User:DesaMatt/Toad Rework
- This page is about the main individual character in the Super Mario franchise. For the species, see Toad (species). For other uses, see Toad (disambiguation).
- "Kinopio" redirects here. For the mascot of Nintendo's official LINE account, see Kinopio-kun. For the jigsaw puzzle, see Kinopio (jigsaw puzzle).
- Not to be confused with Toady.
| Toad Rework | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 | |
| Species | Toad |
| First appearance | Super Mario Bros. (1985, retroactively) Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988, originally) |
| Latest appearance | The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) (originally) |
| Latest portrayals | Laila Berzins[1] (2025–present) Keegan-Michael Key (2023, 2026) |
- “No matter what happens, just remember: we're ALL winners!”
- —Toad, Fortune Street
Toad is a major recurring character in the Super Mario franchise. He is a loyal and cheerful citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom, and a friend to Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and much of the cast of characters. Toad often realizes the purpose of representing his species, which share the same appearance and name as him, the Toads. He can be told apart from his fellows by certain design details or by a more significant role. Super Mario Bros. 2 marks his first appearance as a singular Toad character with a characterization that he does not share with his species. Despite this, multiple resources state that he is among the Mushroom Retainers present in Super Mario Bros..
Toad shares similarities with the character of Captain Toad. Despite this, sources conflict on if they are the same character or otherwise. Despite this, sources conflict on the nature of their relation to each other.
General information
Identity
Due to sharing his name and design with the rest of his species, which are abundant in the Super Mario franchise, Toad's exact appearances are difficult to determine. This nature of his character is accentuated in Japanese versions, as the language does not have plural forms, and thus any mention of the word 「キノピオ」 Kinopio (Toad) could potentially refer to either as singular character or the whole species.
Toad is usually set apart by a special role and focus, uniquely from other Toads. Mario Power Tennis introduced the distinction of Toad being the only one to have red spots and a blue rest, the original design for the Mushroom Retainers in Super Mario Bros., whereas generic Toads had matching colors between their spots and vests (often red, blue, yellow, green, and purple). This trait carried over to various games subsequently released. The Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, the Mario & Sonic series, the Mario Kart series starting with Mario Kart Wii, the Mario Party series starting with Mario Party 9, and the Super Mario series starting with Super Mario 3D Land. As well as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and general marketing of the franchise. However, this distiction is not always consistent. Despite games from the Super Mario series from Super Mario 3D Land to Super Mario Run adhering to this, Super Mario Odyssey contradicts, and features all generic Toads in the game with the same design as Toad. Super Mario 3D World and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! also depict Toad and his Mini with blue spots, rather than red.
A distinction only present in Japanese versions is Toad's usage of the first-person pronoun 「ぼく」 boku, which gives his dialogue a particular jovial and boyish tone, as opposed to generics of his species which tend to use 「あたし」 watashi, a more tonally neutral pronoun.
Physical description
Toad, like other Toads, is a humanoid being with a light skin complexion, short stature, chubby body, oval-dotted black eyes with no visible sclera, and a a mushroom cap on top of his head that is slightly tilted to the back that somewhat resembles a turban. Despite his many similarities with a human, the most notable differences are his lack of visible nose and ears. He wears a blue waist-high vest with no sleeves, brown shoes with a light-brown soles, and white harem pants that resemble diapers. His general design seemingly take influence from middle eastern culture. Starting from Mario Party 4, his vest was given a gold rim. The mushroom bulb on top of his head has been the subject of much confusion, as it resembles both a hat and a connected part of his body. Most accounts treat is as a body part, though on occasion it is made a removable accessory, even if only as part of a joke. The coloration of his spots as well as his vest have also faced inconsistency. By default, the spots are red and the vest is blue, but a few appearances swap the colors up.
Toad wears a variety of alternate outfits across the franchise, such as attire appropriate for specific scenarios such as for golfing in Mario Golf: Super Rush Aces or for playing tennis in Mario Tennis Aces. A Most of his designs keep the motif of his main color being blue or red.
Personality and traits
Toad is most often portrayed as being very happy and supportive; commonly being shown with a wide smile in various official artwork. He is always available to help those he calls his friends in any way he can. Despite his notable kindness, cheerfulness, and loyalty, he has somewhat of a sarcastic streak and impatience.[2] He is also shown as being capable of being quite naïve and selfish. Toad is easily prone to finding himself in difficult or unlucky situations and panicking, and sometimes being somewhat of a coward. Despite this, Toad is still capable of being brave and rising up to the challenge.
Speech
Toad's voice has gone through many changes throughout the franchise's history. In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Toad speaks with a shrill, raspy voice and a thick Brooklyn accent. In the Super Nintendo Entertainment System version of Wario's Woods, Toad has a voice similar to that of a young adolescent. In the first three Mario Party installments and the Japanese release of Mario Kart 64, Toad's voice is higher-pitched and more childlike. In the English release of Mario Kart 64, he sounds like a small child, often screaming in a high voice or cheering in his speech. From Super Mario Advance onward (as a result of Jen Taylor being introduced as his new voice actress), his voice is slightly deeper and regains the rasp heard in the DIC Entertainment cartoons.
In the games department, Toad's voice was originally portrayed by Tomoko Maruno for the Japanese version of Mario Kart 64 (and later the first three Mario Party titles) and Isaac Marshall for the overseas version. Eventually, Jen Taylor, and then Kelsey Hutchison, played Toad's voice for many installments. His longest running voice actor is Samantha Kelly, who also voiced Princess Peach and Toadette. He is currently voiced by Laila Berzins since Mario Kart World. In tandem with his cheerful personality, Toad is often heard yelling, "Yahoo!", "Woohoo!", or "Yeah!"
Powers and abilities
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In Super Mario Bros. 2, despite his diminutive size, Toad is stronger than the Mario Bros., pulling Vegetables and Coins out of the ground faster than any other character. Toad is also a very fast character, having the highest speed of the group as well. These strengths were again seen in Super Mario 3D World. This is further influenced in the Mario Kart series, where he is a lightweight character and very often an extremely fast one. However, both Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario 3D World also acknowledges the fact that Toad has very weak jumps. In spite of his limited jumping power, Toad is capable of performing the Power Squat Jump ability in Super Mario Bros. 2 to surpass this limitation. Wario's Woods gives him the unique ability to walk up walls, but this ability has not been seen since. Toad uses a Hammer in Mario Party 3, but this too has not been seen recently.
His appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a shield for Princess Peach further hints at the fact that he has good endurance. Toad also has access to Mario's power-ups and is skilled at riding Yoshis. He is generally considered an expert on items, often giving Mario power-ups and telling him what he needs to do. Toad has also been shown to be able to perform a spin jump as seen in games such as Mario Sports Mix.
Toad has a unique ability to emit spores, though this is not commonly shown. This ability is given a preview in the earlier games when he is hit by a powerful force as seen in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64 and the Super Smash Bros. series (though it is the latter game series that he is shown to be able to use this technique as an offensive attack). Mario Sports Mix further explores Toad's hidden talent by allowing him to use spores to cause mushrooms to sprout from the ground. Toad is capable of using this move as a recovery move. Toad is also able to create a shield of spores as a deflective move. Additionally, Toad's special move in this game involves him emitting many spores to cause gargantuan mushrooms to grow from the ground. These large mushrooms are then able to move in a rotational pattern, and are able to knock out any opponent who attempts to get closer to the mushrooms. Toad completes his attack by throwing a shot full of fungi material at his goal.
Toad is later seen to be able to use a variety of power-ups in Super Mario 3D World such as the Fire Flower and Super Bell, to gain forms such as Fire Toad and Cat Toad.
Additionally, episodes of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 occasionally had Toad using Power-Ups such as in "The Fire of Hercufleas" where he uses a Fire Flower, and in "The Ugly Mermaid" where he spends the entire episode in a Frog Suit. He is even one of five characters (the other four being Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Wario) who can turn into different, more powerful forms; he becomes Super Toad when touching a Fire Flower and the Toad Warrior when touching a Starman.
Roles
Often, Toad is made into a tutorial-type character or host, who introduces the player to the game (such as in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour). Rarely, he plays the role of side-kick and is occasionally a full-fledged hero. He is also occasionally a "damsel-in-distress" (but never the main one). He is usually seen as a helper, giving items and performing various other duties, such as running Toad's Houses in Super Mario Bros. 3. His role as a tutorial character and as Peach's caretaker seems to have recently been taken over by Toadsworth. However, this replacement has allowed Toad to take more active roles in the Super Mario games such as having him being the host of the Toad House areas. While he is often featured as a playable character within the various Super Mario spin-off titles, he sometimes plays the role of the referee within some titles.
Relationships
Family
Although Toad's family has not been extensively explored, some members have been shown. Most of them have appeared in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. In "Mind Your Mummy Mommy, Mario", Toad has an unnamed cousin who sells maps in Desert Land. In "Tag Team Trouble", Toad has two cousins: professional wrestlers Mushroom Marauder and Jake the Crusher Fungus. In "Escape from Koopatraz", Toad's grandfather, Gramps, is shown, who used to be a prisoner at Koopatraz State Prison for over 54 years, but he, Mario, Luigi, and Toad found a way to escape. In the same episode, Toad's father, Moldy, was mentioned. In a joke interview in issue 135 of the UK edition of Nintendo Official Magazine, Toad mentions a former wife of his, with whom he broke up because he found her sleeping with a Bob-omb.[3]
Friends
- Mario Bros.
Mario and Luigi are good friends with Toad. They are respected by him for their bravery and heroism. Toad often supports them in their adventures and goes alongside them. Sometimes, Toad is characterized as not looking up to Luigi as much as he does Mario.
Toad is good friends with Mario and Luigi. He respects their bravery and heroism, although some games reveal that he does not look up to Luigi as much as Mario. In most games, however, Toad is nothing but loyal to both Mario Bros., often aiding them in their journeys and even fighting alongside them in Super Mario Bros. 2. In the cartoons and most of the comics, Toad acts as a sidekick and constant companion for the brothers during their heroic adventures. In the aforementioned Satellaview magazine, however, Toad crosses a line with Mario by engaging in perverse activity with his friend's love interest.
- Princess Peach
Toad is Princess Peach's obedient servant. While he is not as doting as Toadsworth, he cares for her deeply and would do anything for her. When teamed up, the two are even called "Royal Family" in Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 6 and "Loyal Friends" in Mario Party 8. In the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "The Bird! The Bird!," Peach claims that Toad has protected her "over a hundred times" from Bowser's army before the Mario Bros. arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom, and actively helps in saving him from a misguided Birdo. However, Toad is not nearly as valiant in the games: his fear of Bowser is much more pronounced than in the cartoons, and he often ends up kidnapped just the same as Peach or is simply reduced to running to the Mario Bros. for help. The Super Smash Bros. series (up until Ultimate) has depicted Toad as very reluctant and unwilling to be used as a counter by Peach as part of one of her special attacks. Although Toad is simply friends with Peach and generally exhibits no romantic affection towards her in most Super Mario media, his appearance in a virtual magazine for the Satellaview depicts Toad having romantic and sexual relationships with Peach.
- Toadette
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Toadette is introduced as Toad's partner and continues to fill that role in many subsequent releases. The two get along and care about each other, though the exact nature of their relationship is disputed, with guide books for Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8 referring to them as siblings, while most other sources suggest that they are merely good friends.
- Other friends
While he is not as close to Princess Daisy as he is to Peach, Toad has still shown himself to be a true friend to her as well, such as jumping to her defense when she is turned into a statue in Mario Super Sluggers.
Enemies
Like Bowser, Toad is shown to be afraid of Wario and holds him in contempt. The two had a direct confrontation in Wario's Woods and share bad chemistry in the baseball games. While Toad and Birdo were initially foes in Super Mario Bros. 2, she becomes one of his strongest allies in Wario's Woods, where she provides encouragement for him. The only Mario Party series team name they have shared is "Surprise Attackers".
Themes
History
- Main article: History of Toad
In the main Super Mario series of platformer titles, Toad has taken on both the role of a playable character and the role of a supporting character depending on the game. He is also commonly featured in various spin-off titles, such as the Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Golf, and Mario Tennis series, usually in a playable capacity.
Profiles and statistics
- Main article: List of Toad profiles and statistics
Bio from The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 Writers Bible
Toad was left on his own at an early age, and managed to survive on the streets of many magic lands by his quick wit and fast feet. He met the princess when he was delivering pizzas and attempting to sell encyclopedias to the Mushroom Kingdom Palace. She was so impressed by his eagerness to improve himself, that she got him a job in the royal kitchen. And when King Koopa took over the Mushroom Kingdom, and the princess was cast on the streets, Toad repaid her kindness by serving as her guide, loyal servant, and diplomatic adviser. He's not too sure the Mario Bros. know what they're doing, and often launches his own counterplan, which sometimes saves their hides, and sometimes, doubles their jeopardy. Toad is street smart, very bright and totally resourceful. All in all, he's exactly the kind of Mushroom you'd want guarding your flank in a fireball fight, or facing a clutch of snapping Piranha Plants.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
| Spirit #31 Toad | ||
|
Series/game | Super Mario Series |
| Type | Primary | |
| Slots | 3 | |
| Class | Advanced | |
| Strength / effect(s) | Grab Can be enhanced to Captain Toad at Lv. 99 | |
| How to obtain | Spirit Board; amiibo | |
| Spirit battle | Opponent(s) | Mii Brawler |
| Conditions |
Rule: Item: Mushrooms
| |
| Stage | Princess Peach's Castle | |
| Song | Plucky Pass Beginnings |
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Toad Rework.
Portrayals
Toad has been voiced by the following people:
- John Stocker – The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
- Rosen Rusev (Bulgarian)
- Luq Hamet (French)
- Hans-Rainer Müller (German)
- Yvónni Metaxáki (Greek)
- Shay Zornitzer (Hebrew)
- Veronica Pivetti (Italian)
- Yoo Ji-young (Korean)
- Oberdan Júnior (Brazilian Portuguese)
- Carlos Íñigo (Latin American Spanish)
- Hasse Johnson (Swedish)
- Johan Hedenberg (Swedish)
- Bruce Sandig – Mario is Missing!
- Tomoko Maruno – Mario Golf (Nintendo 64) (menu only), Mario Kart 64 (Japanese version), Excitebike: Bun Bun Mario Battle (in-game only), Mario Party, Mario Party 2, Mario Party 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit
- Isaac Marshall – Mario Kart 64 (English version)
- Nanae Sumitomo – Satellaview titles, over-air radio voice (1996–1998)
- Jen Taylor – 1999–2006, and archived voice clips
- Samantha Kelly – 2007–2024
- Keegan-Michael Key – The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
- Jorke Broka (Albanian)
- Adham Sayed (Arabic)
- Momchil Stepanov (Bulgarian)
- Jason Chan Chun Sing (Cantonese)
- Albert Trifol Segarra (Catalan)
- Daniel Dizdar (Croatian)
- Vojtěch Hájek (Czech)
- Mark Le Fêvre (Danish)
- Jonas Vermeulen (Flemish Dutch)
- Juliann Ubbergen (Hollandic Dutch)
- Ott Sepp (Estonian)
- Tuomas Uusitalo (Finnish)
- Benoît Brière (Canadian French)
- Emmanuel Garijo (European French)
- Dirk Petricka (German)
- Thános Lékkas (Greek)
- Dedi Zohar (Hebrew)
- Anmay Verma (Hindi)
- Máté Szabó (Hungarian)
- Sigurður Þór Óskarson (Icelandic)
- Byas Maulana Diputra (Indonesian)
- Nanni Baldini (Italian)
- Tomokazu Seki (Japanese)
- Lee Gyeong-tae (Korean)
- Rokas Petrauskas (Lithuanian)
- Aiman Afandi (Malay)
- Yang Tianxiang (Chinese Mandarin)
- Lin Kuo (Taiwanese Mandarin)
- Nahom Feshatzion (Nowergian)
- Szymon Roszak (Polish)
- Eduardo Drummond (Brazilian Portuguese)
- Alexandre Carvalho (European Portuguese)
- Ionuț Grama (Romanian)
- Tatiana Belousova (Russian)
- Lako Nikolić (Serbian)
- Peter Krajčovič (Slovak)
- Uroš Buh (Slovene)
- Miguel Ángel Ruiz (Latin American Spanish)
- David Robles (European Spanish)
- Njol Badjie (Swedish)
- Apichit Likitlimpreecha (Thai)
- Ali Hekimoğlu (Turkish)
- Yevhen Loktionov (Ukranian)
- Lê Quan Nhân (Vietnamese)
- Laila Berzins – 2025-present
Quotes
- Main article: List of Toad quotes
Games
- "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" - Super Mario Bros.
- "Pick a box. Its contents will help you on your way." - Super Mario Bros. 3
- "Cool!" - Wario's Woods (SNES)
- "Winner!" - Wario's Woods (SNES)
- "Lots of people use something called a "door" to go in and out of their houses..." - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- "I'm the best!" - Mario Kart 64
- "Already for a mushroom!" - Super Mario Advance
- "What's this icky paint-like goop?" - Super Mario Sunshine
- "Wa ha haa! I'm the Best! Haha!" - Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
- "Yeah! I'm the winner!" - Mario Party 5
- "Wohoho! I'm the winner!" - Mario Party 6 and 7
- "Toad, won!" - Mario Party 8
- "I'm the winner! Whoo-hoo-hoo!" - Mario Kart Wii
- "Thanks! Here's a gift for you. Just head through the door!" - New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- "Yay! Hm...Blastoff!" - Super Mario 3D Land
- "I can't wait for my promotion! With power and money, I can protect Princess Peach almost as well as Mario does!" - Fortune Street
- "This is a nice shop and all, but might I make a suggestion? Add a mushroom-cap roof!" - Fortune Street
- "Being in first place makes me nervous. Someone is always trying to take me down!" - Fortune Street
- "Okay! Let's do this!" - Super Mario 3D World
- "Come on! Let's go!" - Super Mario 3D World
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
- "I'm warning you, I get airsick. Heeeelp!" - "The Bird! The Bird!"
- "Mommy? You're not my mommy!" - "The Bird! The Bird!"
- "I can't be your little Cheepy, lady! I don't have wings! Look! No wings, no feathers. I'm just a mushroom that can't stand heights!" - "The Bird! The Bird!"
- "Flyin' lessons!? Are you outta your mind!?" - "The Bird! The Bird!"
- "The least that featherbrain could've done was lend me a parachute. Hey! That's it! A parachute!" - "The Bird! The Bird!"
- "Hey! It's me! I mean, him! It's little Cheepy! The Birdo's real lost baby!" - "The Bird! The Bird!"
- "Oh no! I'm not going back up there! Never!" - "The Bird! The Bird!"
- "When I get my hands on that King Koopa, I'll fix his wagon!" - "Butch Mario & The Luigi Kid"
- "I'm no frog. I can't even swim." - "Butch Mario & The Luigi Kid"
- "Bombs awaaaaaaaaaaaayyy!!" - "Butch Mario & The Luigi Kid"
- "Who did you expect? Pee-wee Herman?" - "Rolling Down the River"
- "Hey, man, I’m the Fantastic Fungus! The supercharged Mushroom of Might! I’m the Toad Warrior!" - "Toad Warriors"
- "Give me five. NO! Give me five bomb plants!" - "Toad Warriors"
- "Whoever slows down first, loses!" - "Toad Warriors"
- "You blew that one, Koopa Stoopa!" - "Pirates of Koopa"
- "Some mushroom retainer I turned out to be... I was so close! I couldn't save her..." - "The Trojan Koopa"
- "Naughty turtle, you've been hittin' the sauce again, well, have some more!" - "Count Koopula"
- "Let's make like eggs and SCRAMBLE!!!" - "Mario of the Deep"
- "So much for hope." - "Stars in Their Eyes"
- "Don't do it, Princess! Don't marry Koopa! I'd rather be a rock!" - "Do You Princess Toadstool Take this Koopa...?"
- "Koopa you stoopa! Watch it with the Bob-ombs!" - "The Great Gold Coin Rush"
- "By order of his most royal repulsiveness, the reptile Sheriff of Koopingham! The castle road shall require a toll! In the amount of: One wagon full of gold coins!" - "Hooded Robin and His Mario Men"
List of appearances
Naming
The Japanese name「キノピオ」(Kinopio) was introduced in the instruction booklet for the original Super Mario Bros.[4] There is no distinction between the seven Mushroom Retainers referred to by this name in the booklet and the individual character that appears in Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Kart, Wario's Woods, and other games. Filenames for Toads occasionally romanize the name as "Pinokio",[5] invoking Pinocchio. However, Shigeru Miyamoto has clarified that the similarities between the names are incidental.[6]
Names in other languages
- Main article: List of Toad names in other languages
The contemporaneous name for each language is listed first. Subsequent names are listed in chronological order for each language, from oldest to newest, and have the media with which they are associated in the "Notes" column.
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | キノピオ Kinopio | From「 | [7][8][9][10] | |
| Arabic | تود Tud | Toad | [11] | |
| Bulgarian | Гъбарко Gabarko | Diminutive of гъба (gaba, "mushroom") | [12] | |
| Тоад Toad | Transliteration of the English name | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (VHS dub) | [13] | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 奇诺比奥 Qínuòbǐ'ào (Mandarin) Kèihnohkbéi'ou (Cantonese) | Transliteration of the Japanese name | [14][15][10] | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 奇諾比奧 Qínuòbǐ'ào (Mandarin) Kèihnohkbéi'ou (Cantonese) | [10] | ||
| 小搗蛋 Xiǎodǎodàn (Mandarin) Síudóudáan (Cantonese) | Phono-semantic matching from the English name; literally "little troublemaker" | The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! | [16] | |
| Croatian | Gljivko | Masculine and diminutive form of gljiva ("mushroom") | [17] | |
| Danish | Toad | - | [18][19] | |
| Svamp | Mushroom | The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 | [20] | |
| Dutch | Toad | - | [21][22]:39 | |
| Padje | Diminutive of pad ("toad") | Super Mario Bros. 2 | [24] | |
| Pad | Toad, referring to the amphibian | [25] | ||
| Finnish | Toad | - | [26] | |
| French | Toad | - | [21][22]:13 | |
| Georgian | ტოდ T'od | Toad | [29] | |
| German | Toad | - | [30][31][32][10] | |
| Greek | Τοντ Tont | Transliteration of the English name | [33] | |
| Hebrew | פטריון Patrion | From פטרייה (patriya, "mushroom") with the diminutive suffix ון- (-on) | [34] | |
| Icelandic | Sveppir | Mushroom | [35] | |
| Indonesian | Toad | - | [36] | |
| Italian | Toad | - | [37][38][39] |