Toad Town

Toad Town (Japanese: キノコタウン Mushroom Town) is the capital city of the Mushroom Kingdom. Located at the doorstep of Princess Peach's Castle, the town first appeared in Paper Mario (shown to the right). Since then, Toad Town has become a recurrent location in the Mario series, especially the RPG games. However, much like Princess Peach's Castle, the appearance, design, and layout of the town has varied greatly each time it has reappeared, though it has always been depicted as a flourishing and cheery place.

Background
As of yet, the story of Toad Town's creation and development remains unexplored. Chronologically, the first appearance of the town occurred in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, just prior to the Shroob invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom. As the capital of the kingdom, Toad Town and Princess Peach's Castle were the aliens' first targets. They attacked with Shroob UFOs, neutralizing the area with their offensive weaponry. Ruthlessly, they assaulted both buildings, such as Princess Peach's Castle, and people, such as the Toads walking outside in the streets. The aliens weren't able to capture the young princess herself, however, as she had escaped into the future. E. Gadd's Time Machine brought the adult Princess Peach into the past instead - and into the aliens' grasps.

The destruction of Toad Town was total: while not a single building was left unharmed, many remained their structural integrity. All but two of the residents fled to the surrounding area, where many of them were captured anyway; the wreckage of coaches in Toadwood Forest serves as evidence that many residents fled there through that form of travel, perhaps after using them in their everyday lives in the town. The two remaining citizens were Gramma Red and Gramma Green, the saleswomen of Gramma's Place. The only other inhabitants of Toad Town for the remainder of the invasion were hostile enemies, many of were not even related to the occupying Shroob forces.

However, just as the adult Princess Peach had travelled through time, so did Mario and Luigi, who combined forces with their younger selves to battle the Shroobs. Their quest took them through Toad Town, where they battled enemies and looted the wreckage for useful items. They also met up with Gramma Red and Green, who gave them details as to what had passed and then tried to sell their wares. The four Mario brothers eventually made their way through the ruined city, and later into the Shroobified castle, where they defeated the aliens once and for all. Using the Hydrogush 4000, the future Professor Elvin Gadd then pumped artificial baby tears into the various Time Holes, removing the handiwork of the Shroobs and reviving the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom.

After that, details of Toad Town's reconstruction are also slim. The Mushroom Kingdom had recovered by the time Bowser invaded in Super Mario Bros., although there is no evidence against the kingdom having reconstructed years prior to the Koopa Clan's first invasion.

Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, Toad Town serves as the central hub through which all outlying areas can be accessed (in fact, most areas can only be reached by passing through Toad Town). The city is also the setting for the beginning and ending cutscenes.

As the game commences, Princess Peach is throwing a party at her castle in Toad Town, to which many of the Mushroom Kingdom's greatest citizens, including Mario and Luigi, attend. However, the festivities are soon interrupted by Bowser, who uses the power of the stolen Star Rod to magically transport his castle underneath Princess Peach's; he then uses his castle to uproot hers and carry it up into space, capturing the governing body of the Mushroom Kingdom and setting the town below into disarray.

The earthquake caused damage throughout Toad Town to the point where the southern portions of town, including the port and train station, were temporarily unreachable. Most of the residents were devastated by the loss of the castle, which had left a giant crater in the now destroyed section of the town beyond the castle gates. An organized attempt to undo the damage of the earthquake began over the next few days, after which Mario arrived in town on his latest quest to stop Bowser and his minions. As Mario fought throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, the citizens continued to rebuild. The majority of the damage was reverted by the time Mario returned from the Koopa Bros. Fortress, having rescued the first Star Spirit, Eldstar.

Just as life was returning to normal, the Shy Guys of Shy Guy's Toy Box emerged and began an unorganized series of petty thefts and vandalism. Fortunately, Mario soon returned from Forever Forest and with the help of Lady Bow, he discovers the location of the Toy Box, enters it and stops the miscreants, returning the stolen things to their proper owners.

Later, Mario and his partners go on to defeat Bowser (with some help from Peach and her Star Kid friend, Twink) and recover the Star Rod. Bowser's Castle explodes, sending the villains flying, however the Star Spirits protect Princess Peach's Castle and the heroes within it, and guide the building all back down to its rightful place in Toad Town, restoring peace to the area. Finally, in honor of Mario and his friends' heroic deeds, Princess Peach throws another party a few days later, complete with a parade led through Toad Town.

Layout
A massive sewer system called Toad Town Tunnels is under the town and has blue Warp Pipes to all areas in the game. Badges, Super Blocks, and enemies lurk in the damp darkness.

Toad Town's main entrance square contains an item shop, the Toad Town Dojo on the second floor of a two-story building (the first floor of which is inaccessible) and multiple houses, including Russ T.'s library-like home. There is a Warp Pipe that goes to Mario's House. Rowf and Rhuff's badge stand, a Toad House, the home of Merlon the fortune-teller and the Post Office are near the gate to Peach's Castle at the north end of town. Minh T.'s flower garden is also here, and serves as gateway to Flower Fields.

South of here the player can find Tayce T.'s house, the entrance to Toad Town Tunnels and the path leading to Forever Forest. In an otherwise abandoned house in the southwest part of town is the Shy Guy's Toy Box, where Muskular, one of the Star Spirits, was being held. Also here is a second item shop.

The southern-most area is where the train station is located, from here, the K64 train frequently departs to Mt. Rugged. The Li'l Oink farm is also found in this area, as well as the Playroom.

Finally, the western-most area of Toad Town has a harbor and a single building in which a lively bar is housed.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario walks around Toad Town plaza in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga to learn the basic skills of the game and departs to the Beanbean Kingdom from here as well. If Mario assists certain citizens, he'll get extra Mushrooms for his journey as well as a suitcase and some Coins from Toadsworth. Mario only visits Toad Town at the very beginning of this game.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
For more information, see Background.

In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the Mario Bros. and their baby selves travel to a Toad Town of the past, which was almost completely destroyed by the Shroobs, and was covered in their handiwork. Only Gramma Red and Gramma Green remained there, and they sold their wares to Mario and Luigi. A Time Hole and a path to Star Hill are at the south end of the town. The town was filled with enemies as well, and most of the buildings were either destroyed or falling apart, but most contained items and coins that Mario and company could use.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Toad Town once again reappears in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. It is where all the Toads reside in the game. It can be found just south of Peach's Castle. The citizens live in the northern part of the town, where they reside happily. At least until the Blorbs epidemic broke out and many of the citizens became infected and swelled like a balloon. The main part of the living area holds a fountain, with blocks that can only be reached using Shell Mario, which can be learned on the outskirts of town.

In the southern part of town is Toad Town Mall, which has been newly opened when Mario & Luigi arrive back from Bowser's Body. It holds all the shops in the town, as well as the Clinic used to find the Star Cures to unite as the Miracle Cure and heal all the Blorb-infected toads.

Beneath the town is the Toad Town Caves, which is where the Dark Star was sequestered in ancient times. That is until Fawful invades Toad Town and steals the dark entity for himself. There are also many pipes in the underground section of Toad Town that will lead into different sections of Toad Town and Toad Town Mall.

Mario Party DS
Toad Town is briefly seen in the game's intro. During the intro, what appears to be shooting stars cross over the night sky in Toad Town. These were actually Sky Crystals, and Mario was lucky enough to obtain one. All in all, Bowser stole Mario's crystal and shrunk them down. The miniature crew travelled across Toad Town and its surrounding areas to get the other pieces. The first two Party boards were located in Toad Town itself. Wiggler's Garden is shown located in the town square, and Toadette's Music Room is located near the Town's coast.

Places in Toad Town

 * Toad Town Plaza
 * Toad Town Square
 * Toad Town Mall
 * Toadley Clinic
 * Toadles Boutique (equipment store)
 * Badge Shop
 * Item Shop
 * Star Shop (equipment store)
 * Gear Shop (equipment store)
 * Tea Kiosk
 * Toad Town Dojo
 * Post Office
 * Residential Area (Houses and Toad Houses)
 * Rowf and Rhuff's badge stand
 * Merlon, the fortune-teller’s house
 * Minh T.'s flower garden
 * Shy Guy Toy Box (abandoned building)
 * Train Station (K64 Train)
 * Li'l Oink farm
 * The Playroom
 * Harbor
 * Club 64 (café and restaurant)
 * Gramma's Place (item and badge shop)

Paper Mario

 * Chan
 * Jr. Troopa (Mini-boss; encountered after the player recruits Sushie or accomplishes Chapter 5)
 * Lee
 * The Master (Optional Boss)

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

 * Love Bubble
 * Shroid
 * Skellokey

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

 * Bowser
 * Fawflant
 * Nooz

Area Tattles (from Paper Mario)

 * This is the west entrance to Toad Town. In case you couldn't tell, it's the main gate. The fancy gate and the star emblem on the ground are symbols of this fair town. Goomba Village, where my house is, is a brief journey west from here. You'll find a very smart Toad named Russ T. living in this town. He knows lots of useful information for adventurers. You'll also find shops that sell various items. Oh yeah! There's also a Dojo.
 * It's your house! Cool! Nice landscaping! I like my house, but yours is even nicer. Did you do the decorating yourself?
 * This is the central area of Toad Town, a plaza in front of Princess Peach's Castle. Pleasant Path begins to the east of here. This used to be a bustling area before Bowser's attack. Guests at the castle were always in and out. And tourists came from all over to see the castle. The wizard Merlon also lives around here. If you get stuck, his fortune telling might just help you out! There's also a Toad House where you can take a short rest and a post office where you can pick up mail for your party members. Also, over by the flower garden, there's a guy named Rowf who's opening his own specialty shop.
 * Peach's Castle... used to be here. There's not even a trace of it now. How awful!
 * Miss. Tayce T., a famous local cook, lives around here. I'm pretty sure my mom wants to learn cooking from her. Tayce T. will cook for you if you take ingredients to her. Oh yeah! Forever Forest lies to the east, so a Toad watchman stands guard there and prevents people from wandering in.
 * This is the residential area of Toad Town. It's mostly homes. But there's also a shop. For Toad Town, this area is pretty quiet.
 * This is Toad Town's port. It's home to the only restaurant in town. I like to stand at the end of the pier and gaze at the sea.
 * There's Toad Town Station. It's a station for the Dry Dry Railroad. From there, you can take the train to scenic Mt. Rugged. And there's also Li'l Oink Farm, where they raise Li'l Oinks. Raising Li'l Oinks costs coins. My dad said there's a Playroom here, but I don't see it...
 * This is the reception area for the Playroom. You should ask what kind of games they have, Mario.
 * It's called Jump Attack. If you win the game, you'll collect lots of coins. If you lose, you won't get a thing. Too bad!
 * They said this is called Smash Attack. The idea is to whack the blocks placed on the floor. Let's get in there and smash all of 'em! But... Actually, it may not be a good idea to hit them all.
 * If we go east, we'll get to the entrance of Forever Forest. If we go west, we'll hit Toad Town. Remember?
 * This whale tongue is squishy. It makes it hard to walk. It's also kind of dark...
 * It's completely dark. I can't see a thing. Mario! What's up ahead? You know, being inside a whale belly is gross... Damp... Squishy... Let's never do this again.
 * It's a room beneath the Toad Town pond. I don't think anyone's been here for a long time.

Trivia

 * Toad Town has also been mentioned to in other games, such as the GameCube game Animal Crossing. The character Gulliver talks about his pet goldfish in Toad Town, implying that he lives there. However, he also talks about his goldfish in Hyrule. Toad Town has even been given mere references in other Mario games, such as Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, where it was apparently quickly visited by Lumpy in his quest for oil at Dry Dry Desert and was mentioned by Zip Toad as the future filming area for On Golden Toad 2.
 * There is a secret area where Mario can play games and wager coins. Mario can only play if he has the special Credits from Koopa Koot. This is basically the Pianta Parlor from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
 * The town known as "Mushroom Kingdom" featured in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars may have been a sort of predecessor to Toad Town. As a matter of fact, a certain beta screenshot of Paper Mario shows Toad Town's west gate labeled "Mushroom Kingdom" rather than "Toad Town" or its Japanese name, indicating that Toad Town was once considered to share names with this aforementioned Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars town.
 * The area in the town leading to Peach's Castle in Super Mario Galaxy is identical to Super Mario 64 ' s.