Mini Mushroom

The Mini Mushroom is a variety of Mushrooms found in the Mushroom Kingdom. Whoever uses it will shrink greatly in size and will be capable of sneaking into smaller areas. The Mini Mushroom's appearance varies from game to game, but they all have the same effect.

''Mario Party 4
Despite common belief the Mini Mushroom debuted in Mario Party 4 as a pink capped mushroom with what appears to be a pacifier. It reduces the Dice Block from 1-10 to 1-5 and allows a person under its effects to enter Gates and play Mini Mini-Games. It costs five coins. Additionally, it has an alternate form called Super Mini Mushroom, colored entirely translucent pink, that has the same effect but with two Dice Blocks.

''Mario Pinball Land
Mini Mushrooms make a reappearance in Mario Pinball Land, where they can let Mario go into small places and get extra Power Stars. They usually cost ten coins and take their Mario Party 4 look.

''New Super Mario Bros.
The Mini Mushroom reappears in New Super Mario Bros., where they are now a shade of light blue. They shrink Mario and Luigi's size greatly and yet again give them the ability to enter tiny Warp Pipes. Mario and Luigi also gain the abilities to perform Floaty Jumps and run across water, thanks to their very light weight. Unfortunately, one hit will cause a Mario brother to lose a life, being one of Mini Mushroom's major disadvantages. This makes the Mini Mushroom similar to the Poison Mushroom from earlier games. If Mario or Luigi (in Mini form) is able to defeat the Mummipokey, then he will gain access to World 4. If he beats Petey Piranha in Mini form, he can go to World 7. It can be found in four levels: 1-4, 2-Castle, 3-A, and 7-A. It also appears in the Roulette Block.

''New Super Mario Bros. Wii
They appear again in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. They are just like the mini mushrooms from the original New Super Mario Bros. However, they are not used as often and are in fact rarely seen in levels, but they can be found in Toad Houses. The courses 4-3, 2-2 and 9-8 are the only levels in the game to include a Mini Mushroom. Like in the last game, Mini Mushrooms are required to find several Star Coins and secret areas.

''New Super Mario Bros. 2
The Mini Mushroom will reappear in the upcoming side-scrolling Mario game, New Super Mario Bros. 2, it will behave like it's prequel.

''Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
A Mini Mushroom appears again in the DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. They are found in Polastraits, Icepeak, and Blizland. They allow Mario to become mini so he can cross thin ice without weighing too much to break it. It may also allow him to cross narrow surfaces. Mario can use the Mini Mushroom, while Sonic can't. The effect of this mushroom can only wear off if Mario were to grab a normal Mushroom.

Mini Mushrooms also make a brief appearance on small platforms on the ice in Dream Curling, where players must hit a stone across the field to knock down Goombas. Here, they will make the stone much smaller if hit by it. This will make the stone easier to sweep around, but will also make it harder to knock out all the Goombas.

''Mario Sports Mix
In Mario Sports Mix, players can use this item to shrink their opponents. While tiny, players can't hold a basketball, dodgeball, or hockey puck, and are unable to do spikes in volleyball. The tiny players are also unable to perform defensive maneuvers in dodgeball, making them major targets for attacks.