The 'Shroom:Issue 214/Fun Stuff
Director's Notes
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers! Welcome to our first Fun Stuff sampling of 2025! That's right, we're in another new year, somehow! We all just keep getting older huh. By the time 2025 closes out, Hooded Pitohui (talk) and I will have been on the core 'Shroom Staff for seven years, joining way back in 2018! Wow that's bizarre!! While I continue to have feelings about the inevitable progression of time, howzabout we move on?
Thankfully, our Fun Stuff team didn't go through a full new year's renewal - we love our regulars here! But we do have one section debuting this month: veteran Fun Stuff aficionado Ninja Squid (talk) has revived Musical Quiz as another monthly section! Glad to have you back on the team, and with such a classic section.
That's all I've got for updates, but hey, if you're looking for a New Year's resolution, why not make it "playing every Fun Stuff section"? Go forth and enjoy, dear readers! We'll see you next time.
Section of the Month
Congratulations to Shoey (talk) for snagging first place last month! We love Trivia!! Further congrats go to FunkyK38 (talk), ViableBunnyBudd (talk), and Waluigi Time (talk) for second place and a shared third! Make sure to vote for your favorite sections this month, everyone!
| FUN STUFF SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | Trivia | 11 | 35.48% | Shoey (talk) |
| 2nd | Where in the Marioverse is Carmen Sandiego? | 9 | 29.03% | FunkyK38 (talk) |
| 3rd | Hint Art | 3 | 9.86% | ViableBunnyBudd (talk) |
| 3rd | Hiding Koopa | 3 | 9.86% | Waluigi Time (talk) |
Anagrams
Written by: BBQ Turtle (talk)
Hi everyone, welcome to the new year- and the new edition of anagrams! Well, it's that time of year when it's pretty lucrative to be in the gym business- after all, everyone is attempting some resolutions! So, to keep on theme, I've organized some Mario Sports Superstars anagrams for you to have a go at- please don't give up on them like an over-ambitious resolution though! However, something you could resolve to do is send me themes or anagrams for a future issue- I'd love to hear all about it, whether that's on my talk page or in a PM to me on the forums. OK, time to step up to the plate for some anagrams!
How it works...
Basically, this puzzle consists of solving the anagrams. Each month has a specific theme, which will give you a clue about what sort of words or phrases the anagrams will be. I've also included the boxes that the anagrams will fit into, so you'll be able to tell how many words it will solve to be and how many letters will be in each word, which should give you a hand too. You'll also notice that within each set of boxes, one of the squares are yellow. As you solve each anagram, note down the letter which appears in the yellow squares, and if you can solve all of the anagrams, you'll also get a bonus anagram to solve from completing all of the others. I've included the letter configuration for this one at the bottom too, just to give you an extra helping hand. Best of luck!
1. BUY BIG AIL
2. CRASHING ORE
3. SOAP AD TORTURERS
4. EPILOGUE NUT BAND
5. TIE QUENCH
6. MOSAIC BRAID
7. CITRON THUG
8. ORANGE OR BOMB
9. TABLE CLOAK
10. INSET POKES
11. SHALLOWLY EVIL EEL
12. BORON EMBARGO
13. MAKING DUDS OMIT
Bonus anagram:
- Baby Luigi
- Horse Racing
- Road to Superstar
- Blue Penguin Toad
- Technique
- Amiibo Cards
- Night Court
- Boomerang Bro
- Cobalt Lake
- Stone Spike
- Yellow Leaves Hill
- Bone Goomba
- Kingdom Stadium
Bonus anagram: Pink Gold Peach
Word Search
Hello and welcome back to another exciting Word Search! Last month's word search was all about Echoes of Wisdom, a game I didn't really play but Hood really enjoyed. This month, our word search is all about Super Mario Bros. 2, but not just any Super Mario Bros. 2, the Real Super Mario Bros. 2, the one that takes place in a land of dreams where Mario rides ostriches and fights frogs. Not that stupid one with all the wind and where Warp Zones take you backwards! This month, words can be found horizontally, vertically, diagonally, backwards, and inside other words. As always have fun stay safe!
Crossword
Written by: MarioMorty (talk)
Hey everyone, it's me, MarioMorty, right back at ya with Crosswords. As we start the new year, we take time to reflect on the year that we have left behind. And with that, I present to you a puzzle focused on games that released in 2024. That's all I have to say today, so kick back and enjoy this crossword as we turn to another year. Here's to it being a good one, and with that, I'm out.
Hiding Koopa
Written by: Waluigi Time (talk)
Hello there, 'Shroom readers! It's on like Donkey Kong here in Hiding Koopa, again! The 30th anniversary of Donkey Kong Country may have come and gone, but in Nintendo's continuing efforts to avoid actually making a new Donkey Kong game, we got Donkey Kong Country Returns HD this month. You'd think Cranky Kong would have something to say about re-releasing the same game twice now with a few extra features and fancier graphics, but he's on Miyamoto's payroll now so he has to keep his mouth shut. Anyway, you know the drill, five Koopas are hiding in this artwork from the Switch release. Good luck!
Thanks for playing! Did you find them all?
Hint Art
Written by: ViableBunnyBudd (talk)
Welcome to another edition of Hint Art! I don't have much news to share other than the fact that I recently completed Mario & Luigi: Brothership! I won't give a full review here, but I thought it was good. You may be able to expect a Hint Art for that game in the future. For now, it's back to old reliable Mario 64.
So here's how it works: I have picked a location somewhere in the game. This is NOT the location of an existing star in the game; it is a custom location! I then made some art that abstractly represents this location in some way. It is now up to you, the reader, to decipher what this art means and to grab this imaginary star at this location! It's just like the rules of the Hint Arts from Super Mario Odyssey, only it's done for other 3D Marios. Most of these will be ground-pound stars like in Odyssey, but if I'm feeling creative I might have these imaginary stars in the air or activated by punching a wall.
This Hint Art might be one of the harder ones so far, but I believe you can do it!
GAME: Super Mario 64
STAR TYPE: Ground Pound
That's quite the slope… you can just go up that?
This'll be an arrowing experience.
Higher, higher, higher!
This art shows the side of a platform found in Bowser in the Sky. Ground Pounding where the Star is sticking out is the solution!
Thanks for playing, unless you didn't!
Connections
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers! Welcome back to another edition of Connections! My New Year's resolution is to stop mixing up all my words, but that one's really going to need some work... want to help me out in the meantime?
How it works:
Below is a table of sixteen different words, all of them with some sort of connection to the Mario series. These words correlate in sets of four, and it's up to you to figure out which words belong to a set! Work through the grid and decide which words are connected. Once you think you have the answer, check against the provided answers. If you get stuck along the way, feel free to utilize the clues. There's only one correct answer, so be on the lookout for words that feel like they might fit in more than one category. Good luck!
| Declaration | Hammer | Vampire | Music Box |
| Bullet | Whistle | Twice | Chocolate |
| Twin | Vanilla | Flute | Star |
| Bamboo | Anchor | Skull | Bowser |
Start with "Whistle"
It's a world of fun!
Can you travel through these puzzles in time?
- Whistle, Hammer, Music Box, Anchor: items in Super Mario Bros. 3
- Chocolate, Twin, Vanilla, Star: words found in Super Mario World world names
- Declaration, Flute, Bamboo, Skull: artifacts in Mario's Time Machine
- Vampire, Bullet, Twice, Bowser: Mario Party 8 Candies
How did you do? Did you figure out the connections? Thanks for playing!
Where in the Marioverse is Carmen Sandiego?
Each issue, you will be given a case to solve and clues to use to help you find the solution! Use your Mario knowledge to crack the case!
You will begin each case at the scene of the crime, and you will be given three clues from passerby as to where the next hot spot is and what game it’s from. Using your knowledge of Mario games and the Super Mario Wiki, figure out where the crook is and go track them down! There are four locations each round: the crime scene (1) at the start, two locations (2 and 3) with clues, and the hideout for the crook of the month (4). Answers for locations will be given with the corresponding round, for example, the clues from the crime scene will lead you to location 2, and once you open the spoiler bubbles for location 2, you will be given the correct answer. You can open the clues for each location in any order you’d like, but be careful! You may encounter an incorrect clue that could throw you off the case!
Clues offered will give you a hint either about the next location or the game it’s in. Unlike a regular Carmen Sandiego game, you do not have to collect information about the crook you are tracking down.
Challenge round (optional):
-Find all locations and games correctly in two minutes or less
-Find all locations and games correctly without using the rest of the Wiki for help
“We’ve got a new missing item case for you, gumshoe, as we track down Carmen’s next objective. Diddy Kong has asked for you by name to help find his missing Nintendo Switch so he can play the new release of Donkey Kong Country Returns. Returns is a beloved game originally released on the Wii, where the Donkey Kong Country series was revived after the franchise had been silent for over a decade. It rebooted the series for modern consoles, at the time, and it received a sequel a few years later in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Tropical Freeze received its own port to the Switch in 2018, and Returns was also released on the 3DS as well. All of that to say, the Kongs look forward to playing their games on every console or handheld they are playable on, and Diddy needs your help to find his Switch so he can play Returns! He says he was attacked by a Kremling while he was playing, and that Kremling grabbed his console and ran for the hills. Let’s get to work, gumshoe, and snatch that Switch back!”
|
Crime Scene |
The Crime
|
CLUE 1
|
CLUE 2
|
CLUE 3
|
|
Location 2 |
CORRECT ANSWER
|
CLUE 1
|
CLUE 2
|
CLUE 3
|
|
Location 3 |
CORRECT ANSWER
|
CLUE 1
|
CLUE 2
|
CLUE 3
|
CASE CLOSED
HIDEOUT ANSWER:
Haunted Trail from Mario Party 10 
“Another case closed, gumshoe, and it’s all thanks to you! Your trip through the haunted board gave us the lead we needed to track down that sticky-fingered Switch filcher, and we’ve got him in custody. It seems he had been searching for a quiet place to sit and play, and strangely enough, the Boos didn’t seem to bother him. When we found him, he didn’t have any more coins for them to steal and they were eyeing the Switch next, so safe to say you got us there just in the nick of time. Diddy Kong is ecstatic to have his beloved console back, and he’s left you a little Coin rewards as well as a couple big bunches of bananas to thank you for all of your hard work. You’ve earned a banana break, gumshoe, so get yourself back to HQ and get started on your case report. We’ll keep an eye out for Carmen and let you know where you’re needed next.”
Musical Quiz
Written by: Ninja Squid (talk)
Hello everyone, this is basement dwelling Ninja Squid here! I'm back once again in the Fun Stuff office to provide you with a fun Musical Quiz, a game once started here by WildWario and done for several issues later on by Waluigi Time! Try your best at finding out from which game each of these music comes from. As we are in the middle of winter, each of these soundtracks are winter-related. Okay, enough from me, and now it's up to you to guess them right!
 Song No.1 | File info |
| Song No.2 | File info |
| Song No.3 | File info |
| Song No.4 | File info |
| Song No.5 | File info |
| Song No.6 | File info |
| Song No.7 | File info |
| Song No.8 | File info |
- Rosalina's Ice World from Mario Kart 7
- Super Mario Bros. Snow Theme from Super Mario Maker 2
- Frozen Solid and Chilled (World 5-2) from Yoshi's Woolly World
- Snowflake Lake from Mario Party 6
- Slipslide Ride from Donkey Kong Country
- Fahr Outpost from the Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Mount Brrr from Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
- DK Summit (or DK's Snowboard Cross) from Mario Kart Wii
How well did you do? Did you guess them all right? Regardless, thank you for playing, and come back again next month!
Trivia
Hello and welcome back to Trivia, your number one source for Mario (and a single non-Mario) trivia with only a like 75% repeat ratio! I actually wrote this really early this month cause I was playing Super Mario World and noticed something weird (spoilers for the trivia). So without further delay, did you know?
- That in Super Mario World, only horizontally fired Bullet Bills are given the Pidgit Bill redesign after completing the Special Zone?
- That in Super Mario World, the level Chocolate Secret only contains one Dragon Coin instead of the usual five?
- That Pokémon Red and Blue, alongside a single Pokémon card, feature the only depiction of Kakuna with scythe-like arms?
- That the Chain Chomp item from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! was originally going to appear in Mario Kart Wii?
- That in Tetris Attack, the reason Lunge Fish doesn't try to hinder Yoshi is because eating them gives him indigestion?
- That in Super Mario Bros. 2, as well as the ending parade of Paper Mario, Bob-Ombs are depicted as having arms?
- That at one point in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, there was going to be a Mushroom transformation for Yoshi?
| The 'Shroom: Issue 214 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Directorial Address • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
