So, picture this: the Mario Kart World team, deeply pondering this mind-bending, earth-shaking question — does Mario actually eat mushrooms? Like, really eat them? Or is it just a casual touch, a brush with destiny that gives him those superpowers? You know, the sort of existential stuff that keeps you up at night.
Even Shintaro Jikumaru, a seasoned Nintendo guy with 20 years tucked under his, uh, utility belt, found himself wondering. Honestly, who knew we’d be debating the culinary habits of an Italian plumber today? Anyway, Jikumaru, along with producer Kosuke Yabuki, ended up quizzing Takashi Tezuka, because who else has the Mario gospel truth? Tezuka’s been there since jump street — assistant director on the OG Super Mario Bros. and all.
Now, the real kicker here is Jikumaru’s inspiration: hamburgers. Yeah, the idea was to have Mario munching on burgers as he drives, causing magical wardrobe changes or something bizarre like that. It’s wild! Drive-thru outfits? Why not, right? Almost makes you want to see Toad trying on a winter coat because he ate a taco.
So, they just had to know — they trotted over to Tezuka-san with this burning question: Are these mushrooms getting eaten or just handled with care? Straight up, Tezuka confirms, “Yeah, he is.” As if it was the most normal thing in the world.
But wait, here’s the kicker. Old-school fans could probably whip out a game or movie showing Mario gobbling up power-ups. And sure, you’ve got inconsistency across the games — how he chows down in one and skips meals in the next. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a Super Mushroom is more like a boost for his kart than a snack. Like a NOS injection. So, who’s to say what’s canon anymore?
Honestly, the rabbit hole of power-up consumption is deep. And if by some cosmic coincidence I ever get to pester Tezuka with questions, it’d be a glorious, endless barrage until he gets thoroughly fed up with me.
There you have it. Mario’s culinary habits — a topic probably nobody thought they needed but now can’t stop thinking about.
