Super Mushroom

Not to be confused with Super Shroom, an item in the Paper Mario series.

Super Mushroom
A Superb Mushroom
General information
Effect	Turns Mario into Super Mario (most appearances), Turns Mario into Mega Mario (Super Mario 64 DS).
Appearances
First appearance	Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Latest appearance	Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023)

A Super Mushroom is a red Mushroom that serves a particular function depending on the game in which it is found. Its first and most common effect is causing Mario or Luigi to double in size and strength, allowing them to smash through bricks and take an extra hit from enemies. An opposite can be considered as the Poison Mushroom, a Mushroom that hurts the player. This and the Mushroom is designed the same as the Amanita muscaria mushroom.

The idea for Super Mushrooms were originally believed to have been inspired by the cake that Alice eats in Alice in Wonderland that makes her grow after having been shrunk by a potion. However, Shigeru Miyamoto later corrected himself, saying that this was a misunderstanding; the mushrooms were actually inspired by the concept of mushrooms being associated with magical worlds in general, like the Wonderland of Alice in Wonderland and the Mushroom Kingdom.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. is the first Mario game to feature Super Mushrooms. They are the most common items found in the game and touching them will make Mario grow to Super Mario. When Mario is Super Mario, he can take one more hit from an enemy and revert back to normal Mario before losing a life, and gains the ability to break brick blocks. When Mario already has a Super Mushroom, usually a Fire Flower appears in place. Also, when Mario shrinks, he will be invisible and invincible temporarily. The pattern on the top resembles the pattern on a Mega Mushroom. Players can make Super Mushrooms change direction by hitting the blocks they move along.

1-Up Mushrooms also appear. They are quite rare and sometimes tough to obtain; some are in life-threatening situations while others are found in hidden blocks that are invisible until Mario hits them.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is very similar to Super Mario Bros. in terms of gameplay and items, and the Mushroom returns. Also, Super Mushrooms receive eyes in this game for the first time, unlike the Super Mushrooms in Super Mario Bros., and Super Mario Bros. 2, making them look even more like Mega Mushrooms. Super Mushrooms look almost identical to the Poison Mushroom, except they are slightly darker in color.

Super Mario Bros. 3

In Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mushrooms and 1-Up Mushrooms again return, but still grant the player the same ability. The only changes that were made was the sprite appearance. In the original Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mushrooms are colored white with red spots. In the Super Mario All-Stars remake, those colors are flipped; red body and white spots. The Poison Mushroom makes no appearance in this game.

Super Mario World

Mushrooms and 1-Up Mushrooms reappear in Super Mario World and no changes had been made to them. However, Mushrooms tend to "leap" out of the bushes sometimes for the player to receive. Fishin' Lakitus also use 1-Up Mushrooms as bait for Mario and after Mario had collected it, the Lakitu will attack. 1-Up Mushrooms will also appear instead of Yoshis from the eggs if Yoshi is already ridden on.

Super Mario 64 DS

Regular Mushrooms appear in Super Mario 64 DS as a power-up that makes the characters grow extremely large for a limited time, similar to the effect of a Mega Mushroom. This allows the characters to destroy objects or enemies simply by touching them. They earn an extra life for each object or enemy that they destroy after the first seven.

Since this game is a remake, nearly everything from the previous game, Super Mario 64, has returned. This includes the 1-Up Mushrooms and the mushrooms found in Tall Tall Mountain.

New Super Mario Bros.

In New Super Mario Bros., Mushrooms and 1-Up Mushrooms return, along the addition of 2 new mushrooms: the Mini Mushroom and the Mega Mushroom. The Mini Mushroom will make the player grow to a very small size. In this condition, the player may walk on top of water and have floating jumps. The downside is that Mario will lose a life if he touches an enemy and he can only defeat them by ground-pounding them. Mega Mushrooms have an opposite effect. It will make Mario grow to a tremendous size, which will allow him to smash through most objects and become invincible. The downside is that Mega Mario cannot destroy all blocks and he may get stuck. Depending on the amount Mario destroyed, Mario will receive 1-Up Mushrooms.

Mushrooms can act like platforms. There are some types of bouncy mushrooms that will make Mario bounce on them. Others grow and shrink, become taller and shorter, and tilt down according to where Mario is.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the Mushrooms got little or no change except the amount of Mushrooms that appear out of blocks depends on the amount of players there are. Also when a character obtains a Super Mushroom (or any power-up) the character will sparkle and glow for a few seconds. A new Mushroom called the Propeller Mushroom appears, granting Mario the ability to become Propeller Mario that will enable him to fly through the air.

Super Mario 3D Land

Super Mario 3D Land is the second 3D game, but first original 3D game to have Super Mushrooms included. They cure Small Mario, in the same way as in the side-scrollers. If Mario collects a Super Mushroom when the player already has an item stored, the player earns ten coins instead. Poison Mushrooms also return. They also are not as necessary since Mario starts out as Super Mario if he is to lose a life.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Super Mushrooms appear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, acting the same as they did in previous side-scolling games. The Mega Mushrooms and Mini Mushrooms also return in this game.

New Super Mario Bros. U

Mushroom

The Super Mushrooms appear in New Super Mario Bros. U, and as in most games, they turn Mario into Super Mario. They may be less necessary than the other games, because like Super Mario 3D Land, the player starts out as Super Mario.

Mario & Wario

In Mario & Wario, if a blind character gets a Mushroom on the floor, the item magically gives the player more time to complete the level the player is on. Unfortunately, it only appears in certain levels that need more time.

Hotel Mario

The Super Mushroom appears in Hotel Mario. It doesn't make Mario big or small, but gives him the chance to take one hit and not lose a life. The only difference between the normal Mario and the one that ate the Super Mushroom is the color of his overalls.

Mario Party 7

In the Pearl Hunt sub-game from Mario Party 7, one of the obtainable items is a Super Mushroom, although it's golden. The real Super Mushroom is just called "Mushroom". Due to how Pearl Hunt works, the Super Mushroom gives the player two extra tries.

Mario Clock

The DSiWare application Mario Clock features both the Super and Poison Mushrooms.

Donkey Kong appearances

Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

Super Mushrooms also make an appearance in Donkey Kong for the Game Boy. They are used by Donkey Kong during the final battle. He ends up using several of them to transform himself into a giant. A Super Mushroom is also briefly seen in the ending when Pauline gives one to Mario, so that he can change his size and catch Donkey Kong when he is falling.

Crossover appearances

Super Smash Bros. series

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Super Mushroom allows the player to grow to an incredible size, thus making them heavier and harder to knock off.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Super Mushroom has an additional effect. Not only are the fighter's size and weight increased, but their attack strength also increases. An attack that normally does 15% damage could do near 30% damage when the fighter is a giant. Specifically, those attacks deal nearly twice the normal damage.

Trophy Information

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Name	Image	Game	Description
Super Mushroom		Super Mario Bros. 10/85	Super Mario Bros. veterans will recognize these power-ups, which hid inside brick blocks and helped Mario and Luigi withstand enemy attacks. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, they temporarily turn your character into a giant. Not only will your size and strength increase, but so will your mass, making it harder for foes to knock you off.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Name	Image	Game	Description
Super Mushroom		NES Super Mario Bros.	A mushroom that makes you giant sized. When you're this big, your attack power increases and you're harder to launch. But you become an easy target and may come under serious fire. Unlike other items, it doesn't remain in one place but moves to the right once it appears. Why to the right? Well, because that's what it did in its original appearance in Super Mario Bros.
		GB Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Super Mushroom/gallery.

• 
  New Super Mario Bros. artwork

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	キノコ Kinoko スーパーキノコ Sūpā Kinoko パワーアップきのこ Pawāappu Kinoko	Mushroom Super Mushroom (officially romanized as "Super Kinoko") Power-up Mushroom
Chinese (Simplified)	超级蘑菇 Chāojí Mógu	Super Mushroom
Chinese (Traditional)	超級蘑菇 Chāojí Mógu	Super Mushroom
Dutch	Superpaddenstoel Super-Paddenstoel	Supermushroom Super-Mushroom
French	Super champi Super champignon Champignon doré Champignon	Super Shroom Super Mushroom Golden Mushroom (Mario Party) Mushroom
German	Superpilz Super-Pilz	Super Mushroom
Italian	Super fungo Fungo Magico (NES Super Mario Bros. instruction booklet) Fungo Superfungo	Super Mushroom Magic Mushroom Mushroom Supermushroom
Korean	슈퍼버섯 Syupeo Beoseot	Super Mushroom
Portuguese	Supercogumelo	Super Mushroom
Romanian	Ciupercuță (McDonald's Romania, Fall 2013 Happy Meal promotion)	Diminutive of ciupercă ("mushroom")
Russian	Супергриб Supergrib Гриб ускорения Grib uskoreniya	Super Mushroom Boost Mushroom
Spanish (Americas)	Superchampiñón Súper Hongo (Super Mario World) Hongo (Super Mario Land 2)	Super Mushroom Mushroom
Spanish (Europe)	Superchampiñón Súper Seta (Paper Mario and Thousand-Year Door)	Super Mushroom

Trivia

• The design of the Super Mushroom is inspired by the poisonous fly agaric toadstool (the amanita muscaria). This is quite ironic considering that Mario relies on the Super Mushrooms to get more health even though the amanita muscaria can easily poison a man to death.
• In the original Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mushrooms were white and red-spotted instead of red and white-spotted. This is fixed within levels in the Super Mario All-Stars remake, but the map's item screen retains the error.
• The manual of the original Super Mario Bros. actually refers to the Super Mushroom as the "Magic Mushroom", but the name was changed due to the unintentional reference of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
• In New Super Mario Bros. Wii and onward, when Mario (without the effects of the Super Mushroom) passed the midway flag in a course, he would power up into Super Mario, just like if he obtained a Super Mushroom, like in Super Mario World and Super Mario 3D Land.