What would aMariogame be without mushrooms? Probably slightly more coherent, but nobody wants that. Right from the start, the humble mushroom has been a staple of Mario’s diet, despite what the creative take on his character inThe Super Mario Bros. Moviewould have you believe.
That first mushroom made Mario and Luigi bigger and inspired a legion of parents to study up on teaching their kids about poison. But its iconic nature stuck, and almost every mainline Mario game since has built on that concept with new mushrooms offering new powers and effects. So which among them are the best of the fungal best?
8Mini Mushroom
Little Big Plumber
Many may not remember these days, but New Super Mario Bros.on the Nintendo DSwas a huge deal. It was seen as a return to form for the Mario series and fans from casual to devout flocked to pick it up and sing its 2D platforming praises.
One of its strengths was its simple yet creative new additions, including the underrated Mini Mushroom power-up. This versatile little munchie not only shrinks Mario down to help him fit into tiny spaces, but it also lets him run on water with a satisfyingly floaty jump for good measure.
71-Up Mushroom
Get A Life, And Find A More Original Joke
Few mushrooms are quite as iconic as the 1-Up Mushroom. Not even those you get on your pizza so your picky friends don’t try to sneak a slice. Ever since the first Super Mario Bros. game, you’ve likely been conditioned to jump up against walls and in random spots just in case a juicy extra life is hiding there.
The 1-Up Mushroom, shockingly, gives you a 1-Up. If you don’t know what a 1-Up is, congratulations on either your grade school graduation or your retirement. Despite extra lives becoming less and less prevalent, the Mario games have helped keep that gameplay element around, and because of them, you know that green fungus always gives you happy brain juice.
6Super Mushroom
They Grow Up So Fast
If there’s any mushroom more well-known than the 1-Up, it’s the Super Mushroom. You probably just know it as just the Mushroom, because it’s just that: THE Mushroom. It’s the one that makes Mario into Super Mario, and without Super Mario, the series would still revolve around bumping crabs.
It’s a simple premise. Mario is small, Mario eats a Super Mushroom, and Mario becomes big. It’s been in pretty much every game since thanks to that simple idea behind it.Even The Super Mario Bros. Movie features it, somehow making it look as unappetizing as possible. One more milestone for that movie.
5Propeller Mushroom
Flight School Instructors Hate Him
The New Super Mario Bros. games did a lot for one-off power-ups in the Mario series. It also unfortunately did a lot for showing Nintendo exactly how long players will tolerate remarkably similar games, a data point that was swiftly surpassed.
But as repetitive as these games eventually arguably got, they introduced some interesting power-ups like the Propeller Mushroom. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, players could use this new power to reach new heights in such an oddly satisfying way that future games kept it going with the more temporary Propeller Block.
4Mega Mushroom
Village Of The Giant Plumbers
The first New Super Mario Bros. game had a sleeper hit with the Mini Mushroom, but there’s one aspect that got everyone talking, and that’s the Mega Mushroom. You saw it in every ad and got to enjoy its cathartic destruction right from the first level because you’ve got toplay your best cards first. That’s how cards work, right?
The Mega Mushroom makes Mario absolutely gigantic, to the point where he can basically smash through almost anything just by walking through it. It’s appeared in several games since, but to give you an idea of its impact on players, it only appeared in four levels of New Super Mario Bros. and still manages to effectively be the face of that game.
3Life Mushroom
Double Your Pleasure
No, the Life Mushroom is not just a 1-Up Mushroom. In fact, it’s arguably better, though mostly because any point can be argued by somebody. Grab one inSuper Mario Galaxyand it doubles your hit points, an easy-to-understand premise.
So why is it such a great power-up? Well, have you played Super Mario Galaxy? You’ve only got three hit points normally, and sometimes just one. Any help you can get will absolutely ease your mind. Of course, it’s also a game for all ages, so it’s not like shoving points into your vitality in a Souls game. But some of us (not naming names) could use the assist.
2Golden Dash Mushroom
Boost Your Way To Family Therapy
Items in the Mario Kart gameshave run the spectrum from “spicing up the race” to “your relationship with your siblings is irrevocably altered” throughout the years. Some just stay as one-offs, but others stick around for good reasons. In many cases, those reasons involve how mad they make everyone else playing. This isMario Kart, after all.
Aside from the other classics like Koopa shells and banana peels, various mushrooms giving you a speed boost have also remained standard to this day. The peak of which is the Golden Dash Mushroom, a timed item that lets you boost without pause for as long as it’s active. Your fellow racers are sure to appreciate watching you fly by, which they’ll show when they leave their controller embedded in the wall.
1Weird Mushroom
Maybe Don’t Call Your Lanky Friends Weird
Super Mario Maker blew the whole Mario series wide open with possibilities. No longer were custom Mario levels confined to Super Mario World romhacks that traumatize YouTubers. Now anyone could make their own to let out their frustrations.
But aside from the custom levels, the Super Mario Maker games also introduced some super creative and occasionally confusing ideas. One that treads the line is the Weird Mushroom. Collect one and Mario becomes Weird Mario, stretching out his limbs like Gonzo in Muppet Treasure Island. Is it useful? No. Is it wonderful? Absolutely.
