s heyday in the late 80s, the Super Mario Bros Super Show was a weekday broadcast staple. Each episode would feature a live-action segment featuring Mario and Luigi responding to some comical hi-jinx while doing plumbing work in Brooklyn, NY. These live-action segments would bookend an animated episode of the Mario Bros adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom against the evil King Koopa! At least, that’s what it would be like on Mondays through Thursdays, Fridays were set aside for a special Legend of Zelda animated episode!

I remember The Legend of Zelda’s episodes were on a whole different level than the Super Mario Bros episodes. In fact, the show was of such good quality, I remember my parents bought me a VHS tape of one of the episodes for Christmas one year.

So what was the inspiration behind this show? Why did it get made and how did Nintendo approve it? The YouTube Channel Game Nerd Legacy did a fantastic documentary about the show, its history and legacy. If you were interested in the show, or watched it back in the day and were curious how it came about, give it a watch below!

To this day, this animated show remains the only officially licensed adaptation of The Legend of Zelda, but fear not, Sony has confirmed a film adaptation is currently in pre-production!