At 6/12/25 04:55 PM, inpurpleshadows wrote:Growing up on the Internet for most of my childhood, I got to experience a lot of online content from sites like YouTube and the website you're using right now, Newgrounds. Though, there's one Internet web series that always stuck out to me for all the right and wrong reasons, that being SMG4 (which stands for supermarioglitchy4). SMG4 is basically a series that primarily uses Mario and other Nintendo characters doing stupid things in absurd storylines called 'bloopers'. I started watching these videos when I was about 8 years old, and I remember my parents seeing me viewing one of them and immediately shut the computer off because the content in them was "naughty". Being a kid, I had no idea what the hell they were talking about, and I still continued to watch SMG4 until I lost interest in the channel when I turned 12. After rewatching some of their early bloopers, I now realize the number of jokes that flew way over my head.
Now, one thing about SMG4 that really confuses me is the polarizing reception towards the series, more particularly, its later videos. I'll admit, I haven't watched many of the newer bloopers, though from what I've seen, they are kind of different due to their emphasis on character development and drama, but I still enjoyed the ones I saw. Same thing goes for the rest of the series, which I found pretty funny. However, I know that the humor present in these videos doesn't appeal to everyone, and there's a lot of contention over "Old SMG4 vs. New SMG4", so I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this channel.
For me personally, it has always been sort of a mix-bag to say the least. It all started back around 2013/2014, I stumbled upon the channel for the first time thanks to the video "Idiot karts 101" which after just watching the first 15 seconds, I was hooked. Once I finished that video, I pretty much became a fan of the channel and would regularly watch any new videos released each week for the next 5-6 years that followed. Each time a new video would come out, I would always end up enjoying it for how absurd and non-sensical it is. I do have to admit I have sort of a bias in appreciating the jokes from these videos. Even if they were mostly random sound clips from others videos or are about things that are derogatory, I sort of just accepted them being dumb stuff for the sake of being dumb + appreciated references to many memes or pop culture references from this period including stuff from the internet like animations from Newgrounds animation about Mario or Nintendo. Plus, the videos did their job at making me laugh and not taking themselves seriously. But I feel like my appreciation for the channel started to vastly change around he pandemic as it started feeling like numerous changes were happening that I didn't quite like. For example, the removal of old recurring characters for original ones that often felt like they were from another type of series than a video game machinima comedy series. Then, the overabundance of arcs taking themselves way too seriously and feeling repetitive having plot of an evil being who wants to destroy the universe and only a music montage end this (The Waluigi and even the Bob arc being the only one I like for being able to add humour in it + the Bob arc feeling different) Lastly, feeling like the jokes became less funny (but that's less the channel fault and instead being from me growing up. I can't say the jokes or memes from back were superior to the new ones and they are just a case of liking them when they first released) But yeah, these changes got me to watch less and eventually unsubscribe. But the thing that got me to stop watching recurrently was the redesigns after the WOTFI 2022. I could no longer take it and saw it as a sign that the channel changed forever so why bother continue watching something I no longer have any attachment to. Although, on some rare occasions, I would watch a few videos just to know where what’s happening on the channel or if I hear an episode is good. Tho, it was around the time I really started getting invested by their other channel GLITCH Productions that I initially subscribed to when they announced it. The series made from other artists had interesting plots, animations, characters, etc. One of the best examples being TADC that, just like everyone else, I have been a huge fan since the pilot and get excited when a new episode comes out. And, I believe this was the moment I realised maybe it’s not a bad thing that SMG4 changed. It did its job at entertaining me when I was young and it carried the torch to a new generation happy to enjoy the series with new twists and changes to suit them. Meanwhile, Kevin and his brother got to invest into one of the biggest indie animation studios of all time helping many artists produce and publish animated series that are praised by many online. Plus, the fact the biggest criticism I had was that the channel became boring shows how overexaggerated these feelings were when I have unsubscribed from other channels for far worse reasons and never returned watching them. One such example being SML with the large number of offensive jokes, dramas and Logan acting all arrogant with the money he made. It really goes to show that I actually never really lost my interest to SMG4 has the presence of its creator was found on another channel he started that continued its job at entertaining me. Plus, it’s always fun to think that before people got interested into Glitch thanks to TADC, I was technically there from the very beginning when it was just about Mario doing stupid adventures and humping spaghetti. But yeah, with the channel ending this Saturday, it does leave a weird feeling after a decade of watching it. Heck, since the announcement, I went back to subscribing to the channel just to watch the last episodes they’ve made and being there for the last ride. I really appreciate how the final episodes have been a love letter to both old and new fans of the series. I really appreciated referencing the “Cooking with Mario & Bowser” series has they are some of the funniest episodes notably the second one, the last ssenmodnar featuring all sorts of background characters including those that haven’t returned in years and the one where Peach + her castle were brought back. These are nice gestures to end the series on a positive note and leaving behind the legacy of the channel that would later contribute in helping the biggest side projects that published major hits: Murder Drones, TADC, Gaslight District and, as of now, Knights of Guinevere. So yeah, sorry for the long vent. In short, I liked the earlier years when I was young until I stopped because I got older, but found another way that suited my new taste better and gave me a lot of respect to the original channel.
