Fire Flower

A Fire Flower is one of the many power-up items in the Mario series that first appeared in the Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario Bros.. This object can be found in a ? Block if Mario or Luigi is in his Super Mario or Super Luigi form. When obtained, the plumber can hurl out fireballs from their hands that can defeat many enemies during gameplay. This power-up later appeared in Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World among other appearances in other series, having the same function. The opposite of the Fire Flower is the Ice Flower which first appeared in Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time, allowing Mario, Luigi, and their baby counterparts the ability to hurl ice balls. This flower also appeared in Super Mario Galaxy turning Mario into Ice Mario.

Super Mario series
In Super Mario Bros. and the NES and SNES versions of Super Mario Bros. 3, if Mario touches a Fire Flower, but later gets hit to become Small Mario, the flower will only change him to Super Mario if touched. In Super Mario World and the GBA version of Super Mario Bros. 3, the flower will make Mario Fire Mario even if he gets hit before touching it.

In New Super Mario Bros., Fire Flowers could be considered stronger, or weaker. A large amount of enemies are immune to fire, but all but one of the bosses can be defeated using fire. Otherwise, they act as they do in previous games. Blocks containing Super Mushrooms or Fire Flowers are much more common than previous games.

They also appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii having the same effect as its predecessor.

In the Wii game Super Mario Galaxy, when Mario or Luigi obtains this item, he will go into his fire form allowing him to throw fireballs and can defeat enemies and light torches. Unlike other games where the powerup lasts until the player takes damage, the powerup only lasts a limited amount of time although Mario can take damage with this form. Like the Super Smash Bros. Brawl figure, it takes the appearance of the New Super Mario Bros. version.

The Fire Flower will reappear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii with the same use it had in its DS counterpart.

Cartoon series
Also, Fire Flowers appeared in the cartoon television series The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World. In the cartoons, they are portrayed as blue daisies. When Mario or Luigi touches one, they gain their fire powers, although most episodes had their Fire Mario costume either be not changed at all, or an orange hat and shirt with red overalls. In The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 episode "Reign Storm", the Robot Princess orders all Fire Flowers to be extinguished, as if they were actual fires.

"Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit"
The Club Nintendo comic "Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit" reveals that Fire Flowers have existed since the Stone Age. In this story, Mario uses a Fire Flower to throw Fireballs at a Tyrannosaurus rex.

Super Smash Bros. series
The Super Smash Bros. series has Fire Flowers as well. Once picked up, the player could use it to expel fire, hurting anyone who came too close. It does have a limit to how much fire it can use, and will lose its abilities after constant use. However, this doesn't mean it is worthless. The player could throw the Fire Flower at someone to burn them. Fire Flowers return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with their appearance from New Super Mario Bros.

Paper Mario series
During the Paper Mario series, the player can use these items towards the enemies Mario and his partners encountered during their travels. These items can be purchased in many shops in the Shroom Grocery from Toad Town, Koopa's Shop from Koopa Village, and Yoshi's Cabana from Lavalava Island from the Nintendo 64 game Paper Mario. Also in the Nintendo GameCube game Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, they can be purchased in Toad Bros. Bazaar from Rogueport, Niff T.'s Shop from Petalburg, and Keelhaul Key Galleria from Keelhaul Key. Fire Flowers can be also used as ingredients to be made into new items with a help of Tayce T. or Zess T. Here is a list of recipes below this section.

''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In the Nintendo DS game Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Fire Flowers are referred to as '''Bro. Flowers'''. If used, the player would attack all the enemies with a certain amount of fireballs by constantly pressing the A button if it is passed on to Mario or the B button if it is passed on to Luigi. The player can also attack flying enemies by pressing the X button (if passed to Mario) or the Y button (if passed to Luigi), making their babies counterparts to start shooting fireballs. In addition, the damage may cause burning towards their foes. There are two related items in the game, the Mix Flower and the Ice Flower.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Fire Flowers again appear in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story as an Attack Piece. They're used almost exactly the same as Bros. Flowers in Partners in Time, but after certain number of hits, player can hit both A and B buttons to attack simultaneously. Using this item will also change Mario's and Luigi's outfits to Fire Mario and Fire Luigi's outfits. It cost 4 SP to use this attack. To use it, the player must collect all the Pump Works Attack Pieces.

''Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
In the Nintendo DS game Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, when a Mini-Mario touches a Fire Flower, he would go in his Fire Mini-Mario form and begins throwing fireballs within a limited time to knock out enemies or defeat them. These items can be obtained from a ? Block during those levels.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
''Once you grab this item, press and hold down the A Button to make the flower breathe flames until its power gives out. The Fire Flower is incredibly useful when you want to push someone off the edge of a stage. In Super Mario Bros., it transformed Mario into Fire Mario, changing his garb and enabling him to throw fireballs.''

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
''A flower that breathes flames when you press and hold the attack button. The flames don't last forever, though--after a while, the flower will lose its fiery power. You can also throw Fire Flowers at enemies to set them on fire for a brief moment. In Super Mario Bros., Fire Flowers were used to transform Mario into Fire Mario.''

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Trivia

 * In a similar manner to how Mario and Luigi have both eaten and "absorbed" Mushrooms throughout their games, there is much controversy over whether Mario must eat a Fire Flower or simply touch it to become Fire Mario. Although most games make Fire Flowers simply disappear upon contact with Mario, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door seemingly confirms that Mario does indeed eat Fire Flowers. This is also indicated by a certain optional scene where Mario informs a Lakitu cameraman that he "shoots fire when he eats a flower". In the Club Nintendo comic "Super Mario: Verloren in der Zeit" Mario even reveals something about their taste, claiming that Fire Flowers "taste disgusting, but if I eat them, I can shoot Fireballs".
 * In the Super Mario World cartoons they are attached to ? Blocks.
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the only Super Smash Bros. game where this item appears as it does in recent artwork.
 * In both Animal Crossing games there was a Fire Flower as a furniture item.