Toad

"Hey Mario! We can fix it by dancing!- And by we, I mean you!"

- Toad

Toad 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, even ones that share his name (much like Yoshi). 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.

The Unlikely Hero
Toad's first stand-alone appearance was as a playable character in the game Super Mario Bros. 2. He, (along with Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach) went to a picnic at the beginning of the game. The heroes discovered a cave that led to Subcon. The group then learned that the land was ruled by the tyrannical frog, Wart. Toad, Mario, Luigi, and Peach eventually defeated the evil tyrant. Toad was not a very high jumper, but he was extremely fast when it came to picking vegetables or digging through sand. He also had a fair run, making him one of the fastest of the four characters.

The Item Giver
For the third installment of the Super Mario Bros. series, Toad was again a non-playable character. He appeared in various Toad Houses throughout the game. In these houses he hosted mini-games; if one of the Mario Bros. won, they would win an item, such as a Fire Flower or a Star. Interestingly, Toad Houses appeared in New Super Mario Bros., but they were run by Toadsworth rather than Toad himself.

Battle for the Woods
Toad was the main character of Wario's Woods, a Nintendo puzzle game. In the game, Wario was attacking the Mushroom Kingdom with the help of various monsters. Toad had go to the Wario's Woods to stop him. He was helped by Birdo and a fairy named Wanda. Birdo would give bombs to Wanda who would then give them to Toad. He also showed a unique ability in this game: the ability to run up walls. At the end of the game Toad faced Wario himself, and eventually defeated the evil anti-hero.

An Odd Visit
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.

During 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 was none other than Mario, who had just been ejected from Bowser's Keep by the giant sword, Exor. Toad asked Mario to return to the castle to rescue the Princess. However, when Mario arrived, Exor destroyed 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.

The Castle Rescue
Toad (along with his fellow castle attendants, possibly the Mushroom Retainers), witnesses the kidnapping of Princess Peach by Bowser and is the first Toad that Mario encounters. He can be found in the main room of Princess Peach's Castle, and is the first to inform Mario of the dilemma. He also points Mario to the door that leads to Bob-omb Battlefield. He may have also been one of two Toads who appear beside Princess Peach during the ending of the game.

An Urgent Message
Toad has a brief and often overlooked playable appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (his sprite is shown to the right). After Cackletta steals Peach's (who is actually Birdo, although this is not revealed until much later) voice, he runs to find Mario. He can look around Mario's house until he finds him. He finds him in the shower, and quickly runs out of the bathroom. In his haste, he runs smack 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.

The Starter of a Journey
In the beginning of Super Paper Mario, Toad rushes to Mario's House one lazy morning and tells them that Princess Peach had been kidnapped and Mushroom Castle had been raided, which thus starts Mario's adventure.

Future Appearances
Toad has been confirmed to be playable in Mario Kart Wii. He is also revealed to appear as both a sticker and a move by Princess Peach in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It is unknown if he will have any other appearences.

Mario Kart Series
Toad was playable in Super Mario Kart, as a lightweight character. His special ability is throwing Poison Mushrooms that make another player shrink when hit. He was 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. He is also scheduled to appear in Mario Kart Wii.

Toad was given a partner in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. This character's name is Toadette. She and Toad's special item were Golden Mushrooms. They are, along with his kart, the Toad Kart, unlockables, and can be unlocked by completing the Special Cup on the 100cc setting. In Mario Kart DS, Toad was 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.

''Super Smash Bros. series
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Toad appeared as Princess Peach's helper. He could be pulled out of nowhere and used as a shield. Interestingly Toad appears to be struggling as Princess Peach holds him, implying that he is being held against his will. One of Peach's trophy says not to worry about him, as it is his job to protect her. If Kirby sucks in Princess Peach then he too can use Toad. He also has a trophy in his likeness. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Toad is once again a move of Princess Peach.

Trophy Information from ''Super Smash Bros. Melee
''Toad, Peach's longtime servant, first showed off his strength in Super Mario Bros. 2, then proved to be an agile driver in Super Mario Kart. There are many Toads in Peach's castle and across the Mushroom Kingdom, and although they look similar, they have varied natures. Not the best of guards, Toad must often be rescued.''

''Mario Tennis
Toad's first appearance in the Mario Tennis sub-series was as a default character in the lesser-known Virtual Boy game Mario's Tennis. A better known role was his appearance in Mario Tennis for the N64, where he was once again playable from the very beginning. Although he did not actually appear in Mario Tennis's Gameboy Version he could be transferred into the game with a Transfer Pack. He (along with Toadette) appeared on a scoreboard in the opening movie of Mario Power Tennis but they were not playable in the game. It is likely that they were originally planned to be playable in the game, but were cut-out after the opening movie was made.

Mario Party Series
In Mario Party and Mario Party 2 Toad was the main host, and the the one that awarded the Players with Stars. In Mario Party 3, he was replaced by Tumble, but still appeared to give out items and as Princess Peach's partner in Battle Mode. He seems to be somewhat of an enemy for Baby Bowser 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 Koopa Kid would award the Player with an item. Interestingly, Toad rides a standard gold Star while Koopa Kid rides a black one.

He continued his role as host in Mario Party 4 (even having his own board, Toad's Midway Madness). However, in Mario Party 5 he was promoted to being a playable character. 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 games Mini-games and Gaddgets. The sudden attack spreads the items all across Shroom City, setting the main "story mode" of the game into action. Toad is also one of eleven Mario characters playable in ''Itadaki Street DS. He was also playable in Mario Party DS.

''Super Princess Peach
In Super Princess Peach, a minigame, Toad Jump, puts the player in control of Toad, who must jump over the foes trying to get him. By blowing into the DS Microphone, Toad can jump over his enemies to safety. If the player blows longer, Toad jumps longer. Toad also appears in the minigames Toad Tote, where he is all tied up and must be rescued.

A Musical Adventure
In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Toad would accompany the character of the Players choice, Mario or Luigi. He helped either plumber on there quest to get the Music Keys from Wario, Waluigi, and Bowser. He also appeared in the background of the first song. He tries to help them obtain the lost keys, but is not entirely successful, as he is non-violent throughout most of the game. He does tell Mario what he needs to do, and when he needs to do it (as seen during the battle with Freezie).

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 Marioverse, 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. 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, Toads 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 the a similar way to many houses in the "real world", with modern appliances to include 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.

Powers and Abilities
Super Mario Bros 2 revealed that Toad was a very fast character. 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 ability to walk up walls, but this ability has not been seen since. He 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. Super Mario Bros. 2 also reveals 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. His appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee would also seem to hint at the fact that he has heavy 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 1 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.

Voice
Toad's voice has gone through many changes since it was first heard in Mario Kart 64. In this game 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. This has annoyed many Players. 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 most Mario Party games, Toadette is simply given a higher pitched version of Toad's.

Physical Appearance
Toad normally 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, making many fans think that the Toad we know today and the Toad from Super Mario Bros. 2 were different characters. However, Toad's blue mushroom cap was actually due to the graphical incapabilities 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.

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

Catch Card

 * Card Type: Uncommon
 * Card Description: This loyal subject comes from another dimension. Many people in that world have strange head spots.

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.

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 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. The two are called 'Loyal Friends' in Mario Party 8.

Wario
Wario's Woods introduced Wario as a rival to Toad. In Mario Superstar Baseball, the two share bad chemistry.

Bowser
Toad as a loyal servent of Peach has tried to protect her from Bowser. But as mentioned earlier he is kidnapped as frequently as she is. Toad also seems to be frightened by Bowser's size and appearance.

Others
In Mario Party 5, 6, and 8 when Toad was teamed up with various characters like Yoshi and Princess Daisy, their team name is always something that says they're good friends. For example Toad and Daisy were depicted as Royal Pals and Yoshi and Toad were depicted as Good Buddies.

Roles
Often Toad is made into a tutorial-type character, who introduces the player to the game. Rarely, he plays the role of side-kick, and is occasionally a full-fledged hero. He is occasionally a damsel in distress (but never the main one). Interestingly his role as a tutorial character and as Peach's caretaker seems to have recently been taken over by Toadsworth.

Cartoons


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

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 recuring 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.

Movie
In the Super Mario Bros. movie, Toad is portrayed as a musician. He is one of many who is unhappy with King Koopa's rule, and is arrested by the police for playing "Anti Koopa" songs. He is imprisoned in a cell close to Mario and Luigi, and tells them about how the dinosaurs came to live in Dinohatten. He is later turned into a Goomba by King Koopa. Even when he is a Goomba he keeps his harmonica. He is assigned by King Koopa to serve food to Princess Daisy. Later in the movie he is set on fire in an accident, and is saved by Princess Daisy. When King Koopa is about to rally the Goomba troops and lead them to take over Earth, he distracts the other Goombas by playing his harmonica, making them become disorganized.

What happened to him afterward is unknown, although best guess is he was turned back into his original form.

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.

Portrayals
Was voiced/portrayed by:
 * John Stocker in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3.
 * Mojo Nixon and John Fifer in the Super Mario Bros. movie.
 * Issac Marshall, Jen Taylor and Kelsey Hutchinson in most of the video games.

Quotes
Various quotes from Toad from Games, TV Shows ETC.

Games

 * "O-kay!" - ''Super Mario Advance
 * "Hey Mario! Lots of people use something called a "door" to go in and out of their houses..." - ''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
 * "Toad, Won!" - ''Mario Party 8
 * "I'm the best!" - ''Mario Kart 64

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"

Trivia

 * Toad (alongside Mario, Luigi, and Birdo) appears in the audience of the punch-out match in Kirby Superstar.
 * Toad is playable in the Bandai 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.
 * A rumor that Toad was unlockable in Super Smash Bros. Melee spread across the Internet. It was said that if the player shot all the credits after Classic, Adventure or All-Star mode, Toad will appear to battle the player. Some screenshots were also posted. But, the Toad in the screenshots turned out to be ripped from the Toad's running around in Adventure Mode. Eventually, the whole thing was proven as false.
 * Toad's emblem in various games is his own head.