Tumble is the character that replaces Toad as the host of mini-games in Mario Party 3. His appearance is actually very similar to that of a Toad, but he wears gloves and has a dice on his head instead of a mushroom cap. (He also happens to have no arms, legs, or even a body.)
In addition to explaining mini-games and controls, Tumble will also show the players the new location of the Millennium Star each time it is moved. He (along with the Millennium Star himself) also give out Star Stamps whenever a player has won at a board.
At the end of the game, the top of Tumble's dice cap opens to reveal the real Millennium Star. Some fans speculate that the Millennium Star may have been controlling Tumble from the inside, much the way the Geno doll was controlled in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, although it is still possible that he was merely "holding" the Millennium Star within himself and is a separate being.
Tumble re-appears as the host of the Shroom City mode in Mario Party Advance. He is also said to be one of Shroom City's guides; he kept this role by the end of the game (which describes him as a "beloved Shroom guide"). Tumble actually did little other than the average host-type things in Mario Party Advance; other than this, though, he can be summoned by landing on a Mushroom Space, which will randomly trigger an appearance of either him or Koopa Kid. Tumble's Mushroom Space-related role shows him to be much more merciful than Koopa Kid, who will take a Mushroom away if a minigame is lost and he gives the player, one they won. He will give the player two Mushrooms if they win and none if the player loses.
Gallery
Tumble artwork from Mario Party 3.
- TumbleCuteis.PNG
Tumble sleeping.
- Tumble.png
Tumble's in-game appearance in Mario Party 3.
Trivia
- The word "tumble", which Tumble is named for, means "to shake" or "to be shaking". As such, it is commonly associated with dice.
- For unknown reasons, Tumble's expression changes whenever the star moves in Mario Party 3.
- Despite Tumble's vitality to Mario Party Advance, that game's manual gives no mention of him (although he does appear in one of its screenshots).