Super Mushroom

A Super Mushroom is a red Mushroom that serves a particular function depending on the game in which it is found. Its first and most common effect is causing Mario or Luigi to double in size and strength, allowing them to smash through bricks and take an extra hit.

The idea for Super Mushrooms were originally believed to have been inspired by the cake that Alice eats in Alice in Wonderland that makes her grow after having been shrunk by a potion. However, Shigeru Miyamoto later corrected himself, saying that this was a misunderstanding; the mushrooms were actually inspired by the concept of mushrooms being associated with magical worlds in general, like the Wonderland of Alice in Wonderland and the Mushroom Kingdom.

''Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. was the first Mario game to feature mushrooms. They are the most common items found in the game and touching them will make Mario grow to Super Mario. When Mario is Super Mario, he can take one more hit from an enemy and revert back to normal Mario before losing a life, and gains the ability to break brick blocks. When Mario already has a mushroom, usually a Fire Flower appears in place. Also, when Mario shrinks, he will be invisible and invincible temporarily. The pattern on the top resembled the pattern on a Mega Mushroom.

1-up Mushrooms also appear. They are quite rare and sometimes tough to obtain; some are in life-threatening situations while others are found in hidden blocks that are invisible until Mario hits them.

''Super Mario Bros. 2
Mushrooms acted almost the same prior to Super Mario Bros. in Super Mario Bros. 2 except that the game was taken directly from Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic and Mushrooms replaced masks in order to gain an extra heart. Plus, a 1-Up Mushroom appears that replaces the effect of a heart in Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic which will grant the character one life. The game also featured small mushrooms which could be picked up and stacked to reach high places.

''Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was very similar to Super Mario Bros. in terms of gameplay and items, and the Mushroom returns, but there is one new addition of mushrooms: the Poison Mushroom. When Mario touches it, he will either power down or lose a life. The Poison Mushroom also looks similar to a regular Mushroom, except that it is slightly discolored. Poison Mushrooms may even pop out of hidden blocks. Also, the Super Mushrooms receive eyes in the game, unlike the Super Mushrooms in Super Mario Bros., and Super Mario Bros. 2.

''Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, Mushrooms and Life Mushrooms make a return appearance in this game. Comparing from this game to Super Mario Bros., no actual changes had been made in effect except for the sprite appearance.

''Super Mario World
Mushrooms and Life Mushrooms reappear in Super Mario World and no changes had been made to them. However, Mushrooms tend to "leap" out of the bushes sometimes for the player to receive. Fishin' Lakitus also use 1-Up Mushrooms as bait for Mario and after Mario had collected it, the Lakitu will attack. 1-Up Mushrooms will also appear instead of Yoshis from the eggs if Yoshi is already ridden on.

''Super Mario 64 DS
Regular Mushrooms appear in Super Mario 64 DS as a power-up that makes the characters grow extremely large for a limited time, similar to the effect of a Mega Mushroom. This allows the characters to destroy objects or enemies simply by touching them. They earn an extra life for each object or enemy that they destroy after the first seven.

Since this game is a remake, nearly everything from the previous game, Super Mario 64 has returned. This includes the 1-ups and the mushrooms found in Tall Tall Mountain.

''New Super Mario Bros.
In New Super Mario Bros., Mushrooms and 1-Up Mushrooms return, along the addition of 2 new mushrooms: the Mini Mushroom and the Mega Mushroom. The Mini Mushroom will make the player grow to a very small size. In this condition, the player may walk through the water and have floaty jumps. The downside is that Mario will lose a life if he touches an enemy and he can only defeat them by ground-pounding them. Mega Mushrooms have an opposite effect. It will make Mario grow to a tremendous size, which will allow him to smash through most objects and become invincible. The downside is that Mega Mario cannot destroy all blocks and he may get stuck. Depending on the amount Mario destroyed, Mario will receive 1-Up Mushrooms.

Mushrooms can act like platforms. There are some types of bouncy mushrooms that will make Mario bounce on them. Others grow and shrink, become taller and shorter, and tilt down according to where Mario is.

''New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the Mushrooms got little or no change except the amount of Mushrooms that appear out of blocks depends on the amount of players there are. A new Mushroom called the Propeller Mushroom appears, granting Mario the ability to become Propeller Mario that will enable him to fly through the air. Unlike the Mini Mushroom, which reappeared in the game, the Mega Mushroom is absent because it would create a weird effect on the map. The Mega Mushroom would not work during Multiplayer either.

Donkey Kong series
Super Mushrooms also made an appearance in Donkey Kong for the Game Boy. They were used by Donkey Kong during the final battle. He ended up using several of them to transform himself into a giant. A Super Mushroom was also briefly seen in the ending when Pauline gave one to Mario, so that he could change his size and catch Donkey Kong when he was falling.

''Mario & Wario
In Mario & Wario, if a blind character gets a Mushroom on the floor, the item magically gives the player more time to complete the level the player is on. Unfortunately, it only appears in certain levels that need more time.

Hotel Mario
The Super Mushroom appears in Hotel Mario. It doesn't make Mario big or small, but gives him the chance to take one hit and not lose a life. The only difference between the normal Mario and the one that ate the Super Mushroom is the color of his overalls.

Mario Kart series
In relation to Mario Kart, a Super Mushroom is an item that grants a Kart a brief burst of speed when used. Super Mushrooms can come in singles or triplets, the latter providing three Mushrooms to use in a row. In Mario Kart 64, Super Mushrooms appear as stronger variants of regular Mushrooms that allow the player to get numerous boosts of speed. In Mario Kart: Double Dash!! a character holds these mushrooms in piles, but if the kart is hit by an item on the road, these mushrooms will fall off and the character will have one remaining on hand. Normally this set appears as default power-ups in time trial mode (excluding Super Mario Kart) to use specially over shortcuts of a determined course. Another type of Super Mushroom is the Golden Mushroom, that can be used indefinitely in a restricted period of time.

In recent Mario Kart games, Super Mushrooms can be used as well to knock aside other karts or even steal an item from the opponents when coming in contact as seen in Double Dash!!. In later games, this move is not possible to steal items, but works to steal balloons, Shine Sprites or Coins from other players when playing in Mario battle mode.

Mario Party 7
In the Pearl Hunt sub-game from Mario Party 7, one of the obtainable items is a Super Mushroom, although it's golden. The real Super Mushroom is just called "Mushroom". Due to how Pearl Hunt works, the Super Mushroom gives the player two extra tries.

Super Smash Bros. series
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, the Super Mushroom allows the player to grow to an incredible size, thus making him/her heavier and harder to knock off. Experiment with them in Huge Melee mode. Use one while playing as Mario, then do his taunt. This will make him taller than almost all the levels in the game.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Super Mushroom had an additional effect. Not only are the fighter's size and weight increased, but his/her attack strength also increases. An attack that normally does 15% damage could do near 30% damage when the fighter is a giant.

Gallery
For pictures, see this subject's gallery.

Trivia

 * The design of the Super Mushroom is inspired by the poisonous fly agaric toadstool (the amanita muscaria).
 * In the original Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mushrooms were white and red-spotted instead of red and white-spotted. This is fixed within levels in the SMA4 remake, but the map's item screen retains the error.
 * The manual of the original Super Mario Bros. actually refers to the Super Mushroom as the "Magic Mushroom", but the name was changed due to the accidental reference of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
 * In New Super Mario Bros., there were super mushrooms on Midway Point flags, as well as on the Main Flags of each castle.
 * The Super Mushrooms in the Super Smash Bros. series look exactly like the ordinary mushrooms used in the most recent Mario games.
 * In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, when Mario (without the effects of the Super Mushroom) passed the midway flag in a course, he would power up into Super Mario, just like if he obtained a Super Mushroom.