Toad
- This article is about the character Toad. For more about the species, see Toad (species).
- “Thank you, Mario, but our princess is in another castle!”
- —Toad, Super Mario Bros.
Toad is Princess Peach's attendant and a long time protector of the Mushroom Kingdom. He is actually a singular character among an entire species of look-alikes, even ones that share his name (much like Yoshi). He once made many appearences in the mainstream Marioverse games, but has lately been reduced to being a playable character in the Mario spin-off titles, while Toadsworth has taken over many of his previous roles.
Biography
The Unlikely Hero
Toad's first appearance was as a playable character in the game Super Mario Bros 2. He, (along with Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach) went to a picnic at the beginning of the game. The heroes discovered a cave that led to Subcon. The group then learned that the land was ruled by the tyrannical frog, Wart. Toad, Mario, Luigi, and Peach eventually defeated the evil tyrant. Toad was not a very high jumper, but he was extremely fast when it came to picking vegetables or digging through sand. He also had a fair run, making him one of the fastest of the four characters.
The Item Giver
For the third installment of the Super Mario Bros. series, Toad was again a non-playable character. He appeared in various Toad House's throughout the game. In these houses he hosted mini-games, if one of the Mario Bros. won, they would win an item, such as a Fire Flower or a Star. Interestingly, Toad Houses appeared in New Super Mario Bros., but they were run by Toadsworth, rather than Toad himself.
Battle for the Woods
Toad was the main character of Wario's Woods, a Nintendo puzzle game. In the game, Wario was attacking the Mushroom Kindgom with the help of various monsters. Toad had go to the Wario's Woods to stop him. He was helped by Birdo and a fairy named Wanda. Birdo would give bombs to Wanda who would then give them to Toad. He also showed a unique ability in this game: The ability to run up walls. At the end of the game Toad faced Wario himself, and eventually defeated the evil anti-hero.
An Odd Visit
In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Toad is an adviser to the Chancellor of the Mushroom Kingdom. He appears throughout the game to offer Mario tutorials on how to accomplish certain tasks.
During the events of the game, He was sent by the Chancellor to pick up Princess Toadstool, who was visiting Mario at his house. However, when Toad arrives, no one is to be found. Soon, an object appears in the sky and crashes into Mario's house. The object was none other than Mario, who had just been ejected from Bowser's Keep by the giant sword, Exor. Toad asked Mario to return to the castle to rescue the Princess. However, when Mario arrived, Exor destroyed the bridge to the castle, preventing any access to the keep.
As such, Mario returns to his pad and tells Toad the bad news. Toad decides the pair will have to journey to the Mushroom Kingdom to inform the Chancellor about Bowser's Keep and Princess Peach. As they are leaving, Toad accidentally bumps into Mario and does one HP worth of damage. Toad quickly apologizes and then teaches Mario about items and Timed Hits. Additionally, Toad gives Mario four Mushrooms before they journey into the Goomba-infested Mushroom Way. As soon as Toad enters Mushroom Way, he is captured by a group of Goombas. However, Mario promptly rescues him and he quickly rewards Mario with some Honey Syrup. However, when Toad enters the next area of the passageway, he is quickly kidnapped by a Sky Troopa. Once again, Mario saves Toad and, once again, Mario is rewarded (this time, he gets a Flower Tab.). Right before the exit to the Mushroom Kingdom, Toad is captured by the Hammer Bros., the leaders of the Koopa Troop's forces in Mushroom Way. Ultimately, Mario defeats the Hammer Bros., frees Toad, and accompanies Toad to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Later, during the invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom by Mack and the Shysters, Toad hides, very frightened, in the Princess's bedroom in the castle. When Mario is taking a nap at the Rose Town inn, Toad visits him to deliver a Flower Tab. If Mario chooses to sleep with the Dream Cusion at the Inn in Nimbus Land, he would sometimes dream of Toad revealing himself to be a monster (in this case, a Greaper). Mario initinally becomes frightened of Toad when he comes to visit, but the fear is gone once Toad gives him a Red Essence. Later in the Smithy Factory, Toad having through unknown means, travelled to and through Bowser's Keep, appears to support Mario and sell him useful items. Why Toad didn't just give these needed items to Mario for free (as he did before) is unknown.
The Castle Rescue
Toad, along with Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser during the events of Super Mario 64 DS (and Super Mario 64). He has no other role in the game, although his fellow Toads help Mario. He is only seen at the end of the game, as one of Peach's two attendants.
The Checkpoint
Toad also appeared in Luigi's Mansion. He is the first Toad Luigi finds. When Luigi talked to him, he was crying. Luigi cheered him up and Toad let him save the game in return. Toad is found like this several places in the game, always crying over something, always gives the ability to save. When the Mansion's power goes out after the fight with Boolosus, Toad runs away and cannot be used to save the game anymore. However he does call Luigi on the phone to inform him of where the power switch is. Interestingly, the music played while Luigi talks to a Toad is adapted from the short fanfare played when Mario talks to a Toad in Super Mario 64.
An Urgent Message
Toad has a brief and often overlooked playable appearance in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. After Cackletta steals Peach's (who is actually Birdo, although this is not revealed until much later) voice, he runs to find Mario. He can look around Mario's house until he finds him. He found him in the shower and he promptly faint at the sight. Toad does not regain consciousness until he is jumped on repeatedly by Mario, after which he is able to quickly inform Mario of the Princess's plight.
A Musical Adventure
In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Toad would accompany the character of the Players choice, Mario or Luigi. He helped either plumber on there quest to get the Music Keys from Wario, Waluigi, and Bowser. He also appeared in the background of the first song. He tries to help them obtain the lost keys, but is not entirely successful, as he is non-violent throughout most of the game. He does tell Mario what he needs to do, and when he needs to do it (as seen during the battle with Freezie).
The Starter of a Journey
In the beginning of Super Paper Mario, Toad rushes to Mario's House one lazy morning and tells them that Princess Peach had been kidnapped and Mushroom Castle had been raided, which thus starts Mario's adventure.
Future Appearences
Of all the Big Eight characters, Toad has had the least number of upcoming appearances. He has been confirmed to be playable in Mario Party 8 and Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, but has not yet been scheduled for any mainstream Marioverse appearances.
Other Appearances
Mario Kart Series
Toad was playable in Super Mario Kart, as a lightweight character. His special ability is throwing Poison Mushrooms that make another player shrink when hit. He was also playable in Mario Kart 64, where he is given his own track, Toad's Turnpike. He has also been playable in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Mario Kart Arcade GP. And is also scheduled to appear in the upcoming, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2.
Toad was given a partner in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. This character's name is Toadette. She and Toad's special item were Golden Mushrooms. They are, along with his kart, the Toad Kart, unlockables, and can be unlocked by completing the Special Cup on the 100cc setting. There is also a rumor that Toadette is Toad's girlfriend because they're paired together. In Mario Kart DS, Toad was a default character. Alongside being playable in Grand Prix mode, Toad is the main character in one of the races in Mission Mode. In this mission, Toad races the Goomboss along with many other missions.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
In Super Smash Bros. Melee Toad appeared as Princess Peach's helper. He could be pulled out from under the princess's skirt and used him as a shield. Interestingly Toad appears to be struggling as Princess Peach holds him, implying that he is being held against his will. One of Peach's trophy says not to worry about him, as it is his job to protect her. If Kirby sucks in Princess Peach then he too can use Toad. He also has a trophy in his likeness. There was a rumor that he was playable and they even showed faked pictures of him in battle! But it was all a hoax. People even tried to unlock him.
Mario Tennis
Toad was playable in Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64 as a default character. He (along with Toadette) appeared on a scoreboard in the opening movie of Mario Power Tennis but they were not playable in the game. It is likely that they were originally planned to be playable in the game, but were cut-out after the opening movie was made.
Mario Party Series
In Mario Party and Mario Party 2 Toad was the host, and he was the one that gave the Stars. In Mario Party 3, he was replaced by Tumble, but still appeared to give out items and as Princess Peach's partner in Battle Mode.
He continued his role as host in Mario Party 4 (even having his own board, Toad's Midway Madness). However, in Mario Party 5 he was promoted to being a playable character. He has been playable in every Mario Party game since then. He has also been confirmed to be a playable character yet again in Mario Party 8.
Appearances
Non-Playable appearances
- Super Mario Bros. 3
- Mario Party
- Mario Party 2
- Mario Party 3
- Mario Party 4
- Super Smash Bros. Melee
- Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Super Mario 64
- Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
- Mario Power Tennis
- Super Mario 64 DS
- Super Paper Mario
Playable appearances
- Super Mario Bros 2
- Super Mario Kart
- Mario Kart 64
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
- Mario Kart DS
- Mario Party 5
- Mario Party 6
- Mario Party 7
- Wario's Woods
- Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit
- Mario Kart Arcade GP
- Mario Tennis
- Mario Excite Bike
Other Information
Personality
Toad is often foreseen as a happy character (happy almost to the point of childishness). His official artwork often shows him with a wide, happy smile on his face. However he is also sometimes seen as somewhat of a coward, particularly in Luigi's Mansion. He is presumably one of the most humble characters in the Marioverse, as he seems to be actually aware of his own cowardice. Despite this, Toad is kind, and often helps Mario on his multiple adventures.
Toad is almost never seen to get angry. Where most characters would get angry, Toad merely gets upset. He is shown to be an excitable little guy, and is often shown running around frantically. Despite all this, he still manages to be brave when the need truly calls for it.
Powers and Abilities
Super Mario Bros 2 revealed that Toad was a very fast character. This was further influenced in the Mario Kart series, where he is a lightweight character and very often an extremely fast one. Wario's Woods gave him the ability to walk up walls, but this ability has not been seen since. He used a Hammer in Mario Party 3, but this too has not been seen recently. He is generally considered an expert on Items, often giving Mario power-ups and telling him what he needs to do. His appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee would also seem to hint at the fact that he has heavy endurance. Additionally, episodes of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 occasionally had Toad using Power-Ups such as in "The Fire of Hercufleas / The Marios Fight Back" where he uses a Fire Flower, and in "The Ugly Mermaid" where he spends the entire episode in a Frog Suit.
Voice
Toad's voice has gone through many changes since it was first heard in Mario Kart 64. In this game he sounded like a small child, often screaming in a high voice or cheering in his speech. In Super Mario Advance and forward, his voice was changed to a less high level, but it was given a screech to it. This has annoyed many Players. In the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, he had a somewhat deeper voice, with a very thick Brooklyn accent. In most Mario Party games, Toadette is simply given a higher pitched version of Toad's.
Physical Appearance
Toad normally has the look of the rest of his species. He normally wears a blue vest, large brown shoes, and a large diaper-like piece of clothing for pants. He has a red spotted mushroom cap, indicating slight cowardice and heavy obedience. A small controversy arose with Super Mario Bros. 2, because Toad was given a blue mushroom cap, instead of a red one, making many fans think that the Toad we know today and the Toad from Super Mario Bros. 2 were different characters. However, Toad's blue mushroom cap was actually due to the graphical incapabilities of the NES rather than a continuity thread. In remakes of Super Mario Bros. 2, such as Super Mario All-Stars, Toad is given a red mushroom cap.
Although his early appearances did not show it, Toad has developed as a way for Nintendo to show off it's potential for kiddy, "cutesy" characters, along with Yoshi, and various other Nintendo characters.
Generic Appearance
Often, a group of Toads appear, but none are named. It is very possible that one of these is actually Toad, but this is unconfirmed. Toad may be:
- The Toad that is playable during the mini-games of Super Princess Peach.
- Numerous Toads in the audience of Mario's sports titles.
- One of the playable Toads in Super Mario Strikers.
- Numerous Toads with red-spotted heads in Paper Mario.
- The Red-Spotted Toad in Mario Superstar Baseball.
- One of two red-spotted Toads that appear in the Mushroom Kingdom adventure segment of Super Smash Bros. Melee.
- One of the seven Mushroom Retainers in Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
- The red capped Toad that appeared in Super Mario Sunshine
Relationships with other characters
Mario
Although not incredibly close friends, Toad and Mario share a mutual respect for one another. Toad admires Mario because of his bravery and heroism, and Mario is fond of Toad because of the help and reliability he gives him. Despite all this, Toad seems more of a helper to Mario then a friend.
Princess Peach
Toad is Princess Peach's obedient servant, and he would do anything to protect her. Thrice he got kidnapped by the Koopa Troop trying to protect her from Bowser, and other times he is seen to dote on her. This is further influenced by the fact that Toad is one of seven Mushroom Retainers, a group of Toads particularly dedicated to serving Her Royal Highness. However, it is recently shown that he dotes on her much less than Toadsworth.
Bowser
Unlike other villains, such as Wart and Wario, Bowser seems to just plain terrify Toad (perhaps because of his enormous size in proportion with tiny Toad). Fortunately, Bowser and Toad rarely, if ever, meet face-to-face.
Wario
Toad seems to hold a grudge against Wario ever since Wario's Woods. Unlike Bowser, Toad does appear not to fear Wario, it is possible that he even has contempt for the anti-hero (and vice-versa).
Toadette
Toadette is always partnered with Toad in her appearances, leading many fans to believe that they are boyfriend and girlfriend. Nothing has been confirmed, but it is very possible. There is some speculation that they are siblings, though this is unconfirmed as well.
Roles
Often Toad is made into a tutorial-type character, who introduces the player to the game. Rarely, he plays the role of side-kick, and is occasionally a full-fledged hero. He is sometimes given the simple role of a checkpoint, a place to save your game, and he is occasionally a damsel in distress (but never the main one). Interestingly his role as a tutorial character and as Peach's caretaker seems to have recently been taken over by Toadsworth.
Appearances in Other Media
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
In the Super Mario Bros. movie, Toad is portrayed as a musician. He is one of many who is unhappy with King Koopa's rule, and is arrested by the police for playing "Anti Koopa" songs. He is then turned into a Goomba. Even when he is a Goomba he keeps his harmonica. He is set on fire in an accident, and is saved by Princess Daisy. Later on he helps Daisy and the Mario Bros. by playing his harmonica to distract the other Goombas.
What happened to him afterward is unknown, although best guess is he was turned back into his original form.
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Toad was a main character in the The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, where he retained his look and personality from the games. Interestingly, Toad is seen as somewhat of a side-kick to Mario through-out the shows, while Luigi was upgraded to partner.
Oddly, for several of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!'s first episodes, Toad's color scheme is reversed, having a red mushroom cap with white spots with a white vest and red pants.
The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3
Like in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Toad was seen as Mario's sidekick in The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, often adventuring with him. Despite this, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3's last episode, "Super Koopa" has Toad complaining about always being left behind in the adventures. "Baby Toad" has made his first (and last) appearance in the episode, "Toddler Terrors of Time Travel" , which had Toad, as well as Mario, Luigi, Bowser and Kooky Von Koopa regressed to infant states due to a malfunction with a time machine.
Nintendo Comics System
Issues of Nintendo Comics System portrayed Toad as more outgoing than previous incarnations; with Wooster acting as the servant of Princess Toadstool and King Toadstool, Toad would often adventure with Mario, with issues such as "Betrayal Most Proper" showing that Toad was able to hold his own in a fist-fight with various enemies.
Super Mario Adventures
In Super Mario Adventures, Toad travels with Princess Toadstool and several other Mushroom Retainers on a quest to defeat Bowser; unfortunately, Princess Toadstool, Toad and the other Toads are ambushed by Lakitu, with only Toad escaping the battling. A wounded Toad later managed to reach Mario, Luigi and Yoshi.
After recovering, Toad and Yoshi inact a plan to sneak bomb-weilding Princess Toadstool and Friendly Floyd into the Koopaling's tower disguised as pizza delivery workers. Toad also helped to battle the Koopalings and was blown from the tower with everyone when it exploded.
Later, Toad attempted to reach the Mushroom Kingdom with a cape, only to be captured by Bowser and his forces and held hostage. Oddly, Toad's fate in the comic is never made clear, as he was never rescued from Bowser's clutches.
Monopoly
Toad was a purchasable character in the Nintendo Monopoly game. He could be bought on the space normally occupied by Kentucky Avenue.
Portrayals
Was voiced/portrayed by:
- John Stocker in the TV Series.
- Issac Marshall, Jen Taylor and Kelsey Hutchinson in most of the video games.
- Mojo Nixon in the Super Mario Bros. movie.
Gallery
- Old.jpg
- Toad-front.jpg
- MKTD.PNG
- Toadsm64.jpg
- Toadtnt.jpg
- Bltoad.jpg
- Mpa toad.jpg
- Mparty6 toad.jpg
- ToadKartDS.jpg
- ToadMP8.png
Quotes
- Leave It to me! - Super Mario Advance
- Hey Mario! Lots of people use something called a "door" to go in and out of their houses... - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- When I get my hands on that King Koopa I'll fix his wagon! - The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!; "Butch Mario & the Luigi Kid / All Steamed Up"
- Who did you expect? Pee-wee Herman? - The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!; "Rolling Down the River / The Mario Monster Mash"
Trivia
- Toad (alongside Mario, Luigi, and Birdo) appears in the audience of the punch-out match in Kirby Superstar.
- Interestingly, in the code of Super Mario Bros. 3, there is what seems to be a "Toad Suit" similar to the Tanooki Suit and Hammer Bros. Suit. However, it has been removed from the game and the coding does not give a clue to what abilities it may have bestowed upon Mario.
- Toad is the only member of the Big Eight that is not a star child.
- Toad is also the only Big Eight character who does not officialy appear in the Mario Golf sub-series, as well as Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Super Mario Strikers.
- Toad is playable in the Bandai Sattleview demo of the game Mario Excite Bike, which was never released.
