The 'Shroom:Issue 220/Fun Stuff
Director's Notes
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers! Welcome back to the Fun Stuff offices, where we sure are trying to beat the heat! AC's on full blast, but hey, I don't foot the electricity bill! If Waluigi Time (talk) didn't want me using up all our energy, he shouldn't have given it to me in the first place!
In case you're curious about your local Rose, I just recently got back from my first international trip, followed by visiting family, all a month after graduating college. It's been a strange, strange month. I wouldn't change it for the world, though. Next step: figure out some full-time work; don't melt.
Our Fun Stuff writers have dished up another delectable platter of staple sections, so make sure to sample them all! I'll see you next month, if I don't succumb to a Burn status effect first!
Section of the Month
Congratulations to Boo1268 (talk) for claiming first with his exceptional guest section! Additional congrats extend to Ninja Squid (talk) and Sparks (talk) for second and third respectively. Make sure to vote for your favorite sections this month!
| FUN STUFF SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | Criminal Case Files | 16 | 44.44% | Boo1268 (talk) |
| 2nd | Musical Quiz | 6 | 16.67% | Ninja Squid (talk) |
| 3rd | Pixel Personas | 5 | 13.89% | Sparks (talk) |
Anagrams
Written by: BBQ Turtle (talk)
Hi everybody, welcome to this month's anagram section! This month, we're going to be cracking anagrams based on Yoshi's Island- aka the origin of our wonderful mascot Poochy! I'm sure you know where it's going from here, so I'll let you get cracking! If you fancy suggesting a theme for next month- or any following sections- or anagrams I could include in them- please let me know on my talk page or in a PM to me on the forums. OK, I think it's an egg-cellent time to dino-soar into some anagrams!
How it works...
Basically, this puzzle consists of solving the anagrams. Each month has a specific theme, which will give you a clue about what sort of words or phrases the anagrams will be. I've also included the boxes that the anagrams will fit into, so you'll be able to tell how many words it will solve to be and how many letters will be in each word, which should give you a hand too. You'll also notice that within each set of boxes, one of the squares are yellow. As you solve each anagram, note down the letter which appears in the yellow squares, and if you can solve all of the anagrams, you'll also get a bonus anagram to solve from completing all of the others. I've included the letter configuration for this one at the bottom too, just to give you an extra helping hand. Best of luck!
1. GUIDED CLOWN
2. TOM ANKLE
3. WHIRLED PIANO PATIO
4. SLEIGH FUN
5. BATH FLUSH BRUTE
6. SLIM ROULETTE
7. ALPHA RAN VAIN
8. SHIP FRAYS
9. MOCK PORCH
10. AIL BIG BUY
11. HEAVEN HARP ALERT
12. PRINT PEN PAL
Bonus anagram:
- Winged Cloud
- Mole Tank
- Wild Ptooie Piranha
- Lunge Fish
- Burt the Bashful
- Little Mouser
- Naval Piranha
- Spray Fish
- Chomp Rock
- Baby Luigi
- Raphael the Raven
- Nipper Plant
Bonus anagram: Message Block
Word Search
You know, I'm not a big fan of Diddy Kong Racing, idk partially because I don't really like N64 kart racers. But also because it's got the classic Rare nonsense requirements to beat the game. You gotta win all the races, then you gotta get all the silver coins while also winning the race, you gotta get the balloons, then you gotta beat the game all over again, beating all the bosses twice. It's just too much! I'm surprised they don't require you to beat Donkey Kong Jr. three times to get the final boss key! I do like Bubbler and Krunch though, those are fun characters. Also it introduced iconic future Smash Bros. fighter Banjo and future drunk squirrel Conker, so that's cool. Anyways here's words!
Crossword
Written by: MarioMorty (talk)
Welcome back one and all to Crosswords, brought to you by me, MarioMorty. This month, you're gonna take to the stars and solve a puzzle about some of the galaxies in the first Super Mario Galaxy. Enjoy this cosmic adventure and I'll see you next time. This was MarioMorty, blasting off again!
Hiding Koopa
Written by: Waluigi Time (talk)
Hello there, 'Shroom readers! Welcome back to Hiding Koopa, the Fun Stuff section with a surprising amount of Donkey Kong in it. I didn't expect to be putting him front and center again so soon, but wouldn't you know it, Nintendo finally went and put him in a new game. So here's five Koopas hiding in this key artwork from Donkey Kong Bananza! I thought about preparing this one ahead of time, but I guess it's a good thing I didn't because they were hiding Pauline. Much like these Koopas!
Thanks for playing! Did you find them all?
Pixel Personas
Howdy 'Shroom readers! Are you up for another round of Pixel Personas? Let's see if you can uncover the true identities of these three characters!
Here's what it's about: Pixel Personas is a game played in three rounds. In each round, I'll show an image of a Super Mario character, but they're all pixelated! You (the readers) must analyze and identify who these characters are. Each round is tougher than the last, with more lesser-known characters and larger pixels, making it more difficult to tell who it is. After you make your guess, click/tap on the card the image is on to flip it over and reveal the character! if you have JavaScript disabled, simply hover over the card instead.
Let's get started then, shall we?
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Thank you for participating in July 2025's Issue of Pixel Personas! I hope you had fun playing, and I'll see you next time!
Connections
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers! Welcome back to another edition of Connections! I just got back from my study abroad, but my terms are all a mess in my luggage! How could I possibly unpack without your help?
How it works:
Below is a table of sixteen different words, all of them with some sort of connection to the Mario series. These words correlate in sets of four, and it's up to you to figure out which words belong to a set! Work through the grid and decide which words are connected. Once you think you have the answer, check against the provided answers. If you get stuck along the way, feel free to utilize the clues. There's only one correct answer, so be on the lookout for words that feel like they might fit in more than one category. Good luck!
| Toad | Flowers | Rose | Boo |
| Dread | Wiggler | Poppy | Monsters |
| Bluster | Toadette | Twilight | Tiny |
| Fireballs | Wuhu | Wilds | Koopa Kid |
Start with "Bluster"
This Connections is in the major league now!
___ & City
- Bluster, Dread, Poppy, Tiny: ___ Kong
- Flowers, Monsters, Fireballs, Wilds: team names in Mario Super Sluggers
- Toad, Rose, Twilight, Wuhu: ___ Town
- Boo, Wiggler, Toadette, Koopa Kid: characters who first became playable in GameCube games
How did you do? Did you figure out the connections? Thanks for playing!
Where in the Marioverse is Carmen Sandiego?
Each issue, you will be given a case to solve and clues to use to help you find the solution! Use your Mario knowledge to crack the case!
You will begin each case at the scene of the crime, and you will be given three clues from passerby as to where the next hot spot is and what game it’s from. Using your knowledge of Mario games and the Super Mario Wiki, figure out where the crook is and go track them down! There are four locations each round: the crime scene (1) at the start, two locations (2 and 3) with clues, and the hideout for the crook of the month (4). Answers for locations will be given with the corresponding round, for example, the clues from the crime scene will lead you to location 2, and once you open the spoiler bubbles for location 2, you will be given the correct answer. You can open the clues for each location in any order you’d like, but be careful! You may encounter an incorrect clue that could throw you off the case!
Clues offered will give you a hint either about the next location or the game it’s in. Unlike a regular Carmen Sandiego game, you do not have to collect information about the crook you are tracking down.
Challenge round (optional):
-Find all locations and games correctly in two minutes or less
-Find all locations and games correctly without using the rest of the Wiki for help
“We've got an urgent case for you this time, gumshoe! I'm sure you're aware that Donkey Kong has headed out on a new adventure, this time with Pauline at his side! Carmen has taken notice of this as well, and she's had one of her agents swoop in to steal all of his Banandium gems! These gems are critically important for DK to be able to keep moving forward in his quest to help Pauline and stop the evil VoidCo. We don't know if Carmen is working together with VoidCo, who originally took the gems, but either way, she needs to be stopped! Your job is to track down the rogue who stole the gems and get them back before Carmen can squirrel them away or sell them back to VoidCo. It's time to put on your thinking cap and grab your banana basket!”
|
Crime Scene |
The Crime
|
CLUE 1
|
CLUE 2
|
CLUE 3
|
|
Location 2 |
CORRECT ANSWER
|
CLUE 1
|
CLUE 2
|
CLUE 3
|
|
Location 3 |
CORRECT ANSWER
|
CLUE 1
|
CLUE 2
|
CLUE 3
|
CASE CLOSED
HIDEOUT ANSWER:
Hazy Maze Cave from Super Mario 64 
“You've cracked the case, gumshoe! Great work! Our team headed into the labyrinth to smoke out our crook, but unexpectedly they found him riding on Dorrie. It seems he wasn't able to make him move any faster and was stuck waiting for him to circle. It seems slow travel can be helpful, after all! Our crook had the entire stash of Banandium Gems with him, which we promptly confiscated and sent on the way back to Donkey Kong and Pauline. We're watching for any activity from Carmen, and I'll keep you updated on her next move. For now, gumshoe, get yourself back to HQ and get started on your case files. Your reward has been deposited already and you can count the coins when you're done for the day.”
Musical Quiz
Written by: Ninja Squid (talk)
Well, hello there, 'Shroom readers! Are you ready for another well-crafted round of Musical Quiz? Because I sure am!
For this month's edition, I've gone with a theme again. Since we're right in the middle of my favourite season (summer, of course, loving getting the sun’s heat), I decided to focus on music from beach or water-related areas. Because BEACHES ARE BETTER THAN AMUSEMENT PARKS! Hmm... I wonder if he heard me in the Fake News office.
Well, no matter. All teasing aside, the goal remains the same: figure out which game each of the following soundtracks comes from. Best of luck, and more importantly, have fun!
 Song No.1 | File info |
| Song No.2 | File info |
| Song No.3 | File info |
| Song No.4 | File info |
| Song No.5 | File info |
| Song No.6 | File info |
| Song No.7 | File info |
| Song No.8 | File info |
- Super Mario 3D World (Sunshine Seaside)
- Mario Party 3 (Deep Bloober Sea)
- Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (Water World)
- Yoshi's Story (Yoshis on the Beach / On the Beach)
- Paper Mario: The Origami King (Water Vellumental Shrine)
- Super Mario Sunshine (Noki Bay)
- Mario Tennis Aces (Savage Sea)
- Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (Epic Story)
How did you do? Did you guess them all correctly? Regardless, thank you so much for playing Musical Quiz, and come back next month!
Trivia
By the time you guys read this, Donkey Kong Bananza is gonna be out and then everything's gonna be okay! But until then I'm over here writing trivia so Did You Know?
- That according to promotional material for Conker: Live & Reloaded, Diddy Kong Racing racer Bumper was sent to jail sometime after the events of Diddy Kong Racing?
- That before it became Diddy Kong Racing, the game was originally going to be another installment of R.C. Pro-Am with Timber as the main character?
- That Timber was also originally going to the main character of Dinosaur Planet, the game that eventually became Star Fox Adventures?
- That the longest running anime is Sazae-san, which started airing in 1969 and currently has 2,771 episodes and is still running to this day?
- That at one point during the development of Super Mario Bros. 3, a power-up that turned Mario into a Centaur was pitched?
- That Super Mario Land was originally going to be the pack in title for the Game Boy, not Tetris?
- That Henk Rogers of the Tetris Company regretted allowing Nintendo to use the Tetris name for Tetris Attack?
'Shroom Quiz
Written by: Hooded Pitohui (talk)
Hello, all you readers of The 'Shroom! Pop quiz! What am I here for? The answer - to test your memory of June's villainous issue 219 like the quizzes in the back pages of magazines would in the days of yore.
As a reminder, I'll provide two hints with every question to help jog your memory. The first hint will be unrelated to the content of issue 219, to give you an avenue through which you can work out the answer without having to pull up the paper. The second hint will tell you which section you should read again to find the answer, just in case you find yourself stuck. Oh, and don't sweat specials or staff-written sections; the following questions will pull exclusively from the six main teams. Ready? Let's go!
QUESTION #1: With what culinary fruit (and botanical berry) do certain ghosts in the original Luigi's Mansion attack?
Beloved by Donkey Kong, its most popular cultivar commercially is the Cavendish.
Puzzled by the paranormal? Then hit up Golddude64's The Ghostly Dossier in Fake News!
Answer: Bananas
QUESTION #2: According to last month's issue, which spaceship-cruising Mario franchise final boss was born on the planet Gimanji?
After conquering Sarasaland, he would later appear working under Wario in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.
Well, you can look into ClawgripFan9001's Close Encounters of The Shroom Kind or see his visage on a coin in Overlook Mountain Auction House Presents by Waluigi Time and Shoey, both in Fake News!
Answer: Tatanga
QUESTION #3: "Electro", "Big", "Poison", and "Super" can all be correctly placed before what underwater Mario series enemy?
In certain glitched-out levels on Super Mario Bros for the NES, they flew through the air, a behavior never seen in normal gameplay.
You... you did solve Connections by Roserade in Fun Stuff, didn't you?
Answer: Blooper
QUESTION #4: Suspect James Dunwitty went by a villainous alias that incorporates what grey-ish crystalline form of carbon?
This doesn't require as much chemistry knowledge as you might think. What's that stuff your pencil tip is made out of?
Track down criminals in Boo1268's Criminal Case Files in Fun Stuff, and you might track down the answer, too!
Answer: Graphite
QUESTION #5: Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are characters from what popular film series?
Created by George Lucas, this series kicked off in 1977, with a well-regarded trilogy followed by a "prequel trilogy" generally less well-regarded.
It's over, 'Shroom readers. I have the Random Video Analysis by Sparks in Palette Swap.
Answer: Star Wars
QUESTION #6: Salvo the Slime ended up in a lemon-y version of what dessert originating in France and typically made with sugar, syrup, cream, and egg yolk?
While the French dessert bearing this name is a frozen custard, Americans might instead call a layered dessert served in a tall glass by this name.
You ended up needing a guide / To Palette Swap you took a ride / Through winstein's channel / The ? Panel / the answer no longer could hide.
Answer: Parfait
QUESTION #7: This Pikmin enemy appears only once in the main campaign of the original game, holding the Space Float ship part.
The first three letters in their binomial descriptor Pansarus gluttonae hint at their shape and common name.
What was that in Pipe Plaza's To-Do Tracker by Cam, Tori, Cecil, Claire, and Macy?
Answer: Breadbug
QUESTION #8: Voted "Most Forgettable Game" for two years in a row, this card-based Mario game released on February 17th, 2003.
It made use of the e-Reader... well, optionally, it did.
There are some fun quotes you're missing out on if you don't read Lakituthequick's Anniversary Announcements in Pipe Plaza.
Answer: Mario Party-e
QUESTION #9: A weather-themed supervillain in Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate takes her alias from what physical phenomenon that's also responsible for shifting the light wavelengths of receding stars to a redder end of the spectrum?
You might have heard the name of this effect used in relation to radar, especially weather radar.
I forecast you can find the answer in Sparks' Movie Review in Critic Corner.
Answer: The Doppler effect (AKA Doppler shift)
QUESTION #10: What racing-focused title was among the games available through the Switch 2's GameCube Classics service at launch?
Oh, have you forgotten Mach Speed Mayhem? Don Genie, Daigoroh, Lily Flyer, and QQQ make their only console-based appearances in this game!
For a comprehensive consultation on the Switch 2, Ninelevendo has you covered in Super Ninelevendo Entertainment Reviews in Critic Corner.
Answer: F-Zero GX
QUESTION #11: What supernatural beings are commonly depicted in popular culture as granting wishes and being tied to magic lamps?
I could go into the historical origins of the concept... or I could just tell you to think of a famous Disney character portrayed by Robin Williams.
Find out what being Captain Syrup commanded in Strategy Wing's Fading Into Obscurity by Shoey!
Answer: Genies (alternatively, djinn)
QUESTION #12: Five giant bonfires are lit in the mountains around Kyoto as a part of what three-day Japanese festival?
A style of dancing known as Bon Odori is associated with this festival.
Hang on, what are they performing at in that one portion of Zange's Rhythm Review in Strategy Wing?
Answer: Bon (AKA Obon)
So, how did you do? You got 10-12, did you? Then I'd call you a Bountiful Banadium Broker. whereas those of you getting 9-7 are mere Cool Crystalline Kongs. Better than getting only 6-4 and being a Melancholy Miner, though, isn't it? And that's still leagues better than being a Pitiful Peel Picker.
And a congratulations, those of you who best this quiz without any hints, for being the Astute Apes you are!
However you did, I hope it jogged your memories of our massive villains special! Now go revel in the rest of issue 220!
| The 'Shroom: Issue 220 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
| Specials | Welcome To Cosmo Kart |
