Magical girl friendship squad is a popular theme in the world of anime and manga. It revolves around a group of young girls who are granted special powers to fight against evil and protect the world. These magical girls, often equipped with cute and colorful outfits, come together to form a close-knit squad that supports and encourages each other. Friendship is a central theme in magical girl friendship squad stories. The girls in the squad rely on one another for emotional support, strength, and motivation to face their enemies. They understand each other's struggles and are always there to lend a helping hand.
Celebrate Halloween early in San Francisco this weekend with a spooky movie or attend the new Civic Pride Festival and more.
Follow a handful of mushroom-centric Instagram accounts, and you ll attract the attention of fly-by-night spammers with appeals to legalize nature and promises of discreet shipping. Many people who use them do not know that they can be abused and that there is a serious chance of developing a dependency that can affect their everyday functioning at home, school, or the workplace.
They understand each other's struggles and are always there to lend a helping hand. This bond of friendship strengthens their powers and enables them to overcome even the toughest challenges. The magical girl friendship squad often consists of diverse characters with unique personalities and abilities.
Cartoon packaging and an ‘inconsolable’ high: when magic mushroom chocolate gets into the wrong hands
I n the fall of 2022, a six-year-old boy was rushed to the emergency room at Mease Countryside hospital in Safety Harbor, Florida, a small city on western shore of Tampa Bay. “He was very lethargic, and very drowsy,” recalls Dr Francois Richer Lafleche, the admitting physician. The child had gobbled down a whole bar of chocolate that he’d stolen from his parents, unaware it was laced with psilocybin – the active ingredient in magic mushrooms.
“His eyes weren’t going from left to right, as you see on common overdoses of hallucinogenics,” Dr Lafleche says. “He was more just overly sleepy. He was fine. There were no complications. But I was just flabbergasted. A chocolate bar? I think it was called something like a Choca-dot bar?”
The brand is actually Polkadot Bar. And they’ve become increasingly common in the psychedelic grey market. As more states open up laws around cannabis, Polkadot Bars and a range of other magic mushroom containing-candies – including One-Up Bars, Holy Grail Bars, Magic Bars and Mushie Gummies – have become common, under-the-counter offerings in cannabis boutiques, smoke shops and corner bodegas. The bars come in a range of flavours, from Ferrero Rocher, Twix and Fruity Pebbles to matcha, blueberry acai and “strawnana”.
Number of US children who accidentally ate cannabis rose by 1,375% in last five years Read moreThe cartoonish Wonka Bar-like packaging may entice the average child, who, as in the case of the Florida six-year-old, may well eat an entire bar without heeding that each package “contains 4 grams of mushroom”.
“I have noticed a disturbing number of social media posts of Instagram profiles, promoting the availability of psilocybin chocolates/candies for sale,” says Dr Daniel Sudakin, a board-certified medical toxicologist working in Oregon, which recently instituted a legal framework for psilocybin therapy clinics statewide. “Similar to cannabis edibles, if psilocybin products look like candy and/or are labeled like candy, and have no protective packaging, it is inevitable that these products will get into the wrong hands.”
Earlier this year, in the heart of Pennsylvania’s Amish Country, a man was charged with child endangerment after a three-year-old in his care consumed the bulk of a psychoactive candy bar, procured from an unattended backpack. Emergency responders noted that the child, who had been vomiting, was woozy, semi-alert and nauseous. Recently, in central Tennessee, several middle-schoolers were sent to a local hospital after ingesting mushroom chocolate.
How do you say to a two-year-old, ‘Yes, you are tasting colours’?
This is hardly a new phenomenon. An early modern account of accidental mushroom poisoning can be found in the reporting of the English physician Dr Edward Brande. In a 1799 letter to the London Medical and Physical Journal, he reported on his eight-year-old son unknowingly consuming a “tea saucerful” of hallucinogenic fungi, and being beset in turn by “a great degree of stupor” and “fits of immoderate laughter”. More contemporary data confirms similar effects: confusion, nausea, lethargy and hallucinations.
“When you’re looking at toxicology you’re looking at how much you’re ingesting compared to the patient’s body size,” says Dr Meghan Martin, a paediatric emergency medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins All Children’s hospital in St Petersburg, Florida. The toxicological risks of overdosing are, thankfully, vanishingly small, but there is danger of risky behaviour when children are unsupervised, and of vivid hallucinations. “Because kids have a smaller body size, the effects that we see on a child are potentially greater.” Martin notes that the effects typically do not require medical treatment beyond observation, except in the event of “significant hallucinations”, in which case the children may require sedation.
“A lot of the times the kiddos are seeing things they’re usually scared of,” she says. “It’s bugs and snakes and monsters. They have very vivid imaginations.”
Jimmy Leonard, assistant director of the Maryland poison control center in Baltimore and co-author of an exhaustive survey of psychedelic incidents across America’s poison control centers explains that children admitted for accidental ingestion can often not be easily reasoned with. “How do you say to a two-year-old, ‘Yes, you are tasting colours?’” he says. “Essentially, if they are incredibly high, they are inconsolable.”
Data provided to the Guardian by the National Poison Data System shows a modest uptick in children under the age of 12 admitted to poison centres for accidentally ingesting hallucinogenic mushrooms: from 12 cases in December 2022 up to 22 in April 2023. (The data does not distinguish between children who consumed whole, dried mushrooms and those who ingested the drugs in candy form.) Of these cases, 91.3% occurred at the patients’ residences. These are not exactly alarming, “think-of-the-children” numbers. (Some may consider 22 cases, in a nation with 50 million-plus children under age 12, “statistically irrelevant”.) None were fatal. Martin notes that psychological risks are actually decreased in children, as their exposure to these drugs is usually accidental and a one-off occurrence. “Generally a limited ingestion, once or twice, would not have significant long-term issues.”
For all their trippy, mind-expanding and (more recently) therapeutic potential, magic mushrooms are relatively safe. In fact, a 2017 Global Drug Survey showed magic mushrooms were “one of the safest drugs in the world”, with only 0.2% of adult respondents requiring medical treatment. Like other psychedelics, magic mushrooms are generally not considered addictive. But even the modest increase in incidence –and the more notable proliferation of these candies more generally – speaks to larger issues in the country’s emerging, normalised-but-unregulated, destigmatised-but-not-quite-decriminalised psychedelics market.
Data shows a modest increase in kids admitted to poison centres after ingesting mushrooms. Illustration: Marta Parszeniew
O n a random, unscientific, midday tour around lower Manhattan, in search of psychedelic chocolates stocked at local retailers, this reporter was met with a variation on a theme: “Sold out”; “Polkadot? What’s that?”; “No.” One cannabis dispensary in Midtown produced a single, Lucky Charms-flavoured candy bar, imbued with psychoactive mushrooms. It was the last in stock. Another clerk was kind enough to explain that there had been a supply shortage. “No more mushrooms,” they explained. “They’re really hard to get now.”
Late last year, the NYPD made four arrests related to psilocybin products being illegally sold out of smoke shops and CBD stores. Officers recovered a trove of psychedelic products: some 1,500 pills, dozens of bags of branded raw mushrooms, and psilocybin-containing gummies and candy bars, recovered in the instantly recognisable, super-colorful wrapping. When I asked a cashier at an East Village smoke shop if these recent busts had put the fear into more audacious shops – those willing to face serious prison time for trafficking a drug that, however “normalised”, is nonetheless illegal in New York state and falls under schedule I of the United States Controlled Substances Act – he shrugged.
This seeming drought has hardly shut down other avenues of supply. On a sunny afternoon in Washington Square Park, dealers post up at folding tables under the statue of the Italian unification advocate Giuseppe Garibaldi. They sell gnarled, purple-blue shrooms from mason jars, completely at ease among the the usual cavalcade of artists, leatherworkers, pot dealers, panhandlers and bleary-eyed beardos hawking tarot card readings.
A few blocks away, on St Mark’s Place, one man moves drugs the old-fashioned way: leaning on a wrought iron fence, fiddling around with a phone, flatly announcing “magic mushrooms, psychedelics …”
In a marketplace with such apparently high demand, mushroom chocolates are tantalising. For one, the flavouring masks the rather pungent taste of uncooked mushrooms, which users have compared to “nutty dirt”, “feet” and “beautiful, magical shit”. For another, when shared in public, these bars are relatively inconspicuous (“It’s just a chocolate bar, officer”). Brands like Polkadot also offer helpful dosage guidelines for neophyte trippers: one to three pieces to “stimulate the mind”; four to nine for a “therapeutic” dose; and 10 to 15 to reach “god mode” (“Walls might melt,” the package advises).
For adults taking them intentionally, the biggest issue (beyond illegality, being caught with one of these bars would, most everywhere in the US, merit the harshest criminal penalties under current drug laws) is quality. Because these products are illegal and unregulated, it can be difficult to verify their authenticity, or if they even contain psilocybin. Knock-offs of Polkadot’s trademark wrappers are sold in bulk, on Amazon and elsewhere, alongside foil wrapping, chocolate molds and other tools for the at-home confectioner.
Each girl brings her own strengths and weaknesses to the squad, making them a well-rounded team. They learn to work together, combining their powers and skills to create powerful attacks and strategies. This collaboration showcases the value of teamwork and unity. The friendships formed within the magical girl friendship squad are also portrayed as lasting and meaningful. The girls share unforgettable experiences together and create countless memories. They celebrate victories, comfort each other during defeats, and grow together as individuals. This emphasis on friendship demonstrates the importance of having a support system and the impact it can have on personal growth. While the magical girl friendship squad fights against various adversaries, the focus is not just on the battles themselves. The stories delve into the personal lives of the characters, exploring their dreams, aspirations, and insecurities. This adds depth to the narrative and allows viewers and readers to connect with the magical girls on a deeper level. In conclusion, the concept of the magical girl friendship squad showcases the power of friendship, teamwork, and personal growth. It offers an inspiring and heartwarming narrative that resonates with audiences. These stories serve as a reminder of the significance of surrounding oneself with supportive friends and the strength that can be derived from such relationships..
Reviews for "Exploring the Role of Society In Magical Girl Friendship Squad"
1. Emily - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with Magical Girl Friendship Squad. The animation was lackluster, the characters were one-dimensional, and the humor fell flat. I was expecting a fun and entertaining show, but instead, I found it to be juvenile and predictable. The plot was stretched thin and felt forced, and the dialogue was cringe-worthy at times. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this show to anyone looking for a well-crafted and enjoyable animated series.
2. Mike - 1 star - This show is a total waste of time. The writing is terrible, the animation is cheap, and the characters are annoying. I couldn't even make it through the first episode without feeling like my brain was turning to mush. The attempts at humor were cringeworthy and the storyline was nonsensical. Save yourself the agony and skip Magical Girl Friendship Squad - it's a complete disaster.
3. Sarah - 2 stars - I had high hopes for Magical Girl Friendship Squad based on the premise, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The animation was lackluster and the character designs were uninspired. The humor was forced and often felt like it was trying too hard to be edgy. The characters lacked depth and their motivations were unclear. Overall, this show failed to live up to its potential and left me feeling disappointed.
4. John - 3 stars - Magical Girl Friendship Squad had its moments, but overall, it was a letdown. The animation was decent, but the writing needed work. The jokes often missed the mark and the plot felt disjointed. The characters had potential, but they weren't fully developed. While there were some funny moments, they were overshadowed by the overall lackluster execution. I wouldn't recommend this show unless you're a die-hard fan of the genre and have exhausted all other options.