Few people are aware of the lives of fungi. They're actually quite versatile creatures. They have gills for breathing underwater, wear their best caps all day long, and even create feature films like "Clash of the Chitins" starring Portobello Lugosi. It shouldn't surprise you, after knowing this, that they have adapted to live by learning to walk.

How did this come to be, though? Were mushrooms always this versatile? No, actually. This was a development wrought on by the infamous Hippies in Twoson. Their thirst for freedom and peace lead a team of more scientific-minded hippies to create the world's first 'free-range' mushrooms, who were constantly goaded to be free and move about to their own content.

At first, obviously, little happened -- it was almost as if their brains were mush rooms filled with little else. However, they soon grew accustomed to their newfound liberties. It seems they always had vestigial legs hidden underground that each was secretly self-conscious about. The sudden influx of positive reinforcement, however, allowed them to slowly let go of their inhibitions and walk free.

Frequently, these-free-range mushrooms have been noted to escape the areas of their farmers, chasing down local boys and teaching various plantlife about the boons of mobility. Even today, a large troupe of Hippies patrols Twoson, searching for stray Struttin' Mushrooms.

- Artemis251

The story of these mushrooms begins at a time where hippies flourished, disco was "in," and healthy eating was beginning to decline even further.

Every week, the Hippie Institution for Good Healthcare would meet to discuss the troubled economy in Eagleland, new presidential laws, troubling culture changes, and world peace. The HIGH program discussed their new president, "Generic NPC," and his awful mistreatment of his power. The HIGH members discussed at great length, all the time. So, you may ask, "Why haven't I heard of this organization?" Well, every week, HIGH members bring in home-cooked meals to share with the whole group. They had something new every day; one day it was fried chicken, one day it was octopus... But, one day, a HIGH member brought in some fresh mushrooms...

Mom always told me, "You are what you eat, BB." I didn't listen, and look at me now...

Oh wait... I'm telling a story about mushrooms. Still, the phrase applies, right? Walking mushrooms are the embodiment of a balanced diet, containing B vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and of course, the most delicious and exotic B vitamin of all: a human soul. Ever wonder why I don't order mushrooms on pizza? Now you know...

- BB Gang Zombie

Ah, so... the Struttin' Evil Mushroom, and the reasoning behind its Evil Struttin', eh?

If you think about it, there's a good reason or two as to how this could happen. Mobile fungi are nothing new--look at the slime molds found in many forests (or in some cases, as with Texas and more recently Alaska). These fungal beings crawl around on their own with no problems... So my theory is that the Struttin' Evil Mushroom is a hybrid of the Fly Agaric, a commonly found mushroom with a red cap and white spots (known at one point for being a fly poison, as well as a poison that caused bouts of delirium when ingested), and a slime mold... To further add to its nefarious nature, consider once again the Fly Agaric is a poisonous plant, and that Slime Molds exist to consume and reproduce. What should it care if a few people get to feelin' funky in the process of existence?

And of course, the influence of Giygas can't help things either.

- PastorOfMuppets

I had always wondered how the annoying mushroom grew legs and walked off. After putting a lot thought into it and putting together other reasons from fellow MOTHER fans, I think I finally got it.

The meteorite that crashed started to give off radiation, which in turn, mutated the mushrooms roots into legs, which allowed it to carry Giygas's plans of evil.

- Green Chicken

The Struttin' Evil Mushroom is quite a puzzling enemy indeed. Why would a mushroom walk? And why would it be so keen on your destruction? The answer is simple: following the theme of corruption of nature by science that is present throughout the Mother Trilogy, the Struttin' Evil Mushroom was probably created by Giygas with Psionics as a new (if relatively weak) addition to his army. Think about it; their only instinct seems to be to destroy the Chosen Four, and it is never explicitly stated how far Giygas's powers can reach; for all the audience knows, every event that hinders Ness's progression could have been his doing. But why would Giygas use his powers to create such a weak opponent? Perhaps because of ease; all he/she/it would need was a simple Earth mushroom, and he would have a new minion. However, a possible alternative could be the mushroom's unique ability to plant spores on the heads of its opponents, causing them to lose the ability to walk regularly. While certainly no fatal, it does slow down the crew quite a bit, buying Giygas more time to create better enemies and think of new threats. In this way, the addition of the Struttin' Evil Mushroom to Giygas's army makes perfect sense, and actually proves quite useful towards... however-you-refer-to-Giygas's cause, and a scary concept as well.

- zoinkstation

Well, the mushroom is clearly evil, and this evil has thus put within it an urge to be “show-offy”, and what better a way to show of? By struttin’ along, showing off in front of the other mushrooms, and thus allowing it to spread its evil elsewhere as well.

- TheDisturber