Editing Zip Toad

{{character infobox
|image=[[File:Zip Toad.png]]<br>Sprite from ''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''
|species=[[Toad (species)|Toad]]
|first_appearance=''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' ([[List of games by date#2004|2004]])
|latest_appearance=''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'' ([[Nintendo Switch]]) ([[List of games by date#2024|2024]])
}}
{{quote|You're cool, baby... but I'm cooler!|Zip Toad|Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door}}
'''Zip Toad''' is a famous movie star with an ego who is one of the suspects in the investigation on board the [[Excess Express]] in ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''. Zip Toad's name is a pun on "ZIP code". He has a few parallels with Linda Arden, the fictional actress from the 1934 English detective novel ''{{wp|Murder on the Orient Express}}'', the novel which Chapter 6 is based upon. Both are celebrities, and both were involved with impersonation in some capacity. In Arden's case, she entered the Orient Express under a different name ("Mrs. Hubbard"). In Zip Toad's case, [[Doopliss]] disguised himself as him in order to subvert Mario's efforts to collect the [[Garnet Star]].

==History==
===''Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door''===
During Chapter 6, Zip Toad is found in room 001 on the Excess Express. On the second day of the journey, [[Pennington]] tells [[Mario]] that someone may be using the [[Ratooey]] [[businessman]]'s [[List of implied items#Nitro Honey Syrup|Nitro Honey Syrup]] recipe, the [[Excess Express waitress]]' [[Shell Earrings]], and [[Toodles]]' [[Gold Ring (item)|Gold Ring]] to create an explosion. He finds a [[Vital Paper]] that belongs to the businessman in Zip Toad's room. He later finds another paper in his own room. After using [[Vivian]]'s ability, Zip Toad comes out of hiding and Mario catches him. When he is apprehended, he gives the stolen items to Mario. However, it turns out that Zip Toad is actually [[Doopliss]] in disguise, hired by [[Beldam]] of the [[Three Shadows]] to bomb the train in a "[[Threatening Note|sticky, yummy, gooey mess]]" in an effort to prevent Mario and his partners from reaching the [[Garnet Star]] in the [[Poshley Sanctum]], and frame Zip Toad for the crime. He escapes when the train stops at [[Riverside Station]].

When Mario and his team set out to find the [[Crystal Star|last]] [[Crystal Stars|Crystal Star]], the real Zip Toad sends him an [[Mailbox SP#The Real Zip Toad: !|email]], containing a picture of himself in front of a window. In the email, Zip Toad commends Mario and his team for stopping the Three Shadows' plan and clearing his name, and tells him that he is going to film a movie in [[Toad Town]] called ''[[List of implied entertainment#On Golden Toad 2|On Golden Toad 2]]''. He also reveals more about his movie career by quickly mentioning another film that featured him: ''[[List of implied entertainment#The Toad Warrior|The Toad Warrior]]''. The title of these films are likely parodies of ''{{wp|On Golden Pond (1981 film)|On Golden Pond}}'' and ''{{wp|Mad Max 2|The Road Warrior}}'', respectively.

In the original game's end credits [[Parade|parade]], Zip Toad's silhouette can be seen with the Poshley Heights characters. In the remake, he, [[Chef Shimi]], the [[Excess Express waitress]], [[Toodles]], [[Heff T.]], and the [[Businessman|businessman]] follow behind [[Pennington]] as he investigates the stage. This is until [[Ghost T.]] appears and spooks at them, resulting in them all fleeing in horror as Ghost T. ascends into a bright light.

===''Super Mario-kun''===
[[File:Excess Express Passengers SuperMarioKun.png|thumb|Zip Toad in ''Super Mario-kun'']]
Zip Toad is briefly seen as one of the passengers onboard the Excess Express in volume 34 of ''[[Super Mario-kun]]''.

==Profiles==
===Email===
;! (GCN)<br>What's up! (Switch)
[[File:Jr troopa cameo.png|thumb|An attached image of the Real Zip Toad (with [[Jr. Troopa]] in the background) in his e-mail to Mario (GCN)]]
[[File:PMTTYDNS ZipToad Mail.png|thumb|Attached image (Switch)]]
<blockquote>
What's up, super-sleuth! (GCN)<br>
What's up, super sleuth! (Switch)

I heard you uncovered my impostor! You're the best, man, seriously!<br>
<br>
See, when you get to be as big a star as Zip Toad, these sorts of things happen all the time. It's the biz.<br>
<br>
But, man alive! For a no-name like you to brave danger and find my impostor! Reminds me of a younger, yet less successful, me.<br>
<br>
Yeah, so as for me, I'm headed to [[Toad Town]] to film my next leading role: The soon-to-be hit film On Golden Toad 2. It'll be huge. (GCN)<br>
Yeah, so as for me, I'm headed to Toad Town to film my next leading role—the soon-to-be hit film "On Golden Toad 2." It'll be huge. (Switch)<br>
<br>
I hear you're on an adventure or something, so I'll leave you with a line from my last flick, The Toad Warrior: "You're cool, baby...but I'm cooler!" (GCN)<br>
I hear you're on an adventure or something, so I'll leave you with a line from my last flick, "The Toad Warrior." "You're cool, baby...but I'm cooler!" (Switch)<br>
<br>
Best of luck, kid!<br>
<br>
The Super Star (GCN)<br>
The Super Star, (Switch)<br>
The Real Zip Toad
</blockquote>

===Tattle===
[[Goombella]] can use [[Tattle]] on Zip Toad only while he is Doopliss in disguise.<br>

"''I KNEW I knew him! That's Zip Toad, the movie star! Women go NUTS'' (GCN) / ''WILD'' (Switch) ''for him! Y'know, he's hot and all, but he seems pretty stuck up about being famous. I guess all celebrities are kinda like that. It's too bad, 'cause I kinda liked him...''"
<br>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
PMTTYDNS concept art characters 9.png|Concept art of the [[Excess Express]] passengers and staff, including an early version of Zip Toad with blue spots rather than red
</gallery>

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jpn=ミスター トロン
|JpnR=Misutā Toron
|JpnM=Mister Tron
|ChiS=特伦先生
|ChiSR=Tèlún Xiānshēng
|ChiSM=Mister Tron
|ChiT=特倫先生
|ChiTR=Tèlún Xiānshēng
|ChiTM=Mister Tron
|Dut=Toadivo
|DutM=From "Toad" and ''divo'' ("VIP")
|Fre=Bolet Wood
|FreM=From ''boletus'' (a species of mushroom) and "[[wikipedia:Hollywood|Hollywood]]"
|Ger=Star T.
|GerM=From "star" and abbreviation of "Toad"
|Ita=Toadivo
|ItaM=From "Toad" and ''divo'' ("VIP")
|Kor=미스터 트론
|KorR=Miseuteo Teulon
|KorM=Mister Tron
|Spa=T. Zip
|SpaM=Zip Toad
}}

{{Toads}}
{{PMTTYD}}
[[Category:Toads]]
[[Category:Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door characters]]
[[Category:Super Mario-kun characters]]
[[de:Star T.]]
[[it:Toadivo]]