Mushroom Pikmin

Mushroom Pikmin, less frequently known as Toadmin or Puffmin, is the name given to Pikmin that are under the control of a sporovid such as a Puffstool. After being showered with spores, infected Pikmin will make a small aggressive sound and will change in appearance and behavior.

The spores of the Puffstool cause affected Pikmin to morph into a strange form. Their eyes become pupil-less and dead-looking, their skin turns a dark shade of purple and an orange-brown mushroom cap grows on top of their stem. Their type's special physical characteristics, such as the noses, ears, and gills are also gone. They may persist after transformation in some fangames, however.

Mushroom Pikmin each have the same stats as they did before they were infected, including attack power and resistance to hazards. They will follow leaders when they are in range and attack them while making an unusual sound that resembles menacing laughter. However, they do minimal damage and can be easily shaken off by twirling the control stick. Once detached, a Pikmin will lay down for a while, sit down and slowly revert to its original form, after which it'll start obeying leaders again. If a leader moves out of range, attacking Mushroom Pikmin stop following them and dance around the Puffstool.

Mushroom Pikmin will not chase after normal Pikmin, but will become aggressive towards one if being attacked by it. Normal Pikmin do, however, chase after Mushroom Pikmin. As they can both be killed, this confrontation will simply decrease the overall Pikmin population. If any Pikmin are in this state at sunset, they will die like any other Pikmin species. In some fangames, however, they revert to their original form and become sprouts.

In Pikmin 4
In Pikmin 4, Mushroom Pikmin help instead of hinder, assisting Captain Olimar instead of attacking. They are obtained through Mushroom Candypop Buds. They have the high attack power of Red Pikmin and have the poison resistance and the poisonous ability of White Pikmin. Other Pikmin will not attack Mushroom Pikmin, so it is safe to have normal Pikmin and Mushroom Pikmin in the same group.

In Pikmin Forever
Mushroom Pikmin in Pikmin Forever are now a friendly Pikmin type discovered in the Mycelial Burrow; they are the fifth type to join Olimar. They have bioluminescent mushroom caps that light up dark caves. When Mushroom Pikmin are prepared to be thrown, their cursor can travel twice as far, since Mushroom Pikmin can bounce off their caps and travel up to two throws' distance. Their rubbery caps disallow them from latching onto most enemies as they bounce off like Rock Pikmin, but they stand a better chance than other Pikmin of throwing off an enemy's balance. The presence of Mushroom Pikmin in a group will begin to marginally enhance the speed and attack power of other Pikmin by a percentage equal to one-third the Mushroom Pikmin; ninety-nine Mushroom Pikmin will augment another Pikmin's strength and speed by thirty-three percent.

Mushroom Pikmin have a Mushroom Onion, and their identifying color is cyan. They have three maturity stages, but these are reflected in the size, color, and brightness of their mushroom cap: "leaf" is smallest, dimmest, and white; and "flower" is largest, and brightest, and cyan. They are most easily controlled by Loucap. Their mushroom caps do not glow in daylight.

In Pikmin: Infection in Progress
Mushroom Pikmin make a reappearance in Pikmin: Infection in Progress, specifically in Fungal Grotto. There are only a few in the game, all found in Fungal Grotto. Some of them can be witnessed mounting and riding Adapted Blowhogs, although they cannot control their mount. They will not revert back into normal Pikmin. The President cannot carry the corpses of Mushroom Pikmin because they perish as any other Pikmin would.

Mushroom Pikmin have an appearance quite similar to that of past Pikmin games. The difference is that their caps dimly glow different colors, like cyan, green, and orange. The glow emanates from the bottoms of the caps of their mushrooms.

Upon initiating combat, Mushroom Pikmin run towards their target, hop onto them, and proceed to beat them relentlessly with their mushroom caps. They can be flicked off by spinning erratically and will be stunned on the ground temporarily. They will rise and continue their assault unless the President punches them or his Pikmin hit them, in which case they will perish. They will also perish if flicked off enough times, ranging from twice to thrice.