I actually think my first exposure to this game was a Super Mario Bros. VS. cabinet at a car dealership while my parents were buying a minivan. The cabinet was set up for free-play, I had to stand on a stool to reach the controls, and I specifically remember falling into a pit over and over in world 1-1.

Probably the most time I spent with this was on the GBC re-release which had Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels packed in along with a bunch of other extras.