Mushroom Pikmin

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A Mushroom Pikmin.

Since this subject has no official name, the name "Mushroom Pikmin" is conjectural.

Mushroom Pikmin, also known as Zombie Pikmin or Toadmin, are Pikmin that are under the control of a Puffstool. These odd Pikmin, as with the Puffstool, are only seen in Pikmin 1. The spores of the Puffstool cause affected Pikmin to morph into a strange form, a process sometimes called "zombification". Their eyes become pupiless and dead-looking, their skin turns a dark shade of purple, and an orange-brown mushroom cap grows over their leaf/flower. They follow Captain Olimar and attack him until he shakes them off or loses all of his health. If Captain Olimar is not being attacked, you can usually find them dancing around the Puffstool. These Pikmin will also attack normal Pikmin and vice-versa, but as they can both be killed, this attacking will simply decrease your overall population. Mushroom Pikmin will eventually turn back into their normal forms after a while.

An interesting glitch has been known to occur if Pikmin are turned idle at the same time they are hit with the Puffstool's spores: upon standing up, the Pikmin will change into Mushroom Pikmin, but their skin will become pale and their mushroom will glow, as if they are idle. These Pikmin, often called 'rebels,' will turn upon the Puffstool, attacking it as if they were still under the player's control. Rebels Mushroom Pikmin cannot be called back or controlled by Olimar, and unaffected Pikmin will still attack them, but can be returned to normal either by knocking them back down or by defeating the Puffstool. Use this to your advantage, and enjoy it while it lasts, because it has been said that they can turn from rebels to pure mushroom pikmin. In a few cases, rebel Mushrooms have been known to rejoin the Pikmin army without first being reverted, but exactly how this is accomplished is yet unknown.

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A single white Mushroom Pikmin attacks a Puffstool