Director's Notes
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers! Welcome into the May edition of Fun Stuff, where the flowers are in full bloom, and I have finally recovered from an illness that knocked me out for over a week! Being a college student in the quarter system makes a setback like that pretty rough, but we're pulling through. Only a few more weeks of finals push before I'm out of this school year.
I hope the season has been well for any of my other students out there, and if you aren't a student, I guess you can have a nice time too.
Fun Stuff is the terrific team you know and love! I really appreciate when our team gets bigger and bigger - lots of reassurance that this silly online newspaper isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Don't forget, if you're interested in joining the Fun Stuff team, you can check out our sign up page and get an application in! If you have an idea for a game you don't know how to get working, feel free to reach out to me, and I'll happily help in any ways I can.
Now I've gotta make sure to go photosynthesize while the sun is shining. Take care everyone, and happy almost-summer!
Section of the Month
Congratulations to Waluigi Time (talk) for claiming first place! Major kudos also go to ViableBunnyBudd for getting second place on his debut issue! Very well done. And of course, congrats to FunkyK38 (talk) for snagging third. Make sure to vote for your favorite sections this month, and submit any standouts to Poochy's Picks!
| FUN STUFF SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Votes | % | Writer |
| 1st | Hiding Koopa | 8 | 28.57% | Waluigi Time (talk) |
| 2nd | Hint Art | 7 | 25.00% | ViableBunnyBudd |
| 3rd | Where in the Marioverse is Carmen Sandiego? | 5 | 17.86% | FunkyK38 (talk) |
Anagrams
Written by: BBQ Turtle (talk)
Hello all, welcome to the May edition of anagrams! With summer coming up, I'm sure you're thinking about holidays and parties- perhaps an island tour? Yes, this month's anagrams are based on Mario Party: Island Tour, so have some fun in the sun sorting out game modes, items and more. If you fancy suggesting next month's theme or a Mario-related anagram that I could feature, please let me know on my talk page or in a PM to me on the forums, I'd love to incorporate it in an upcoming issue. And with that, I'll let you get to some island hopping!
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. COCKLE BID
2. MARTINIS
3. SEE PICK TRADEMARK
4. APPLE OIL PARACHUTES
5. A COLLARBONE
6. BROWSE CAPES
7. DRY CROSSWAY STEAKS
8. CAR AND DORM
9. DOT CROAKER
10. USA CYCLE PUNK
11. EVEN ASPECT
12. BORROW SWEETS
Bonus anagram:
- Dice Block
- Mini Star
- Kamek's Carpet Ride
- Perilous Palace Path
- Balloon Race
- Bowser Space
- Star-Crossed Skyway
- Random Card
- Rocket Road
- Unlucky Space
- Event Space
- Bowser's Tower
Bonus anagram: Party Islands
Word Search
Hello and welcome back to another thrilling Word Search! A section where you find various words from a topic usually involving Mario! This month we're sticking with the Mario & Luigi series! Our Word Search is all about Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the supposed best Mario & Luigi game (not that I would know I've never played it). And the final game released by AlphaDream during their refusal to make money death spiral! Words can be found vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and backwards! As always have fun and stay safe!
Crossword
Written by: MarioMorty (talk)
Hello everyone and once again, it's Crosswords. In this merry month of May, me, MarioMorty, meticulously made a Mario crossword. Today's theme is Mario and Mario-related games. Specifically, those on the Nintendo DS. Not much else for me to say, besides that next month will be the 3 year anniversary of this section. But for now, I bow out to prepare next month's work, and I will see you all then.
Hiding Koopa
Written by: Waluigi Time (talk)
Hello there, 'Shroom readers! Did you know that the Donkey Kong Country series is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year? When Super Mario Bros. turned 30, Nintendo released Super Mario Maker, so that means we're going to get a new Donkey Kong game soon! ...Right? Probably better not to get your hopes up. Anyway, we're pretty close to summer now, so it felt like a good time to break out this jungly theme. Five Koopas are hiding in this art from the original Donkey Kong Country, as if that series didn't have enough collectibles already! Good luck hunting them down!
Thanks for playing! Did you find them all?
Hint Art
Written by: ViableBunnyBudd
Welcome back to the second edition of Hint Art.
...
I don't think there's anything I need to say beyond that. It's been a slow month for me.
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.
I decided to try another spot in Super Mario 64 for this issue. This one is harder than the last one, so be mindful of that. Fortunately, I've decided to add multiple hints for this issue (and every issue going forward). These hints are meant to be used in order, with Hint 1 being smaller and Hint 3 being bigger. Feel free to use them if you think you need them.
GAME: Super Mario 64
STAR TYPE: Ground Pound
That's a lot of 1-Up Mushrooms! Maybe even too many…
If your confidence is teetering, don't give up!
Your head must be in a dark world of hurt.
This is a side view of the last section of Bowser in the Dark World. Four 1-Up Mushrooms can be found here, but there are five in the hint art. Ground Pounding on the spot where there isn't a mushroom will give you your prize.
Thanks for playing, unless you didn't!
Connections
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers! After a month away, we're back with more Connections goodness! Sixteen more terms are ready to be sorted... Think you have what it takes to figure out their groupings?
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!
| Toad | White | Vamp | Bubble |
| Choco | Ghost | Honey | Bat |
| Push | Flat | Autumn | Zombie |
| Hoohoo | Bounce | Merry | Twilight |
Start with "Ghost"
Ever gone climbing one of these?
I hope this game is transformative for you.
- Ghost, Toad, White, Twilight: __ House
- Choco, Autumn, Hoohoo, Merry: __ Mountain
- Bubble, Bat, Flat, Zombie: Wario Land 4 transformations
- Vamp, Honey, Push, Bounce: Mario + Rabbids weapon Super Effects
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 case of postal mail theft for you today, gumshoe, but what we’re searching for is no ordinary letter. Princess Peach has made a request for your help, and on the double, too! Her very important mail has been hijacked from right out of the postal worker’s hands, and this theft is going to stop an entire game- that’s right, one of Carmen’s crew has nabbed the letter and the treasure map that Princess Peach sent to Mario and Luigi to kick off the events of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door! Originally released on the Nintendo GameCube in 2004, this classic game is getting a remake for the Nintendo Switch, and that remake is dropping very soon, which means we need you to find that letter so it can be delivered ASAP! Based on the witness report from the letter carrier that was robbed, we are looking at one of Carmen’s sneakiest thieves, a Boo we’ve had near the top of our Most Wanted list. I won’t talk your ear off on this assignment, gumshoe, because this is a time-sensitive mission that we cannot afford to fail! Let’s catch that Boo and get that letter 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:
Dry Dry Ruins from Paper Mario 
“Excellent work, gumshoe! You were right on the money about our thief, and we apprehended him while he was waiting for a kart to come through and pick him up. Interestingly, it seems that he got his wires crossed, as a familiar red Kart was seen doing laps at Dry Dry Ruins, seemingly looking for something. But, we were able to retrieve the letter in his possession, and it is back on its way to Mario's house! The plot can continue, and it's all thanks to you! Princess Peach has sent ahead a reward of mushrooms for you, although you may not be able to get any use out of them unless you turn to the paper side. As an additional reward, we have deposited the reward for bringing this crook in straight to your account. You can buy yourself a new trenchcoat with this! Another case closed, gumshoe, and another story saved thanks to your hard work. Now, it's time for you to write down your story- in your case files! We'll see you when you return to ACME headquarters.”
Trivia
Huh, this is weird. Trivia not written at the last minute? Idk about this it just don't feel right? Anyways I guess, Did you know?
- That in the Japanese version of Mario Kart 64, one of the advertisements is Marioro, based on the cigarette brand Marlboro?
- That Luigi is the only playable character in Mario Party 3 who doesn't have his own Star Stamp?
- That Martin Van Buren was the first American President born after the Declaration of Independence?
- That Dorrie was originally designed like a more realistic plesiosaur?
- That despite being called the Headless Snowman, The Headless Snowman in Super Mario 64 is actually missing his body, not his head?
- That Eldstar and Misstar are the only Star Spirits in Paper Mario that can be tattled?
- That in 1991 Konami made Mario Roulette, a gambling machine based on Super Mario World?
| The 'Shroom: Issue 206 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • Poochy's Picks • Credits |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |