Mushroom Pikmin

Mushroom Pikmin, less frequently known as Toadmin or Puffmin, are Pikmin that have been exposed to spores, namely those of a Puffstool. Infected Pikmin will make a small aggressive sound and will change in appearance and behavior. 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. Mushroom Pikmin each have the same statistics as they did before they were infected, including attack power and resistance to hazards, but not physical characteristics outside of some fanon media. They follow leaders that are in range and attack them, and normal Pikmin are hostile to them. However, they can be shaken off, and revert to their original form afterward.

In fanon media, Mushroom Pikmin may be friendly, created through means beyond exposure to Puffstool spores, or, if at all possible, reverted to their original form in different ways.

=In fanon games=

In Pikmin 2... Again?
Mushroom Pikmin return in Pikmin 2... Again?, as Pikmin infected by the Puffstool's spores. Unlike in, Mushroom Pikmin have the physical features of their original form, but they retain their dark purple coloration, blank white eyes, and brown mushroom cap instead of a leaf or flower. Upon spotting leaders or healthy Pikmin, a Mushroom Pikmin will chase after and attack them, latching onto leaders and pummeling them and simply fighting with Pikmin until it kills or is killed. Mushroom Pikmin will return to normal once shaken off, though whistling them has a chance of curing them. There is an alternate type, Deathcap Pikmin, that appears naturally. They act the same as normal Mushroom Pikmin, but never revert to their original form, are covered in mold, have a darker coloration, and have a red mushroom cap at the end of their stem.

In Pikmin Forever
Mushroom Pikmin in Pikmin Forever are a friendly Pikmin species discovered in 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 as it does for other Pikmin, 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 Galaxy Adventure
In Pikmin Galaxy Adventure, Mushroom Pikmin help instead of hinder, assisting Captain Olimar instead of attacking. They are obtained through Mushroom Candypop Buds and have the high attack power of Red Pikmin and the poison resistance and 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 squad.

In Pikmin: Dual Worlds
In Pikmin: Dual Worlds, Mushroom Pikmin, colloquially known as Puffmin, are found in Salem Swamp. They are Pikmin afflicted with the spores of a Puffstool or other spore-producing enemies, and will attack any leaders and Pikmin they come across, save for themselves of course. They must be whistled several times to save them, for if they are afflicted for long enough they die. This is not the case for those that already exist, however. A generic Puffmin is purple and has blank white eyes and a navy-blue mouth, and a mushroom cap on its stem, which droops so heavily that the cap dangles limply upside-down, as opposed to a leaf or other maturity indicator. Their cap is orange at the tip and gradually becomes a mango color at the base. The gills of the mushroom are yellow with black dust coating them.

Puffmin are a bit slower and weaker when attacking than the average Pikmin, and have less vitality. They also won't heal over time from attacks. However, other variants of Puffmin exist: those resulting from Red Pikmin or White Pikmin have the same attack or speed as an average Pikmin, respectively, and those resulting from Rock Pikmin are more resilient. They more closely resemble their original form, though their stems and coloration are the same. Black Pikmin can't be turned into Puffmin, though they may explode upon death from choking on spores. The result of exposing Sludge Pikmin to spores, however, is by far the most dangerous: while they aren't very strong individually, they can fuse together to become a larger and much more dangerous combination of several Sludge Pikmin. They will generally attempt to crush Pikmin, or suffocate them in their mass.

In Pikmin: Infection in Progress
Mushroom Pikmin make an appearance in Pikmin: Infection in Progress, specifically in Fungal Grotto, where few are found. Some of them can be witnessed mounting and riding Adapted Blowhogs, although they can not control their mount. They will not revert to normal Pikmin and there is no way of doing so. The President can not carry the corpses of Mushroom Pikmin because they perish as any other Pikmin would.

Mushroom Pikmin appear as they do in, but retain their physical characteristics.

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

In Pikmin: New Life
Mushroom Pikmin appear in Pikmin: New Life as Pikmin infected by spores. These Pikmin are hostile to anything that isn't their current leader, including the player and uninfected Pikmin. Mushroom Pikmin will briefly stutter when whistled, and return to normal when whistled several times. A Mushroom Pikmin retains all traits from whatever type it was before infection, but its color is darker, it has a brown mushroom on its stem, and its eyes are blank and mad-looking. They will stay near and defend whatever enemy infected them; some examples are Puffstools and Spore Dweevils. Different squads of Mushroom Pikmin will also fight each other, though they will likely die in the process.