Mario's Mushroom: Amanita Muscaria

Who doesn't know the classic game mushroom Mario Bros? Small and cute, he is responsible for turning “Little Mario” into “Super Mario”. But did you know that this mushroom actually exists and that its appearance and ability to “resize objects” is not just a matter of game design?

Mario's mushroom is inspired by a species of real fungus called “Amanita Muscaria”, known for its hallucinogenic properties and the ability to distort the perception of the size of objects.

Curious, huh? So if you want to know more about these amazing and dangerous creatures of nature, join me on this journey to Star World!

The Origin of Mario's Mushroom

The inspiration for creating the “Super Mushroom”, the most famous mushroom in the games of the Mario, is as confusing and revealing as a psychedelic trip from Amanita muscaria. That's because even the game's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, can't seem to clearly explain how the idea came about. In 2005, he explained:

Mario turned out to be too big, so we shrunk him down. And then we thought, 'What if it could grow and shrink? How would he do it? It would have to be a magic mushroom! Where would a mushroom grow? In a forest'. And then we came up with the idea of ​​creating a girlfriend for Mario, and then we started thinking about Alice in Wonderland.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario creator and game designer

That is, he was inspired by the famous story of Alice, where there was also a magic mushroom that made her grow and shrink, right? Yes, it makes sense. The problem is that, in 2009, Miyamoto was interviewed again, claiming that he had been misunderstood. According to him:

Some time ago, in an interview, I talked about Alice in Wonderland. But there seems to have been some misunderstanding, and later someone claimed that I was influenced by Alice in Wonderland. This is not the case. It's just that there has always been a connection between mushrooms and the magical realms. That's why I decided that Mario would need mushrooms to be Super Mario.

Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario creator and game designer

Does Miyamoto mean that the “Super Mushroom” wasn't directly inspired by Alice in Wonderland, but by fantastical stories like hers, where mushrooms are used as a kind of portal between our world and the magical realms? Perhaps, but what we do know for sure is that Mario's mushroom design was inspired by a species that actually exists, and that's what we're going to delve into.

What is Amanita Muscaria?

A Amanita muscaria it is a fungus that can be found in forests around the world. However, although apparently harmless and appetizing, this mushroom is poisonous when ingested by humans and domestic animals. They are white with a red “hat” filled with white dots, just like in the game.

It is classified as psychedelic, but its use produces hallucinations that are best described as "lucid", with objects appearing distorted and difficulty judging the true size of things. Users also experience changes in sensory perception, and many other effects that are difficult to put into words, unlike any other hallucinogen on Earth. 

What are the effects of using Amanita Muscaria?

Most users report feeling euphoric and energized at first, but after a few hours, the effects become more sedating and visual. In addition to its effect of making objects larger and smaller, the Amanita muscaria can induce dreamlike states of consciousness. What happens is that a few hours after taking the mushroom, the person usually falls asleep and has such colorful and bizarre dreams that upon waking up it is almost impossible to explain or share the experience in words.

Having hallucinations is also common, in which users enter a mental state where it is difficult to discern what is real and what is a dream. These mushrooms are so unpredictable that some people may experience a very pleasant trip from eating them, while others may end up in the hospital after having a nightmarish experience.  

Among the many possible effects of its use are:

• Flying feeling;
• Increased sensory awareness;
• Euphoria;
• Alteration of the perception of time;
• Feeling of being too light or too heavy.

Due to its unpredictable nature and high risk of side effects, most people who take this mushroom state that they will not take it again.

What are the side effects of using Amanita Muscaria?

As well as the positive ones, the negative effects of using this mushroom are also unpredictable. The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting and drowsiness, but users report many others such as:

• Sweating;
• Salivation;
• Drop in blood pressure;
• Lack of muscle coordination; 
• Mood swings and irritability;
• Delirium;
• Stomach cramps;
• Convulsions.

A Amanita muscaria it is a very difficult mushroom to deal with. It is undoubtedly dangerous in large or even moderate amounts. Its effects vary from person to person, mushroom to mushroom, region to region, and season to season, so there is no way to determine in advance what someone's reaction will be. 

A curiosity: Amanita and the origin of Christmas

There are some interesting theories linking Christmas traditions and even Santa's clothes to the magic mushroom. Most stories about the use of Amanita comes from cold regions in the north of the world, such as Siberia and Finland. Several historical accounts indicate that the peoples who lived there commonly used these fungi to generate heat and energy in their bodies, which kept them warm and increased their resistance to cold.

These regions were home to dozens of different ethnic groups, many of which retain their shamanic identities and practices to this day. Shamans were a kind of healer, doctor and spiritual guide in these communities and used the Amanita to access other worlds. Due to the low temperatures, they grew beards and wore thick layers of clothes dyed red and white, possibly inspired by the colors of the mushroom.

They traveled on sleighs pulled by reindeer. During the trips, they urinated along the way and the reindeer ate the pee-covered snow. The urine of a person who has just consumed Amanita it's still highly psychoactive, and the animals seemed to enjoy the experience. Remember that one of the effects of using the mushroom is the feeling of flying? Am I traveling or is Santa's sleigh pulled by flying reindeer?

See also other features

Did you like this text? See this one about hallucinogenic mushrooms and human evolution.

Source: Den of geek, Trip sitter, Melmagazine

Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim