Top 10 Weirdest Super Mario Power-Ups Ever

Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Weirdest Mario Power-Ups.

Nintendo’s poster child has used a lot of odd power-ups over the years, but for this list we’ll be looking at the strangest.

Which power-up made you scratch your head? Let us know in the comments below.

Mario has borrowed from several animals over his career. But “Super Mario 3D World” showed that even dressing him up as one of the most common was still a little weird. The Super Bell transforms Mario and his friends into different colored cats. It brings noticable changes in gameplay, like running on all fours or swiping at enemies with your paws. But there are also small touches like meowing after completing a level or the fact that cat forms begin sprinting faster than any other. With “Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury,” Nintendo upped the crazy with the Giga Bell, which gave us bizarre cat kaiju fights.

Boos are some of the most troublesome enemies Mario will ever have to deal with. Their intangibility makes them great hiders and tricksters. Players don’t often get the chance to embody an enemy, but the “Super Mario Galaxy” series allows you to take on a ghostly form.
While seeing Mario’s face on a Boo’s body is a tad unsettling, being able to float and go through walls is pretty useful. Unfortunately, the power-up doesn’t let you attack. And not only does it not disguise you from Boos, they actually become more attracted to you. Are ghost powers really worth it?

Introduced in “Super Mario Bros. 3,” the Frog Suit is pretty helpful in the water levels of World 3. Aside from weirdly giving Mario a second set of eyes, it makes swimming much easier. It also lets Mario jump higher while on land, but at a serious cost of mobility as he can’t walk, only hop. This makes it an incredibly circumstantial power-up. And outside of the third world, you really won’t have any use for it. Getting them in Toad Houses will eventually clutter up your inventory with later levels being ill-suited for them. There’s a reason it wasn’t used in one of Mario’s platforming adventures again until “Super Mario Maker 2.”

“Super Mario 64 DS” reinvented the classic 3D platformer by letting you control several other characters. The port did away with Mario’s various caps in favor of the Power Flower, which offered a different effect depending on who you were controlling. Luigi turned intangible, Wario turned metal, and Yoshi was able to spit fire at any foe who came near him. As for Mario himself, the Power Flower inflated him like a balloon so that he could float to new areas. Just like the Power Balloon in “Super Mario World,” it will always be strange seeing Mario inflate to twice his size.

While the more commonly found Super Leaf gives Mario similar abilities in “Super Mario Bros. 3,” the Tanooki Suit is just a bit more odd. He’ll still be able to fly and whack enemies with his tail, just dressed as a fuzzy little creature. However, it gives Mario the additional ability to turn to stone, conveniently hiding him from enemies and making him invulnerable. Additionally, the power-up is based on the bake-danuki, mystical beings in Japanese folklore who are mischievous shapeshifters. Statues of these figures can be found in various areas across Japan.

Coins in Mario games can be really useful if you collect 100, but “New Super Mario Bros. 2” took them to a whole new level. Collecting as many as you can is built into the game, so much so that its power-ups followed suit. Other than turning Mario gold, the Gold Flower lets Mario shoot gold-colored fireballs that turn everything they hit into coins, whether it be enemies or bricks. The splash radius for these projectiles is also way larger than normal fireballs. Additionally, any enemy Mario hops on in this form will yield five coins. But because of the non-traditional nature of the game, the Gold Flower doesn’t make much sense elsewhere.

A power-up that’s really just a big, wind-up boot is definite grounds for one of Mario’s weirdest. But the fact that it only appears in one level of the game it’s introduced in is just plain bizarre. The Goomba’s Shoe can be found in World 5-3 and let’s Mario hop around on any enemy or trap without fear of being hurt. An Ice Skate version of this power-up would be seen in “Super Mario 3D World.” But Goomba’s Shoe wouldn’t be seen again until the “Super Mario Maker” series. Here, players could humorously implant a stiletto version of the power-up and even give it wings.

The “Paper Mario” series introduced a whole host of new power-ups and abilities not seen in the more traditional Mario games. One interesting power-up came in “Super Paper Mario” and paid tribute to the mascot’s roots. The affectionately named Pal Pill will surround the player with 8 8-bit versions of themselves. It’s a bit strange seeing 8-bit Mario in the colorful “Paper Mario” setting. But these weird little guys are actually quite useful. They surround Mario like a group of bodyguards, dealing damage and then disappearing on contact with any enemies. Although they’ll also frequently disappear by falling into pits, too.

Most of Mario’s power-ups will put him in a new suit, so it’s actually very strange that the Spring Mushroom doesn’t. Instead, it merely wraps a coil around him so that he can bounce to new heights. Found in the “Super Mario Galaxy” series, the Spring Mushroom is used throughout several obstacles with multiple moving parts. There’s no standing still as Spring Mario and it can often be difficult to control where exactly Mario will land. And it’s not as if the hectic Toy Time Galaxy, where it’s heavily featured, is going to give you time to get used to it. Most power-ups will enhance the level design, but the Spring Mushroom just makes things more stressful.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Because Disguising Yourself From Weak Enemies Isn’t Really Necessary

Essentially Turns Mario Into a Koopa Troopa

You Mean a Power-up That Actually Hurts You!?

It isn’t just the name that earns this power-up the top spot, though that is a happy coincidence. It actually looks more like a real-world mushroom than those Mario is accustomed to. Seen in “Super Mario Maker,” the Weird Mushroom makes Mario tall, skinny, and stand in a bow-legged stance. However, Mario’s normal-sized head on top of the elongated body is just plain unnatural. The power-up essentially turns Mario into Luigi, letting him jump higher but giving him worse traction. While it can’t be used in the game’s sequel, Weird Mario will still make cameo appearances just to unnerve you.