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. 2
As the setting of Super Mario Bros. 2 took place in a land far away from the Mushroom Kingdom called Subcon, Toads were almost completely absent from this game. However, this game is notable for being the first game to feature a specific Toad as a playable character. This Toad character (who was stated to have been one of the Mushroom Retainers in the former game Super Mario Bros.) was named Toad as appropriately, and he continued to appear as a singular representative for the Toad species in the future games of the Mario series. In Super Mario Bros. 2, Toad was known for his high strength and speed stats; however, his jumps were considerably lower in comparison to the other characters.

''Super Mario Bros. 3
In Super Mario Bros. 3, there was a Toad in every castle owned by the Mushroom Kings. When Mario or Luigi entered the castle, the Toad would ask them to get the Magic Wand back from the Koopalings to transform the King back to his original form. If Mario or Luigi loses an extra life on one of the airship stages, 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.

Toad himself is found in a Toad's House on the map of each world. He helps Mario and Luigi get extra lives, coins, and items. The Toad's Houses let Mario take the contents of one of three chests, containing a power-up. Toad's Houses containing 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. Toad (with spade spaces in the house) allows Mario play a scrolling type game, where the player must match three parts of eithier a Mushroom, Fire Flower, or Starman. Depending whether or not the player matches the three correctly, and which image formed, one to five extra lives can be gained.

''Super Mario 64
Many Toads (including Toad himself) were found inside the rooms of Princess Peach's Castle in Super Mario 64. It is implied that these Toads were sealed behind the Castle's walls so that they could not escape to seek out for help. Upon Mario's arrival to the castle, the imprisoned Toads 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. Two Toads are also seen (alongside Princess Peach) in the ending of the game after Mario had defeated Bowser for the final time. In the remake Super Mario 64 DS, the Toads presumed the same role of providing tips while being sealed behind the castle walls; however, their messages were slightly altered for each of the playable characters that talk to them. Additionally, 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 this 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. Some were even dressed up as waiters in the Luigi 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. While their presence is noted, the Toads generally did not have any other important role in the game, however. This could be noted by the fact that the only location that Mario could find the Toads is at Delfino Plaza.

In the ending credits, the five Toads could be seen enjoying themselves along with Mario, Peach (who was rescued from Mario) and Toadsworth.

''New Super Mario Bros.
Toads oddly 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, since 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 Item Crystals 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
While the Toads did not make a proper appearance in New Super Mario Bros., they take on a much more prominent role in the sequel New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Additionally, Blue Toad and Yellow Toad appear in New Super Mario Bros. Wii as playable characters in the multiplayer mode.

During the introduction two Toads help Mario and Co. by firing Propeller Mushrooms and Penguin Suits out of a cannon. In the main game, Toads also have to be saved in some levels. However, the player can carry and save toads in one player mode. If playing multiplayer, the Toad will not appear in the level and will instead be already kidnapped inside a locked chest. 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 Peach's Castle. All the Toads (except Yellow Toad and Blue Toad) in this game have a white and red mushroom cap and a blue vest.

''Super Mario Galaxy 2
Likewise in Super Mario Galaxy, the Toads can be seen celebrating the Star Festival happily and peacefully while collecting Star Bits in Super Mario Galaxy 2. However, their happy celebration was soon disturbed by Bowser. Bowser, after using the power of the Grand 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 of rescuing 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 for this 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 once the Toads find him). Throughout the game, the five Toads help in a variety of different ways. Green Toad (a member of the brigade) turns to help Mario save Star Bits, acting like a bank in this game (hence, his name is changed to Banktoad in Super Mario Galaxy 2.

''Super Mario 3D Land
In Super Mario 3D Land, Toads continue to help Mario on his journey on rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser and his forces. However, the Toads help Mario through a variety of different ways throughout the game. In the beginning of the game after the event of Peach's kidnapping, three Toads (Red, Blue, and Yellow) are seen to accompany Mario on his journey to check where Peach is. However, upon reaching the Super Leaf Tree which Peach had went on earlier to check its condition (after the event of the terrible storm from the previous night), the Toads and Mario soon discover that Peach is no longer there and that all the Super Leaves have blown away from the tree. This causes the Toads and Mario to begin panicking until Yellow Toad spots a letter that Mario and the three Toads soon read. After discovering that the letter was from Bowser illustrating the kidnapping of Peach, the three Toads immediately get surprised and run ahead in front of Mario to attempt to save her. Throughout the game, Mario can spot these three Toads through the use of a binocular and see what they are up to. When spotted by Mario at times, one of these three Toads will occasionally help the plumber through a variety of ways. One way that the Toad will help Mario is by tossing a Star Medal or a power-up near Mario in the level. Occasionally, the Toads will lead Mario to secret passageways that often lead to short-cuts, hidden Toad Houses, or even hidden Star Medals. When Mario is adventuring through Bowser's Castle in an attempt to save Peach, the three Toads are found in front of the cannon which leads to Bowser's lair. As this is as far as the Toads can go to helping Mario, the Red Toad will throw Mario a 1-Up Mushroom to assist him in his battle against Bowser. In the ending of the game, it is revealed that the three Toads had managed to reach Bowser's lair and had obtained several Super Leaves to help them, Mario, and Peach get off the high canyon that Bowser's Castle was on top of. With the Super Leaves, Red Toad, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad all use the Super Leaves to become Tanooki Toads, and they fly alongside Tanooki Mario (who is holding Peach in his arms) across the Mushroom Kingdom to reach back to Princess Peach's Castle after the events of their long journey.

After Mario continues his quest and defeats Bowser yet again in the Special World 8-Castle level, another letter is seen to be falling into an open plain. At this point, the three Toads that had helped Mario save Peach make a reappearance by themselves in which they are seen wearing their own Tanooki suits yet again. Upon seeing the letter, Yellow Toad picks up the letter and shows it to both Blue Toad and Red Toad. The three immediately discover (from reading the letter) that Peach had been kidnapped once again by Bowser, and that she now needed to be rescued again. Presumably, the three Toads went off to find Mario or Luigi once again to tell the hero of the news and accompanied him once again in his new mission.

Aside from the three Toads that accompany Mario on his journey, other Toads are also met throughout the adventure. A few Toads are seen to be kidnapped by the False Bowsers throughout Mario's journey, and they often must be rescued by Mario from the clutches of the False Bowsers. Toads are also seen in the final level where they are seen cheering on for Mario or Luigi beside the flagpole. Toad himself is present with occasional appearances of running the Red Toad Houses. These Toad Houses also allow the players to access the Street Pass option from their Nintendo 3DS. Toad also operates the cannons that grant Mario access to the Airship levels. Toad also makes occasional appearances in the levels (much like the other three Toads who accompany Mario on his journey), and he can be seen throwing Power-Ups or Star Medals to Mario when spotted through the binoculars.

Wario's Woods
Wario's Woods was the first game that starred a Toad as the main hero (specifically the character Toad himself) in the Mario series. In this game, Toad has to defeat Wario and his minions from taking over the Mushroom Kingdom. A green colored Toad also appeared as a playable character for the second player in the VS mode. 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 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, but if the player accidentally shoots a Toad, they will lose points. 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. A Green Toad is shown to be one of Mario's partners.

''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. They were seen escaping the castle after Peach was attacked by Cackletta and Fawful. 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.

Toads who escaped the Blorbs were also found in Bowser's body after he swallowed them up. They were mostly found in the market place like area in his abdomen called Toad Square.

''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 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 (though their cap spots are recolored as blue instead of red). 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. Toads are also a frequent sight in Toad's home course Toad's Factory. Large balloons of various Toads (red, blue, and yellow colored) can be seen as a form of decoration throughout the Mario Kart 7 course Toad Circuit. Being Toad's own course and other obvious references, this circuit likely pays a tribute to the Toads.

''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.

In Mario Super Sluggers, each Toad has good running abilities, but their fielding skills are rather weak. In fact, the Purple Toad has the weakest fielding abilities in the game (tied with King K. Rool).

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 on the other hand 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.

''Super Mario Bros.: Peach-hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen!
Very much like in the original game of Super Mario Bros., the Toads were presented as Princess Peach's servants as well as the peaceful citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom until King Bowser arrived to destroy their peace. The Toads were soon kidnapped, and many were turned into various inanimate objects such as flowers (thus, being unable to help the Princess). Both Mario and Luigi saved the Toads at various instances, and the Toads were freed from their spells. To thank them, the Toads rewarded the Mario Bros. with various items and power-ups to help them with their journey.

For unknown reasons, all the Toads present in this film are all female. Most of these Toads were presented with pinkish/red mushroom caps and had a similar appearance to a future created character named as Toadette (though it is unknown if there is any relation to her creation and the Toads from this anime).

''The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!/The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
In the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Toads played a minor role by being background characters throughout the show's plot. The most prominent Toad was Toad himself who was featured as a main character. For odd reasons, most Toads (except for Toad himself) did not appear the same as their game counterparts and often appear with humanistic characteristics (such as noses and teeth). They reappear with an almost similar role in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3. As with Toad's case, no members of the Toad species appeared in the Super Mario World show as a result of their absence in the actual Super Mario World game.

Super Mario Shirayuki-hime
In the retelling of the classic fairy tale story of Snow White and Seven Dwarves featuring Mario characters in Super Mario Shirayuki-hime, seven Toads played the roles of the seven dwarves. The seven featured Toads acted very much in a child like manner; however, they were very close to Princess Peach throughout the tale. They were seen trying to help Mario in his battle against Bowser, but they soon stopped when they saw that Mario could do fight the Koopa King by himself. They were seen rejoicing upon the scene when Luigi came to save the day.

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. At the more peaceful of times, Toads are generally seen as cheerful characters who often have almost childish like personalities.

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 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 conflicting 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. The Excess Express Engineer in Paper Mario 2 wears a hat that looks to be too small for a mushroom cap and some mushroom people have hair coming out under their cap. 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.

While most Toads wear white mushroom caps with different colored spots, there are exceptions. Toadette wears a magenta colored mushroom cap with white spots (another example being Toadiko), and Toadsworth wears a yellowish colored mushroom cap with brown spots. Some Toads even have caps that are an inversed version of the regular caps, like Toadbert, who has a blue cap with white 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. Furthermore, some Toads have other shapes on their caps, such as the yellow stars on Doctor Toadley's cap and the Toad Waitress and Vanna T. have hearts on their caps.

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 Mario Sports Mix, Toad's strongest stat was his speed while his power and technique stats were slightly below average. Additionally, Toad is capable of using his spores to creating a reflective shield as well as gargantuan mushrooms that Toad is capable of controlling to attack opponents for his special move. These attributes are also present for Toad's alternate colorations. 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. In Super Mario 3D Land, the three Toads that help Mario on his journey are shown to be just as capable as Mario himself when it comes to adventuring around the Mushroom Kingdom. They are also shown to be very speedy as they were capable of easily outrunning Mario throughout the game since the introduction. The three Toads were also capable of using various Power-Ups in this game such as the Propeller Block (which serves the same purpose as that from New Super Mario Bros. Wii). The Toads were also capable of using the Super Leaf to becoming Tanooki Toads during the ending of the game, and as a result they were capable of using the powers of their Tanooki forms quite effectively.

In the anime Super Mario Shirayuki-hime, the seven Toads are able to function similarly as Super Mushrooms as they are able to power up Mario after he has been weakened. However, this ability has not been shown in the actual games or any other portion of the Mario series after this OVA.

Toad Guards
Toad guards serve as the protectors of the Mushroom Kingdom and Princess Peach. They typically wield spears and shields, their uniforms is a classic mantle. 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

Super Mario 3D Land Profile

 * Official American Website Bio:"Your friendly neighborhood Toads are hanging out all over the place, waiting at home to give you items should you stop by, or hiding in certain stages to toss you a power-up."

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 star spots instead of circle spots on their mushroom caps. It is unknown if those Toads were affiliated with Rosalina.