Mario's Mushroom Is Real. It's Psychoactive, Largely Unregulated, and More Complicated Than You Think.

Billions of people recognize it instantly, but almost none of them know what it actually is. The red-capped mushroom with white spots is seen in home décor, Christmas ornaments, emoji keyboards, and the screen of practically every kid who's ever played Super Mario Bros. But the mushroom that turned a short Italian plumber into a giant is not a fictional invention. It is a real fungus found across North America, and it now sits at the center of a fast-growing market that public health officials are watching closely.

That mushroom is Amanita muscaria, commonly called the fly agaric. For centuries, it has appeared in folklore, fairy tales, and mythology across the Northern Hemisphere, often tied to magical transformation and altered states. Indigenous peoples of Siberia used it as a ceremonial intoxicant. It influenced the mushroom scene in Alice in Wonderland and reappeared in Disney’s Fantasia. So when Shigeru Miyamoto designed the Super Mushroom power-up for Super Mario Bros. in 1985, he was tapping into a visual and cultural symbol that long predates gaming.

Forty years after Mario first hit one of those floating blocks, the mushroom that lives inside it has become something entirely new: a product.

The Mushroom Everyone’s Selling Now

Interest in Amanita muscaria has surged. Google searches for it rose nearly 200% in 2024 compared with the year before. Online, you can buy muscimol gummies, chocolates, and vapes, often marketed with vague promises about anxiety relief, better sleep, and improved focus. A single X ad for Amanita gummies, posted in 2023, pulled in more than 5.5 million views.