Grow your own 1up mushrooms
by Ross Miller 
{ Mar 31st 2006 at 1:25PM }
Have you ever wanted "immortal life
beyond dreams of man"? Well, now you can thanks to a new discovery made in Kyoto, Japan. For only $8.99 (plus
shipping and handling), you, dear gamer, can own your own "Grow Your Own 1up Mushroom Kit." The kit includes
a green pipe planter, a spore packet, food solution bottle, and a water dropper--all you need is some soil, some water,
and some patience. In a few weeks time you should have your own magical mushroom whose life-grantin properties would put
Lazarus to shame.Every writer for Joystiq has been growing them for a few weeks now. Only Christopher Grant has possessed the audacity to eat one last night--we haven't heard from him since, but we are assuming he is now immortal and is off doing his best Highlander interpretation--he'll be back eventually.
[Thanks, Princess Zelda]
Disclaimer: Just in case it is not blatantly obvious, this is a joke.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
C. Grant @ Mar 31st 2006 1:30PM
THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!
Saint @ Mar 31st 2006 1:30PM
And don't forget- it will earn you princess geek points!
... I am so getting three screened sphorbs, by the way. Can't believe we are still using ordinary sphorbs in this day and age.
the godfather @ Mar 31st 2006 1:32PM
Do you just grow a white mushroom and then use a marker to color it and add eyes? How long does it last for too and how many seeds/spores/1ups can you make?
Mister.Matthew @ Mar 31st 2006 1:35PM
wasn't this just an April Fools joke from think geek?
MosquitoControl @ Mar 31st 2006 1:35PM
You know, if we can grow bean sprouts that have messages on them written inside the seed, it's only a matter of time before we have these.
Aaron Laine @ Mar 31st 2006 1:36PM
April fools isn't until tommorrow everyone....
Randomm @ Mar 31st 2006 1:38PM
Wait... You do all know its an April Fools joke right...
(Click the Add to Cart button)
J B Cougar @ Mar 31st 2006 1:44PM
For everyone who "bought" one of these, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you too.
Kye @ Mar 31st 2006 1:52PM
Try harder Joystiq.
Most def BS!
James B. @ Mar 31st 2006 1:56PM
You know, I bought one of those a few weeks ago. Received it in the mail the other day, followed the instructions to the detail, and just waited.
This morning, as I was passing by the plant pot, a Pirrana Plant suddenly shot out of the pot and ate my dog.
mike @ Mar 31st 2006 1:57PM
well goodbye everyone. The first April fools joke has been posted (despite it not yet being April). I will now continue my yearly tradition of not visiting any websites for the next 2 days.
It saddens me every year that professional websites are unreadable because of stupid april fools stuff. There not even jokes any more. Nowadays, there just false information. In the real world, April fools is no longer participated in general. Only in the media world of print does it still exist. I also never read any April issues of any informative magazines. No matter where in the issue the info is printed, you cannot trust a word. I simply dont waste the money on buying an issue.
Well, see you all in 2 days when the news is back to normal.
Kent @ Mar 31st 2006 1:59PM
I just know this isn't an April fool's joke. Why? Because it is not April. Who the hell screws up an April fools joke so bad that they actually do it in March? Not only that but they just pretty much gave everyone a pretty vivid reminder that tommorow is April fools. So good luck to everyone that had jokes planned. Its going to be a little harder now.
Awesome Joystiq.
Gonzo @ Mar 31st 2006 2:08PM
I ate one of those Super Mushrooms once that came out of some block with a "?". Then everything started looking like it did in a mario bros game but the goombas made weird wavering motions when they breathed.
It was the best!
Don't do drugs kids.
It would've sold really well 20 years ago.
Now-a-days everyone is trying to grow their own Mario Mustashes.
CYRiX @ Mar 31st 2006 2:13PM
J B Cougar how much will that bridge cost?
J B Cougar @ Mar 31st 2006 2:43PM
One hundred billion dollars.
Who the hell gave mike the virttual wedgie that soured his mood? Note to self: Never take yourself as seriously as mike does.
ThePete @ Mar 31st 2006 3:12PM
Uhhh, aren't April Fool's jokes supposed to be... I dunno...funny?
I read this and completely bought it. What is so funny about growing a mushroom in a Super-Mario-themed pot full of dirt? I totally want one of these, along with those speakers that look like Super Mario blocks.
Seriously--so the big joke is that the mushroom is green with white spots on it and that's funny because real mushrooms can't do that? I'm some sort of sucker for believing this product could be real? See, I thought the mushroom colors were just for effect and the real mushroom wouldn't be that color. Next, I assume all the stuff about being immortal was just another blogger being snarky.
So, does someone want to show me the funny part of this April Fool's gag?
Don't get me wrong, I read Joystiq every day and will continue to do so. But do we need more April Fool's jokes (and in March)??
Seriously, I want one of these even if it doesn't spit out a mushroom with green on it.
TDIDDY @ Mar 31st 2006 3:21PM
can one use other types of mushrooms with this??
Jacob @ Mar 31st 2006 3:23PM
In regards to all this "WTF? April Fools? It's MARCH, IDIOTS!!!"... businesses generally operate Monday to Friday.
April 1 is on a Saturday this year, so they're getting all the sillyness out of their systems on Friday.
Kevin @ Mar 31st 2006 3:24PM
The thing is real people, Thinkgeek.com sells them.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/1upmushroom.shtml
And yes, April fools is tomorrow. Chill out.
Ross Miller @ Mar 31st 2006 3:39PM
Thanks for the link, Kevin, but it's been up ther already for anyone who clicks on "read" or the picture. Yeah, we know it's March...the last day of March, meaning April Fool's Day is less than 24 hours away. I didn't think making a post about a funny joke, and acting as if we were in on the joke (even adding a disclaimer that we know it is a joke) would make everyone go insane. I happen to like April Fool's day, myself.
But, ignore everything I said, the 1up mushroom is real, and it works. I just got a call from Dan Choi, who has recently beheaded several staff members of Bethesda and has taken their souls and powers with him. He will start his own one-man production company capable of producing PS3 games in less than a week.
However, they will all be Highlander-licensed games that play exactly like Dynasty Warriors. So it goes.
Oh, and Kevin...try clicking on add to cart, you might be surprised ;).
Relax guys, if we do anything for April Fool's day, you will be able to differentiate the real from the fake--I promise.
Spoon @ Mar 31st 2006 3:46PM
Grow my own shrooms. Yeah, won't fall for that one again. I am NOT going back to jail.
WhiteTigerShiro @ Mar 31st 2006 3:51PM
Yeah, Think Geek sells them alright. Just take a look at the specs:
The availability is Castle. And if you have a ThinkGeek account, you earn Princess Geek Points for ordering the item, as opposed to say... 100 Geek Points or something.
Not convinced yet? Try adding the thing to youyr cart.
I have to agree that it's sad that the gaming industry can't get over it's juvenille April Fool's jokes. It was cute for a while... but now it's the point where any form of news announced anywhere near April 1st just can't be listened to. Not to mention it's turned everyone into paranoid fools, shouting "lol aprl fulz" at every article they don't want to believe.
Though granted, with this article, those paranoid fools are correct.
James B. @ Mar 31st 2006 4:10PM
You know you guys, honestly...
All of you guys (excluding those who got a chuckle out of the joke), GET A FUNNY BONE!
You're asking for seriousness? You're all likely teenagers and young adults who adore video games like a three year old does Dora the Explorer.
I freely admit that I am one of those who adore (the earlier, not the latter). And you have the guts to write "be serious?" Get your priorities straight, I think you're looking at the wrong blog.
ZD @ Mar 31st 2006 4:13PM
Good lord. So much whining. How about this - go outside! Enjoy life! Stop being so uptight. It's just a joke. Laugh sometimes, geez!
Kevin @ Mar 31st 2006 4:57PM
I don't know what you are talking about Ross, I ordered two before I posted :) This thing better work or I want my money back.
I should click more pictures though in the future, sorry for reposting the link above there.
Mr. Umeadi @ Mar 31st 2006 5:38PM
Next there will be a grow your own "senzu bean" kit.
Uni @ Mar 31st 2006 6:14PM
Man, I really wanted one.
This sucks.
Jonn @ Mar 31st 2006 7:00PM
Frankly, I just wanted the pot.
lostzenfound @ Mar 31st 2006 9:57PM
Did you say Frank has the pot ?? Goddamm liar. Told me he was dry.
baR_n1 @ Apr 1st 2006 3:36PM
Lol... smh at ppl who actually thought they could engineer a mushroom to look like that. You can see the feltpen edges for crying out loud. It is a pretty neat idea for a side project though... just have to get/mod a pot (toothbrush cup?) and colour your own button mushroom.