Grow your own 1up mushroom

Tired of Chia pets and want to impress your friends with your less-than-stellar botanical skills? ThinkGeek has it all worked out for us. The “Grow Your Own 1up Mushroom” is a simple and easy way to spruce up your home with both a plant and some original Nintendo merchandise.  

The instructions for the planter are exceedingly easy. First, you take the pipe and fill it with some high quality soil. I suggest using something that is really nutrient enriched, considering that fungi loves to soak up everything around it. Next, put a question mark box into the pipe. Make sure you don’t use a box with a coin. You may have to restart the procedure several times until you know which box that comes with the set has the 1up in it. After planting, water profusely and watch the little sucker sprout and turn into a beautiful mushroom.

Actually, this is just a vinyl toy designed to fool your friends. It’s a whopping six inches tall altogether and carries a price tag of only $9.99. You can put soil around the 1up mushroom to give the appearance of growing, but the plastic will inevitably end the joke.