1-Up Mushroom

1-Up Mushrooms are green Mushrooms that give whoever eats one an Extra Life, and are usually the rarest to be found. Though rare, they can still be found in almost every game a Super Mushroom has appeared in. 1-Up Mushrooms are usually found in hidden blocks or in risky places for the player. They always grant the player a positive effect when acquired.

''Super Mario Bros.
The 1-Up Mushrooms first appeared in Super Mario Bros. In the side-scrolling games, they move exactly like normal Mushrooms, but look different. They are usually found in hidden blocks or in risky places where Mario must nearly risk his life just to acquire one life. They are pretty uncommon in this game, but having lives is important for Mario to survive in his quest to save Peach. An alternate way of earning a life is collecting 100 coins. In World 1 of Super Mario Bros., there are 2 hidden 1-Up Mushrooms, most likely more than Mario can find than any other world in the game. When 10 lives are earned, the life counter will display a crown next to the digit, as a reward for earning a high amount of lives. This however can be drawback as the player can not know how many live he or she currently has, much worse, reaching the highest amount of lives, triggers a glitch that causes an instant Game Over the next time he or she loses a life.

''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
The 1-Up Mushroom, along with the Super Mushroom reappeared in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Due to this game being a direct sequel with very few graphic changes, nothing has changed over the behavior of the 1-Up Mushroom, though like the Super Mushroom and the newly introduced Poison Mushroom, these mushrooms now have eyes, which would continue to be present in almost every installment afterwards.

''Super Mario Bros. 2
While 1-Up Mushrooms are present in Super Mario Bros. 2, the Subcon versions look very different from the usual green-capped mushrooms. Found by pulling up a plant containing one or throwing three items at a bubble containing a 1-UP (in the remakes only), they have a solid red cap with "1 UP" written on their side. As usual, they grant an extra life.

''Super Mario Bros. 3
1-Up Mushrooms reappear once again as rare mushrooms that can be found in hidden blocks or in risky places in Super Mario Bros. 3. Other than an appearance change (they have white spots on a green cap), nothing much has changed with these mushrooms.

''Super Mario World
In Super Mario World, 1-Up Mushrooms behave as they did in Super Mario Bros. 3, but can be found in a more varied range of places. Fishin' Lakitus carry them as bait for Mario, and when Mario acquires it, the Lakitu will chase after Mario, throwing Spinys after him. 1-Up Mushrooms also appear out of eggs when Mario is already riding a Yoshi and hits a ? block containing an egg.

There is another item in Super Mario World that can grant Mario lives - the 3-Up Moon gives Mario three extra lives, but is even rarer than the 1-Up Mushroom and is only found in hidden areas, such as behind the Giant Gate in some levels.

''Super Mario 64
1-Up Mushrooms are the only Mushrooms that can be obtained in Super Mario 64. They can be found in a number of places, such as going through a ring of coins or collecting a ring of coins. 1-Up Mushrooms are also found in hidden areas or on top of poles. Most will seemingly slide away from Mario while others follow Mario until he gets a life. A 1-Up Mushroom can also be found in the room with the Jolly Rodger Bay painting in it. They were not the only way to gain a life. Collecting fifty coins will also grant a life when Mario completes the level.

In Super Mario 64 DS they were the most common Mushroom. Super Mushrooms are also thrown in with these mushrooms. Also, three 1-Up Mushrooms can be found at the top of Peach's Castle if the player uses the cannon to reach there.

In this game, the 1-Up Mushrooms were green with lighter green spots. Super Mario Sunshine retained this appearance, but in the later games, the color was changed back to Super Mario World's colors, which were green with white spots.

''Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, 1-Up Mushrooms reappear. They are the only type of Mushroom that can be acquired in this game. Aside from gaining an extra life, Mario's Health Meter and F.L.U.D.D.'s water tank will also be completely refilled upon collection.

''New Super Mario Bros.
Little has changed in the behavior of these mushrooms in New Super Mario Bros. when compared to Super Mario Bros. However, they can be obtained by growing mega, caused by a Mega Mushroom and destroying a certain number of objects in the player's path. When this action is completed, 1-Up Mushrooms will fall from the sky, depending on the amount the meter of the objects destroyed in the top of the screen is filled up. The easiest way to fill the meter up is by allowing Mario (or Luigi) to run over the flagpole, completely filling up the meter.

Toad Houses are also scattered around the landscape. Some of these are 1-Up Toad Houses. Here, Mario or Luigi must hit blocks with 1-Up cards in them, randomized. A Bowser Card is mixed with these cards. If the player hits a Bowser Card, the game ends, but the lives acquired by the blocks will be received.

''Super Mario Galaxy
1-Up Mushrooms act very similar in Super Mario Galaxy when compared to the games in the past. However, they are found in other places such as the bottom of planets or next to Black Holes. When the player also touches all Rainbow Notes activated by a ? Coin, a 1-Up Mushroom will often appear. Also, if the player fills up a Luma Shop with the exact amount of Star Bits, the Luma could transform into a 1-Up Mushroom. Lives can also be obtained by collecting 50 coins and by collecting 50 Star Bits. Five 1-Up Mushrooms can be found on the Comet Observatory.

''New Super Mario Bros. Wii
1-Up Mushrooms act in a very similar manner in New Super Mario Bros. Wii when compared to New Super Mario Bros.. The 1-Up Toad Houses each have a minigame entitled 1-Up Blast. In this game, the player must hop into cannons. The player can aim the cannon at balloons with numbers on them, ranging from one to four. If the player can pop these balloons, the number of lives shown on them will be received.

A visual effect will occur only to Mario if he collects ninety-nine lives. Mario will lose his cap, and the only way he can get it back is to lose a life.

''Super Mario Galaxy 2
1-Up Mushrooms also appear in Super Mario Galaxy's sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2. They have the same benefit like in the prequel - each mushroom gives Mario an extra life. The Rainbow Notes that Mario collect often make 1-Up Mushrooms appear, usually three. In galaxies or certain bonus areas, some ? Coins usually make coins appear. If Mario collects all the coins before they disappear, he will receive an extra life. Mario can also obtain 1-Up Mushrooms from a Luma Shop, on Starship Mario, or from Chance Cubes (some Chance Cubes may reward up to five 1-Up Mushrooms). Collecting every 100 Star Bits or bringing back 100 coins to Starship Mario will also give Mario an extra life.

''Super Mario 3D Land
1-Up Mushrooms return in Super Mario 3D Land. They work like any other Mario game. The crown reward also makes a comeback now appearing when the player reaches 1000 lives. First, a crown is displayed, then if the player reaches 1100 lives, 2 crowns are displayed, and if the player reaches the maximum of 1110 lives, 3 crowns are displayed and Super Mario loses his cap (but Small Mario gains it) just like in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Mario & Luigi series
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the 1-Up Mushroom revives Mario and Luigi with half of their HP if either Mario or Luigi lose all of his HP in battle.

There is also a stronger variant called a 1-Up Super that appeared in all three games, which revives with all HP. It is named after the 1-Up Mushroom and the Super Mushroom. When used, it recovers all HP (and BP in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga) to a fainted Mario brother, whereas the normal 1-Up Mushroom only revives with half HP. It is known as the 1-Up Deluxe in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. Unlike the first game's 1-Up Supers, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story ' s 1-Up Deluxes do not restore SP, the equivalent of BP in the first game of the series. 1-Up Supers are very expensive.

Mario Kart series
In Mario Kart Double Dash!!, a 1-Up Mushroom appears as an emblem in the front of Toadette's Kart. This kart is supposed to be a recolor of the Toad Kart, which is blue and sports a regular Mushroom as an emblem. The 1-Up Mushroom does not appear as Toadette's emblem in later games, however.

Although they do not appear as items in Mario Kart Wii, in the track Coconut Mall, there is a shop in a hidden shortcut that is selling 1-Up Mushrooms along with other classic Mario items.

Mario Baseball series
The 1-Up Mushroom only appears in Mario Superstar Baseball as an item that can be obtained through a slot in Toy Field. When the player acquires a 1-Up Mushroom, they can bat again, regardless if the fielders caught it or not.

Mario Tennis Open
The 1-up mushroom appears as the first cup in the star open tournament.

Trivia

 * The instruction manual of Hotel Mario named the 1-Up Mushroom "Toad".
 * Ultra Shrooms from the Paper Mario series have a similar appearance as 1-Up Mushrooms, though they work entirely different. In some way, the Life Shroom replaces the 1-Up Mushroom in that series.
 * A 1-Up Mushroom is a space in Nintendo Monopoly. It replaces the Income Tax space. When a player lands on this space, he or she has to pay either 10% of their total assets or $200 in the 2006 version (just $200 in the 2010 version).
 * In the Animal Crossing series, a 1-Up Mushroom appears as a furniture item and plays the Extra Life sound and cause a 1-UP to float above it.
 * The highest amount of legit 1-ups Mario can gain at a time is 100 from Super Mario Advance 4 by swiping the Japanese Only e-card.
 * In Super Mario Galaxy, when Peach sends Mario a letter with five 1-Ups, if the player doesn't accept it, the 1-Ups will go to the Toad Brigade.