Toad

"E-E-E-Emergency situation!"

- Toad

Toad (Japanese キノピオ Kinopio) is Princess Peach's attendant and a long time protector of the Mushroom Kingdom. He is actually a singular character among an entire species of look-alikes (much like Yoshi). He usually has the role of a supporting character who tries to help Mario on his adventures however he is occasionally a playable character and a main protagonist at times as well. He once made many appearances in the mainstream Mario games, but has lately been reduced to being a playable character in the Mario spin-off titles, while Toadsworth has taken over many of his previous roles.

''Super Mario Bros.
Toad made his debut appearance in the game Super Mario Bros.. He plays a rather minor role as one of several Mushroom Retainers that have been kidnapped by Bowser. Like all the other Mushroom Retainers, he gives the infamous line "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" to either Mario or Luigi once they have rescued him. Toad and the other Mushroom Retainers also appear with the same role in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

''Super Mario Bros. 2
Toad's first appearance as a playable character was in the game Super Mario Bros. 2. In the game, he, along with Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool go to a picnic at the beginning of the game. The heroes discover a cave that leads to Subcon. The group then learns that the land is ruled by the tyrannical frog, Wart. Toad, Mario, Luigi, and Peach eventually defeat the evil tyrant. Gameplay-wise, Toad is the worst jumper, but he is extremely fast when it comes to picking vegetables or digging through sand. He also is super speedy, making him the fastest of the four characters. At the end of the game, it is revealed that the events of the game was just Mario's dream.

''Super Mario Bros. 3
For the third installment of the Super Mario Bros. series, Toad's role was again reduced to that of being a non-playable character. He appears as a major ally for Mario by appearing in various Toad Houses throughout the game. In some houses, the player can choose from three treasure chests in the house, each one containing an item. In other houses Toad hosts minigames; if one of the Mario Bros. wins, he obtains some extra lives. Toad Houses reappear in New Super Mario Bros., but they are run by Toadsworth rather than Toad.

''Super Mario 64
Prior to the events of this game, Toad, along with many other Toads, were sealed behind the walls of Princess Peach's Castle by Bowser. Toad plays a rather minor role as the first Toad that Mario meets inside the castle. Once speaking with him, Toad explains to Mario about the situation of Bowser taking over the castle and informs him that he must collect Power Stars to save the Princess. He also points out to Mario the first world where he could collect stars, Bob-omb Battlefield. It is also possible that Toad was one of the two Toads that appeared alongside Peach at the end of the game.

In the remake Super Mario 64 DS, Toad appears with the same role from the original game however he is given more personality as he talks differently to each character (like being scared of Wario and mistaking Luigi for being Mario). Also, if the character loses his cap in one world and gets a star from another world, Toad will be wearing the character's hat and will explain that he supposedly found the cap in the castle. He will then return the character's cap. Toad also makes a few appearences in the mini-games within this game.

New Super Mario Bros.
Although Toad does not appear in New Super Mario Bros., seeing as the Toad Houses in the game are instead run by Toadsworth, he still has official artwork for the game (which was in fact taken from Super Mario 64 DS) and appears in some of the mini-games

Super Mario Galaxy
In likeness to New Super Mario Bros., Toad has official art for Super Mario Galaxy although he does not appear in the game outside various cameos. His cameo appearances include an appearance with Toadette in the intro, the two of them watching the Star Festival. He also appears as one of many icons for a save file.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
While he is not a playable character in the game, Toad still plays a major supporting role in the game. He first appears in the intro of New Super Mario Bros. Wii where he alongside another Toad run into the scene of Peach's kidnapping after the four heroes had left. Toad would then be seen picking up and throwing the large presents containing the Propeller Mushroom and Penguin Suit power-ups into a cannon that the other Toad is supporting. The two Toads then proceed to fire the presents into the Mushroom Kingdom so that Mario and the other heroes have access to the power ups.

While the heroes were on their adventure, Toad receives a letter at the castle from Bowser Jr that informs Toad that all of his minions will be kidnapping any Toads that they find annoying and with an extra side note, Jr threatens Toad to go rescue them alone as his friends (Mario and co.) are not there to help him. With the note, Toad immediately rushes out of Princess Peach's Castle and catches up to Mario just before he enters Larry's first castle. Toad immediately informs Mario about Bowser Jr's note about kidnapping annoying Toads and tells Mario to be on the look out for these kidnapped Toads inside of ? Blocks. If Luigi, Blue Toad or Yellow Toad are alongside Mario at this time, Toad will return back to the castle safely. However, if there is only Mario at the scene, a Giant Goomba will suddenly appear from behind a bush as Toad prepares to leave. This Goomba will immediately kidnap Toad causing Mario to go and rescue him, thus starting his first Toad rescue mission in the game (if he is alone). After he is rescued, Toad can be found back at Princess Peach's Castle where he will offer to show help videos to the players in exchange for star coins.

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Likewise in the first game, Toad's confirmed appearances in this game consist of being on the box art of Super Mario Galaxy 2 as well as his head resuming it's place as one of the many save icons for the game. Like in the first game, it is often speculated that he may be the Toad Brigade Captain due to their similarities and the captain's bios for the game which relate him to being Toad. Read more about this below in the "Confusion with Appearances" section.

Mario Sports Mix
Toads can be seen in the trailer in a varity of colors. In some stages of the Dodgeball game and Basketball game, a Blue-spotted Toad holds a camera for TV, and a green-spotted Toad is the referee for the dodgeball game. In even some instances, a red-spotted and a blue-spotted Toad can be seen as part of the auidience.

Wario's Woods
Toad is the main character of Wario's Woods, a Nintendo puzzle game. In the game, Wario is attacking the Mushroom Kingdom with the help of various monsters. Meanwhile, Toad had been taking a walk in the area which he had thought was Toadstool's Garden but in reality it was actually Wario's Woods, the area where Wario was trying to take over. While in the woods, he gets helped by Birdo and a fairy named Wanda. Throughout the adventure, Toad would have to stack up the various minions that Wario sent out and would have to use different colored bombs to attempt to defeat them. While Toad was fighting, Wanda would provide the bombs for Toad to use while Birdo would provide encouragement for Toad to keep going on. However there are times when Wario would appear to cause Toad trouble. He would appear on the screen in Birdo's place by getting rid of Birdo temporarily and replace Wanda with a pidgit who in turn would supply more monsters for Toad instead of bombs. Along the way, Toad also had to face several other bosses (such as Akuman and Meidou) who would attempt to stop Toad. At the end of the game Toad faces Wario himself, and eventually defeats him. After defeating Wario, Toad chases him out of the woods, restoring peace to the area. Throughout the game, Toad shows different abilities including his superhuman strength from Super Mario Bros. 2 which he would use to carry the large monsters and bombs (he could even carry large stacks of them with ease). He also showed the unique ability to run up walls in this game as well.

In the SNES version of the game, Toad not only had to face Wario but as well as several others who would serve as mini-bosses in the game. Toad's voice was first heard in this game and it is unusually deep. Toad's abilities from the original version reappear in this game as well. The ending for this version however is much different from the original as Toad would not be chasing Wario out of the woods as instead Toad would throw a bomb right at Wario's castle causing the castle as well as Wario to go crashing down. Soon a message would be given and it would state that thanks to Toad's efforts, the woods had returned to peace and that all the monsters were turned back to normal as Wario's spell (referred to as a nightmare in the game) over them had finally lifted.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Toad is an adviser to the Chancellor of the Mushroom Kingdom. He appears throughout the game to offer Mario tutorials on how to accomplish certain tasks.

Prior to the events of the game, he was sent by the Chancellor to pick up Princess Toadstool, who was visiting Mario at his house. However, when Toad arrives, no one is to be found. Soon, an object appears in the sky and crashes into Mario's house. The object is none other than Mario, who was just ejected from Bowser's Keep by the giant sword, Exor. Toad asks Mario to return to the castle to rescue the Princess. However, when Mario arrives, Exor destroys the bridge to the castle, preventing any access to the keep.

As such, Mario returns to his pad and tells Toad the bad news. Toad decides the pair will have to journey to the Mushroom Kingdom to inform the Chancellor about Bowser's Keep and Princess Peach. As they are leaving, Toad accidentally bumps into Mario and does one HP worth of damage. Toad quickly apologizes and then teaches Mario about items and Timed Hits. Additionally, Toad gives Mario four Mushrooms before they journey into the Goomba-infested Mushroom Way. As soon as Toad enters Mushroom Way, he is captured by a group of Goombas. However, Mario promptly rescues him and he quickly rewards Mario with some Honey Syrup. However, when Toad enters the next area of the passageway, he is quickly kidnapped by a Sky Troopa. Once again, Mario saves Toad and, once again, Mario is rewarded (this time, he gets a Flower Tab). Right before the exit to the Mushroom Kingdom, Toad is captured by the Hammer Bros., the leaders of the Koopa Troop's forces in Mushroom Way. Ultimately, Mario defeats the Hammer Bros., frees Toad, and accompanies Toad to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Later, during the invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom by Mack and the Shysters, Toad hides, very frightened, in the Princess's bedroom in the castle.

When Mario is taking a nap at the Rose Town inn, Toad visits him to deliver a Flower Tab. If Mario chooses to sleep with the Dream Cushion at the Inn in Nimbus Land, he would sometimes dream of Toad revealing himself to be a monster (in this case, a Greaper). Mario initially becomes frightened of Toad when he comes to visit, but the fear is gone once Toad gives him a Red Essence.

Later, in the Factory, Toad, having through unknown means traveled to and through Bowser's Keep, appears to support Mario and sell him useful items. Why Toad didn't just give these needed items to Mario for free (as he did before) is unknown.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Toad has a very brief and often overlooked playable appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. After Cackletta steals Peach's voice, he runs to find Mario. The player takes control of Toad and is able to look around Mario's house until they find him. Mario is found in the shower, so Toad quickly runs out of the bathroom in embarrassment. In his haste, he runs straight into a wardrobe and falls unconscious. Toad does not regain consciousness until he is jumped on repeatedly by Mario, after which he is able to quickly inform Mario of the Princess's plight (although he only mutters "P-P-Princess P-P-Peach... P-P-Princess P-P-Peach...").

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
"No sign of the Princess! No! No! NOOOOOOOO! That awful monster..."

- Toad

In the beginning of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Toad (who refers himself as simply Toad) along with Mario, Luigi, and several other Toads can be seen awaiting for Princess Peach to return from her time travelling experinece at Princess Peach's Castle and while waiting, Mario and co. began to ask questions to Professor E. Gadd about his latest invention, the time machine. This was due to the fact that Princess Peach along with her two Toad accompliances (Toadiko and Toadbert had decided to take the machine for a spin to go back to the past and then return back. Though the professor assured the group that Peach will soon return, Toadsworth soon falls unconscious while worrying about the safety of the princess. At this time, Toad asks for Mario to fetch a refreshroom in order to help Toadsworth regain his consciousness back. After Mario had returned with the mushroom, Toadsworth immediately awakes and this occurs right at the time when E. Gadd's time machine had finally returned from it's time travelling.

The time machine appears in heavilly damaged state and this causes the group to investigate more closer until finally the door of the machine opens. Instead of Peach, a Junior Shrooboid appears from the machine and this apperance of the alien causes all the other Toads (except for Toadsworth and Toad himself) to flee from the main hall. After Mario had defeated the monster, Toad bravely enters inside the time machine to check if the princess was still inside it. Unfortunately, he did not find anything and immediately begins to panic. However at this time, E. Gadd announces that a new Time Hole had appeared outside of the castle. Before following the professor, Toad turns back to the Mario bros. and asks Luigi if he would like to guard the unconscious Junior Shrooboid so that it does not harm anyone while they went to investigade. However, Luigi immediately refuses which causes Toad to be a tad upset but before he leaves, he asks Luigi to perform a jump to see if he was ready for the adventure. After Luigi had performed a successful jump, Toad would then go outside to see the Time Hole. The Mario bros. soon appear as well to join Toad and the professor to look at the odd hole. Immediately, Toadsworth appears out of nowhere while shouting out Mario's name but instead he slams into the Time Hole's base causing Luigi to fall in and be pulled back in time to the shock of Mario, Toad and E. Gadd. Mario then immediately jumps in after his brother, thus beginning their adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom of the past.

For the rest of the game, Toad can be found back at Peach's castle in the Mushroom Kindgom of the present and he can be visited at any time after the Mario bros. had retrieved a Cobalt Star. He can seen in the main hall alongside professor E. Gadd. while Toad can be seen watching the professor analyze the cobalt stars, his main job was to guard the tube containing the Junior Shrooboid (the same one that Mario had defeated earlier on) so that the monster would not escape. In the ending of the game, Toad along with the Mario bros., Princess Peach, professor E. Gadd and Toadsworth can be seen bidding farewell to the baby bros., Toadsworth the Younger and Baby Peach as they use the rebuilt time machine to travel back to the Mushroom Kingdom of the past.

Super Princess Peach
In the intro of Super Princess Peach, Toad is kidnapped along with Mario and Luigi by the Hammer Bros. They are soon transported to Bowser's castle where he locks the three in the dungeon. The lead Hammer Bro. refers to Toad as "a mushroom-headed loud-mouth" when he informs Bowser of the captures.

Toad also appears in 2 of the mini games in the game. 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 mini game is through blowing into the microphone of the DS. If he is hit by an enemy, it will trigger an instant death. 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 mini game, Toad is controlled utilising the Stylus and he must avoid the obstacles in the maze which could burn him.

Super Paper Mario
In the beginning of Super Paper Mario, Mario and Luigi, bored and looking for adventure one lazy morning, decide to visit Princess Peach. However, on their way out the door they are stopped by Toad, who had rushed to Mario's 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.

Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Toad accompanies the character of the Player's choice, Mario or Luigi. He helps either plumber on their quest to get the Music Keys from Wario, Waluigi and Bowser. He also appears in the background of the first song, "Here We Go!". He tries to help obtain the lost keys, but is not entirely successful as he is non-violent throughout the game. He does, however, tell Mario or Luigi what he needs to do, and when he needs to do it (as seen during the battle with Freezie).

Mario Pinball Land
Toad aids Mario in the spin-off title, Mario Pinball Land. He runs Toad's Tent, a secret location accessed when a transformed Pinball Mario hits Toad on one of the various levels in the game. Once inside the tent, Mario can buy items from Toad that can help him in his adventure.

Mario Kart series
Toad is playable in Super Mario Kart, as a lightweight character. His signature color is blue(his vest) since Mario occupies red. His special ability is throwing Poison Mushrooms that make another player shrink when hit. He is also playable in Mario Kart 64, where he is given his own track, Toad's Turnpike. He has also been playable in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario Kart Arcade GP, and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.

Toad is given a partner in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Toadette. He and Toadette's special items are Golden Mushrooms. Along with their kart, the Toad Kart, Toad and Toadette are unlockable and can be unlocked by completing the Special Cup on the 100cc mode.

In Mario Kart DS, Toad is a default character. Alongside being playable in Grand Prix mode, Toad is the main character in one of the races in Mission Mode. In this mission, Toad races the Goomboss, along with many other missions.

Toad takes to the wheel once again in Mario Kart Wii, as a small-sized driver. He has his own track in this game, Toad's Factory. Toad is given a good acceleration and drift bonus, which makes vehicles like the Cheep Charger and Bullet Bike accelerate and drift better than normal.

Mario Party series
In Mario Party and Mario Party 2, Toad is the main host and the character that awards the Players with Stars. In Mario Party 3, he is replaced by Tumble, but still appears to give out items and as Princess Peach's partner in Battle Mode. He seems to be somewhat of a rival for Baby Bowser (Koopa Kid) in this game; they both run an item shop and they both occasionally ride down to the player on stars and ask questions. If answered correctly, Toad or Baby Bowser would award the Player with an item. Toad rides a standard gold Star while Baby Bowser rides a black one.

He continues his role as host in Mario Party 4 even having his own board like the other co-hosts, Toad's Midway Madness. One can also unlock him in the Beach Volley Folley mini-game. However, in Mario Party 5 he was promoted to being a playable character in Party Mode. He has been playable in every Mario Party game since then, except for Mario Party Advance.

In Mario Party Advance, Toad acts as co-host, along with E. Gadd, Toadette, and Tumble. In the beginning of the game, Toad is attacked by Bowser and a Koopa Kid just as he is about to show the player all of the game's Mini-games and Gaddgets. The sudden attack spreads the items all across Shroom City, setting the main "story mode" of the game into action.

In addition to these roles, Toad is also one of eleven Mario characters playable in the crossover game, Itadaki Street DS, and was also playable in the portable installment, Mario Party DS.

WarioWare series
In WarioWare: Touched!, Toad makes a small cameo in level three of Wario-Man's microgame You Scratch Mine, alongside Mario and, of course, Wario.

Mario Tennis series
Toad's makes his first appearance in the Mario Tennis sub-series as a default character in the lesser-known Virtual Boy game Mario's Tennis. A better known role is his appearance in Mario Tennis for the N64 as a technique player, where he is once again playable from the very beginning. Although he does not actually appear in Mario Tennis' Game Boy Color Version he can be transferred into the game with a Transfer Pack.

He, along with Toadette, also appears on a scoreboard for a tennis tournament in the opening movie of Mario Power Tennis, but they are not playable in the game. As well, Toad appears on the main menu screen when setting up a match.

Mario Golf series
Although Toad has never been a playable character in any Mario Golf game, he has appeared as a host. During the opening cinematic to Mario Golf, Toad makes a short appearance waving a flag in the heavy rough where Luigi had hit his ball. He appears on the main menu screen of Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour as well as in the corner of the screen while golfing in any mode.

Game & Watch Gallery series
Throughout the Game & Watch Gallery series, Toad has been featured in nearly all of the installments. In most of the games, Toad just appears as a non-playable character who often must be rescued by the other heroes. However, in Game & Watch Gallery 3, Toad is the protagonist of his own game Turtle Bridge. This game involves Toad delivering packages to Mario and Peach while crossing a bridge full of Goonies.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Toad makes a small appearance in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games as one of several of the referees in the game from the Mario series.

He also appears in the sequel, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games which features him again as a referee. However in the DS version of the game, Toad appears in the story mode and is the first person for Mario & Sonic to meet in Frostown. He excitedly joins their party, acting mainly as a guide for the adventure (Toad states himself that he will not be able to do much once he agrees to join them).

Super Smash Bros. series
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Toad appears as Princess Peach's helper. He can be pulled out of nowhere and used as a shield. One of Peach's trophies says not to worry about him, as it is his job to protect her. If Kirby inhales Princess Peach, then he too can use Toad. He also has a trophy in his likeness. In the sequel Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Toad is once again a protector of Princess Peach, used as her standard Special move.

Confusion with Appearances
Many red-spotted Toads appear throughout the Mushroom Kingdom and other locales, and are often confused to be the actual character named Toad. It is mistaken that Toad makes appearances in games such as Mario Smash Football where there are many characters that look identical to Toad, but are just generic members of the species. This section will list his possible appearances.

In the instruction booklet for Super Mario Sunshine, the red Toad is labeled singularly as "Peach's attendant" and names him as "Toad", leading to the possibility that the red-vested Toad in the game is in fact Toad. Despite there also being a Noki and Pianta on the characters page, these two have the description "Isle Delfino Residents" in the plural form. Toad's description here is more like Toadsworth's which reads "Peach's longtime steward".

The Toad Brigade leader in Super Mario Galaxy has some resemblance to Toad. In addition to being an important Toad in a leadership role, and having red spots, the Toad Brigade leader also provides Mario with kindness and assistance whenever possible. He is also very trying, yet cowardly, much like Toad is. This has lead to arguments on whether or not the Toad Brigade leader is actually Toad, which is supported by the fact that Toad had official art for the game showing him in a blue vest. However, the in-game Toad was wearing a red vest instead of the usual blue vest, and he was never officially labeled as Toad. Also, in the opening story sequence, the Toad brigade is shown, but the red Toad has his regular blue vest. There is also apparent connection between these Toads and the Toads of Super Mario Sunshine. His collectible card from the Super Mario Galaxy trading card game even names him as Toad and his bio even refers him as Toad.

The Mario Baseball series, including Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers, possibly has Toad as playable, however wearing a red vest. This leads to confusion as to whether it is Toad or not, and this confusion is escalated with references to Toad in the character's in-game biography as seen in the predecessor, and his importance in the opening sequence in the sequel.

Additionally, there has been more than one Toad that wore a blue vest and a mushroom cap with red spots, such as the ones in Super Princess Peach.

Physical Appearance
Toad basically has the look of the rest of his species. He normally wears a blue vest, large brown shoes and a large diaper-like piece of clothing for pants. In later games Toad's vest has yellow lining. He has a red-spotted mushroom cap, indicating slight cowardice and heavy obedience. A small controversy arose with Super Mario Bros. 2, because Toad was given a blue mushroom cap instead of a red one. However, Toad's blue mushroom cap was actually due to the graphical incapability of the NES rather than a continuity thread. In remakes of Super Mario Bros. 2, such as Super Mario All-Stars, Toad is given a red mushroom cap.



Surprisingly, a piece of artwork of Toad for the game Mario Party has Toad's legs showing. Toads have never been portrayed with their legs showing in games or game artwork before or after Mario Party.

Although his early appearances did not show it, Toad has developed as a way for Nintendo to show off its potential for kiddie, "cutesy" characters, along with Yoshi and various other Nintendo characters.

In the Super Mario Bros. movie, Toad is a regular human being except with an ugly haircut. He is a street performer who hates Koopa. He is arrested for singing anti-Koopa songs and in revenge, Koopa turns him into a Goomba.

Personality
Toad is often foreseen as a happy character (happy almost to the point of childishness). His official artwork often shows him with a wide, happy smile on his face. However, he is also sometimes seen as somewhat of a coward. He is presumably one of the most humble characters in the Mario series, as he seems to be actually aware of his own cowardice. Despite this, Toad is kind and often helps Mario on his multiple adventures.

Toad is almost never seen to get angry. Where most characters would get angry, Toad merely gets upset, and indeed has been described as an impatient character. He is shown to be an excitable little guy, and is often shown running around frantically. Despite all this, he still manages to be brave when the need truly calls for it.

In some Mario media, Toad's personality is slightly altered. Many of these show or comic books created another character to take care of Princess Peach, allowing Toad to have a more active role in the story. The most drastic change Toad has ever gone through was in the Super Mario Bros. Movie, where he was portrayed as a highly rebellious character that openly insults King Koopa and his minions. He is also shown as a musician, constantly carrying around a harmonica and making up songs.

In the Valiant Comics series, it gives a brief insight as to Toad's private residence. This reveals Toad lives in a small house which is furnished in a similar way to many houses in the "real world", with modern appliances including a coffee maker. Toad's lifestyle is also similar to many American working men, where he is dedicated to his work as a Mushroom Retainer. He also drinks coffee from a cup that reads "World's Greatest Mushroom Retainer," which is likely making intentionally comedic self-important statements on coffee cups that many working men own.

Voice
Toad's voice has gone through many changes since it was first heard in the SNES version of Wario's Woods. In this game, Toad had a rather deep voice that sounded much like a young adolescent. In Mario Kart 64 he sounded like a small child, often screaming in a high voice or cheering in his speech. In Super Mario Advance and forward, his voice was changed to a less high level, but it was given a screech to it. In the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, he had a somewhat deeper voice, with a very thick Brooklyn accent.

In the games department, Toad's voice was originally portrayed by Isaac Marshall in Mario Kart 64, but later by Eriko Ibe for the first three Mario Party titles. Eventually, Jen Taylor played Toad's voice for many installments. His current voice actor is Samantha Kelly, who also currently voices Princess Peach and Toadette.

Powers and Abilities
Super Mario Bros. 2 revealed that, despite his diminutive size, Toad is somewhat stronger than the Mario Bros., pulling Vegetables and Coins out of the ground faster than any other character. It also showed that he is a very fast character, being able to run faster than the others. This was further influenced in the Mario Kart series, where he is a lightweight character and very often an extremely fast one. Wario's Woods gave him the unique ability to walk up walls, but this ability has not been seen since. Toad used a Hammer in Mario Party 3, but this too has not been seen recently. He is generally considered an expert on items, often giving Mario power-ups and telling him what he needs to do. His appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a shield for Princess Peach further hints at the fact that he has good endurance. 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 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.

Birdo
Toad was one of the four main protaganists in Super Mario Bros. 2, the first game Birdo appeared in, where she was a boss character. Being a boss character, Birdo and Toad immediately saw each other as enemies and fought each other in the game. Birdo later appears as one of Toad's major allies in Wario's Woods, where she provided encouragement for him and supplied the bombs for Wanda, who in turn would transport them to Toad. The only Mario Party series team name they have shared is "Surprise Attackers".

Bowser
Toad, as a loyal servant of Peach has tried to protect her from Bowser, and therefore sees him as an enemy. But as mentioned earlier, he is kidnapped almost as frequently as she is. Toad also seems to be frightened by Bowser's size and appearance. However this is all inverted in the Mario cartoons as well as the Super Mario Bros. film as Toad has been shown in more than one occasion to be able to insult Bowser direcly without getting frightened. However, this often causes Toad much trouble by the Koopa king in these media as seen in some cases such as in one episode of the Mario cartoons where he was turned to stone just for attempting to stop Bowser from killing the Mario Bros. (Bowser was attempting to crush the bros. between stone walls). Likewise in the Mario Bros. film, Toad was punished for going against the villain, though he was instead arrested and later transformed into a goomba.

Luigi
While Toad and Luigi are often shown to be on good terms with each other for a long time, Toad tends to look down at Luigi and instead gives more attention to Mario (likewise many other characters throughout the series). In Super Mario 64 DS, Toad at first did not recognize Luigi when the plumber had talked to him and he initially believed that Luigi was just Mario in green clothes. Likewise, when Toad had retrieved back Luigi's cap after Luigi had lost it, Toad would give advice to him by telling him that he should not be so careless by losing his cap as that ruins his reputation even more as a Mario bro.. In the Mario cartoons, Toad and Luigi are shown to be good friends and often help each other in most cases. In most of the Mario spin-off games, Toad and Luigi generally share positive team names.

Mario
Although not incredibly close friends, Toad and Mario share a mutual respect for one another. Toad admires Mario because of his bravery and heroism, and Mario is fond of Toad because of the help and reliability he gives him. Despite all this, Toad seems more of a helper to Mario then a friend. Though, in the Mario cartoons, Toad and Mario display a close friendship, with the two helping each other out in both serious and domestic situations. Mario and Toad are however called Best Buddies when chosen together in Mario Party 6, so their friendship may go up and down time to time.

Princess Peach
Toad is Princess Peach's obedient servant, and he would do anything to protect her. Thrice he got kidnapped by the Koopa Troop trying to protect her from Bowser, and other times he is seen to dote on her. This is further influenced by the fact that Toad is one of the seven Mushroom Retainers, a group of Toads particularly dedicated to serving Her Royal Highness. However, it is recently shown that he dotes on her much less than Toadsworth. However Toad is still shown to care for her a lot as he could be seen running immediately to the Mario Bros. for help whenever the princess has been kidnapped. The two are called 'Royal Family' in Mario Party 5 and 'Loyal Friends' in Mario Party 8.



Toadette
In Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Toadette was introduced as Toad's partner, which has been continued throughout spin-off games. It is disputed what their relationship is, as some sources indicate something different than others. Their team name in Mario Party 6 indicates that they are good friends, being the only two playable Toads, yet the guide book for Mario Kart Wii refers to them as brother and sister. At the beginning of Super Mario Galaxy, the two are seen sitting side by side on a grassy plain, gazing up at the shooting stars.

On a side note, even though it is unknown whether Toad himself is playable or not in Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Super Sluggers, Toadette shares good chemistry with all the five playable Toads, most notably the red one (who is speculated to being Toad) as seen throughout the game and its artwork that has been provided.



Wario
Aside from being somewhat of an enemy for Toad's friends and allies, Wario's Woods introduced Wario as a direct rival to Toad. In Mario Superstar Baseball, the two share bad chemistry. Despite having defeated the villain before, Toad appears frightened of Wario in Super Mario 64 DS whenever Wario talks to him. However, Toad often doubts Wario, thinking that he will run away with the power stars rather than help and he even insults Wario later on by saying that his cap has a horrible stench.



Yoshi
Much like Mario, Toad sees Yoshi as both a hero and as a friend. In Mario Party 8, their team name is 'Good Buddies' (influenced by their positive interaction). In Super Mario 64 DS, Yoshi is the only hero that Toad completely trusts to retrieve the power stars throughout the game (Mario being the other). In the upcoming Wii game Mario Sports Mix, the official artwork for the game portrays the two playing a friendly game of ice hockey together.

Mario Tennis

 * Type: Technique

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

 * Partner: Toadette
 * Weight Class: Light
 * Special Item: Golden Mushroom
 * Special Kart: Toad Kart
 * Bio: Toad is small and fast, and with his Super Mushroom, he can give any kart a real boost. Unlock him by finishing the 100cc Special Cup with a 1st place win.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

 * Speed: *****
 * Weight: *
 * Bio: Toad is a speed demon, but his small size makes him vulnerable to Bowser and DK's bullying ways. Try not to bump into other drivers while controlling the fun guy.

Mario Kart DS

 * Weight Class: Light
 * Default Karts: Mushmellow, Standard TD
 * Unlockable Kart: 4-Wheel Cradle
 * Bio: Toad uses his tiny stature to his advantage as he skillfully weaves in and out of traffic on the track.
 * Stats
 * Acceleration: ***
 * Top Speed: *
 * Off-road: ***

Mario Kart Wii

 * Weight Class: Light
 * Site Bio:
 * [[Image:Flag of Europe.png|22px]] What Toad lacks in bulk he makes up in enthusiasm. Toad's strange noises of glee make him a fan favourite.
 * [[Image:Flag of USA.png|22px]] Rocket through traffic and corners in a vehicle just Toad's size!
 * Guide Bio:
 * ''After Toadsworth granted his request to race, Toad began practicing on Peach Beach.
 * Stats:
 * (According to the Mario Kart Wii Europe site)
 * Acceleration: ***
 * Top Speed: *
 * Off-road: ***
 * (According to the Mario Kart Wii North American site)
 * Speed: 4½/5
 * Acceleration: 2/5
 * Handling: 4/5
 * Actual Bonuses
 * Acceleration: +2
 * Drift: +2

Mario Party 7

 * Partner: Toadette
 * Special Orb: Triple Shroom Orb

Mario Party 8

 * Team Names:
 * Mario: Fungi Fun Guys
 * Luigi: Savage Sidekicks
 * Peach: Loyal Friends
 * Yoshi: Good Buddies
 * Wario: Crazy Allies
 * Daisy: Bloomy Shroomy
 * Waluigi: Half-Cranky Duo
 * Boo: Doom 'n' Shroom
 * Toadette: Zoomin' Shrooms
 * Birdo: Surprise Attackers
 * Dry Bones: Short Ribs
 * Blooper: Spray Players
 * Hammer Bro.: Stealth Strikers

Mario Party DS

 * Bio: Typically not the star of the show, Toad takes a lead role in Mario Party DS - he knows how to party!

Other Sports Appearances

 * Mario Football Series / Mario Baseball Series:
 * See Toad (species)

''Super Mario Galaxy Bio
Collectible Card Bio: ''Toad is Princess Peach's closest confidant and sworn protector. Typically Toad is a happy character, as seen by the constant smile on his face. But now he has reason to be concerned. His beloved princess has been kidnapped by Bowser, and Toad will stop at nothing to help find her. Just when all is feared lost, Toad and his friends appear in their Mushroom-shaped ships and help guide Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach.''

Cartoons


Toad was a main character in the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, where he retained his look and personality from the games. Toad is seen as somewhat of a side-kick to Mario through-out the shows, while Luigi was upgraded to a partner. He has two alternate forms in this series, Super Toad and Toad Warrior.

Toad looks a little different in the cartoons. His hat is a little bit darker and the waistcoat is red instead of blue.

Oddly, for several of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'s first episodes, Toad's color scheme is reversed, having a red mushroom cap with white spots with a white vest and red pants.

Like in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Toad was seen as Mario's sidekick in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, often adventuring with him. Despite this, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3's last episode, "Super Koopa" has Toad complaining about always being left behind in the adventures. "Baby Toad" has made his first (and last) appearance in the episode, "Toddler Terrors of Time Travel", which had Toad, as well as Mario, Luigi, Bowser and Kooky Von Koopa regressed to infant states due to a malfunction with a time machine.

Publications
Issues of Nintendo Comics System portrayed Toad as more outgoing than previous incarnations; with Wooster acting as the servant of Princess Toadstool and King Toadstool, Toad would often adventure with Mario, with issues such as "Betrayal Most Proper" showing that Toad was able to hold his own in a fist-fight with various enemies.

Toad was also featured as a recurring character in in Valiant's Nintendo Adventure Books, though here, he was somewhat overshadowed in his appearances by Yoshi.

In Super Mario Adventures, Toad travels with Princess Toadstool and several other Mushroom Retainers on a quest to defeat Bowser; unfortunately, Princess Toadstool, Toad and the other Toads are ambushed by Lakitu, with only Toad escaping the battling. A wounded Toad later managed to reach Mario, Luigi and Yoshi. After recovering, Toad and Yoshi inact a plan to sneak bomb-wielding Princess Toadstool and Friendly Floyd into the Koopaling's tower disguised as pizza delivery workers. Toad also helped to battle the Koopalings and was blown from the tower with everyone when it exploded. Later, Toad attempted to reach the Mushroom Kingdom with a cape, only to be captured by Bowser and his forces and held hostage. Oddly, Toad's fate in the comic is never made clear, as he was never rescued from Bowser's clutches.

Toad also appeared in the Club Nintendo comic series. In "Ostern im Schwammerlland", he had a picnic together with Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach. Toad also makes an appearance in the comic "Super Mario: Mario im Wunderland" where he was the first person for Mario to meet when he arrives in Wunderland (infact, Mario had landed on top of Toad upon arriving). Mario's apperance had drastically changed however, appearing much like a girl upon arriving in Wunderland and he asks Toad for help so that he could get back home. Toad tells Mario that he was on his way to visit the wizard to ask him to grant his own wish (which was to become larger in size) and Toad happily invites Mario to follow him to the wizard's castle so that the wizard could grant his wish to go back home. Along the way, they meet some other friends who join their group (Kirby and Yoshi); each having their own wishes to ask the wizard. Eventually, the group of friends arrived at the castle and the wizard grants them their wishes, however in a horrible way. Toad's wish which was to only become larger had his wish fulfilled however he grows into an enormous size instead (possibly due to the wizard's lack of control over his own magic).

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.

Games

 * "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" - Super Mario Bros.
 * "Lots of people use something called a "door" to go in and out of their houses..." - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars''
 * "Yeah! I'm the winner!" - Mario Party 5
 * "Toad, won!" - Mario Party 8
 * "M-M-M-M-M-M-M-Mario! Help! It's Sh-sh-sh-sh-shocking... Mushroom Castle... RAIDED! Princess Peach... STOLEN!" - Super Paper Mario
 * "We're counting on you, Mario...Bros.!" -  Super Paper Mario

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!

 * "When I get my hands on that King Koopa I'll fix his wagon!" - "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"
 * "Naughty turtle, you've been hittin' the sauce again, well, have some more! " - "Count Koopula"
 * "You blew that one, Koopa Stoopa!" - "Pirates of Koopa"

The Super Mario Bros. Film

 * Ain't got no water anywhere/Food's bad, so's the air/Got no resources, in a great big stupor/All because of the evil King Koopa! - Toad's anti-Koopa song
 * "What a lousy Kingdom ever since Koopa took over. And YOU, Koopa! You're a lousy leader! [...] Our old king! You tried to get rid of him, but the king is everywhere. You can't get rid of him."
 * "Never!" - Toad's response when Koopa implicitly requests Toad's submission before de-evolving him.

Trivia



 * Toad (alongside Mario, Luigi, and Birdo) appears in the audience of the Megaton Punch minigame in Kirby Super Star.
 * Toad is playable in the Sattleview demo of the game Mario Excite Bike, which was released in Japan in 1997.
 * According to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "Escape from Koopatraz", Toad's father is named Moldy. Additionally, Toad's paternal grandfather is named Gramps.
 * Toad is a purchasable character in the Nintendo Monopoly game. He can be bought on the space normally occupied by Kentucky Avenue, and costs $220.
 * Toad's emblem in various games is a mushroom. However, in Mario Kart Wii, his emblem is his own head.
 * The Ghost of Past in the Club Nintendo comic "Warios Weihnachtsmärchen" resembles Toad.
 * One of the "random names" that can appear in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is TOAD.
 * While Toad himself doesn't appear in Hotel Mario, the game's manual oddly refers to the 1-Up Mushroom with his name.
 * An item called a "Toad Hat" could be purchased on Animal Crossing: City Folk by getting 3,000 points on Tom Nook's Point Tracking system.
 * In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and its sequel Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Toad is the only red-capped Toad present, including audience members.
 * As Toad was a playable character in the intro of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (the very first game in Mario & Luigi series), he is, in fact, the very first character that the player controls in the series. He is also one of the four playable characters (the other three being Mario, Luigi, and Bowser) in the series by far.
 * In beta verison of Super Mario World, Toad was to make a returning apperance by running the Toad's Houses. However, since the houses did not appear in the final verison, Toad was excluded from the actual game.