A Super Mushroom, as it appears in New Super Mario Bros..
The Super Mushroom is a power-up from the Mario series of video games. It is, traditionally, about the size of "regular" Mario, and has a white stalk below a red and white (originally red and orange) spotted cap. Originally, it was shaped after a common mushroom, but since Super Mario Bros. 2 it gained a more cartoonish shape, with an almost-spheric cap and a stubby stalk.
Because the Mushroom is the most basic power-up, without which other powers can't be granted, it is occasionally used in the Mario series to denote basic rewards or easier skill levels. Winning three consecutive Mushroom cards from the slot-machine goal boxes at the end of each level in Super Mario Bros. 3 will earn the player two extra lives, whereas winning three consecutive Fire Flower cards earns three extra lives, and winning three consecutive Starman cards will earn them five. In Mario Kart games, the first (and easiest) tracks belong to the Mushroom Cup.
These mushrooms were originally going to be called Magic Mushrooms. However, they decided that this was not such a good idea after all, since "Magic Mushroom" is the street name for the Psilocybin mushroom, a type of hallucinogenic drug.
Origin
Shigeru Miyamoto stated in an interview that the Super Mushroom was created by chance. The first sketches of Mario turned out to be too big, for which they were forced to shrink them. Then the development team thought it would be interesting to have Mario grow and shrink by eating a magic mushroom, like in Alice In Wonderland, where she ate a mushroom to make her grow after poison shrinks her. The mushrooms themselves were inspired by their association with magical worlds.[1]
Super Mario Bros. Series
It first appeared in Super Mario Bros. for the NES/Famicom, and the powers it grants the player lent itself to the game's title. (In Super Mario Bros. only, these mushrooms were called "Magic Mushrooms".) It emerges from flashing blocks marked with a '?' when they are bumped from below (a convention carried over from Mario Bros., where bumping platforms was the main form of attack). Upon emerging, it then begins to slide to the right (this was later changed for Super Mario Bros. 3, where, depending on what side of the block was hit, the mushroom would head toward the opposite side.) If the player touches it, "regular" Mario becomes Super Mario: (which, in NSMB, has been finally proven to be his normal size) he doubles in size and is able to take an extra hit. Furthermore, Super Mario can break bricks, whereas regular Mario can't. If Super Mario comes across a Super Mushroom the game will instead give a secondary item, such as a Fire Flower, leaf, or feather. These allow him to gain better powers, such as the ability to shoot bouncing fireballs as Fire Mario and the ability to fly and glide as Caped Mario. In Super Mario World, Super Mushrooms would also allow Mario to break Spin Blocks with the spin jump, an important tool for certain levels.
Mario RPGs
In some Mario games, the Super Mushroom heals Mario and friends, such as in Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, and Mario & Luigi.
Mario Kart
Main Article: Mushroom (Item)
Using a Mushroom in Mario Kart gives the player a short boost of speed (and defensive shield for a fraction of a second) in the Mario Kart series of racing games.
Super Mario Galaxy
The Super Mushroom reappears in Super Mario Galaxy, along with other classic power-ups such as the Fire Flower and the Starman. This will be the item's first original 3-D Mario platform game appearance (the Super Mushroom was an item in the remake of Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo DS, where it grows the player's character for some seconds). However the effect will not be the same; much like its RPG roles, the Super Mushroom will restore Mario's health as opposed to increasing his size.
Super Smash Bros.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Super Mushroom causes the player's character to become Giant.
The Super Mushroom also appears in the Super Smash Bros. series as the symbol for Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and Dr. Mario.
Mario Party series
The Mushroom Capsule
The Mushrooms have played a big role in the Mario Party series. They appear in various mini-games and items. The mushroom also appears in many different variations throughout the series. The mushroom debuted as an item in Mario Party 2, and was Mario's item of choice. When a character used the Mushroom, they will be granted an extra Dice Block. If they hit two of the same numbers, they will be rewarded ten additional coins. The Mushroom has remained unchanged throughout the series, where the capsule, orb, and candy. There are also different type of mushrooms that appear as items including the Golden Mushroom and Reverse Mushroom. The mushrooms also appear in the mini-games that act as power-ups. In Toadstool Titan, the characters must break Brick Blocks in order to search for a mushroom, which increases the size of the character.
Cameos
The Super Mushroom makes a cameo appearance in the Nintendo game Metroid Prime Hunters for the Nintendo DS, on the top of a mushroom-like creature.
It also appears in Nintendogs as an item in the category sports named a rubber mushroom in the Super Mario Bros. style (yellow cap with red spots and white stalk).
It even appears in Animal Crossing Wild World, as a gift from Nintendo on WiFi day.
It also makes a cameo in World of Warcraft as a picture of a mushroom with a red and white cap and eye-like slits that represents some items. The super mushroom (as well as the "1-up mushroom" and the "Mini Mushroom" can be found in candy form.
References
 Power-ups in the Super Mario series 
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