So here’s a weird thought. Picture this: you’re working on Mario Kart World, right? And suddenly, this big existential question pops up: “Does Mario actually eat mushrooms?” Like, really eat them? Or is it more of a magical touch thing? You know, just casually bump into a mushroom and bam! Superpowers. Kind of like, uh, brushing up against some magic dust? Either way, I’m still not over this mushroom drama.
Enter Shintaro Jikumaru, 20 years at Nintendo, a pro, but even he’s like, “Wait, do I even get how these mushrooms work?” I mean, talk about some serious gaming lore piecing. Jikumaru and producer Kosuke Yabuki find themselves diving down this rabbit hole (mushroom hole?) and end up pitching the question to Takashi Tezuka. Now, if anyone knows, it’s Tezuka—dude’s been in the game since the original Super Mario Bros. He’s practically Mario’s godfather.
All this mushroom talk started ’cause Jikumaru had this brainwave, like, “Let’s throw some hamburgers into the game.” Imagine you hit up a drive-thru mid-race and, boom, outfit change or poof, you’re a whole new character. Yabuki was all about this idea, even if it’s kinda bonkers. “Eating while driving?” he says, practically chuckling.
Adding burgers, poutine, or what-have-you to Mario Kart World twisted the rules up a bit, making folks at Nintendo ponder the whole Super Mario universe mechanics. They’re all in this Ask the Developer thing, yakking about it.
This convo, though, in pure Nintendo style—“Mario eating mushrooms?” said in the middle of development, with Jikumaru nudging Tezuka for answers. And Tezuka, bless him, was like, “Yeah, he eats them.” Straight up, no hesitation.
Now, die-hard fans probably scream at their screens, “Of course he eats them!” I mean, they’re basically yelling at their consoles, “Remember those games where he chomps down power-ups?” Mario Bros. Movie? Chewing mushrooms there, no doubt. But he just grabs other power things, like Fire Flowers, and suddenly he’s a fire-slinging plumber. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? Whole other ballgame. He’s got this implied “mushroom juice” for his kart, nitro style, no munching involved.
So, is it touching or eating? Mario fans, settle down, it’s up for debate. Live with it, I guess. So many unknowns. Random thought, if I ever sit across from Takashi Tezuka, I’d pepper him with all these awkward queries till he’s rolling his eyes. But hey, curiosity and mushrooms, man. It’s a lifestyle.
