Toad

Toad as seen in New Super Mario Bros.
Toad
Species	Toad
Affiliation	Mushroom Kingdom
Voiced by	Isaac Marshall (1996) Jen Taylor (1999-2005) Kelsey Hutchinson (2005) Samantha Kelly (2007-Present)
Debut	Super Mario Bros. 2

Toad is a mushroom retainer who serves Princess Peach. He is a member of the species of peaceful mushroom people who go by the name of Toads. Though he has played the heroic role a few times, he usually plays a support role in helping Mario, Luigi, and the Princess in the games.

History

Early in Mario gaming, there was a character named Toad. It was not terribly difficult to spot him, until the release of Paper Mario, a game that called the entire species of the Mushroom people as Toads (as opposed to Mushroom Retainers/people as in the past). This had the drastic effect of calling the validity of the individual Toad into question, as a red-spotted Toad was rather common in the games.

Not only did that de-characterize him drastically but brought into question which of his appearances actually counted. Most people limit his first appearance to Super Mario Bros. 2 in which he is a playable, main character - even if it is commonly believed that he was one of the retainers in Super Mario Bros. He is, however, commonly believed to be the Toad featured in the various Sports games and spin-off games; being referred to as Toad and such.

Background

Artwork of Toad from Super Mario Bros. 2.

In his first adventure in Sub-Con, Toad proves his worth by showing off the strength of his people by being one of the four playable character in the game. His jumping is not quite as good as Mario's, but he has the highest strength of the four characters. He is also the fastest of the four characters. Through his adventures he faces his fear of cobrats, a blast right out of his very dreams. Eventually, he and his friends faced and defeated the evil King Wart and saved the land of Subcon and its people. In Super Mario Bros. 3, Toad ran the special area called Toad's House which allowed him to give the Mario bros. special items and extra lives via small mini-games when one of the brothers entered into one of Toad's houses.

Afterwards, his appearances became infrequent. He received a starring role in Wario's Woods, where he saved the Dark Woods from Wario. His own adventures were then limited to kart races and tennis matches. He did, however, prove his worth in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars by providing Mario with invaluable advice. In fact, he even traversed through Smithy's Factory to provide Mario and his friends with a variety of items. In Super Mario 64 he and other toads provide Mario and his friends with even more advice.

He also appeared in Luigi's Mansion, having apparently followed Mario into the mansion. He helps Luigi by telling him things and saving the game. The instruction manual of Super Mario Sunshine describes the red-capped toad as being Toad (despite his vest being the wrong color). He is described simply as 'Peach's Attendant' and no more. A recently introduced character, Toadette, has become his 'partner' character. Though it seems reasonable to assume that there is something between the two, but as usual with the series, there is no canon evidence for anything.

He plays a brief role in the beginning of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga where he is temporarily playable as he tracks down Mario in his house. In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Toad discovers that someone has broken into Truffle Towers and stolen the Music Keys, and recruits Mario to help get them back. Despite the danger, Toad faithfully stays by Mario's side and ferries him around the kingdom in the SS Brass. In Super Paper Mario, Toad appears in the intro where he tells the Mario bros. that the Mushroom Castle had been attacked and that the princess had been kidnapped.

It is also believed that the captain of the Toad Brigade in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel Super Mario Galaxy 2 is Toad, wearing the same red vest as the Toad from Super Mario Sunshine. After being rescued by Mario, this Toad leads the Toad Brigade in a special spacecraft across the galaxy to help him find Power Stars.

Abilities

In Super Mario Bros. 2 (his first playable appearance), Toad has the ability to pick up opponents and large items over his head and carry them with ease. He could also throw these opponents at any time (even in midair). Statistically, Toad is the strongest of the four characters as well as the fastest. This made him a valuable character in the desert levels as he was able to dig through the sand dunes very easily and quickly. However, Toad has the worst jumps out of the playable characters which could cause him some difficulty. However, his super jump move enabled to him to surpass his low jumps as he would be able to jump higher when the move is activated by crouching down.

In Wario's Woods, Toad's superhuman strength returns as he is able to carry large stacks of Wario's minions and bombs over his head with ease. He also has the unique ability to run up walls in this game. In the upcoming Wii game Mario Sports Mix, Toad's nimbleness returns as he is classified as a speed type character. His special ability in this game involves him emitting spores unto the stage, causing large mushrooms to sprout from the ground. The effects of these gargantuan mushrooms have yet to be revealed.

Sports

Toad as seen in Mario Kart DS.

Toad is playable in a variety of sports games, even if his appearances as a character in the other Mario games are diminishing.

• Kart Racing: Toad is playable in all games. He appears in Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (where he was partnered with Toadette), Mario Kart Arcade GP, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Arcade GP 2, and Mario Kart Wii.
• Tennis: Toad is playable in Mario's Tennis and Mario Tennis 64.
• Soccer:Toad is a playable sidekick in Mario Smash Football and its sequel Mario Strikers Charged.
• Basketball: Toad is playable in Itadaki Street DS.
• Party: In the Mario Party games, Toad initially appeared as the host in Mario Party, Mario Party 2 and Mario Party 4. He (or another toad) also ran shops in various games such as in Mario Party 3. Starting in Mario Party 5, Toad was incorporated as a playable character. Toad was later playable in Mario Party 6, Mario Party 7, Mario Party 8, Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party, Super Mario Fushigi no Korokoro Party 2, and Mario Party DS. He also appears as a host again in Mario Party Advance.
• Other: Toad is playable in Mario Sports Mix.

Other Roles

Video Games

• Toad is featured as one of the moves performed by Peach in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When she pulls him out, he will reflect attacks back and protect Peach from danger. Another Toad appears in the background of the first Adventure stage in Melee at the end of the level.

Other Media

• Toad appeared as a main character in the animated shows The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, where he was the streetwise attendant of Princess Peach. He was removed when the show became Super Mario World to make room for Yoshi.
• In the movie Super Mario Bros., Toad was a disgruntled singer who made songs about Koopa's oppression. For this, he was de-evolved into a goomba. He was played by Mojo Nixon.

Trivia

• His japanese name is 'Kinopio', which is the same for other Toads. However in some fan circles, it has become common to refer to him as Kinopio T. (a naming convention from the Paper Mario games).