Nintendo Finally Confirms Whether Mario Eats Mushrooms

So, here’s a thought that hit me like a green shell: Does Mario munch those mushrooms or just, you know, bump into them and boom — powers! I swear, the game developers over at Mario Kart World totally puzzled over this, like a bunch of times. Even Shintaro Jikumaru, who’s been around Nintendo since flip phones were a thing, was scratching his head. And you’re thinking, “Duh, he eats ’em,” but no. This was serious business. They even bugged the big cheese, Takashi Tezuka — if anyone gets how mushrooms work in the Mushroom Kingdom, it’s him.

So, here’s the deal. Jikumaru had this bright idea to toss burgers into the Mario Kart world. Imagine a Mario drive-thru! Characters chowing down, swapping outfits mid-race. “It’s wild! Bonkers,” Yabuki said, chuckling like he couldn’t believe his own idea. But that meant they had some nitty-gritty to figure out.

See, Yabuki and Jikumaru needed to sort out what the rules even were. Like, in this Nintendo interview, Yabuki was like, “Dude, does Mario eat mushrooms?” and Jikumaru just had to know. So they go ask Tezuka, and guess what? Yup, Mario eats ‘em. Go figure.

Now, if you’re one of those die-hard Mario fans, you’re probably rolling your eyes. The Mario & Luigi games? Yeah, they’re tossing mushrooms down their gullets all the time. And the Super Mario Bros. Movie? Straight-up chomping. But whoa, hold up. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe doesn’t show him eating — it’s more like, turbo-boost the kart. Feels a bit inconsistent, don’t ya think? But hey, games, right?

Anyway, these power-ups and the mysteries behind them — endlessly debatable. Are we ever gonna get the full story? Ugh, if I ever corner Tezuka for an interview (not likely), I’ll have a million silly questions. And he’ll probably roll his eyes. But that’s just how it goes, sometimes.