Inside Nintendo: The Great Mushroom Debate…

While developing Mario Kart World, the team faced a profound question: Does Mario actually eat mushrooms? Specifically, do Super Mushrooms in the Mario universe require Mario (and Luigi) to consume them, or can they simply touch the mushrooms to gain their special powers?

Though the answer might appear straightforward, even veteran Nintendo employee Shintaro Jikumaru was unsure about the nature of mushrooms in the Mushroom Kingdom. Alongside Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki, they sought clarity from Nintendo executive Takashi Tezuka, who has worked on the franchise since Super Mario Bros. and is well-versed in its lore.

The inquiry arose partly because Jikumaru wanted to introduce food — specifically hamburgers — into the new open-world setting of Mario Kart, which necessitated animations for characters eating.

Yabuki elaborated, “We thought, why not create a drive-thru where characters eat while driving, and this eating process changes their outfits or transforms them into different characters? Though it sounds completely absurd.”

With the inclusion of hamburgers and other regional dishes triggering wardrobe changes in Mario Kart World, Yabuki and Jikumaru were compelled to confront the rules governing the Super Mario universe. In a recent Ask the Developer interview with Nintendo, they shared:

Yabuki: The topic arose: “Does Mario actually eat mushrooms?” (Laughs)

Jikumaru: So during development, we approached Tezuka-san to verify, “Is Mario truly eating those mushrooms?”

Yabuki: Exactly. And Tezuka-san replied, “Yes, he is.”

Longtime fans of Mario may refer to games like the Mario & Luigi series, where the brothers are depicted eating power-ups, or The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which clearly shows Mario consuming mushrooms for their effects while he merely touches other items like Fire Flowers and Super Stars to gain their powers. Still, it’s commendable that the creators of Mario Kart World sought to be meticulous in this regard, given the inconsistencies across numerous power-ups in the Mario franchise. For instance, in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, when Mario uses a Super Mushroom in a race, he isn’t shown eating it, implying instead that the mushroom is integrated into the kart, akin to a NOS boost.

Debates about which power-ups Mario consumes versus those he merely touches may continue. Additionally, there are many other mysteries to ponder. For instance: