The 'Shroom:Issue 203/The 'Shroom's Special Saga
With The ‘Shroom reaching 200 issues a few months ago, along with my recent return to the paper, I found myself keenly interested in the newspaper’s deep history. As I was browsing through old issues of The ‘Shroom, I found myself wondering about its special issues. As you probably know, special issues of the paper are themed around a particular subject, or commemorate a notable milestone. Issue 200 is the most obvious example as of recent, but there are smaller specials too, such as Issue 195 - the summer special, themed around movies and cinema, to commemorate The Super Mario Bros. Movie. “But just how many special issues are there?” I wondered to myself. As far as I know, there isn’t a comprehensive list of every special issue of The ‘Shroom, so I told myself: “Fine. I’ll do it myself.” And that’s how this one-off section, The ‘Shroom’s Special Saga came to be!
This section covers every special issue of The ‘Shroom from Issue I to Issue 200. Some are more nebulous cases than others, but after scouring through countless issues and their Staff Notes, I made a near-definitive list. Outside of simply listing every special issue, I will also detail any special events, sections and graphics made to commemorate the issue, background information on how the theme of the special issue came to be, any notable changes that the issue presented, and how the special issues evolved over the years. As an additional note, while prior to Issue 100, each issue of The ‘Shroom was numbered using Roman numerals, I’ll use Arabic numerals for them, because: one - it’s easier and more consistent; and two - some of the themes of these special issues only make sense with the Arabic numerals in mind (for instance, Issue 75, otherwise known as Issue LXXV, is themed after Gamefreak75).
With that said, let’s cover each special issue in chronological order!
Issue 1 - Issue 50 (2006 - 2011): The Humble Beginnings
This first issue is an odd case, as while it’s not defined as a special issue, it’s the first issue of The ‘Shroom ever, even preceding Issue 1. I’m referring to 2006 Beginnings, otherwise known as The ‘Shroom ‘06, which I can best describe as a prologue, or an “Issue 0” of sorts, to The ‘Shroom. It lacks the traditional sections you’d expect of a typical issue of the paper, and instead features three specific sections introducing the project and highlighting the status of the wiki at the time - these are What’s New (also called Status Report), Who’s New (also called New Users), and Your World (also called Editorial). All three sections were written from July to August of 2006 by Sadaharu (talk) (then-known as HK-47), roughly half a year before The ‘Shroom would start proper. Generally, they more so reflect upon and cover the then-current status of the wiki, such as new users at the time of this issue’s publication, and the Pipe Plaza project (later abandoned in favor of the same-named team of The ‘Shroom). Ultimately, this particular issue serves more as a time capsule than anything else, and The ‘Shroom would form a more familiar shape with the release of Issue 1.
Following the release of Issue 1 and the “proper” formation of The ‘Shroom, there were no special sections for a good couple of years, likely because the team was assuming the newfound responsibility that the paper presented. While an acknowledgement was made in Issue 11 concerning the first-year anniversary, it wouldn’t be until September 12th, 2009, with the release of Issue 30, that the first “proper” special issue of The ‘Shroom was conceived. It became a special issue to commemorate the milestone of 30 total issues of the paper, as well as the recently passed Mario Awards ceremony that year. While, compared to future Awards-themed issues, there weren’t any Awards-related sections in Issue 30, there were a couple of special sections - A Special Comic by Knife (talk) (which is now broken); and Special Brawl Tactics by McCloud (talk), covering tips and tricks in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In addition, the ordinarily titled Director’s Notes was titled Welcome for this issue specifically, and it included thanks to users who made Issue 30 possible. The final notable addition was a background by 2257 (talk), which, at the time, was a notable inclusion considering prior issues had a plain white background. While Issue 30, by today’s standards, is rather primitive for a special issue, it was the first step towards commemorating special occasions within the paper itself.
A few months later, another special issue would be published, this one being the first of many holiday specials. Unlike future holiday-themed issues, though, this issue, simply titled Holiday Special, published on December 20th, 2009, was presented as a “bonus” issue, while Issue 33, which was posted just two days later, was a regular issue. According to the Staff Notes of the Holiday Special, it was made last-minute as a gift to readers of The ‘Shroom, and thus features only holiday-themed special sections made by the then-Core Staff, while regular sections of that month were relegated to Issue 33. This issue marked the debut of the signature animated Christmas lights, which would be used for every December issue since. This issue was, anomalously, not numbered alongside The ‘Shroom’s other issues, further indicating that it was simply a supplementary issue rather than a standalone special. While this approach was also considered for 2011, it was ultimately decided by the staff to make that year’s holiday issue (and subsequently future holiday issues) a full-fledged issue, numbered alongside the rest, making the Holiday Special a one-of-a-kind case.
The next special issue would be Issue 45, published on December 12th, 2010. It was likewise a holiday issue, solidifying the tradition of a holiday issue every December since. While this issue features recurring sections, it also includes a few special sections, such as Special Interviews by Super Mario Bros. (talk), interviewing various users of the time; a Pre-Election Analysis to coincide with that year’s Director Election; and a Top 10 of The ‘Shroom’s issues up to that point, written by Tucayo (talk) (along with Tucayo remaking other sections he used to write in the past). Outside of the inclusion of special sections, Issue 45 is a fairly standard issue.
Just a few months after Issue 45, The ‘Shroom’s second milestone issue, Issue 50, came to be, being one of the biggest issues of the paper up to that point. Released on May 21st, 2011, Issue 50 commemorates the occasion by featuring numerous special sections, in addition to projects that would become a staple inclusion henceforth. Section of the Month, now a principal part of every issue of The ‘Shroom, made its debut here, although it covers every section rather than being allocated to the teams. The ‘Shroom Spotlight likewise had its start in Issue 50, though it was simply a redirect to the Spotlight page, and was not yet a recurring section in every issue of The ‘Shroom (it wouldn’t be until Issue 73 that The ‘Shroom Spotlight would become a regular feature). Special art was made for the issue, including the background and the banner used in the Director’s Notes, made by Gabumon (talk). Lastly, this issue features seven untitled special sections - Special Section 1, written by MCD (talk), covers the topic of easter eggs; Special Section 2, written by Turboo (talk), and Special Section 5, written by Neurario (talk), reflect on their experiences with the community up to that point; Special Section 3 by Tucayo is an interview with Stooben Rooben (talk); Xzealio (talk)’s Special Section 4 covers horoscopes; Special Section 6 by Xpike (talk) focuses on assumptions surrounding video games; and Special Section 7 introduces a spreadsheet compiling records of every writer, section, and election up to that point. Issue 50 was, at the time, the most notable special issue, as it features numerous special sections, as well as sections which would become every-day staples of The ‘Shroom.
Issue 51 - Issue 100 (2011 - 2015): Solidifying Traditions and Ambitions
Special issues would become a consistent feature of The ‘Shroom following Issue 50, with Issue 54, published on September 17th, 2011, being the next one. While not as extravagant as Issue 50, this issue is Awards-themed, following the Mario Awards that year. Several Awards-specific sections were included in Issue 54 - specifically, Awards Committee Commentaries, which were written by the 2011 Awards Committee, and two Special Interviews, both interviewing winners of particular Awards tournaments of that year. While no particular graphics were made for this issue (unlike Issues 30 and 50), and the standard sections aren’t Awards-themed by any means, this issue would solidify the tradition of Awards-themed issues in September, following on Issue 30, for the foreseeable future.
Issue 57 would be another holiday issue, releasing on December 17th, 2011. It not only featured the festive Christmas lights, but also a banner made by Master Crash (talk) for the Director’s Notes. This issue would also be the first to have a release party, with each section of the issue being published in five-minute increments, rather than all at once. (As an aside, a chat party was originally planned for Issue 54, but was canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.) As usual, in addition to the regular sections being Christmas-themed, several special sections made their way into this issue - quite a few, actually! In addition to three Special Reviews, two Special Artworks, one Special Story and one Special Comic, a Christmas Memories section was written by Marwikedor (talk) reminiscing on their past Christmas memories, another Top Ten by Tucayo (this time ranking things that he learned during his time on the Super Mario Wiki), and Mafia 101 by Marioguy1 (talk), delving into the basic terms and strategies of mafia (at the time, mafia games were rising in popularity on the forums). Issue 57 would also introduce the long-lasting End-of-the-Year Awards, honoring writers by giving them various awards for their contributions to the paper.
By the end of 2011, The ‘Shroom had gone into a comfortable state with regards to its special issues - any special issue up to that point (barring 2006 Beginnings) could be classified as either a milestone issue, an Awards-themed issue, or a holiday issue. However, Issue 64, released on July 21st, 2012, would be the first special issue to fit into none of these categories, instead establishing a category of special issues on its own - issues which are themed around a Mario or Nintendo-based subject. While nowadays a staple of the paper, Issue 64 would be the first issue specifically themed around a Nintendo-related subject - in this case, the Nintendo 64. Given Issue 64’s number, the Nintendo 64 was an obvious theme to center the issue around. Visually, the issue stands out in numerous ways from all previous ones, with the Wing Cap-themed background used for the main page and various other backgrounds used for each of the teams, all made by Gabumon.
A couple of smaller specials succeeded Issue 64 - the first of these was Issue 66, published on September 25th, 2012, and was another Awards-themed Issue. The special sections of this issue were all Awards-themed - Anniversary Recap, written by Tucayo, recapped the entire process of preparing the Mario Awards, as well as the ceremony itself; the Awards Committee of 2012 had once more written Awards Committee Commentaries; Gamefreak75 (talk), the winner of that year’s Guess the Results!, and Lakituthequick (talk), the winner of the Mario Kart 7 tournament, wrote their own respective sections, and awards were distributed to the winners of the ’Shroom Awards III.
Issue 69 was, likewise, a smaller special, this time the annual holiday-themed one (released on December 22nd, 2012), but featured a great deal of special sections, as well as a unique Christmas-themed side banner. As with the previous Christmas special, the sections would be released one at a time as detailed in the Director’s Notes, and various standard sections were holiday-themed. Some of the special sections included in Issue 69 were the TF2 Christmas Community Event by Groden (talk), another Paper Mario review by Super-Yoshi, a comic about how guest sections might be submitted by Lakituthequick (which can even be viewed in stereoscopic 3D!), and a personal thank you by Super Mario Bros., the then-Director of The ‘Shroom, thanking the staff, writers and readers of the paper, to close off 2012.
The first special issue of 2013, published on June 15th, was Issue 75, themed aptly after Gamefreak75, a then-active well-known community member. Each of The ‘Shroom’s teams were themed after a franchise that Gamefreak75 liked. Fake News was themed after the Kirby series, Fun Stuff was themed after the EarthBound series, the theme of Music & Artwork was The Legend of Zelda series, Pipe Plaza was themed after the Pikmin series, Critic Corner after the Pokémon series, and lastly, the main page was themed after Waluigi. The backgrounds of each page were designed to match their respective theme, as were the staff portraits, which made a return from Issue 64. In addition, three special sections made their way into this issue, those being Fangamers Report by Pyro (talk), showing their progress of their fangame based on the Super Mario Wiki; a Pokémon Tournament by Palkia47 (talk), and a section by the man himself, Gamefreak75, Kirby vs. Mario, comparing the (at the time) most recent Kirby and Mario games. While this issue doesn’t have as many special sections as some past issues, it goes all out with its theme.
Issue 78, released on September 21st, 2013, was a smaller Awards-themed issue. As per past issues themed around the Awards, Issue 78 featured several Awards-specific special sections, such as the staple Awards Committee Commentaries, the 'Shroom Awards IV award reception, and various thoughts on Awards-related tournaments and its organization.
That year’s holiday special, Issue 81, published on December 21st, 2013, was much the same in terms of scope. This issue carried over the format of 2012’s holiday issue, with the background and side banner making a reprise. Six special sections were included as well, some being more holiday-themed than others. Mario Holiday Hink Pinks, a riddle game by Chuck Ballymoo; a review of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door by Super-Yoshi; a section discussing the perspective in 3D Mario games by Superchao (talk); and a thank you by Super Mario Bros. were all included as special sections in this issue.
The first special issue of 2014 was published on July 19th, being Issue 88. Given that Mario Kart 8 had only been out for a couple of months at the time, and the fact that Issue 88 had two eights in its numbering, theming the issue after Mario Kart 8 was an obvious choice. The otherwise familiar mushrooms in the background featured an “8” on their front spot, but outside of that specialty, this is visually a fairly standard issue. Of course, in addition to various regular sections being Mario Kart-themed, there are four special sections of note - a fourth review by Super-Yoshi (which, by this point, has become a special issue staple), this time reviewing Super Paper Mario; a Mario Circuit Report by Lakituthequick; another report (this one more disastrous) by Yoshi876 (talk) and Shokora (talk); and an Evolutionary Taxonomy of the Koopas by Walkazo, a follow-up to her previous special section in Issue 64.
The next themed issue was another Awards issue, Issue 90, published on September 20th, 2014. While presumably unplanned at the time, it would also be the last specifically Awards-themed issue, as although Awards-specific sections (such as Awards Analysis) would be featured around September specifically, no future issue would market itself as an Awards-themed one (although 2015 would have an Awards-themed issue, it was also jointly Halloween-themed). The usual suspects are present as special sections - Awards Committee Commentaries, the 'Shroom Awards V award reception, and numerous thoughts on tournaments and mafia, as well as a special section from Uniju :D (talk) and Turboo.
That year’s holiday issue, Issue 93, was released on December 20th, 2014, and is in line with previous holiday issues. By this point, holiday specials had become a well and truly established tradition of The 'Shroom, and Issue 93 continues that tradition by featuring the distinctive Christmas background (though the side banner is the standard blue banner this time, peculiarly out of line with past and future Christmas specials), and a handful of special sections. As per tradition, the sections were released one at a time to five-minute intervals, although 2014 would be the last time such an arrangement was made. The special sections in this issue include the comic A Tubba Blubba Christmas by Gabumon, a review of the game Geometry Dash titled Geometrical Addiction by Stargazing (talk), a Wintertime Playlist of videogame music by Dragonfreak, and A Phylogenetic Analysis of the Koopas by Walkazo.
Issue 101 - Issue 150 (2015 - 2019): Transition from Ambition
Following Issue 100, a couple of smaller specials would be published - the first of which was Issue 103, released on October 24th, 2015. Originally intended to be an Awards-themed issue (as according to the Opening Statement, Awards-related sections were pushed back from September to October due to several events extending beyond September), it instead doubled as an Awards-themed and a Halloween-themed issue, due to its timing. The issue’s background sports a rich pumpkin-like orange, with the usual mushrooms replaced with poisonous-looking ones. To top the spooky theme off, a ghost might appear to haunt you should you linger on the front page long enough (which definitely didn’t startle me the first time I spotted it). Outside of themed standard sections, there are a few special sections on display, though these are primarily Awards-themed - Anton’s Awards Impressions, the ‘Shroom Awards VI awards reception, and MCD’s and Tucayo’s reflections on Awards Mafia V, among other sections.
Published on December 26th, 2015, Issue 105 concluded the year with a traditional holiday issue. In addition to the animated Christmas lights and the side banner, a banner by Gabumon is included in the Opening Statement and one by 2257 is in the Closing Statement. Several recurring sections were holiday-themed in this issue, and several special sections made their way in as well - notable ones include 12 Days of ‘Shroom Christmas by Crocodile Dippy and Stooben Rooben, a Super Mario Maker Challenge by GBA (talk), cool art by Lakituthequick, art tips by Stargazing, and holidays and memories by various community members, compiled by Tucayo.
February 20th, 2016 presented another mini-special with Issue 107, themed after The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon series. The “Zeldámon” theme came to be due to the Zelda series celebrating its 30th anniversary and the Pokémon series celebrating its 20th anniversary that year (coincidentally, Zelda’s anniversary lands on February 21st, while Pokémon’s anniversary happens to be on February 27th). The main page sports a yellow background with alternating Triforce and Pokéball symbols, along with a banner of Link and Ganondorf engaging in a Pokémon-esque battle. Various sections are themed after Zelda or Pokémon (or both). This issue included a few special sections, though the only Zelda- or Pokémon-related one is Zelda Memories by Midoro (talk), a user from ZeldaWiki, in which he recounts his memories of various Zelda games. While undoubtedly a smaller special, Issue 107 has a strong double-theme, for the first (but not the last) time in The 'Shroom’s history (one could argue Issues 64 and 75 had multiple themes as well, though they all fell under a general theme - the Nintendo 64 for Issue 64, and Gamefreak75 for Issue 75).
Issue 111, published on June 26th, 2016, was dedicated to Walkazo, bureaucrat of the Super Mario Wiki and active member of the community, who had passed away on March 27th, 2016. While Issue 111 was originally planned to revolve around various community in-jokes, and was planned to be a special issue due to its nice number, it was decided to dedicate the issue to Walkazo upon her passing. Issue 111 opens with a dedication from Pantaro Paratroopa (talk), Walkazo’s brother, recounting his memories of his late sister, titled My memory dealie. Numerous tributes and dedications to Walkazo were included in this issue, including the opening banner on the main page (made by Coincollector (talk)), which includes Walkazo’s portrayal, each of the Koopalings, and various members of the bird species shown across the Mario franchise. The backgrounds, made by Gabumon, are themed around Bowser, Bowser Jr., and the Koopalings, with each team featuring a different character in their background. In addition to various team sections being themed around Walkazo and her interests, Issue 111 has several special sections dedicated to her. Numerous members of the Super Mario Wiki community shared their memories of Walkazo, including her close friend, Crocodile Dippy, in her own section, titled My Best Friend; and an art gallery was tributed to Walkazo. Other special sections are featured as well, such as another review by Super-Yoshi, this time covering the, at the time, yet-to-be-released Paper Mario: Color Splash; the conclusion to ‘Shroom Mafia III; and an interview of Rosalina’s current voice actor, Laura Faye Smith - as well as an interview of her original voice actor, Mercedes Rose - by Tucayo.
2016 would be capped off with the traditional holiday issue, Issue 117, on December 24th. This issue would, inadvertently, be the last December issue of The 'Shroom not to feature a particular theme outside of the holidays (until Issue 201, that is), and is much the same in appearance to past holiday-themed issues. Alongside the traditional festivities such as the End-of-the-Year Awards, and the holiday-themed classic sections, this issue included two special sections - the conclusion to the Ultimate Music Battle by Tucayo, and a review of Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam by TPG (talk) - though neither of these are explicitly Christmas-themed.
The following special issue would arrive only a few months later, on March 18th, 2017. Issue 120, owed to its number, was chosen to be themed around 3D Mario games, due to the fact that Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy each had 120 collectibles needed to 100% them. (As a bonus, Super Mario 64 was released 20 years ago in Europe at the time, in March 1997.) While the issue wasn’t distinctively visually styled, maintaining the standard appearance, numerous team sections were themed around various 3D Mario games. In addition, the issue features a substantial special section by Meta Knight (talk), covering each of the 120 Green Stars in Super Mario Galaxy 2 and how to obtain them. While not as fancy as past special issues, Issue 120 was a more “low-key” special issue, which, after the long year that was 2016, the directing team wanted to focus on more. Issue 120 maintained a focus on theming pre-existing sections around the theme at hand, rather than featuring numerous special sections, which would become somewhat of a trend going forward.
Issue 123, published on June 17th, 2017, was much the same way in terms of scope. This issue was Wario-themed, to commemorate his 25th anniversary. Unlike Issue 120, however, this issue featured a Wario-themed background, with the mushrooms given a Wario-esque face and Wario’s signature “W” on the mushrooms’ caps. The only special section would be the annual Community Awards Dossier, but, much like Issue 120, various team sections were themed around Wario, as well as characters and games associated with him. In fact, each of the six teams featured distinct backgrounds of characters associated with Wario - Fake News featured Waluigi, Fun Stuff’s character was Mona, Palette Swap featured Ashley, Pipe Plaza featured Mad Scienstein, Critic Corner’s character was Captain Syrup, and Strategy Wing’s was 9-Volt (as an aside, numerous specials following Issue 123 would also feature unique backgrounds for each team). Although a smaller-scale issue like Issue 120, Issue 123 would solidify a new tradition - that of summer specials, which (barring 2019) would be present in every following year.
The penultimate issue of the year, Issue 128, published on November 18th, 2017, focused on 2D Mario games. While possibly coincidental, this issue’s theme was a neat parallel to Issue 120’s 3D Mario theme, only a few months prior. According to the Staff Notes of Issue 128, the theme of 2D Mario games was conceived due to the fact that 128 tended to be the upper limit in various retro games - for instance, the fabled “Minus World” in Super Mario Bros. was numbered as “World 128” internally, and in the arcade game Mario Bros., the life counter rolls over at 128. As with the previous two issues, Issue 128 was small in scope, featuring the standard background and no special sections, but standard sections in teams were encouraged to follow the 2D Mario theme.
The very next issue, Issue 129, would be the typical holiday issue concluding the year, and was published on December 23rd, 2017. While design-wise, it resembled the holiday issues of years prior, unlike previous holiday issues, 2017’s would feature an additional theme, that being a Wii U send-off. With the unfortunate Wii U well and truly discontinued by that point, having been replaced by the Nintendo Switch, a send-off theme was decided upon for Issue 129 to pay homage to 5 years of the Wii U. A couple of special sections were present this time around, those being The ‘Shroom Holiday Scavenger, a scavenger hunt of 12 Power Moons hidden throughout the issue; and Spla-tune in for Splatoon, covering the basics of the first Splatoon game on the Wii U. Although 2017’s specials were smaller in scope than many in the past, they focused more than ever on Mario- and Nintendo-related themes, and 2017 could be pinpointed as the start of Mario- and Nintendo-related themes being used more consistently in The 'Shroom’s special issues.
2018 would remain in line with this trend, kickstarting its line of special issues with Issue 135, published on June 16th, 2018. This issue was Luigi-themed and, criminally, I wasn’t around for it, due to the fact that 2018 was the character’s 35th anniversary (originally, though, Bowser and Mario & Luigi themes were also pitched for this issue, before the Luigi theme was ultimately decided upon). As with Issue 123, the background of Issue 135 was themed after the character, this time featuring his iconic emblem in green. Each of the teams had a unique background as well, though not all of these were related to Luigi - instead, they featured characters from the Mario franchise who were generally overlooked. The background of Fake News featured Birdo, Fun Stuff’s background featured Toadsworth, Palette Swap featured Funky Kong, Pipe Plaza featured Tatanga, Critic Corner included Kamek, and Strategy Wing featured King Boo. Outside of various team sections theming themselves around the iconic green plumber, a special section by Koops (talk), titled Luigi Appreciation Time, was featured, covering the history of Luigi and his appearances over the years.
December 22nd, 2018, would see another holiday issue, Issue 141. Similarly to 2017’s holiday issue, Issue 141 was generally holiday-themed, though with a sub-theme of the Super Smash Bros. series. This theme was decided upon due to the then-recent release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, plus, the original Super Smash Bros. was nearing its 20th anniversary in Japan. Various sections were either holiday-themed or Super Smash Bros.-themed, with a couple of special sections. The Holiday ‘Shroomfinity Scavenger by Lakituthequick was another scavenger hunt across The 'Shroom, this time with the 12 original fighters from Super Smash Bros. hiding; while It All Started With Melee was a reflection on Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Following Issue 141, The 'Shroom wouldn’t see another special issue for a while - though, in all fairness, the next one was a significant milestone. Issue 150, released on September 21st, 2019, celebrated 150 issues of the newspaper, with a number of various celebratory and special sections. The main page was coated in a gold background, with small ribbons underneath each mushroom to signify the milestone, and a banner, made by Gabumon, featuring each member of the then-Core Staff, was laid across the top. Outside of various sections across each team commemorating the occasion, a number of special sections were featured in this issue as well. These include the annual Awards Analysis, an analysis of each of the awards from that year’s Mario Awards ceremony, written by the Poll Committee; a one-off return of Challenger Approaching! by Roserade (talk), covering Phoenix Wright’s hypothetical moveset if he was in a Super Smash Bros. game; Switch It Up! by Reverse Input, recommending various niche games on the Nintendo Switch; A Touch with the Music by Smg2daisy, introducing a YouTube channel titled TwoSet Violin; Welcome to My Dream World by Zange (talk), sharing the history of the K-pop group Dreamcatcher; Fans in Unusual Places by Quizmelon (talk), recounting the story of the Mario Universe community on QuizUp; and the Super Mario Odyssey Travel Guide, which, akin to Project Travel Guide x15, describes courses - this time covering the kingdoms from Super Mario Odyssey - as if they were tourist destinations (curiously enough, the brochures from that game also aim for a similar style). Although Issue 150 did not introduce any long-term changes to the paper, unlike Issues 50, 64 and 100, it was nonetheless a momentous occasion, marking the bookend to another 50 issues of The 'Shroom.
Issue 151 - Issue 200 (2019 - 2023): Commemorating People and Milestones
As it happens when following up a big milestone, the next few special issues of The 'Shroom would be smaller ones. The first post-Issue 150 special was Issue 153, published on December 21st, 2019, themed after Donkey Kong to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Donkey Kong Country, as well as being holiday-themed. While there were no special sections this time around, numerous teams and their sections were themed around Donkey Kong and the Donkey Kong franchise, as they tended to be at this point when it came to special issues. As with the standard holiday issues, Issue 153 also contained the End-of-the-Year Awards.
2020 would open with an odd-ball of an issue, Issue 154, on January 18th, 2020. While the Staff Notes of this issue don’t mention a specific theme, Hooded Pitohui (talk) and Roserade’s campaign in the previous issue’s Director Election outlined their plans to make Issue 154 themed around MCD, to commemorate his tenure as Fake News Director for 100 consecutive issues. While, ultimately, not much became of this plan, due to the fact that Issue 154 was a transition issue, several of the teams’ sections were themed around the then-Fake News Director, so it’s worth mentioning.
The next special issue was Issue 160, published on July 18th, 2020, and it was themed around the Dr. Mario series. The theme was conceptualized due to the fact that the 30th anniversary of the original Dr. Mario game on the NES fell on July 2020. In addition, the global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus had coincidentally erupted around that time. While the issue maintains the standard background, the staff portraits have each been photoshopped to include various medical attire and equipment, such as a lab coat and a head mirror. Outside of the altered staff portraits and a few one-off sections, various recurring sections are themed around the Dr. Mario series, putting this issue in line with past smaller specials.
Issue 165, on the other hand, was the biggest issue of the year, and was published on December 19th, 2020. In addition to being a holiday issue, the issue is “Shroob-ified”, based on a comment from a reader, combined with the fact that December 2020 marked the 15th anniversary of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. The usual background mushrooms have been replaced with Princess Shroob, and the banner consists of Shroob-esque versions of all of the then-Core Staff, made by BBQ Turtle (talk), all in the spirit of “Shroob-ifying” the paper. In addition, each of the backgrounds in the various teams, all made by TPG, feature different Shroob characters - the staff sections feature Shroid for the background, The ‘Shroom Spotlight’s background features Lakitufo, the background for Fake News features Shrooblet, Fun Stuff’s background features Shrooboid Brat, Palette Swap features Dr. Shroob, Pipe Plaza’s background features Junior Shrooboid, Critic Corner includes Swiggler, Strategy Wing’s background features Commander Shroob, and special sections feature the Cobalt Star for their background. Speaking of which, two special sections are present in this issue - the return of Switch It Up! by Reverse Input; and a retrospective of Killing Games, a community tradition, by TPG, titled Killing The Killing Game. That issue’s ’Shroomfest also features Shroobs in the story, being a Sunlight vs. Moonlight ‘Shroomfest. Various regular sections were “Shroob-ified” as well, to fit the theme.
Issue 171, published on June 19th, 2021, celebrated the milestone of FunkyK38 (talk) being the Palette Swap Director for 100 issues. While MCD’s milestone was simply acknowledged by multiple sections in Issue 154, Issue 171 is wholly themed around FunkyK38, Palette Swap, and more generally, art and music. Various special backgrounds make the issue stand out - the main page re-uses the Funky Kong background from Issue 135, staff sections feature Huey in the background to represent art, The ‘Shroom Spotlight’s background features Note Blocks to represent music, each of the six teams use the Big Paint Stars from Paper Mario: Color Splash and Bouncing Notes from Mario Kart 7 for their backgrounds (while special sections use the Mini Paint Stars from Paper Mario: Color Splash), and the Community Awards Dossier utilizes the standard mushroom background, albeit in a dark shade of red. Outside of the annual Community Awards Dossier and the at-the-time ongoing Ultimate Location Battle, Issue 171 includes two themed special sections - Music on a Staff, which introduces various musical pieces by each member of the then-Core Staff; while the Community Gallery exhibits pieces of art made by numerous community members. The ’Shroomfest is also art-related, being a Warm Colors vs. Cold Colors ‘Shroomfest.
Released on October 16th, 2021, Issue 175, while a smaller special, commemorates 15 years of The 'Shroom, as well as maintaining a spooky Halloween theme akin to Issue 103. While this issue doesn’t sport any distinct backgrounds (outside of a special section), there are multiple special sections themed around either Halloween or The 'Shroom’s 15th anniversary. Outside of the annual Awards Analysis, this issue features Trick-Or-Treating With The ‘Shroom, a “trick-or-treating” guide, featuring candy from all sorts of members in the Mario Wiki community, illustrated by TPG; Wahn Special ‘Shroom Song by Magolor04726 (talk), a song made for the paper’s 15th anniversary; and Waluigi Time’s Writer Testimonials, a collection of reflections from various writers of The 'Shroom compiled by Waluigi Time (talk), likewise dedicated to its 15th anniversary.
2021 concluded with the typical holiday issue, Issue 177, this time themed around Yoshi to celebrate the dinosaur’s 30th anniversary. Published on December 18th, 2021, this issue features a banner of Yoshi and Poochy delivering Christmas presents to each of the babies in the Mario franchise, made by BBQ Turtle, as well as various Yoshi-themed backgrounds by TPG - the main page uses Yoshi for its background, The ‘Shroom Spotlight features Baby Bowser, the various teams use Yoshi Eggs for their backgrounds, staff sections feature Poochy, and special sections feature Kamek. The ’Shroomfest for that issue also follows the Yoshi theme, being a Dogs vs. Birds ‘Shroomfest (Poochy and the Stork, a dog and bird respectively, are both prominent characters in the Yoshi franchise). Alongside the traditional festivities and the Yoshi-themed recurring sections, Issue 177 features two special sections - The ‘Shroom Staff Recipe Book, written by the then-Core Staff, details recipes for various foods, and Pitohui’s Special Thanks expresses Pitohui’s gratitude to The 'Shroom’s staff over his past two years as Director of the paper.
Issue 181, released on April 23rd of the following year, would also theme itself around a Yoshi, this time around Yoshi876 (talk), who had, at the time, served 100 issues as The ‘Shroom’s Spotlight Manager. Since Yoshi876’s persona is a buff green Yoshi, this issue was also themed around fitness and sports. A number of backgrounds were made by GBA for this issue - the main page’s background is disco-themed, and each team’s background is themed around a different sport: golf for Fake News, volleyball for Fun Stuff, basketball for Palette Swap, yoga for Pipe Plaza, wrestling for Critic Corner, and American football for Strategy Wing. In addition, the main page features a banner, likewise by GBA, of Yoshi876 in a disco setting, with the other staff members following his lead. While this issue doesn’t have any special sections (aside from the Feedback Survey), numerous team sections are themed around sports and fitness.
Not long afterwards, Issue 183 would arrive on June 18th, 2022, This issue is themed after Super Mario Sunshine, to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary, and is that year’s summer special. Three special sections made their way into this issue, those being the annual Community Awards Dossier; Living Game: Where Are They Now?, a recap of the characters’ whereabouts from the forum based Living Game; and Blooper Race, a Super Mario Sunshine-themed event (based on the Blooper race missions in that game), in which Bloopers submitted by community members would duke it out in a commentated race. As with several prior special issues, several custom backgrounds would be made - an alternating mushroom and Shine Sprite pattern would be utilized for the main page, the teams would use the sun from the life meter in Super Mario Sunshine, the staff sections would use the “M” graffiti symbol sprayed by Bowser Jr.’s paintbrush, The ‘Shroom Spotlight’s background would feature F.L.U.D.D.’s nozzle, Living Game: Where Are They Now? would use a mozaic-like Shine Sprite background, and the Blooper Race would include a Blooper-themed background. In addition, the main page would feature a banner of Isle Delfino and its various residents and visitors, as depicted in Super Mario Sunshine, and the footer of each page would depict a skyline, separated from the rest of the page by a rainbow wavy line, akin to various graffiti from that game.
The final special issue of 2022, Issue 189, was published on December 17th, 2022, and was themed around the Mario Kart series in commemoration of Super Mario Kart’s 30th anniversary that year. The most notable feature of this issue is its visual appearance, as each of the icons leading to sections and teams would be designed in the style of the cup icons and course icons in Mario Kart 8, to provide this issue with additional Mario Kart flair. The staff sections are each designed in the style of the Mushroom Cup, the Flower Cup, the Star Cup, and the Special Cup respectively, while The ‘Shroom Holiday Scavenger is represented by an Item Box (which, fittingly, are hidden throughout the issue as part of the scavenger hunt). Each of the six teams’ icons are based on various Mario Kart tracks associated with the team or their staff, and include portraits of each of the staff members, bearing resemblance to the icons in Mario Kart 8 - the Fake News icon features Waluigi Pinball alongside Waluigi Time, Fun Stuff showcases Baby Park with Roserade in the foreground, Palette Swap features Music Park with FunkyK38, Pipe Plaza’s icon uses Tick-Tock Clock along with Zange, Critic Corner features Coconut Mall and Anton, and Strategy Wing includes Wild Woods and Hooded Pitohui. The two special sections, though not Mario Kart-themed, likewise follow the same template - Thank You, Ninja Squid!, a tribute to former Director of The 'Shroom and long-time community member Ninja Squid (talk), features Ninja Hideaway along with Ninja Squid; and the PC Election Proposal, a proposal by Fun With Despair (talk) to shift the elections for the Poll Committee from June to February (which passed), features Fun With Despair and Luigi’s Mansion for its icon. Each of these icons would also animate upon hovering over them with the cursor, a first in the paper’s history. When animating, the icon would briefly zoom in, along with highlighting the corresponding text (for staff sections, the text background would transition from white to yellow, and for teams and special sections, the text would transition to an appropriate color). On top of the aforementioned visual details, a main page banner by winstein (talk) (featuring Mario on a Christmas sleigh on a circuit), and unique banners for each team by BBQ Turtle (in the style of Mario Kart advertisements) are also present, as well as custom backgrounds - the main page features a background in the style of the main menu in Mario Kart 8, staff sections feature a dark blue star-riddled background, and teams feature a background in the style of Mario Kart 8’s loading screen. Issue 189 pushed the boundaries of how a special issue of The 'Shroom could present itself visually, and while, at the time, it was possibly unintentional, this issue would pave the way for Issue 200’s eventual redesign.
Issue 195, published on June 17th, 2023, had, once more, great care put into its visual presentation. To commemorate the release of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Mario’s second theatrical release ever (we don’t talk about the first one), Issue 195 themed itself around movies and cinema. The entire front page is structured like a movie poster, coated in a sleek unified red and black to boot. When first viewing the issue, a curtain in the style of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door obscures the page, and draws open when clicked, simulating the feel of the opening of a play (which also, thanks to the power of cookies, stays open for 30 minutes once clicked). The background mushrooms feature cinema tape rolls in place of their front-most spots, with silhouettes of several characters from the Mario universe in the footer, simulating an audience. Outside of the Community Awards Dossier, two special sections can be seen in this issue - the first is a one-off edition of Challenger Approaching!, much like in Issue 150, though this time Roserade covers the Koopa General from The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and the second, titled Coming Soon, is a movie poster, teasing the then-upcoming Issue 200. This would be the first time a special issue of The ‘Shroom was teased in a previous special issue, though, in Issue 200’s case, it was a significant milestone, one of the biggest the paper has had to date.
And with Issue 200, the history of every special issue of The ‘Shroom is complete (for the time being, at least). To recap, these are all of the special issues from the inception of The ‘Shroom to Issue 200:
| Issue | Date | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 Beginnings | July 24th, 2006 - August 11th, 2006 | beginning of The ‘Shroom |
| Issue 30 | September 12th, 2009 | 30 issues of The ‘Shroom, Awards special |
| Holiday Special | December 20th, 2009 | holiday special |
| Issue 45 | December 12th, 2010 | holiday special |
| Issue 50 | May 21st, 2011 | 50 issues of The ‘Shroom |
| Issue 54 | September 17th, 2011 | Awards special |
| Issue 57 | December 17th, 2011 | holiday special |
| Issue 64 | July 21st, 2012 | Nintendo 64, summer special |
| Issue 66 | September 25th, 2012 | Awards special |
| Issue 69 | December 22nd, 2012 | holiday special |
| Issue 75 | June 15th, 2013 | Gamefreak75 (Waluigi / Kirby / Mother / Zelda / Pikmin / Pokémon), summer special |
| Issue 78 | September 21st, 2013 | Awards special |
| Issue 81 | December 21st, 2013 | holiday special |
| Issue 88 | July 19th, 2014 | Mario Kart 8, summer special |
| Issue 90 | September 20th, 2014 | Awards special |
| Issue 93 | December 20th, 2014 | holiday special |
| Issue 100 | July 18th, 2015 | 100 issues of The ‘Shroom |
| Issue 103 | October 24th, 2015 | spooky, Awards special |
| Issue 105 | December 26th, 2015 | holiday special |
| Issue 111 | June 26th, 2016 | Walkazo tribute |
| Issue 117 | December 24th, 2016 | holiday special |
| Issue 120 | March 17th, 2017 | 3D Mario games |
| Issue 123 | June 17th, 2017 | Wario, summer special |
| Issue 128 | November 18th, 2017 | 2D Mario games |
| Issue 129 | December 23rd, 2017 | Wii U send-off, holiday special |
| Issue 135 | June 16th, 2018 | Luigi, summer special |
| Issue 141 | December 22nd, 2018 | Super Smash Bros. series, holiday special |
| Issue 150 | September 21st, 2019 | 150 issues of The 'Shroom |
| Issue 153 | December 21st, 2019 | Donkey Kong, holiday special |
| Issue 154 | January 18th, 2020 | 100 issues of MCD as Fake News Director |
| Issue 160 | July 18th, 2020 | Dr. Mario series, summer special |
| Issue 165 | December 19th, 2020 | Shroobs - Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, holiday special |
| Issue 171 | June 19th, 2021 | 100 issues of FunkyK38 as Palette Swap Director - art and music, summer special |
| Issue 175 | October 16th, 2021 | 15 years of The 'Shroom, trick-or-treating |
| Issue 177 | December 16th, 2021 | Yoshi, holiday special |
| Issue 181 | April 23rd, 2022 | 100 issues of Yoshi876 as Spotlight Manager - fitness and sports |
| Issue 183 | June 18th, 2022 | Super Mario Sunshine, summer special |
| Issue 189 | December 17th, 2022 | Mario Kart series, holiday special |
| Issue 195 | June 17th, 2023 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie - movies and cinema, summer special |
| Issue 200 | November 18th, 2023 | 200 issues of The 'Shroom |
As a bonus, here are some fun facts and stats about The ‘Shroom’s special issues:
- Out of the paper’s 201 issues (not counting 2006 Beginnings, but counting the Holiday Special), there are 40 special issues in total, making up nearly 1/5th of the paper.
- 2017 had the most special issues (four in total), while 2007 and 2008 are the only years without any special issues.
- With the exception of the staple holiday and Awards specials, no themes have been repeated to date (while Issue 88’s Mario Kart 8 theme and Issue 189’s Mario Kart theme arguably overlap, they aren’t identical).
- There have only been two cases of consecutive special issues - Issues 128 and 129, and Issues 153 and 154.
- Discounting 2006 Beginnings, the only months that haven’t had special issues to date are February and August.
And there you have it, a comprehensive list of every special issue of The ‘Shroom, and a (not so brief) history and overview of them. Although special sections started small with Issue 30, they grew in ambition, year by year, some even introducing permanent overhauls. While following Issue 100, the ambition of various specials has been turned down somewhat since, newer special issues have introduced a fair bit more in the way of visual flair, with Issue 200 being arguably the biggest milestone the paper has seen yet.
I hope you enjoyed reading this section, and perhaps you learned something new about The ‘Shroom while reading it, just as I did while writing it. There’s definitely a lot more to the history of the paper than what meets the eye, and there are countless other events and stories to be told, however, this section is already long enough. In closing, here’s to a great many more special issues of The ‘Shroom, and a great many more issues in general!
| The 'Shroom: Issue 203 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Poll Committee Chairperson Election • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
| Specials | The 'Shroom's Special Saga |
