User:Wandering Poplin/Possible appearances rework

Welcome! The goal of this project is to figure out how to fix/improve the system used for the "possible appearances" section which was formerly incorporated into Toad's page, and possibly others if needed. For further details about why, I'd recommend you read this discussion first, since it holds a lot of the context for this ordeal.

Have any questions? Perhaps even a suggestion? Feel free to bring it up on the talk page. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

This page needs improvement and is being worked on by Wandering Poplin. Specifically:

• A way of properly addressing the concerns of users who disliked the inherently speculative nature of the feature.
• A easy-to-understand system for what Toads should qualify for inclusion in this section.
• Ensure the entire thing is still up to code with the wiki's quality standards.

Requested improvements must be clear, pertinent, and well-formed. Please refrain from adding bullet points such as "Add more information" or "Write the rest of the article".

Changes

Since the intent is for this page to be an improved version of the original, rather than merely being a direct re-installation, various modifications were made to the section, and are detailed below.

• The name Possible appearances is replaced with a less speculative-sounding title: "Unconfirmed appearances". This was done in response to a one of the previously cited comments from the time.
  • (Perhaps something like "Ambiguous appearances" would be more accurate, but "unconfirmed" sounds more wiki-ish, and better-sounding title.
• All listings now include sections explaining why a "possible Toad appearance" is ambiguous or not. All future inclusions are now required to do so.
• The current version re-formats the "Possible appearances" section as a table, as requested by the rewrite tag present on the section prior to its removal.
  • Due to the limited space, the section appears more brief and concise, but makes it difficult to give anything worthwhile coverage.
  • This version appears to work best when used with screenshots, as sprites and artwork do not tend to convey much about his role in that work.
• All appearances are (currently) sorted in chronological order, regardless of series.

Unconfirmed appearances (Demo version)

For brevity, only a few listings from the original are present in this test version. If the section is successfully re-installed, it will then be expanded to cover other Toads beyond these nine.

	Image	Title	Description
		Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS	The Super Mario 64 instruction booklet mentions that Toad is missing which presumably makes him one of the many Toads trapped within the castle walls, but the Super Mario 64 DS instruction booklet instead indicates that Toad is the first one seen in the game, and is not missing. The Japanese counterparts of these do not mention the character and instead refer to the Toads as a whole. The Player's Guide uses both "Toad" and "Mushroom Retainers" to refer to the Toads that relinquish Power Stars on the second floor and third floor.
		Luigi's Mansion	In Luigi's Mansion, Toad appears among the several Toads found throughout the mansion, although the specific one that is Toad is unknown. The first of them appears in the foyer of the mansion where he can be seen crying. After Luigi comforts him, he informs Luigi that he was sent by Princess Peach in search of Mario in the mansion. However, the Toad states that upon entering the mansion, he became frightened as he could not find Mario. He then decides to help Luigi in his search for Mario by saving the hero's progress. Other Toads can be found in several different locations throughout the game: the second floor Balcony, the first floor Washroom, and the Courtyard. Toad himself is also the one who calls Luigi through the middle telephone in the Telephone Room during the blackout.
		Super Smash Bros. Melee	In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Toad appears as Princess Peach's helper and standard special move. He is pulled out of nowhere and used as a shield. If he gets hit while he is out, he releases spores that damage the enemy. This is the second time Toad has ever displayed this ability throughout his existence (the Nintendo 64 version of Mario Tennis was the first while Mario Sports Mix further explored this ability). If Kirby inhales Princess Peach, he can use Toad in the same way. In Adventure Mode, multiple Toads with the same appearance can be seen running around in a panic, but otherwise cannot be interacted with.
		Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions	In the Nintendo Power guide of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Toad is stated to be the emissary that the player briefly controls in Mario and Luigi's house, who ends up running into a wardrobe after seeing Mario in the shower and can barely inform "P-P-Princess P-P-Peach... P-P-Princess P-P-Peach..." when jumped on by Mario. However, in the Prima Games guide, Toad is instead stated to be the aforementioned as well as the one in the castle who offers tutorial advice against Bowser, who more coherently explains the situation about Princess Peach's voice with the scene's other Toad after the battle.
		Super Princess Peach	Toad also appears as a playable character in two of the mini-games in Super Princess Peach. The first minigame is Toad Jump, which involves a side-scrolling world where Toad must jump over enemies and pits. The only way to control him in this minigame is through blowing into the microphone of the DS. If he is hit by an enemy or falls in a hole, it will trigger an instant loss in the game. The other minigame is named Toad Tote which involves Toad being trapped in a maze-like area that is engulfed in flames with the goal of the mini-game being to help Toad to escape. In the minigame, Toad is controlled utilizing the Stylus and he must avoid the obstacles in the maze which could burn him. In the story mode, Toad is considered to be one of the many Toads who are captured along with Mario and Luigi by the Hammer Bros. and later rescued by Princess Peach. Although it is somewhat ambiguous due to all Toads within the main game sharing the same appearance.
		Super Paper Mario	Toad makes a small appearance in the beginning of Super Paper Mario. Where he had rushed to the Mario Bros.' House to inform them that Princess Peach has been kidnapped and Mushroom Castle has been raided, thus starting the Bros.' adventure to Bowser's Castle and later to save all worlds from The Void. As the Mario Bros. leave on their journey, Toad can be seen wishing the two brothers good luck. Toad also appears as the last Catch Card in this game. However, The bio on Catch Card itself is somewhat ambiguous regarding whether it is referring to the character or the species itself, and multiple Toads with the same design can be seen in Mansion Patrol, and when performing a Stylish move.
		New Super Mario Bros. Wii	Toad is stated to be the Toad encountered in Peach's Castle, where he will offer to show hint movies to the players in exchange for Star Coins. Unlike the later New Super Mario Bros. games, multiple Toads with the same design appear in the opening cutscene, which leaves the identity of the Toad character somewhat ambiguous.
		Super Mario 3D Land	Toads appears within a few select courses in Super Mario 3D Land. He is mainly seen operating the cannons that provide Mario with access to the airship levels, and running the Red Toad Houses where players can obtain power-ups and access the StreetPass option from their Nintendo 3DS. He also hides in some of the levels and will either toss a Star Medal, a Power-Up, or a 1-Up Mushroom close to Mario in order to provide him with help when spotted with binoculars. Unlike other Red Toads in the game, he is generally depicted as the only one with red spots and a blue-colored vest, whereas the others usually have red vests.
		Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon	Toad appears in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon as one of Professor E. Gadd's assistants, along with four other Toads. (blue, yellow, purple, and green) Once King Boo shatters the Dark Moon, all the ghosts in Evershade Valley get hostile and imprison Toad and the others in paintings. It is revealed that Toad was imprisoned in a painting within the Haunted Towers. Unlike the other colored Toads in the game, the design of the Red Toad matches Toad's usual appearance, rather than having a red vest.