The 'Shroom:Issue 226/Palette Swap
Director's Notes
Hi all! Welcome to a new year of The 'Shroom!
I've started out my new year determined to make it a good one- there are so many things I want to do, places to go, plans to make! One of my fun-centered goals this year is to cook my way through a cookbook by one of my favorite creators that I purchased back in 2024 when it first came out. I probably won't get to the campfire recipes, but we'll see what I can manage with the oven. We'll see how many recipes I cook this year and maybe pick a new book next year.
There are a lot of good sections down there! Putting this together was a lot of fun this month, and I won't keep you waiting up here! Get to it!
Happy reading! ~FunkyK38
Section of the Month
Let's hear it for Section of the Month! This month, Hint Toad (talk) took the top spot with Mushroom Kingdom Comics!, followed by winstein (talk)'s The ? Panel. After that, we have a tie for third, between our guest Technetium (talk)'s Paper Crump: The Exalted Exile and Waluigi Time (talk)'s Waluigi Time Comic. Thank you everyone for a great year of voting, and please keep it up for this year as well!
| PALETTE SWAP SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | Mushroom Kingdom Comics! | 11 | 31.43% | Hint Toad (talk) |
| 2nd | The ? Panel | 6 | 17.14% | winstein (talk) |
| 3rd | Paper Crump: The Exalted Exile | 5 | 14.29% | Technetium (talk) |
| 3rd | Waluigi Time Comic | 5 | 14.29% | Waluigi Time (talk) |
Waluigi Time Comic
Drawn by: Waluigi Time (talk)
"Cats and Dogs"
Panel 1
[Waluigi Time is standing next to Cosmo, holding Murphy on a leash and pointing to him.]
WALUIGI TIME: Hey Cosmo
WALUIGI TIME: Zerris is out of town, can you watch Murphy?
COSMO: Um-
Panel 2
[Cosmo watches as Waluigi Time rushes out a doorway in the background.]
WALUIGI TIME: Okay thanks bye!!!
Panel 3
[Cosmo looks at Murphy, holding his leash.]
Panel 4
[Cosmo gives an aside glance to the reader.]
COSMO: I've got a bad feeling about this
The ? Panel
Part 1
{A room consisting of 6 treasure chests are on the floor. In front of the chests are four characters: Luigi, Mario, Peach, and Wario. Toad is holding a card that explains the objective of the minigame: certain chests contain coins that are collected, and certain chests contain Bob-ombs that will eliminate the players. The Announcer yells "START!"}
{Mario, Peach, and Wario pick the chests in the beginning as the timer ticks down from 10, where it is currently at 9; Luigi is still standing in place and a Toad is standing there.}
{After the timer reaches zero, Luigi is still standing in place; Peach is irritated at Luigi's idleness. A Toad signals to someone off-panel to deal with the idle player}
Part 2
{A giant hand attached to a stick is used to push Luigi to a chest. Wario groans in frustration at Luigi for being idle, while Peach has a fed up expression. Mario who is next to Luigi, sweats a bit in anticipation to the result. Every other player is prepared to open the chests while there is a push-pull stick preparing to open Luigi's chest.}
{The chest Luigi is in front of contains Bob-ombs, while the rest of them contains coins. Luigi just stands there and look at the Bob-ombs with indifference}
{Luigi is blasted away by the Bob-ombs out of the picture}
{The characters look at Luigi being charred with an expression of dread}
{The smoke covers the floor, where Luigi is lying still on the floor}
{As the smoke clears, Luigi shows signs of movement}
Part 3
{The smoke clears and Luigi raises his head while lying down, saying seriously "Start over. That's an order."}
{Mario, Peach, and Wario have differing expressions of irritation. Mario twitches an eyelid and crosses his arms with a "Mngh...", Peach shrugs with arms raised and made a long face with a "Sigh!", while Wario is annoyed with a "Grrr...". The background consists of a Koopa Paratroopa pushing coins in a wheelbarrow, and a Monty Mole pushing a Bob-omb crate}
Caption: Much later...
{A television screen shows the minigame with the treasure chests played, and "Luigi Wins" is imposed on the screen. Luigi is celebrating, while Mario, Peach, and Wario sulk on the ground. All poses are based on Super Mario Party Jamboree's winning and losing poses}
Luigi: {Arrogant while poking Waluigi's nose with a finger} Ha! Take that losers! I won that minigame by doing absolutely nothing!
Waluigi: {Deadpan} Yeah. After 423 attempts at coercing everyone else in keeping up the charade.
{Yoshi looks at Luigi like he's a threat, slightly backs off from him}
Daisy: {Concerned while holding phone} Uh... is Peach fine? She hasn't responded to my calls.
Title: The Aftermath of Playing Minigames with Luigi so that he wins by doing absolutely nothing...
{Wario is lying on his stomach on a bed with pain marks and plasters over his body, and a black mark around his right eye. His back particularly has a huge pain mark}
Wario: (Thinking) Note to self: never play against Luigi in any minigame - ever!
{Mario, in a suit, runs off through the streets while dressing and holding a guitar case}
Mario: Oh no, I'm late for band practice from joining the minigames!
{Peach, while sitting on her throne, has a repressed sadistic expression and clasping her hands, is thinking of ways to get back to Luigi. Two ways include pretending to accidentally press a button to bring down a large mallet on Luigi, and another involves Peach pushing Luigi off from land with her behind into a shark-infested water. While she is plotting, her phone is constantly ringing}
SFX: RIIING!!
Mushroom Kingdom Comics!
Hello, 'Shroom readers! Hint Toad, here, with a brand new comic! Enjoy! By the way, Blue Toad (The Toad in this comic) is not to be confused with ME, Hint Toad.
Mushroom Kingdom Comics!, Issue #7, by Hint Toad
Panel 1
[Blue Toad enters a small room. He sees a key on a platform that is just out of reach. There are Phantos on the wall.]
BLUE TOAD: Hmm... I forget what to do in this situation...
Panel 2
[Blue Toad puts on a Phanto he found lying on the ground.]
BLUE TOAD: Oh well! I'll just put on this cool mask!
PHANTO: Hey!
Panel 3
[The Phantos on the wall come alive! Blue toad turns around. Even though Blue Toad wears a Phanto, the other Phantos can still see what hides underneath.]
BLUE TOAD: Huh?
Panel 4
[A Phanto swoops down from above. Blue Toad ducks in the nick of time!]
BLUE TOAD: Woah!
Panel 5
[Lots of Phantos are flying everywhere! Blue toad stays crouched.]
Panel 6
[Blue Toad starts to glow.]
BLUE TOAD: Hey! I'm glowing!
Panel 7
[Blue Toad performs a crouch jump and snatches the key while the Phanto he was wearing falls off his face.]
BLUE TOAD: So THAT'S what you do in this situation!
PHANTO: FREEDOM!
Paper Mario: The Door
Written By: Ash
Chapter 4: CJ, It's Cold Outside
Mario had landed face first in a large snow bank. He had gotten stuck in the snow multiple times in the past but he wasn't exactly feeling motivated to kick his way out. The only reason he tried at all was because his head was getting very cold very quickly. If not for that, he probably would have resigned to his fate for a while and let his legs hang limp until he built up the energy to free himself.
"Wasn't that awesome?" CJ said, having landed much more gracefully than Mario. The Koopa Troopa really didn't think it was that awesome but didn't want to be the one to shut down CJ's shtick. He nodded, even though he knew it wasn't really true.
"I don't think there's a cannon for us to get back though. Man."
Mario had to remind CJ that they were there for a reason and that he didn't have one of those snow bonnets like the Koopa who lived in an ice cave in the outskirts of Shiveria.
"The what where?"
Mario scrambled to explain himself without having to tell CJ that he was from another dimension. Instead, he told CJ about a Koopa he had heard of in stories who liked to challenge people to walk precisely in a circle.
"That's a weird hobby," CJ said, seeming a bit uninterested. "So… where do we start?"
Mario started off in any direction, hoping to stumble upon civilization like he had back in that cursed desert. "Where do you think you're going?"
Mario explained that they weren't going to find anything without going somewhere.
"Well I'm not going that way."
The Koopa really wished he was a Paratroopa so he could fly away from CJ and finish this journey on his own. He dropped down his head in disappointment. "I'm gonna go this way. I feel better about it."
Mario sighed, resigning to his fate of being dragged along with CJ. He was really glad to know that his body was keeping itself warm from all the walking. Even though he and CJ were in no imminent danger of freezing to death or even just getting hypothermia, with the track record of the other places he had been, surely they would have good heating systems.
CJ got oddly quiet as he navigated the frigid landscape with Mario. So much so that seeing the energetic, talkative Koopaling so silent was a little offputting. Mario, who was lagging a bit behind CJ, pulled the Comotron out of his pocket to see if there was something up with the Koopaling. He pointed the scanner at CJ's back and pressed the button.
"That's CJ. He's a fun-loving, excitable little guy who loves all his siblings. They all love him too, but he can be a handful. Is he aware of how much he can be?"
Suddenly CJ made a lot more sense. It must have been difficult for a kid like him to balance being himself with possibly secretly wondering if he's being annoying at any given time.
Mario picked up his pace to catch up to CJ so he could ask if the Koopaling was okay. Even with the wind blowing over the snow, CJ's silence had become deafening.
"A-Am I okay? Um… I'm fine, I think," CJ said.
Mario couldn't help but notice that his voice sounded low, like he was trying not to cry.
"I dunno," CJ responded. "Sometimes I wish my brain worked like everyone else's."
Mario, ever the empathetic type, offered CJ a comforting hug. The Koopaling was a little surprised but took Mario up on his offer nonetheless. Even if he was just a Koopa Troopa, Mario still wanted CJ to know that he wouldn't let CJ's energy get in the way of the mission they were on.
"Really? You mean that?" CJ said.
Of course Mario meant it. He would never tell a lie. Unless it were to get Bowser off his back. But the gullible Koopa king wasn't exactly relevant right now.
"Then let's get going." The smile had returned to CJ's face, albeit not for long as he tripped on his way down a hill and fell face first into the snow. He got up and shook the snow off himself. "That doesn't count."
Mario shrugged and the two travelers got back on their way. There still wasn't much to see in what was mostly a snowy wasteland but after a while, they found the town they were looking for. It was even smaller than the one in the desert and was mainly occupied by Bob-ombs, penguins, and a couple Ice Bros. All creatures much more equipped for the cold than CJ or Mario ever were.
Both of them were visibly shivering by the time they got into town. The nearest landmark was a restaurant, which was well timed since all the wandering had worked up an appetite.
"Wanna get something to eat?" CJ asked.
Mario would never turn down an offer like that. What he was hoping was that whatever restaurant this turned out to be had a lot of warmth. Warm air, warm food, a general warm atmosphere.
Mario and CJ sat down. There were already menus placed down for them, even. Maybe now that CJ's energy had been burned off, he would be a little more manageable. The only issue with this whole plan was that Mario worried he would fall asleep if he ate too much.
"Then I'll carry you around in your shell and you can take a nap in there," CJ said.
Mario didn't exactly want to be jostled around while he was trying to sleep but he had never hidden inside a shell before so he had no idea what it was actually like in there. Maybe instead of being cramped and uncomfortable, the inside of a Koopa shell was the size of a ten-bedroom mansion.
"It's not that big," CJ said, dashing any of Mario's hopes for his own pocket dimension. "Maybe I just like curling up in a little ball and having my shell to protect me."
Mario had to admit to himself that even though he wouldn't give up his life back in the Mushroom Kingdom for anything, he was starting to get used to the prospect of being all the other species he was so used to jumping on. Sure, it could be mildly inconvenient with their small statures and lack of arms but he imagined himself being able to get around without being swarmed by fans asking for autographs. He could just be a normal looking Toad or Koopa or Shy Guy and no one would notice him.
Even on this journey, he was able to go relatively unnoticed, only being mobbed when either whoever he was talking to let everyone around know what he was doing or he was with one of the Koopalings. Like he was right now. Thankfully the restaurant wasn't busy and the few people who were there didn't seem to notice CJ.
Mario was brought a big bowl of chili, supposedly made in a way that it would never get cold. It was just as warm as he was hoping. It was a little spicy, but not so much that he couldn't handle it. Whatever spices they did use must have been special to the region since he had never tasted anything like it before.
By the time he had finished eating, he was a little surprised that the whole experience had gone so smoothly. No one getting shot by lasers, no one rushing up to him and CJ, nothing. Mario and CJ were able to drop some coins on the table and leave the restaurant uninterrupted. Apparently, the hardest part of traveling with CJ to Sammy's castle was just going to be the harsh temperatures outdoors.
"Well now that we're done with that, I think I know which way we should go," CJ said. The Koopaling looked around for a few seconds. "It's… that way."
Mario had no clue how CJ could be confident where the castle was considering his own castle was on the opposite end of the continent but for all he knew, twin telepathy was a real thing.
Mario and CJ trudged through the snow for a while, being kept warm by their own blood flow and, in Mario's case, that really good chili that he wanted to bring back to the Mushroom Kingdom. He was tempted to hide inside his shell and be carried by CJ but once they got to the top of a hill — or more accurately, an incline in the topography — they spotted a castle in the distance.
"There it is," CJ said. It was still pretty far away but with Sammy's castle in sight, he took off running. He only stopped when he ran out of breath, instead choosing to use his own shell as a form of fast travel. Mario watched as CJ disappeared into his spiky shell, wind himself up, and start sliding along the ground like it was nothing.
Mario, now far behind CJ, tried to do the same. Once he got himself in motion, the sheer velocity of his shell was enough to destroy any modicum of drowsiness in Mario's body. Just in time, as if by instinct, he brought himself to a stop and jumped out of his shell to see CJ already waiting by the door.
"See, wasn't that fun?" CJ asked. "Maybe I gotta get into the roller coaster making business when I'm older."
There was so much open space in the Koopa Kingdom that Mario wouldn't be at all surprised if CJ got to use some of it to build his own amusement park. That was for a long time in the future, though; right now, they needed to get inside and make sure Sammy was okay.
They opened the doors of the castle and ran down the hall to the throne room as fast as they could, this time being carried by the adrenaline rush that came from traveling inside shells. CJ shoved through the doors of the throne room only to find-
"Prince Pit!" CJ yelled in fear, falling back onto Mario.
"Well, well, if it isn't you again to ruin my fun."
"Where's my brother?"
"I've got a better question. How did you get here? Weren't you supposed to be frozen solid?"
CJ, now seconds away from spontaneously combusting in sheer rage, pointed his magic wand directly at Pit, who was unfazed. Instead, Pit started laughing maniacally.
"Aww, cute. Look at the little turtle try so hard to be scary," Pit said.
"Gimme my brother back!" CJ yelled. He started throwing out assorted spells in hopes something would affect Pit but nothing worked.
"Hmph. If you're just going to be a pest then I'm going to leave and let my troops take care of you and your friend."
"What… what does that mean?" CJ said, going back to fear from rage. Pit didn't answer, instead disappearing into a purple cloud.
Mario tried to calm down the anxious Koopaling but it wasn't doing anything. CJ was so scared that he was nearly crying. His track record with Pit wasn't great, having been briefly frozen solid and now worrying that his twin brother might be dead. To make matters even worse, Mario could hear the faint humming of ghosts outside the door of the throne room.
"What's happening?" CJ asked.
Mario didn't have time to explain, only having enough time to ask to borrow CJ's wand.
"S-Sure."
Mario took the golden wand and told CJ to stay put. Magic scepter in hand, the Koopa Troopa ran out the door to see large ghosts with even larger hammers staring him down. He reached down the infrequently used band on his ankle and pressed the button, once again taking on his old human form. It was time for Mario, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, to have his moment.
To Overthrow a King
Written by: ClawgripFan9001 and Ash
Today was a special day at the Glitz Pit, the wrestling arena of the floating artificial city of Glitzville. An exhibition match between two fighters from two completely different leagues was due to take place; Dean “The Yosh” Yoshter aka The Great Gonzales Jr., a White Mini-Yoshi ranked in the Major League was scheduled to take on KP Pete aka King K, a KP Koopa who led the appropriately named team “The KP Koopa's” ranked in the Minor League. Promoter and referee Jolene Kinopijoh stood in the middle of the arena, gripping a microphone in her hand as stage lights were blaring around her. Once the Glitz Pit's jingle finished playing, Jolene was ready to announce the anticipated exhibition match was ready to commence.
The spotlights danced over the audience as the fighters entered through the large metal doors. Out of the blue door, the rising star, The Yosh. Buried beneath his small stature was a storied history, having trained with the Great Gonzales himself, Mario. One of the most astronomical rises to fame that the Glitz Pit had ever seen, and The Yosh had been there for all of it. From the red door, King K and the KP Koopas. A veteran minor leaguer hoping to make his rise into the majors with an equally interesting history, having visited the brink of a game over and being saved by none other than the Great Gonzales. The beloved plumber and retired champion played a big role in both the friendship and the rivalry between the two fighters, and as they stepped up into the ring, the tension between them had never been greater.
“And now, for today’s main event…An exhibition match between former apprentice to the Great Gonzales, The Yosh…and veteran Minor League fighters, The KP Koopas. Both fighters have an incredibly layered history, and today, they will square off against one another for a scuffle unlike any other the Glitz Pit has seen since the exhibition match between the Great Gonzales and Prince Mush. Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for both parties, as it is time for a rumble in the concrete jungle!” Miss Jolene narrated as both The Yosh and King K and the KP Koopas stepped up into the ring, after which the bell sounded to initiate the exhibition match that was soon to follow.
Upon the bell clanging its chimes of thrills, The Yosh initiated the first strike, taking on the KP Koopas with one of his signature moves, the Ground Pound, which shook King K and his teammates to their shells, but they did not back down from the fight that easily. Leading his team into battle as he always has, King K went ahead and charged at The Yosh with a Shell Toss that his species had become known for, with his KP Koopa teammate doing the same thing, and the KP Paratroopa of the bunch dishing out a Shell Shot akin to the one used by Parakarry, the mail carrier Paratroopa who also happened to be a friend of the Great Gonzales himself.
Not one to back down in the face of adversity, The Yosh went and used his chameleon-like tongue to scoop King K up into his mouth before spitting him right back out, ricocheting him into his KP Koopa teammate in the process and dishing out more of a pounding on them. While King K and his fellow KP Koopa were dazed out a bit from the impact of the attack, the KP Paratroopa of the bunch dove down toward The Yosh to perform an aerial body slam on the short-statured yet powerful Mini-Yoshi.
While the attack left its physical marks on The Yosh, he refused to let it stop him from continuing to fight. Performing his species’ signature Flutter Jump, The Yosh then went in for a flying kick on the KP Paratroopa as a means of getting back at him for the aerial body slam from earlier. Having recovered from their previous daze, King K and his KP Koopa teammate went to withdraw into their shells before spinning around the ring to try and disorient The Yosh.
As much as The Yosh tried to keep his wits about him while the KP Koopas circled around him inside their shells, the maneuver proved successful on the KP Koopas’ end, as The Yosh did end up getting disoriented by it, thus leaving him vulnerable for an attack. The KP Paratroopa gladly took advantage of the opportunity, as he went in for another Shell Shot attack to knock The Yosh off his feet.
Going down for the count, The Yosh groaned a tad while Miss Jolene began counting down from one to ten. Regaining his bearings by the time Miss Jolene reached the count of five, The Yosh leapt back to his feet before slipping into a forward somersault and slamming right down onto the KP Paratroopa of the opposing team, knocking him down to the ground and leaving him temporarily dizzy in the process.
Coming out of their shells shortly afterward, King K and his KP Koopa teammate went and grabbed onto The Yosh before combining their physical might to execute a Piledriver onto their Mini-Yoshi adversary, sending him slamming right down into the floor of the ring as they did. The crowd roared with excitement, as they clearly were enjoying what they were seeing.
Following that blow to his blond-haired conk, The Yosh stood back up with a fierce glare in his eyes. His competitive nature was slowly but surely starting to flare up, and he showed this by striking King K and his KP Koopa teammate with a powerful roundhouse kick, which was enough to send the two turtles swiping off their feet and onto their backs, rendering them immobile for a brief period of time.
Taking advantage of the situation, The Yosh then took to the sky with his Flutter Jump before coming back down onto King K himself with a grandiose damage-dealing Ground Pound, which did quite a number on King K’s physical appearance, leaving a number of marks in the process. By this time, the KP Paratroopa had come back to his senses and leapt back to his feet, subsequently taking flight once more and executing an Air Raid move, similar to the one Parakarry the mail carrier Paratroopa used during the Star Spirit Incident of 2000.
Yelping in pain from the pummeling he endured at the hands, wings and shell of the KP Paratroopa, The Yosh became covered in more bruises over his delicate dinosaur body. But he still refused to let any of it stop him from claiming victory over King K and the KP Koopas as he used his tongue to scoop King K up into his mouth once more before spitting him back out, launching him into the veteran Minor League fighter’s KP Paratroopa teammate in doing so.
Knocking the KP Paratroopa out of the sky once more, both he and King K were visibly dizzy from the impact of The Yosh’s maneuver, leaving the other KP Koopa of the veteran Minor League team to face the white-colored Mini-Yoshi Major League fighter on his own. Standing his ground, the turtle retreated back into his shell before launching himself at The Yosh, who managed to Superguard himself, a technique he’d picked up from his mentor, the Great Gonzales, protecting himself against damage whilst simultaneously dishing out damage to his KP Koopa opponent in the process. Jumping backward while howling at the impact of the Superguard, the KP Koopa knew that he and his teammates were toast if they didn’t use any aces they happened to have up their non-existent sleeves, so he quickly pulled out a pair of Super Shrooms that he used to heal both King K and his KP Paratroopa teammates, restoring a bulk of their HP whilst also curing their dizziness while he was at it.
Laughing at his opponents copying the tricks of his former mentor, The Yosh proceeded to lay four eggs that were colored green, red, blue and orange, respectively, before picking them up and hurling them at his chelonian challengers, who grunted with impact as the eggs struck the three of them. Recomposing themselves immediately afterwards, the KP Koopas began to work together to attack The Yosh.
King K and his KP Koopa comrade once again retreated into their shells before beginning to spin around the ring a second time to disorient The Yosh, in which they were yet again successful, leaving The Yosh vulnerable to attack, which the KP Paratroopa took advantage of to retreat into his shell and launch himself at The Yosh for a Shell Shot attack, prompting The Yosh to cry out in pain, his body earning even more bruises and other marks from the KP Koopas’ continuous assault on him.
Audience members on The Yosh’s side began to cheer and shout encouragement towards their favorite fighter, telling him to not give in to his opponents’ prodigious pounding. Hearing his fans’ cries of support, the small yet strong White Yoshi began to get back up on his feet before laying another foursome of eggs, these ones being colored pink, black, white and green in that particular order. He then flung them at his reptilian rivals in a subsequent manner, causing them to yowl in response as the eggs shattered upon making contact with them.
Having gone through enough fights to know that they weren’t going to back down from this one, King K and the KP Koopa’s pushed forward with their assault on their primal pal and rival, with the two wingless turtles retreating back into their shells and launching themselves at The Yosh, while the winged turtle also ducked back into his shell before launching himself at The Yosh like a guided projectile, with the three of them each successfully hitting the white-colored Mini-Yoshi in doing so.
The Yosh began to get back up onto his feet, though he was visibly starting to get exhausted from all the battling he’s had to do with his veteran wrestling rivals so far. He began to call out to King K that he wasn’t finished just yet, and that as long as he had the stamina to get back up after being knocked down, he would continue fighting to the bitter end.
After issuing this statement, The Yosh proceeded to take to the sky once more with his species’ signature Flutter Jump, then retaliated against King K and his men by Ground Pounding each of them in a subsequent fashion, prompting the golden shelled grapplers to grunt with impact from The Yosh’s attacks, and as soon as the tiny tussler had backed away upon finishing his attack, the seasoned skirmishers prepared for their next plan of assault.
King K then turned towards his teammates before supplying them with Courage Shells, which allowed them to boost their Defense for their next few turns at combat. Likewise, King K’s teammates provided him with a Power Punch container, allowing the veteran Minor Leaguer to temporarily increase in size and boost his Attack at the same time over the following number of turns. With these temporary buffs having kicked in, the KP Koopa’s were ready to resume their fight against The Yosh.
King K then opened the fisticuffs fire by executing a diving leg drop on The Yosh, dishing out significant damage on the short-statured ‘saur in the process. His teammates then followed this up with a somersault leg drop and diving spear, respectively. Both of these attacks also inflicted a devastating amount of hurt on The Yosh, who was visibly beginning to sweat, beginning to get dangerously close to going down for the count.
Still intending to keep to his word of fighting to the bitter end, however, The Yosh began to muster as much stamina as he possibly could into his next attack; The Yoshi Bomb. Using his Flutter Jump to take to the sky once more, The Yosh then began to plummet himself down toward the ring, producing stars in the process, before dishing out a big bulk of battery on King K and the KP Koopa’s, part of which was softened thanks to King K’s teammates’ Defense having been boosted through the usage of their Courage Shells. Nevertheless, the heavies in a half-shell still experienced a good chunk of chunking at the hands of The Yosh’s ruinous roughhousing.
Likewise, the KP Koopa’s too intended to keep fighting until the bitter end, and as such, King K took the lead in executing his team’s next plan of attack once more. He suddenly went flying forward with a flashy aerial kick to stun The Yosh, leaving him vulnerable for King K’s teammates to finish the plan of attack with a set of flashy aerial kicks of their own, prompting The Yosh to yelp in pain from the abuse he had to endure from his reptilian rivals yet again.
Backing off from the KP Koopa’s in an attempt to catch his breath, The Yosh knew that it was better for him to go on the defensive for the time being until he had regained enough stamina to switch back to the offensive, and as such, he began blocking any of the punches, kicks and other physical attacks the KP Koopa’s began throwing at him any way he could. While the switch to defensive proved to be effective, as it negated a majority of the damage The Yosh suffered at the white-knuckled hands of his friend/rival and his teammates, it was a tactic that couldn’t last forever, especially with the blond-haired brawler’s stamina continuing to deplete the longer he tried to remain standing in the ring.
Fortunately for The Yosh, however, the Courage Shells and Power Punch that King K and his teammates had provided each other with a few turns earlier proceeded to wear off, thus sending the KP Koopa’s back to their regularly powered states. Sensing an opportunity to go back on the offensive, The Yosh proceeded to shoot out his chameleon-esque tongue to scoop King K up into his mouth before spitting him back out, launching him into his fellow KP Koopa teammate standing behind and damaging the both of them in the process.
Groaning in pain from The Yosh’s sudden switch back to offensive, King K and his teammate instructed their KP Paratroopa teammate to keep The Yosh busy while they tried to bide their time powering each other up with another handful of trinkets they had managed to sneak into the ring prior to the beginning of the match. The KP Paratroopa nodded in understanding at the instructions of his teammates and flew forward to deal with The Yosh for the time being while King K and his fellow KP Koopa teammate backed off to put their plan into motion. Smirking as he saw the lone KP Paratroopa approaching him, The Yosh went in for an aerial high kick to damage the winged golden-shelled turtle, only to have his attack blocked by the KP Paratroopa, much to The Yosh’s surprise. The KP Paratroopa smirked back at The Yosh in response before spinning around, then letting go of The Yosh, hurling him around the ring, sending the White Mini-Yoshi flying whilst wailing in pain before eventually coming to a stop in the middle of the ring with a pained grunt.
The KP Paratroopa celebrated his successful attack on The Yosh with an amusing victory dance, prompting King K and his fellow KP Koopa to cheer their KP Paratroopa teammate on while they continued to charge their power in the back of the ring. Meanwhile, The Yosh leapt back onto his feet to retaliate against the KP Paratroopa for tossing him as if he were a dusty old burlap bag.
Hopping into the air to try and strike the KP Paratroopa with a strong right hook, the winged leatherback dodged the attack, after which The Yosh tried to hit him with an even stronger left hook, only for the loggerhead to dodge this one as well, after which the flying fighter countered The Yosh’s punches with a series of strong punches of his own, finishing off the assault by knocking the dinosaur back down to the ring floor with a powerful bicycle kick, prompting the audience members who were backing the KP Koopa’s in this match to roar with excitement.
Audience members backing The Yosh in the match, however, began to cry out in dismay, shouting towards The Yosh to get back up and give the KP Paratroopa a taste of his own medicine. Hearing the supportive cries of his fans, The Yosh quickly got back up before charging at the KP Paratroopa once more, only for the aviary chelonian to block the prehistoric punisher’s attack once more. The KP Paratroopa then kneed The Yosh in the stomach, causing the latter to wheeze in pain before being knocked back down towards the ring once again with a soft gasp of soreness upon landing.
King K and his KP Koopa teammate then told their KP Paratroopa brother-in-arms that he was good to back off and catch his breath for the time being, since the two of them had been able to get enough time to power up their Attack to a high enough level to take on The Yosh again. Nodding in understanding at the instructions of his teammates once more, the KP Paratroopa backed off for the time being to allow King K and his teammate to handle The Yosh afresh. While the White Mini-Yoshi began to get back up onto his feet, he was caught off guard when the two grounded KP Koopa’s began to jump him before laying a pounding.
Grunting and groaning as he took the pummelling from his opponents as if he were a pinata at a small child’s birthday party, The Yosh eventually parried the KP Koopa’s attacks with a high kick to the face before countering with a flurry of jabs and hooks, eventually managing to knock King K and his teammate down to the ground by Judo hurling them like a pair of ragdolls. The two golden-shelled reptiles yelped in paroxysm from the impact of their small-statured opponent’s retaliation.
Still refusing to crumble under the pressure of The Yosh’s assault, however, King K and his teammate stood back shortly afterward as the latter withdrew into his shell before launching himself at The Yosh to stun him, after which King K knocked the White Mini-Yoshi off his feet with a powerful jump kick, which also bore some resemblance to a drop kick like the ones you would see in actual show wrestling. With The Yosh dazed from the attack, King K took the opportunity to pick up his rival and friend, lift him over his head, and slam him down into the ring’s floor panels with a powerful Piledriver, again, like the ones you would see in actual show wrestling.
Letting out a cry of agony at the impact of the Piledriver that was just performed on him, The Yosh struggled to get back up onto his feet, breathing heavily as the exhaustion of the continuous brutal assault from his opponents was clearly taking its toll on him. He then spoke out loud to his former mentor, The Great Gonzales, who was somewhere out there in the Mushroom World, hoping that The Yosh did him proud by continuing to fight until the bitter end before he collapsed back on the floor from exhaustion.
The bell rang to signal the end of this exhibition match as promoter and referee, Jolene Kinopijoh walked up to King K, taking a hold of his wrist and raising it in the air to declare him the rightful victor in the match. “In a brutal high-class bout of fisticuffs between two veteran fighters, rivals and friends, King K and the KP Koopa’s have emerged victorious! Let’s hear a thundering round of applause for the winners!” The pink Toad stated through the microphone she was still gripping in her other hand, followed by joyful cheers and applause from King K and the KP Koopa’s adoring fans. The Yosh’s fans likewise gave a sportsmanlike round of applause, acknowledging that King K and his team fought just as well as The Yosh did and rightfully came out as winners in the end.
The competitors retreated into the crowd to catch their breaths as the Glitz Pit’s newly hired interviewers, a red and blue pair of Toad brothers named Chai T. and Rainn T., emerged from the ringside and found their ways toward the subjects of their interviews, each followed by their own cameraman.
“Yosh,” Chai said, “you put up a good fight today but it didn’t work out for you in the end. How do you do feel about your performance in the ring?”
“I gave it my all, man,” the Yoshi answered. “Maybe I didn’t win but that’s the luck of the Pit.”
“Is there anything you would do differently if you could redo that fight?”
“Nah. My time in the Pit’s taught me that your best is the best you can do and I did my best. Sometimes the luck just ain’t there and today was one of those days.” The Yosh was feeling beaten and bruised but he had become known for his unwavering persistence and confidence. He wouldn’t be caught dead backing down in the face of a challenge.
The red Toad interviewer smiled a little at the iron-willed Yoshi. “Do you have any words you want to say to your fans, your opponents, or anyone else?”
“Oh, you bet I do, bud,” the Yosh said, turning to speak directly into the camera lens that was aimed at him.
“Let’s hear it, please,” Chai said as he moved away from the camera. The Lakitu holding it brought the lens closer to the Yosh’s face; as unflattering as it was for the small Yoshi to be bruised and sweaty on camera, he put on his cockiest face and spoke to the masses between heavy breaths.
“Right, let’s get this over with quick. All my fans, I’ll make it up to you next time. It’ll take lots of training and practice and more fighting but I won’t disappoint two times in a row. Gonzales, I’m thinkin’ of you the whole time. I hope you see this and come see me fight someday so I can make you proud.” The Yosh paused, having run out of breath again. He looked out toward the group of fans that had surrounded him, trying to vaguely face toward where he thought King K would be. “And KP Koopas… the King will be dethroned one day!”
The fan club erupted into applause seeing their star’s confidence continue to be unshaken, even after losing to his mentor’s old friend. “You heard him, folks,” Chai said into his microphone. “It sounds like we’re shaping up for a bitter rivalry, so let’s hand it over to my brother to hear from today’s victor.”
“Thanks, Chai,” Rainn said. “We’re here with the KP Koopas today to celebrate their big win and possible soon-to-be ascension into the major leagues. Let’s hear from the leader of the crew for some thoughts on his performance today.”
“Thanks, Rainn. You know, us KP Koopas have been here for a long time. We’ve been through a lot. I nearly suffocated to death under a box with my secondhand man Bandy Andy all those years ago and it was only thanks to the G-Man that I got out of there alive. That lil’ man and me have got some real history and I feel a little bad beatin’ him down but it’s part of the job here.”
“Do you have any thoughts about the Yosh starting a rivalry with you?” Rainn asked.
“Oh, if he wants to go, we’ll go. We ain’t ones to turn down a fight. Why else have we been here for so many years?” King K said, bouncing up and down as if he was ready to immediately have a rematch.
“Do you expect to have another fight with the Yosh anytime soon?”
“You better believe it,” King K said confidently. “If he doesn’t challenge us then we’ll come to him. Depends who calls first. All we need’s for G-Money to come back to his lil’ man and for my man Andy to team up with me and the gang’ll all be here. Now that would be a hype match, don’tcha think?”
“Absolutely it would be,” Rainn said. “Before I hand it back over to Jolene to dismiss us for the day, do you want to say anything to the Yosh?”
“I ain’t gonna come out and attack his character or his fighting ability but lemme say this. That kid’s small but he talks a big game. Too bad for him that he can’t stand up to the power of the KP Koopas,” King K said, prompting a large ovation from his supporters. “And I gotta say, you need a cooler fighter name. I don’t have a cool name to give him and that’s pretty lame.”
“Thanks very much, King K. We here at Glitz Pit Network are witnessing the beginnings of what’s shaping up to be a sizzling beef between the Yosh and the KP Koopas so stay tuned. Signing off for Glitz Pit Network, this is Rainn T.”
Random Video Analysis
Written by: Sparks (talk)
Additional Contributions by: Waluigi Time (talk)
| Thumbnail | 
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|---|---|
| Video by: | Carl Doonan |
| Publish date: | June 20, 2012 |
| Views: | 79,936 (as of January 9, 2026) |
| Likes: | 1.4K (as of January 9, 2026) |
| Type: | Comedy |
Hi everyone, and welcome to the first ever Random Video Analysis of 2026! In this ongoing section, I find a random video on YouTube and talk about it. Starting in August 2025, I'm now open to suggestions by you all! Check out my thread dedicated to video recommendations, but be sure to follow the rules. I'll even let you add your thoughts on the video you suggested!
I mention this because the video I'll be analyzing is something I've never seen before. This month's video is Sour Competition, brought to my attention by Waluigi Time (talk)! Selling lemonade is always nice, but what happens when a shady businessman tries to outsell his competition? Find out what happens for yourself when his plans don't go as he expected...
What's it about?
A young girl has a successful lemonade stand set up, but watching from afar in his car is a shady businessman looking to make lots of money. So, he sets up another lemonade stand right next to the girl's. The businessman attempts to sell "Lemon Ultra" to a customer, but he is turned off by the strange encounter and instead purchases lemonade from the girl because she's cute. Upset at what had just happened, the businessman pulls out a to-do list, hoping to step up his game and outsell the girl.
The first item listed is "Give Away". In the short time between the events, a long line of customers is now formed out of the blue, with all of them planning to buy lemonade from the girl. The businessman attempts to entice two kids with free toys of his likeness if they purchase Lemon Ultra, but the toys malfunction and set his hand on fire. Ouch! To add insult to injury, a lady then purchases lemonade from the girl. The businessman then moves on to Plan B - Mascot. He presents Canny McGoo, a large can (of presumably Lemon Ultra) with arms, legs, and a large permanent smile on its face. In the middle of a goofy dance, Canny McGoo falls face-down to the ground, landing on three customers and making the scene awkward in an instant.
Now it's time for the businessman's final idea - Endorsement! People always buy stuff when they see celebrities use it, right? The businessman pays that celebrity everyone is talking about with a large bag of cash so he can sway the customers to buy Lemon Ultra. In the middle of drinking a can of it, the celebrity realizes it tastes awful and spits all of it directly at the businessman's lemonade (er, LemonUltra) stand, causing it to short-out before exploding, scaring away all the customers amd injuring the shady businessman. Again, ouch!
Despite everything that had just happened, the girl offers the businessman a glass of lemonade. He reluctantly buys the glass and drinks it. Afterwards, he questions the deliciousness of the girl's lemonade, to which she tells him "love". The businessman then makes a note for himself in frustration: "Note to self: stock up on artificial love". The credits are then shown, along with the lemonade stands of the girl and businessman; the girl is happy and her stand simply reads "lemonade", while the businessman is annoyed and his stand reads "Mr Friday's Synthetic Heart Juice". Both stands have hearts and "25 cents" on them. This also reveals the name of the businessman - Mr. Friday.
The credits read:
- Written and Animated by: Carl Doonan
- Produced by: Elliot Cowan
- Voice of Almost Everybody: Carl Doonan
- Voice of Celebrity: Anthony Insetta
- Music by Kevin MacLeod
- Special Thanks to: My family! My friends! All the dorks on the 14th floor!
Right before the video ends, the screen fades to show a cut-open in front of a black background, with text below it: Made at UArts Spring 2012. The inside of the lemon shows the front of the UArts building.
Interesting observations
- According to the video's description, this was made in Flash with touches in After Effects. Carl Doonan made this video as a junior short at the University of the Arts (UArts).
- UArts has been permanently closed since June 7, 2024, due to low enrollment and financial issues. Not related to the video but I thought it'd be interesting nonetheless!
- Several songs from Kevin MacLeod are used in this video. The names of them aren't mentioned in the video or the description, but they are all familiar to me. It's very difficult to find the sources of Kevin MacLeod songs, am I right?
- "Merry Go" and "Fluffing a Duck" are two of the songs used in the video.
- The setting looks to take place on a stage with a red brick wall as a background. It's kinda like school stages or those used for standup comedy.
- When the celebrity drinks the can of Lemon Ultra, the background color briefly changes to green. This possibly represents the terrible taste of Lemon Ultra.
- All of the characters (and some items like lemonade and the money bag) use monochrome colors, although only the less-detailed customers are gray. Everything else is colorful!
- The spit-out Lemon Ultra is even a unique color!
- The girl is seen smiling throughout most of the video. The only time when she doesn't smile is after Canny McGoo falls on his face. Yes, the explosion didn't bother her!
- Mr. Friday's phone shows the time "∞:00 AM" every time he checks something off his to-do list.
- Mr. Friday's body structure looks more like a ghost's rather than an actual person.
- When Mr. Friday finds out that lemonade's secret ingredient is love, his sunglasses become heart-shaped briefly.
- One of the toys resembling Mr. Friday suddenly gains red eyes after there is a close-up of it.
Memorable quotes
The businessman (AKA Mr. Friday) speaks most of the dialogue in the video, so I thought of putting his most memorable quotes here!
- "I think there's money to be made here."
- "Hello, good sir! How would you like to try the latest sensation in beverages - Lemon Ultra?"
- "Whaaaaat?!"
- "Hey kids! come drink some Lemon Ultra, you'll get the best free toys cheap for $9.99!" (It's hard to hear the last part due to the static. I think that's what he says)
- "Bring the kids down to Lemon Ultra to meet Canny McGoo, everyone's new favorite mascot!"
- "Hey everybody! Guess who it is - that celebrity everyone is talking about! And he prefers my product."
- "How can it be this delicious?"
- "Awww, the secret was love all along!"
- "Note to self: stock up on artificial love."
Gallery
The title of the video!
One sale by the competitor is enough to start a silly duel.
Those toys look fine... until you see them up close.
Mascots are everything in business, including selling lemonade!
He will buy lemonade from her, but he's not happy about it.
Credits
Notes by Waluigi Time
Hi, it's me! I don't have a whole lot to say about my experiences with this video, I'm pretty sure it just came to me via random YouTube recommendation within a couple years of its upload and that was that. But I thought it was fun and worth saving, and I've occasionally gone back to it from time to time. The girl selling lemonade has always reminded me of Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls, not just in her appearance and mannerisms, but her single line of dialogue sounds a heck of a lot like Kristen Schaal, at least to me anyway. Since this video was only uploaded a few days after the show originally premiered and was finished even earlier than that, it's probably just a coincidence, but who knows?
| The 'Shroom: Issue 226 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Directorial Address • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
