Alright, let’s dive in—side note, not sure why this caught my attention, but it did. So, there’s this thing going on with the Mario Kart World crew. They’re wrestling with this huge, sorta insane question: does Mario munch on these iconic mushrooms or just, I dunno, absorb them through touch? Weird thing to noodle over, right?
Anyway, you’d think it’s a no-brainer. Yet here’s Shintaro Jikumaru, a guy who’s been with Nintendo for two decades, scratching his head over it. He and this other dude, Kosuke Yabuki, who’s producing, turn to Takashi Tezuka. No need to Google him, trust me. Dude’s been part of the Mario universe forever—assistant director of the OG Super Mario Bros.! If anyone’s got answers, it’s him. Or at least, you’d hope.
Now, why crack open this can of worms? Jikumaru got this wild idea—picture this: Mario, cruising through a drive-thru, scarfing down burgers. Suddenly, this needs animations and next thing you know, we have characters transforming mid-race. Sounds nuts, right? Yabuki was like, “Uh, why not? Let’s throw a drive-thru in there. It’s kinda ridiculous, but who cares?”
The Hamburglar… er, I mean, the hamburger (I just really wanted to say “Hamburglar”) and other foods—they needed to fit into this Mario mythos somehow. Yabuki and Jikumaru are doing mental gymnastics to figure this out. It’s sorta hilarious, actually. In this developer interview, they’re all discussing: “Dude, does Mario actually chow down on these ‘shrooms?” Jikumaru even asks Tezuka straight up. Tezuka just goes, “Uh, yeah, he does.”
Now, all you Mario fans probably remember those games where Mario and Luigi toss back power-ups like snacks, or that movie where it’s clear as day Mario’s eating mushrooms for that power-up buzz. But hey, consistency isn’t always Nintendo’s strong suit. Like in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe—Mario’s not exactly gobbling down the Super Mushrooms. It’s more like they zap the kart with turbo juice. Go figure.
Is it up for debate? Probably. Maybe? Loads of other mysteries lurk in the Mushroom Kingdom, who even knows. By the way, if Takashi Tezuka ever gives me the time of day (totally skeptical here), I’ve got a checklist of questions he’s definitely going to roll his eyes at.
And there you have it. Mario, mushrooms, and hamburgers—what a world.
