Poison Mushroom

Not to be confused with Rotten Mushroom.

This article is about the mushroom that harms characters. For the item in the Mario Party series formerly known as the "Poison Mushroom", see Cursed Mushroom.

Poison Mushroom
Artwork from Super Mario Party
First appearance	Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986)
Latest appearance	Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (2024)
Effect	Hurts or defeats Mario (Super Mario series) Shrinks and worsens player (Mario Kart series, Donkey Kong, Luigi's Mansion, and Super Smash Bros. series) Poisons player (role-playing games) Lowers Dice Block roll (Mario Party series)
Variant of	Mushroom
Variants Cursed Mushroom Invincishroom Mushroom Powder Reverse Mushroom Rotten Mushroom
Related Super Mushroom

A Poison Mushroom (alternatively Poison Shroom) is a harmful variety of Mushroom that first appeared in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Usually, they have the opposite effects a Super Mushroom may have, and while they are sometimes called a power-up, they act more like a hindrance or trap; collecting one will result in the user taking damage. The Poison Mushroom has had a variety of different appearances throughout Super Mario media, most of which have an angry expression in comparison to the majority of Mushrooms, with some depictions showing them with a skull, a common symbol to represent death, on their caps, while others have shown them with a purple cap with magenta spots. The Rotten Mushroom, which debuted in Super Mario Maker 2, is a similar type of mushroom, differing from the Poison Mushroom by its ability to jump.

History

Super Mario series

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

From left to right: FDS, SNES and GBC

Official art

Poison Mushrooms, titled Poisonous Mushrooms or Blue Mushrooms in the Super Mario All-Stars remake, are hazardous objects in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels found in bricks, ? Blocks, and Hidden Blocks. They damage Super or Fiery Mario, changing him into Small Mario, who loses a life if he touches one (which is also shown on the title screen demo). Only Invincible Mario or a flickering Small Mario who was just converted from a bigger form are unaffected by Poison Mushrooms. A Poison Mushroom disappears upon contact. They can also disappear by revealing another power-up. In the Family Computer Disk System release, Poison Mushrooms share a palette with Goombas, so they appear brown, blue, or light gray depending on the environment. The corresponding artwork depicts them with a menacing grin and shadowy eyes. Super Mario All-Stars depicts them as blue-skulled, purple-capped mushrooms with angry eyes, while the version included in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe depicts them with a red stalk, a green cap, and pink skull, as well as no eyes.

In a Japanese commercial for the original Lost Levels, two Poison Mushrooms appear in places where Goombas should be.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

Poison Mushrooms return in Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. They hide under grass, instead of blocks, in the World-e level Vegetable Volley, but can also appear if the Blue Green Switch is active. Poison Mushrooms are depicted as blue mushrooms with white skulls on their caps. Poison Mushrooms work the same as before, but having Fire Mario or any form on the same tier touch a Poison Mushroom powers him down to Super Mario, unless the red switch card is used.

Super Mario 3D Land

Poison Mushrooms return in the Special Worlds of Super Mario 3D Land. They are depicted purple with magenta spots as well as angry eyebrows, and they emit purple spore-like dust when released and grabbed. They follow Mario or Luigi around until he either goes to an unreachable area or the Poison Mushroom falls off of the course. Poison Mushrooms can be destroyed in a variety of ways, including fireballs, boomerangs, invincibility from a Super Star (from which they also flee), or by Statue Mario.

Super Mario-kun (Shogaku Ninensei)

In the first episode, Bowser hits a ? Block to get a Poison Mushroom, which he thought was a Super Mushroom, in response to Mario getting 10 1-ups from a staircase. He then shrinks in size, causing him to become much smaller than Mario and Princess Peach.

Nelsonic Game Watch series

Super Mario Bros.

Poison Mushrooms spawn from a cloud at the top right in Super Mario Bros. Poison Mushrooms fall along the lower three levels of platforms before eventually dropping into a pit at the bottom of the screen. A Poison Mushroom causes Mario to lose a life upon contact. Poison Mushrooms, like other elements from the game, move faster every time the princess is rescued by Mario.

Super Mario Bros. 3

Poison Mushrooms retain a similar purpose in Super Mario Bros. 3. Their first spawn location is left of Princess Peach, out of the sky, and the second is southwest of Bowser.

Mario Kart series

Poison Mushrooms infrequently appear as items in the Mario Kart series. In Super Mario Kart, Poison Mushrooms, which have red-spotted yellow caps, similarly to Super Mushrooms in Super Mario Bros., are only used by CPU-controlled drivers Toad and the Princess, not by the player. If any driver runs into a Poison Mushroom, they would become small, ending up moving slow and vulnerable to other karts in the area, as they can end up squashed if run over by a full-sized kart. The player can also return to normal size if they run into another Poison Mushroom; this also works if the player was made small from Lightning by the other player (as CPU players cannot use Lightning in this game). In Mario Kart Arcade GP and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, the Poison Mushroom is one of Toad's special items, and he can throw the Poison Mushrooms either in front of him or from behind. Poison Mushrooms retain their typical effect of shrinking whoever drives into them, but they instead have a black cap with magenta spots, similarly as in Luigi's Mansion.

Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

Donkey Kong throwing a Poison Mushroom at Mario

Poison Mushrooms are sometimes thrown by Donkey Kong or Donkey Kong Jr. at Mario (including inside barrels), starting with Stage 4-8, in the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong. A Poison Mushroom just shrinks Mario for a few seconds, making him unable to perform actions like climbing ladders or swimming.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Poison Mushrooms, originally known as Bad Mushrooms, are battle items in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Their corresponding artwork depicts them brown, similarly to outdoor levels in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, but their sprites are the same as a Mushroom's. The remake depicts them with their standard colors. They can be obtained either by purchasing them in Seaside Town during Speardovich's takeover, after using a Yoshi Cookie on an Amanita or Chewy, or occasionally as spoils from defeated Kriffids. Poison Mushrooms can poison most targeted enemies, but some are not affected by Poison Mushrooms.

Mario Party series

Poison Mushrooms appear in certain games of the Mario Party series. They first appear in Mario Party, where if the player gets the Poisonous Mushroom (as the game calls it) from landing on a Mushroom Space, they lose their next turn. If another player uses a Warp Block to swap with them during that time, the latter's Player Panel will merely turn into the color of the space they swap to without any effect. The Poisonous Mushroom in this game closely resembles the Cursed Mushroom of later games in the Mario Party series.

Poison Mushrooms have appeared in a few minigames. In Mario Party 2, they appear in Rakin' 'em In, which refers to them as Poison Purple Mushrooms, and if the player grips and drags a Poison Purple Mushroom into their goal, they lose three points. In Mario Party 3, Poison Mushrooms can be bought from Baby Bowser from his shop, and can be optionally obtained in the item minigames, such as Dorrie Dip. In Mario Party: Island Tour, images of Poison Mushrooms are stuck on some panels in Emergency Hexit. If not removed quickly, they would consume 5 seconds from the game's timer every once in a while. The player can get rid of Poison Mushroom panels by clearing a row of identical panels that is adjacent to them. In Mario Party 10, Poison Mushrooms, maintaining their Super Mario 3D Land design, appear only in the minigame Movin' Mushrooms, where if they fall into one of the carts, the respective team loses three points.

In Mario Party: Island Tour, Poison Mushrooms exclusively appear as a usable item on Perilous Palace Path, where using one subtracts two from a rival’s roll of the Dice Block. Similarly, in Mario Party: Star Rush, Mario Party: The Top 100, and Super Mario Party, Poison Mushrooms can also be used on other players to subtract two from their dice roll and allies, and the effects of this item are capable of stacking.

Luigi's Mansion

A Poisonous Mushroom

In Luigi's Mansion, Poison Mushrooms, also referred to as purple mushrooms or Poisonous Mushrooms, are dropped by portrait ghosts when Luigi tries to suck them up. Poison Mushrooms can also be found by vacuuming or interacting with various objects throughout the mansion, and they have a chance of appearing during the final boss battle whenever King Boo's Bowser suit destroys a pillar. These mushrooms bounce around the room for a few seconds before disappearing. On contact, they cause Luigi to shrink and drop ten coins on the floor. Additionally, Luigi cannot use his Poltergust 3000 in this form, potentially allowing the portrait ghosts to escape his vacuum and thereby reduce the portrait rank. While in this small state, Luigi's voice clips are high-pitched and he takes more damage when he gets hit. After several seconds, the Poison Mushroom's effect wears off and Luigi's size returns to normal.

In the remake, Poison Mushrooms can be turned into Super Mushrooms if Mario's amiibo is scanned.

Super Smash Bros. series

SmashWiki article: Poison Mushroom

Poison Mushroom, as seen in the Wii U and 3DS versions

Poison Mushrooms appear as items in the Super Smash Bros. series, starting with Super Smash Bros. Melee. Unlike in the Super Mario franchise, its design is intended to deceive players: it looks the same as a Super Mushroom, only with a slightly duller color and angry eyes that are hard to see from a distance. They are grabbed upon running into them, and they make the player smaller and easier to launch. While tiny, the fighter's attacks have much less reach, and they move noticeably slower, while being able to jump higher. Aesthetically, the fighter's voice becomes higher-pitched. In Underground Maze, the screen zooms in while a character is under the effect of a Poison Mushroom.

Fighters at Poison Mushroom size are weaker, which is more noticeable in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where all direct attacks deal around 0.6× their normal damage.

Giga Bowser (from Brawl and 3DS / Wii U) and Giga Mac (from 3DS / Wii U) are unaffected by Poison Mushrooms.

Mario & Luigi series

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

Poison Mushrooms are depicted light-green with red spots in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. They are sometimes inhaled by Trunkle and sometimes thrown by Popple from his bag. They can poison Mario or Luigi when touched. Later, at Little Fungitown, there is a similar type titled the Invincishroom, claimed to be a combination of a Starman and a 1-Up Mushroom, but it makes Mario very sick.

In the remake, the "Invincishroom" (now referred to as an Invincibility Mushroom) is revealed to be a Poison Mushroom that Captain Goomba and his squad found. Poison Mushrooms also use their design from Super Mario 3D Land.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

See also: Shroob mushroom

Poison Mushrooms return in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time with a similar role but expanded upon. A gray Poison Mushroom can be used by two Dr. Shroobs and also Swiggler in battle. Shrooboid Brat also spits either Mushrooms or Poison Mushrooms to attack in battle. Shroobs in general are colored after Poison Mushrooms, having a purple body and white spots.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey

Poison Mushrooms replace Cheep Cheeps in one of Junker's attacks in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.

Paper Mario series

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Poison Shroom
The Thousand-Year Door description	A snack made by Zess T. Eat it and it'll poison you! (GameCube, Switch in battle) A snack made by Zess T. Eat it and it'll poison you! On rare occasions, it'll replenish all of your HP instead of poisoning you. Made by mixing a Slow Mushroom with Inky Sauce. (Switch, in menu)
Super Paper Mario description	A dangerous poison shroom. Highly toxic!

A Poison Mushroom in Bingo! of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Poison Mushrooms, shortened to Poison Shrooms in the original game, appear in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. They are depicted as dull green and with pink spots, and their item icons do not depict them with eyes. If three Poison Mushrooms appear in a row during Bingo!, Mario's HP (as well as his partner's HP), FP and SP are reduced in half, and the audience members flee. Poison Mushrooms can be created by Zess T. by mixing a Slow Mushroom and Inky Sauce, Point Swap or Trial Stew and a Dried Bouquet. A Poison Mushroom inflicts the poison status effect on the user and reduced their HP by half, though seldomly, eating one in battle restores all HP instead.

Super Paper Mario

Poison Shrooms are much more common in Super Paper Mario than the previous game. They function differently, taking 1 HP at each time until the poison status effect wears off. Poison Shrooms can be dropped by Zombie Shrooms, Cursyas, and their relatives. A Ghost Shroom can be substituted as an ingredient over Poison Shroom for any recipe that requires a Poison Shroom.

Recipes

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Recipe	Result
Inky Sauce + Slow Mushroom	Poison Mushroom
Point Swap + Slow Mushroom
Poison Mushroom	Mushroom Fry
Poison Mushroom + Point Swap	Mushroom Ultra Mushroom ( Japan)
Poison Mushroom + Turtley Leaf	Mushroom Broth Mistake ( Japan)
Poison Mushroom + Golden Leaf	Mushroom Broth
Poison Mushroom + Couple's Cake	Trial Stew

Super Paper Mario

Recipe	Result
Poison Shroom	Dangerous Delight
Poison Shroom + Black Apple
Poison Shroom + Block Block
Poison Shroom + Blue Apple
Poison Shroom + Bone-In Cut
Poison Shroom + Cake Mix
Poison Shroom + Catch Card
Poison Shroom + Catch Card SP
Poison Shroom + Courage Shell
Poison Shroom + Dayzee Tear
Poison Shroom + Dried Shroom
Poison Shroom + Dyllis Dynamite
Poison Shroom + Egg Bomb
Poison Shroom + Fire Burst
Poison Shroom + Fresh Pasta Bunch
Poison Shroom + Fresh Veggie
Poison Shroom + Fruity Shroom
Poison Shroom + Gold Bar
Poison Shroom + Gold Bar x3
Poison Shroom + Gold Medal
Poison Shroom + Golden Leaf
Poison Shroom + Honey Jar
Poison Shroom + Horsetail
Poison Shroom + Hot Sauce
Poison Shroom + HP Plus
Poison Shroom +