Toad (species)

Toads, also known as Mushroom People, are the dominant species of the Mushroom Kingdom. Toads reside in many towns and cities throughout the entire kingdom, including the outlier Rogueport, but they are most prominent in the capital of Toad Town. Most Toads are citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom, and many also work as loyal servants of the kingdom's ruler Princess Peach. Numerous members of the species serve Peach as castle attendants, guards or even as her Mushroom Retainers.

''Super Mario Bros.
In the original story of Super Mario Bros., the Toads were shown as the peaceful race of mushroom people who had lived rather peacefully in the Mushroom Kingdom until Bowser and his minions, the Koopa Troop appeared to take over the kingdom. The related species, the Goombas who had once lived in peace with the Toads soon betrayed them as well causing more danger for the Toads. The Toads attempted to stop them but failed and many of them were turned to various items such as bricks and pipes via King Bowser using his magic. With Princess Toadstool being the only person who could reverse the effects of Bowser' magic over the Toads, Bowser soon kidnapped her thus starting the story of the game when the two plumbers Mario and Luigi had arrived to stop the koopas.

Within the actual game Super Mario Bros. the only mushroom people left in their original forms were featured as Princess Toadstool's Toad advisers, the Mushroom Retainers. They appeared in the first seven of the game's eight castles. After Mario destroys the False Bowser at the end of a fortress, he frees the imprisoned Toad, who infamously informs him that the Princess is in another castle. The Mushroom Retainers reappear in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels with the same role and message. In Super Mario All-Stars, there are as many Mushroom Retainers in the castle as the castle's world number (one Toad in World One, two in World Two, etc.). In the All-Stars version of The Lost Levels, Worlds A, B and C have five, six and seven Toads respectively.

''Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 had a Toad in every castle of the Mushroom Kings. When Mario or Luigi entered the castle, the Toad would ask them to get the Magic Wand to transform the King back to his original form. If Mario or Luigi lose an extra life on the airship, the vehicle will move to another location in the world. After the ship moves, Mario and Luigi are still able to visit the castle and the panicked Toad. A toad is also found in a Toad House on the map of each world. They help Mario and Luigi get extra lives, coins, and items. Toads found in Toad Houses let Mario take the contents of one of three chests, containing a power-up. Toads found in a square with an 'n' inside lets Mario play a card game, where the player can earn lives, power-ups, and a max of twenty coins. Toads found in spade spaces let Mario play a scrolling type game, where the player must match three parts of eithier a mushroom, flower, or star. Depending whether or not you match the three correctly, and which image formed, one to five extra lives can be gained.

''Wario's Woods
Wario's Woods was the first game that starred a Toad as the main hero (specifically Toad himself) in the Mario series. A green colored Toad also appeared as a playable character for the second player. They were featured for both the NES and SNES versions of the game. This was the last game where Toad had super-human strength.

''Super Mario 64
Many Toads were found inside the rooms of Princess Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64. They informed Mario about Bowser's takeover of the castle, and gave him various hints about the Power Stars. A number of Toads even managed to hold onto a few Power Stars and later gave them to Mario. In the remake Super Mario 64 DS, a Toad also told Mario to find the various keys needed to unlock the drawers of Peach's dresser. Every time Mario brought a key to the Toad, a new mini-game would appear and become available to play in the Rec Room. Toads also make cameo appearances as background characters in the various mini-games.

''Super Mario Sunshine
An entourage of Toads accompanied Mario and Peach to Isle Delfino during the events of Super Mario Sunshine. Toadsworth was among them. They were usually found around Delfino Plaza, often worrying about the Princess after her capture by Shadow Mario. The Toads offered Mario various hints, such as ground pounding crates to receive coins. The Toads also fixed Fludd at the end of the game. Generally, They did not have any other important role in the game however. In the ending credits, the five Toads could be seen enjoying themselves along with Mario, Peach and Toadsworth.

''New Super Mario Bros.
Toads strangely do not make an appearance in this game (with the exception of appearing in the intro where they are seen panicking after the castle was attacked), with Toadsworth being the only exception within the actual game. They do however make cameo appearances in the mini-games available in this game, even though most of them were the same mini-games from Super Mario 64 DS.

''Super Mario Galaxy
Many Toads can be seen celebrating the Star Festival in the beginning as well as the end of the game in Grand Finale Galaxy. However during the beginning of the game, many toads were trapped in crystal at the time of Bowser's attack.

Five Toads resembling the Toads from Super Mario Sunshine appeared in Super Mario Galaxy. They call themselves the Toad Brigade, and help Mario in his adventures across the universe, often using their ship, the Starshroom to travel to various galaxies. The Toad Brigade is comprised of: Toad (the self proclaimed captain), Banktoad (digger), Blue Toad (the smart one), Mailtoad, and Yellow Toad (the sleepy one).

''New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Blue Toad and Yellow Toad appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii as playable characters in the multiplayer mode.

Also, Toads have to be saved in some levels. However, the player can only save toads in one player mode. If playing multiplayer, the Toad will not appear in the level. Saving them opens up new Toad Houses. An area where a Toad needs to be rescued is indicated by a bubble with a scared Toad in the middle over the level. Once Mario saves the Toad, fireworks will be displayed and a 1-Up or Item Toad House will appear at the beginning of the level. Toads also appear in Enemy Courses where they are trapped in a huge Treasure Chest. Mario will have to pop all the Toad Balloons in the area to make the chest appear, while avoiding or defeating the enemies, which vary depending of the world. Mario will then be rewarded with three Super Mushrooms. Toads also appear in the Toad Houses and in the Peach's Castle. All the Toads (except Yellow and Blue Toad) in this game have a white and red mushroom cap and a blue vest.

''Super Mario Galaxy 2
Likewise the first game, the Toads can be seen celebrating the Star Festival happily and peacefully while collecting starbits. However, their happy celebration was soon disturbed by Bowser. Bowser, after using the power of the Power Stars was at a gargantuan size when he was attacking Toad Town. He eventually arrived at Princess Peach's castle and kidnapped Peach much to the shock of the Toads.

The Toad Brigade also make a returning appearance in this game and like in the first game, they attempt to assist Mario on his quest to rescue the princess. They reveal that they had escaped the Mushroom Kingdom via the Starshroom (mushroom-shaped spaceships) that the Lumas had made for them. The reason being that the five Toads had told the lumas that they would try to stop Bowser and bring peace to the kingdom (though this job was eventually given to Mario when the Toads find him). The green toad member of the brigade turns to help Mario save star bits, acting like a bank.

''Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Toads lived in various towns, such as Mushroom Kingdom, Rose Town and Seaside Town. Many Toads were shopkeepers or inn owners and helped Mario and his party by offering their services. In Rose Town, Mario had to help the Toads, who were paralyzed by Bowyer's Aeros. In Seaside Town, the inhabitants, including many Toads, were imprisoned in a shed by Yaridovich. Mario eventually rescued them. A few Toads also appeared in remote areas such as Monstro Town and even inside Barrel Volcano. Many Toads in this game have different patterns on their hats than normally found on toads. The inhabitants of rose town have target shapes, Hinopio in Barrel Volcano has a flame pattern.

''Paper Mario
Toads appeared in Paper Mario as the main residents of Toad Town. There was also one in each Toad House in all towns of the game, except for the one in Star Haven. According to Goombario, these Toads had been sent to man the Toad Houses by Princess Peach in order to help the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom's towns. The Toad inhabitants of Dry Dry Outpost, known as Dryites, wear turbans over their mushroom caps. Also, a Toad martial artist, known as The Master, is featured in the game. He runs a karate dojo in Toad Town, and has two pupils named Lee and Chan. He can be fought as an optional boss. The Master's sister, Tayce T. is also a Toad Town resident. She is considered by many to be an extraordinarily good chef. She would cook any item that Mario brought to her into new, potentially stronger items.

''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
The species appeared again in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. They lived in many of the game's towns, and were also owners of almost every shop found in Rogueport and the surrounding areas. During the events of the game, a large group of orange Toads was stranded in the Pirate's Grotto on Keelhaul Key, along with the Piantas Francesca and Frankie. Mario had to use Admiral Bobbery's Bomb ability to help them escape the Pirate's Grotto.

''Super Paper Mario
In Super Paper Mario, Toads did not make a major appearance. Toad himself was present at the beginning of the game, telling Mario and Luigi that Princess Peach had been captured, and several Toads would appear as part of the audience when Mario performed a Stylish Move. Toads also appeared in the mini-game, Mansion Patrol. They somehow managed to get themselves captured by Boos, and the player would have to aim the Wii Remote cursor at the ghosts, and destroy them to free the Toads. Whenever a captured Toad was freed, they provide the player with a power-up. They also are mentioned in Toad's Caught Card which is the last of the card collection.

''Paper Mario 3DS
Toads are set to appear in the upcoming Paper Mario 3DS. They are confirmed to be seen in a town similar to Toad Town.

''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Toads appeared at the beginning of the game in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga in Toad Town and at Peach's Castle. Various Toads will give Mario mushrooms if he assists them with various tasks before he leaves for the Beanbean Kingdom. Toads also have their own immigrant community in the Beanbean Kingdom. Outside the town, which is located high above Teehee Valley, Toads made only minor appearances in the game.

''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the Toad's life force, known as vim, was extracted by the Shroobs to be used as fuel for their UFOs during their invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom. This process occurred at the Vim Factory. Many Toads also appeared at Peach's castle, giving information to Mario and Luigi. Also, there are Toads with red caps and white spots that live in Thwomp Volcano. Many Toads were also transformed into shroob mushrooms when their vim was extracted from their bodies.

''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story


In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Toads are affected by the Blorbs which causes them to bloat to extreme sizes. It was revealed that this was caused by Fawful, who had sold odd mushrooms that caused the sickness. Princess Peach requests the aid of Mario and Luigi in finding a cure. As well, singular and recognizable Toads appear in the game such as Toadsworth and Toadbert. A new character named Doctor Toadley appears later in the game to help Mario and Luigi find the Star Cures, he also fuses them into the Miracle Cure. This manages to cure the case of the Blorbs and allowed the Toads to regain their original shapes once again.

''Mario vs. Donkey Kong
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, three Toads appeared as employees of the Mario Toy Company. They worked quite peacefully until Donkey Kong had arrived to steal the Mini Mario toys. During the robbery, the Toads were shown to be in complete fear of Donkey Kong; thus, making them unable to do anything at the time to stop him. The Toads later reappear at the end of the game where they were seen laughing at the careless Donkey Kong who at that point had dropped all the Mini Mario toys that he had stolen. Unfortunately, the three Toads were immediately kidnapped by the enraged Donkey Kong when they were not looking. Fortunately, they were rescued by Mario during the final battle between him and the ape.

During the battle, the Toads played a key supporting role for Mario (after being rescued by him) by carrying the large DK Barrels that Donkey Kong had thrown previously back to the stage. By using these barrels, Mario would then be able to attack Donkey Kong, with each hit causing the ape to fall lower and lower down the building. Upon hitting him for the third time, Donkey Kong can be seen clinging on to one of the railings of the buildings by one hand. Unfortunately for him, the Toads would then arrive back to the stage to stomp on his hand as revenge for kidnapping him. This causes the the villainous ape to fall off the building completely (though he does survive by landing on a truck full of Mini-Mario toys).

''Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, many Toads attended the grand opening of Super Mini Mario World Theme Park. They took the position as interviewers who watched the opening until Donkey Kong arrived to ruin the scene.

Additionally, one of the new playable characters was the then new Mini Toad toy, which was created along with a few other new Minis due to the success of the Mini Mario company. These toys were directly based off Toad's current design.

''Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
In the sequel Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, many Toads were seen in the introduction of the game where they were seen waiting in line for the grand opening of the new Mini Mario amusement park. The first 100 customers (who are all shown to be Toads) were able to receive a new Mini as a gift, the Mini Pauline toy. Shortly afterwards, Donkey Kong is seen to plow through the crowd of Toads in his hopes to receive one of the Mini Pauline toys. Due to his rampage, many Toads were thrown into the air as he pushed through the crowd while many other Toads were seen fleeing into the park in order to avoid the large ape.

Likewise in the first game, the Mini Toads reappear in this game as playable characters. Additionally, the Mini Toads also assist Mario and the Mini Marios on their quest to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong's clutches.

''Super Princess Peach
Several Toads were captured by Bowser (along with Mario and Luigi) in Super Princess Peach. During the game, Princess Peach had to rescue them. A captured Toad could be found in every world (except Giddy Sky and Bowser's Villa), and Peach would have to defeat world's boss to free them.

Toads also appear in the mini-games. Toad Jump puts the player in control of Toad who must jump over foes trying to attack him. By blowing into the DS Microphone, Toad can jump over his enemies to reach safety. If the player blows longer, he will jump longer. Toad also appears in the mini-game Toad Tote, where he is in the middle of a burning Toad Town and must be guided to the exit. Lastly, there were blue, yellow and red Toads in Toad Shot, which had the player shooting various enemy targets to gain points, while avoiding any misses and any Mario or Luigi targets, which take points away.

Mario Kart series
Aside from Toad who is featured as a playable character throughout all the installments, other Toads are sometimes seen as a part of the audience. In Mario Kart Wii, many Toads can be seen cheering for the winners in the celebration ceremony.

''Mario Smash Football
In Mario Smash Football, Toads appear as team players who can be chosen on to any team. The color of their caps is determined by what team they are on (example, red Toads are on Mario's team while green Toads are on Luigi's team). They are technique players who are useful to use at a close range. Additionally, Toads also make up as a part of the audience in this game as well.

''Mario Strikers Charged
In the sequel Mario Strikers Charged, Toads reappear as both a part of the audience as playable team members. They are once again technique players. Their skillshot is the Fire Meteor. Oddly, the playable Toads in this game do not have voices unlike the previous game; instead, the Toads make small squeaking sounds as heard when using their mushroom heads.

Mario Baseball series
In Mario Superstar Baseball, there are five playable Toads in the game. They all have different colored caps and strongly resemble the Toads from the Toad Brigade. They all have different stats but they are generally balanced characters. Additionally, Toadsworth and Toadette are also playable in this game. In the sequel Mario Super Sluggers, the five Toads return as playable characters (as well as Toadsworth and Toadette). It should also be noted that many more Toads appear as audience members.

Mario Sports Mix
In Mario Sports Mix, Toad, along with three other Toad colors can be used; the colors being blue, yellow, and green. The alternate colors can be unlocked by using Toad 15, 20, and 25 times. Alternatively, the blue and yellow Toads can also be unlocked by clearing certain Mushroom Cup missions. The green Toad is found at certain Star Cup routes.

Kirby series
A retinue of Toads makes a cameo appearance in Kirby Super Star Ultra, the remake of Kirby Super Star. (Toad himself appears in the original game.) These Toads were first seen in the "Spring Breeze" mode of the game. They were located at Stage 4, the Final Stage – King Dedede's Castle atop Mt. Dedede. The Toads (alongside Mario, Peach, Luigi, and Wario) were inside an arena watching and cheering on Kirby in his final battle against King Dedede. Each time Kirby landed an attack on King Dedede, the Toads would become more excited. They also appeared in "The Arena" mode of the game, once again cheering on Kirby in a battle against King Dedede inside the same arena as before. Additionally, the Toads appeared in the "Helper to Hero" mode, rooting for Kirby's various Helpers, such as Knuckle Joe and Waddle Doo, in their own brawls with King Dedede. Lastly, the Toads showed up in Level 1 of the "Meta Knightmare Ultra" mode of the game. This time, however, they were cheering on Meta Knight in his personal fight against King Dedede.

Characteristics and Traits
Toads, in general, are very loyal to Princess Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom, but tend to panic in dangerous situations. For example, during Bowser's attack on Peach's Castle in Super Mario Galaxy, many Toads began to panic, mindlessly running around in circles and occasionally tripping, only to resume mindlessly running around in circles. Also, during the events of Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, in the conference held by Princess Peach, a Toad suggested that the entire kingdom should "panic". It is often due to their cowardice, that many Toads are relatively non violent; that notwithstanding, they may fight if it is by all means for self defense, though they seem to prefer running away and cowering before their foes.

However at most times, they are generally peaceful characters who generally are happy to assist the heroes. They are usually characters who remain on the good side in the games as well.

Mushroom Caps
All Toads have special mushroom caps on the top of their heads, just like actual mushrooms. While the mushroom cap ostensibly appears to be part of Toad physiology, The Super Mario Brothers Super Show! reveals the cap to simply be a type of hat. When the Toad took off his mushroom cap in The Super Mario Brothers Super Show!, he revealed his round head with a few strands of hair. Though there is little evidence to suggest that Toads in the games can remove their mushroom caps, during a victory scene of Toads in Mario Smash Football, a Toad's mushroom cap falls down beneath his eyes. When Toads are hit, they seem to drop spores (as seen in Mario Tennis and the Super Smash Bros. series). Indeed, the Chancellor of the Mushroom Kingdom claims to have "almost dropped [his] spores" after hearing Exor crash into Bowser's Keep in Super Mario RPG.

Most Toads wear white mushroom caps with different colored spots, but one Toad named Toadette does wear a mushroom cap that's magenta colored with white spots. This could be the case for all female Toads (another example being Toadiko). Likewise, Toadsworth wears a yellowish colored mushroom cap with brown spots. Some Toads even have caps that are an inversed version of the regular caps. Examples include Toadbert who has a blue cap with white spots rather than a white cap with multicolored spots. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, it is proven that the color of a Toad's cap can infact change with the effects of a power up such as the Fire Flower.

Abilities
While the Toads are often shown to be fleeing at the first sign of danger during the games, some situations prove that the mushroom people are more than capable of protecting themselves during battle. In Super Mario Bros. 2 (the first game that had a Toad as a playable character), Toad was revealed to be even more stronger than the Mario brothers themselves and he is also shown to be very speedy as well. The Mario baseball games also prove the strength of the playable mushroom people as they are shown to be considerably powerful, despite their size. The Mario soccer games also have the Toads being able to use powerful head butts as an offensive attack. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, the two playable Toads were shown to have stats that are similar to Mario and Luigi's own powers. The Toads were also capable of using the same power ups (such as the Fire Flower) that were available to be used by the Mario brothers in order to gain new forms. The Toads were also shown to be skilled in riding Yoshis in this game as well.

Toad Guards
Toad guards serve as the protectors of the Mushroom Kingdom and Princess Peach. They typically wield spears and shields. In Super Mario Galaxy these shields have Peach's symbol, her crown, emblazoned on the front. Like normal Toad citizens, Toad guards are not particularly brave, often asking Mario or other heroes to complete dangerous missions instead of doing so themselves. For example, when Bowser launched an attack on Peach's Castle during the centennial Star Festival, the Toad guards requested Mario to protect the Princess, although that is the Toads' official duty as royal guards. One of Peach's bodyguards even hid behind Peach when Bowser hovered in front of her balcony.

Mario Superstar Baseball Information

 * Type: Balanced
 * Starting Team Captain: Peach
 * Status: Player
 * Stats:
 * Red Toad Stats:'''
 * Batting: 5/10
 * Pitching: 4/10
 * Fielding: 4/10
 * Running: 6/10
 * Blue Toad Stats:'''
 * Batting: 4/10
 * Pitching: 3/10
 * Fielding: 4/10
 * Running: 8/10
 * Yellow Toad Stats:'''
 * Batting: 4/10
 * Pitching: 4/10
 * Fielding: 4/10
 * Running: 8/10
 * Green Toad Stats:'''
 * Batting: 5/10
 * Pitching: 3/10
 * Fielding: 4/10
 * Running: 6/10
 * Purple Toad Stats:'''
 * Batting: 5/10
 * Pitching: 5/10
 * Fielding: 4/10
 * Running: 5/10
 * Player Profile:
 * Strong Point: Running
 * Special Talents: Body Check
 * Trajectory:
 * Field: Center
 * Height: Normal
 * Star Pitch: Slowball
 * Star Swing: Center
 * Default Batting Position: Right
 * Default Throwing Arm: Right
 * Sweet Spot: The Toad face on the bat
 * Compatible Relationships: Peach, Toadsworth, Toadette
 * Bio: "Princess Peach's subject. Though he tries to protect the princess from the evil Bowser, she gets kidnapped with disturbing regularity. There are many Toads who look just alike, and though they are generally small and look cute, they are actually quite powerful."

Mario Football Series

 * Type: Playmaker
 * Skillshot (Charged): Fire Meteor
 * Bio: Speed and king-sized passing skills makes Toad one of the top play-makers on the circuit. Just don't call him 'Little Guy'.

Stats (Charged)

 * Movement: 10
 * Shooting: 3
 * Passing: 10
 * Defense: 3

Trivia

 * In the code of Super Mario Bros. 3, there is what seems to be a "Toad Suit" similar to the Tanooki Suit and Hammer Suit. However, this is only a Hammer Suit with pallette errors that appears out of the Giant Question Block in World 7-8.
 * Toads in the beta version of Super Mario Galaxy had stars instead of spots on their mushroom caps. It is unknown if those Toads were affiliated with the Mushroom Kingdom, or with Rosalina.
 * Toads dressed as waiters appeared in some of the mini-games of Super Mario 64 DS and ''New Super Mario Bros.
 * In Kirby Super Star, during Kirby's first fight with King Dedede, several Toads can be seen in the audience.