Fly agaric

I was not tempted to ingest this for its hallucinogenic properties which apparently are quite unpredictable (you are just as likely to be very sick). A fatal dose would be about fifteen by the way. Nor was I tempted to boil it for half an hour to remove its toxins and eat it thinly sliced as they do sometimes in Siberia. I was quite happy to look at it.

The red-and-white spotted toadstool is a common image in many aspects of popular culture. Garden ornaments and children's picture books depicting gnomes and fairies, such as the Smurfs, often show fly agarics used as seats, or homes. Fly agarics have been featured in paintings since the Renaissance, albeit in a subtle manner. In the Victorian era they became more visible, becoming the main topic of some fairy paintings. Two of the most famous uses of the mushroom are in the video game series Super Mario Bros. and the dancing mushroom sequence in the 1940 Disney film Fantasia.