Mushroom Retainer

Mushroom Retainers are advisers to the leader of the Mushroom Kingdom. The most famous Mushroom Retainer is Toad. Mushroom Retainers assist Princess Peach in her administrative duties of the country. They first appeared in Super Mario Bros., where they were kidnapped along with the Princess by the evil King Bowser. One Mushroom Retainer appeared at the end of each castle and thanked Mario or Luigi for rescuing him. However, each one infamously stated that the princess was in another castle. In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, the Mushroom Retainers keep the same role; however, there are more of them to save in this game. In the Super Mario All-Stars versions, more than one Mushroom Retainer can be saved at the same time after beating a castle (however, the number of Mushroom Retainers that can be saved depends on the world that Mario or Luigi is in).

Mushroom Retainers also appear in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. In this game, there are six retainers (with Toad being one of them). These Mushroom Retainers serve the Chancellor of the Mushroom Kingdom, as he is in charge of the kingdom until Peach returns. Since this game, the Mushroom Retainers have yet to make a returning appearance (with Toad being the only confirmed Mushroom Retainer who still makes an appearance within the games). However, it is likely that the Toad servants and guards of Princess Peach's Castle have taken over the roles of the Mushroom Retainers.

Mushroom Retainers (along with Toad himself) also make their appearance in Super Mario 3D Land, where they are kept in hostility by some False Bowsers. However, it should be noted that while they presume the same roles as their initial appearance, they are simply named as "Toads" as opposed to "Mushroom Retainers".