Though it’s had a bit of a mixed critical reception, fans seem to be turning up in droves to see theSuper Mario Bros. Movie, giving it a record-breaking opening weekend. While it’s hard to disagree with the critics that theSuper Mario Bros. Movieis severely lacking a plot and doesn’t quite live up to the franchise’s full potential, there’s no denying that the movie is a good bit of fun, and a clear love letter to Nintendo’s long history in the gaming world.
TheSuper Mario Bros. Movieis packed to the brim with Easter eggs and references coming from across Nintendo’s lifetime, ranging from modern series likeSuper Smash Bros.to old classics likeKid Icarus. But if there’s one thing that theMario Movieexcels at, it’s celebrating all corners of theSuper Mariouniverse, including even the most underutilized elements of the franchise. This is shown clearly when one underused series power-up plays a suspiciously large role in the movie.
RELATED:Super Mario Bros: How A Luigi’s Mansion Adaption Could Work As A Future Spin-off
Super Mario Should Bring Back the Mini Mushroom
TheSuper Mario Bros.franchise has seen countless power-ups over the years, and it’s only natural that theSuper Mario Bros. Moviewould want to showcase some of the most iconic ones in all of their high-res, animated glory. During the movie, fans get to see Mario finally pluck up the courage to eat a Red Super Mushroom, which naturally makes him taller. The Fire Flower power-up gives not only Mario the ability to launch fireballs out of his hand, but Donkey Kong as well. And duringtheMario Kart-inspired sequence, a ton of different abilities can be spotted, most notably the Green Shell, which Mario uses to hit a Koopa kart behind him.
But there’s one power-up in theSuper Mario Bros. Moviethat’s a little more obscure than the others, and that’s the Blue Mini Mushroom. Used during a pivotal point in theSuper Mario Bros. Movie, the Blue Mini Mushroom does the exact opposite of itsRed Super Mushroomcounterpart, shrinking the person down as opposed to enlarging them. While the power-up is integrated into the movie quite well, it’s interesting to see the Blue Mini Mushroom make such an impactful appearance, with it appearing in just four mainlineMariogames.
The Mini Mushroom actually made its initial debut inMario Party 4, where it had a pink appearance and allowed players to enter secret gates and play Mini Mini-Games. Theunderrated GBA gameMario Pinball Landwas the next to feature the Mini Mushroom, where it once again let Mario enter smaller, hidden spaces. The Mini Mushroom wouldn’t make its mainline series debut until 2006’sNew Super Mario Bros.on Nintendo DS, where it was finally given its blue makeover. InSuper Mario Bros., the Blue Mini Mushroom had a neat risk-reward system whereby those under its effects could enter small pipes, make floatier jumps, run across water, and not trigger Donut Blocks, but they’d also die in just one hit. The Blue Mini Mushroom would then go on to appear inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii,New Super Mario Bros. 2, andNew Super Mario Bros. U, but it would only appear in just a few levels each time.
The vast majority ofSuper Mariofans will likely have completely forgotten about the Blue Mini Mushroom before its appearance in theSuper Mario Bros. Movie. But with such an underused power-up playing such an important role in the movie, it does hint at its reappearance in futureMariotitles. At the minute, the Blue Mini Mushroom has only really appeared in2DMariogamesand sports titles, but it could easily work in a 3D setting, letting Mario access new areas of the map in his mini form.
The Super Mario Bros. Movieis available in theaters.
MORE:Nintendo Switch Online’s GBA Library Could Offer a Perfect Alternative to Mario Party Superstars DLC
