Okay, so there we were, deep into the chaos of creating Mario Kart World, and this one question popped up that’s apparently been haunting the Mushroom Kingdom for eons: Does Mario even eat those mushrooms? Like, seriously, is it all about munching on them, or is just a touch enough to turn Mighty Mario? Makes you think, right?
I swear, even Shintaro Jikumaru, who’s been with Nintendo for, like, 20 years, was scratching his head over this. The guy knows his stuff, but still… existential crisis, anyone? Jikumaru and the honcho of Mario Kart World, Kosuke Yabuki, figured they should probably check in with the big cheese, Takashi Tezuka. Tezuka’s got this insane track record — original Super Mario Bros., anyone? So, yeah, if anyone’s got the goods on Mushroom mechanics, it’s him.
Anyway, the reason this whole mushroom-eating saga came about was kinda hilarious. Jikumaru wanted to throw hamburgers into the mix. Picture this: Mario cruising along and suddenly — bam! — drive-thru burger time. Eat, drive, change outfits. Because why not? Yabuki had this wild vision of characters transforming by noshing down food while driving. Crazy, but maybe genius, too?
Adding hamburgers, plus other munchies that swap your clothes, kinda forced these guys to think hard about Mario’s universe rules. They actually hashed this out in some “Ask the Developer” chat — and man, it’s a riot.
So, Yabuki couldn’t help but blurt out, “Does Mario, in fact, eat mushrooms?” Like, who laughs about that in an interview? But Jikumaru’s vibe was like: “We had to go straight to Tezuka-san to get the real deal. Is Mario literally eating those mushrooms?” Turns out, Tezuka-san’s just like, “Yeah, totally.”
Die-hard Mario aficionados are undoubtedly going, “Well, duh!” They’ve seen Mario and Luigi scarfing down power-ups in the Mario & Luigi games. There’s also The Super Mario Bros. Movie where it’s crystal clear that chomping mushrooms does the trick. Though fire? That’s all touch and go.
But hang on — Mario Kart 8 Deluxe throws a wrench in this whole debate. Mario uses a Super Mushroom, and it’s all smoke and mirrors. No munching here. It’s practically fuel for the kart, not food for him. Mystery, anyone?
Honestly, the mushroom munching saga might remain an enigma, like do we really know all the ins and outs of Mario power-ups? Probably not. If I ever corner Takashi Tezuka (which isn’t happening, let’s be real), I’ve got a mountain of questions ready. Poor guy wouldn’t even know what hit him.
