The Penguin's New Designer Drug Is Based On A Real, Strange Fungus

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must admit that The Penguin’s latest episode has left me both enthralled and somewhat concerned. The introduction of this new drug, Bliss, is a captivating twist in an already engrossing narrative.


This week’s episode of The Penguin unveiled a novel narcotic in Gotham, aiming to surpass the popular drug from the Batman series, called Drops by its abusers, who were commonly referred to as Drop-heads. In this storyline, we meet Bliss, a red crystal substance. Remarkably, the origins of this drug, while captivating, are not exactly associated with joy or bliss in reality.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Penguin, Episode 3, which aired on October 6.

In the city of Gotham, Oz “The Penguin” Cobb spots an opportunity for greatness as the family of the deceased mob boss Carmine Falcone struggles to regain control, their turmoil worsened by the fallout from The Riddler’s bombing. Moreover, there are whispers of a revolutionary drug, and now we can witness its impact.

Sofia Falcone leads Oz into the warehouse where they produce the drug, showing him the room where everything begins. Inside, there were garbage bags draped with fungus, bearing white mushrooms dripping with shiny, sticky, blood-red liquid. It seemed risky, akin to the kind of environment one might encounter in a film when characters are exploring foreign alien worlds.

The Penguin's New Designer Drug Is Based On A Real, Strange Fungus

Beyond the gritty city backdrop and imaginary crooks, there’s a strong sense of reality. The process and the fungus itself are both authentic elements, existing in our world for real.

In the program, they call it the “Bleeding Tooth Fungus,” which is also its common name in reality – either Bleeding Tooth or Devil’s Tooth fungus. Its scientific designation is Hydnellum peckii.

Bleeding Tooth is a particularly striking fungus thanks to the contrast of the pinkish-white cap and the vivid crimson fluid they excrete. Here’s where fiction and reality separate, though. While the Bleeding Tooth isn’t known to be poisonous, it reportedly has a particularly bitter taste. The fluid, meanwhile, is not known to be psychoactive, but the reality is just as interesting. The fluid has anti-coagulant properties, meaning that it acts as blood thinner, behaving similarly to the common blood thinning medication Heparin. That’s right–it’s a blood thinner that looks like blood.

The growth method, too, is based in reality. Real mycologists (both aspiring and otherwise) will often grow mushrooms from the sides of hanging bags as a way of maximizing limited square footage.

The creators of The Penguin have selected a captivating type of mushroom for their fictional drug, but remember that it’s not meant for recreational use and you should never consume random mushrooms found in the forest.

Image Credit: Getty Images/DEA/P. PUCCINELLI

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2024-10-07 05:38