1-Up Mushroom

"Just what I needed!"

- Mario

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 appeared. 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.

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 no graphic changes, little has change over the behavior of the 1-up Mushroom.

Super Mario Bros. 2
1-up Mushrooms can be found taking place in Subcon in Super Mario Bros. 2. The 1-up Mushrooms also look a lot different, sporting the words "1-Up" on a red cap. Otherwise, no changes has been made.

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 acquire eyes now), nothing much has changed with these mushrooms.

Super Mario World
In Super Mario World, little has changed in behavior when compared to Super Mario Bros. 3. However, 1-up Mushrooms can be found in different places rather than in hidden blocks or risky places. Fishin' Lakitus carry them as bait for Mario, and when Mario acquires it, the Lakitu will chase after Mario, throwing Spinies after him. 1-up Mushrooms also appear out of eggs when Yoshi is already ridden on and Mario hits a block holding the egg in it.

There is another item that can grant Mario lives, but it is called the 3-Up Moon which grants Mario 3 lives, but it is even rarer than the 1-up Mushroom and only found in hidden areas.

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, 3 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 the Super Mario Bros. 3's colors, which were green with white spots.

Super Mario Sunshine
In Super Mario Sunshine, 1-up Mushrooms reappear. They are the only types of Mushrooms that can be acquired in this game. Little has changed relating to the gameplay effects of acquiring this mushroom.

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.

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 notes, activated by a large coin with a "?" on it, a 1-up Mushroom will appear. Also, if the player pays a blue Hungry Luma with the exact amount of Star Bits, the blue Hungry Luma will transform into a 1-up Mushroom. Lives can also be obtained by collecting 50 coins and by collecting 50 Star Bits.

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 Mega Mushroom disappears, so the player acquires them by other means such as reaching the top of the flagpole. The 1-up Toad houses return and have a very different minigame to go with it. In this game, the player must hop into cannons. The player can aim the cannon at balloons with numbers on them, ranging from 1-4. If the player can pop these balloons, lives will be received.

A visual effect will occur only to Mario if he collects 99 lives. Mario will lose his cap and the only way he can get it back is to lose a life.

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, which revives with all HP.

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, he/she can bat again, regardless if the fielders caught it or not.

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 the Nintendo Monopoly. It replaces the Income Tax space. When a player lands on this space, he or she has to pay either 10% or 200$.
 * In the Animal Crossing series, a 1-Up Mushroom appears as a furniture item.