Wikipedia

Toad (Mario)

Toad,known in Japan asKinopio,[a]is a character created by Japanese video game designerShigeru MiyamotoforNintendo'sMariofranchise. A prominent red Toad serves as one ofPrincess Peach's handlers and appears consistently as asupporting characterin the franchise.

Toad
Mariocharacters
Promotional art by Shigehisa Nakaue (2017)
First gameSuper Mario Bros.(1985)
Created byShigeru Miyamoto
Portrayed byMojo Nixonand John Fifer (film)
Voiced bySamantha Kelly(2007–present)
Others

While most Toads look virtually identical to each other and usually are not named individually, notable exceptions includeCaptain Toad,ToadetteandToadsworth.The most prominent trait of the Toads is their large, mushroom-like head with colored spots on top.

The Toads typically have assisting roles in theMariofranchise, but are occasionally featured as protagonists. A blue Toad and yellow Toad were featured as playable characters along with Mario andLuigiinNew Super Mario Bros. Wii,New Super Mario Bros. UandSuper Mario Bros. Wonder.The blue Toad also returns as one of the playable characters inSuper Mario 3D World.Captain Toad: Treasure Trackerfeatured Captain Toad as the main character, and was the first game to have a Toad as the titular character.

Concept and creation

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WhenMario Kartfor theNintendo Game Cubewas revealed to beMario Kart: Double Dashon April 23, 2003,Kiyoshi Mizukiactually wanted to make Toad one of the selectable characters from the beginning, but after thinking about Toad's own partner, they could not come up with any specific one suitable as a partner for this sort of tandem ride. Because of this, they hid him as an extra character by himself.[5]Nintendo would invent a new, female Toad character with an extremely high-pitched voice namedKinopiko,[A]30 minutes later, who would be namedToadetteoutside ofAsian regions.

During the development ofNew Super Mario Bros. Wii,the developers at Nintendo decided between four characters to be playable in the game: Princess Peach, Toad,WarioandWaluigi(all suggestions made by fans).[6]Two Toads (yellow and blue) were eventually included as playable characters inNew Super Mario Bros. Wiidue to their physical similarity toMarioandLuigi.[7]

In February 2018,Yoshiaki Koizumiconfirmed that the mushroom on Toad's head is part of his body, and not a hat. It had previously been a common topic of debate among fans.[8]

Appearances

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Toad and his race of mushroom people made their debut appearance inSuper Mario Bros.where they play a minimal role in the game. They appear at the end of every world as the Mushroom Retainers (who serve the princess) once Mario or Luigi defeatsBowser,rewarding the heroes with the message:"Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!",[9]and in theJapaneseSuper Mario Bros. 2they maintain this role. In the AmericanSuper Mario Bros. 2,Toad got his first individual appearance and was given a bigger role as one of the four playable characters. InSuper Mario Bros. 3,Toad appears in the Toad houses where he provides items and extra lives for Mario to take on his journey. He is the sole playable character in the puzzle gameWario's Woods,where he tries to preventWariofrom taking over the woods with the help ofBirdoand a fairy named Wanda.[10][11]

The 3D Mario games introduced Toad's role as a helper who would provide assistance to Mario if he needed it, thus making him a major allies. InSuper Mario 64,Toad explains the backstory as well as explaining what Mario has to do to proceed. In the remakeSuper Mario 64 DS,he is given character-specific remarks, such as mistaking Luigi for Mario in green clothes or thinking that Wario would betray the rest of the group. InLuigi's Mansion,he appears in various parts of the mansion as a save point. Different colored Toads appear inSuper Mario Sunshineas Peach's attendants.

InNew Super Mario Bros. WiiandU,there are two playable Toads (multi-player only), one blue and one yellow. The blue Toad has a similar appearance to the original Toad and shares the same voices as Toad inNew Super Mario Bros. Wii.The yellow Toad has a higher pitched voice.[12]InNew Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe,both Toads are playable in single player, with Blue Toad being unlocked by pressing ZL while Yellow Toad is chosen on the character select screen.[13]Red spotted Toads arenon-playablehosts of Toad houses and are strewn throughout levels that Mario must bring to the finish to save.

Toad plays a role in the 20113DStitleSuper Mario 3D Landin which he, upon his rescue at the end of World One, assists Mario throughout the rest of the adventure through the availability of Toad Houses, where he provides items and uncovering secrets in various levels.[14]Toad appears as a prominent character inNew Super Mario Bros. 2again running the Toad Houses to assist both Mario and Luigi.[15]InSuper Mario 3D World,a blue Toad is a playable character.[16]

InLuigi's Mansion: Dark Moon,five Toads of different colours act as assistants toProfessor E. Gadd,who had sent them to investigate the mansions before Luigi had arrived. Throughout the game, Luigi meets up with the Toads, who help him uncover secrets in the mansions.[citation needed]The sequelLuigi's Mansion 3also features multiple Toads assisting E. Gadd, all of whom have been captured and require rescuing.

Throughout theMarioRPG series, Toad is featured as more of a minor character due to the large amounts of generic Toads which appear in the games who seem to replace his role as a helper. In the times he does appear, Toad is once again a minor character who provides backstory to Mario and the others. InSuper Mario RPG,he appears as a major NPC character who teaches Mario about the different skills to use in battles in the beginning as the duo heads to the Mushroom Kingdom (though Toad had to be saved by Mario along the way as he is kidnapped frequently by enemies). He appears more throughout the game, for example as part of Mario's nightmare. Toad appears as a playable character inMario & Luigi: Superstar Sagafor a short time when the player is exploring around Mario and Luigi's house. InSuper Princess Peach,Toad is kidnapped earlier in the game along with Mario and Luigi by theHammer Bros.However, Toad appears as a playable character in two of the minigames in the game. Toad appears inSuper Paper Marioin 3 aspects of the game. He appears in the intro, telling Mario and Luigi that Princess Peach has been kidnapped, and later appears in the Arcade mini-game Mansion Patrol. Additionally, Toad is one of the 256 Catch Cards in the game. InMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story,a mysteriousinfectioncalled "The Blorbs" causes the Toads to inflate to many times their normal size and roll around uncontrollably.[17]Recent games in thePaper Marioseries, starting fromPaper Mario: Sticker Starin 2012, have prominently featured Toads as the most common non-playable character (NPC) that Mario can interact with. This is due to the fact that Nintendo'sintellectual property(IP) team refrains them from creating new characters that could possibly interfere with theMariouniverse.[18][19]

InSuper Mario Bros. Wonderthe Yellow and Blue Toads return as playable characters, in both single and multiplayer.[20]

Toad has both playable and non-playable appearances in manyMariospin-off games, including theMario Kartseries and in mostMariosports games.

Captain Toad

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"Captain Toad" redirects here. For the video game, seeCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

Captain Toad is a Toad that serves as the leader of the a group of Toad explorers known as the Toad Brigade. In an interview withPolygon,Captain Toad: Treasure Trackerdirector Shinya Hiratake said "I think honestly Captain Toad is someone that doesn't really care what's going on, but when he sees treasure he's like, 'I want it!'".[21]He is described byIGNas an "unlikely protagonist who's weighed down by a heavy backpack and a desire for treasure".[22]

He first appeared inSuper Mario Galaxy,where he helped Mario or Luigi retrieve Power Stars.[23][24]Captain Toad also appeared in the game's sequel,Super Mario Galaxy 2,with his brigade to again help Mario retrieve the Power Stars in order to save Princess Peach.[25]

InSuper Mario 3D World,Captain Toad appears in his own levels "The Adventures of Captain Toad" separate from the main playable characters.[16]In "The Adventures of Captain Toad", Captain Toad must collect five Green Stars without jumping, and two hits will result in a life loss, but he can use his headlight to destroy any ghosts in his levels.

Captain Toad later starred inCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker,a year afterSuper Mario 3D Worldwas released.[26]

A Mystery Mushroom costume based on Captain Toad fromCaptain Toad: Treasure Trackerwas made available through an update toSuper Mario Maker.[27]Captain Toad appears in all but three ofSuper Mario Odyssey's Kingdoms, rewarding the player with a Power Moon after they find him in each location.[28]

When reviewingTreasure Tracker,IGN's Marty Sliva called Captain Toad and Toadette "a pair of sweet, endearing characters that [they] genuinely wanted to root for", saying that personality details like Captain Toad and Toadette "cower[ing] in fear when they see a ghost, add a nice dollop of charm to the whole package".[29]

Appearances in other media

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Toad appeared in the animated seriesThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show!produced byDIC Entertainmentin 1989.[30]Although he usually tagged along with Mario and Luigi in cases whereKing Koopahad kidnapped Princess Peach, he sometimes got captured as well. Toad's role in the show was to be the 3rd main character to the Mario Bros. (as Luigi was also a major character rather than a sidekick). He remained on the show when it spun off intoThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3,allowing them to live in his house. During the 2 shows, he got alternate forms such as The Toad Warrior, Baby Toad, Raccoon Toad, Frog Toad and even Super Toad; however, these forms of Toad have not made an appearance outside of the shows. Due to his & many other characters' absences in theSuper Mario Worldgame, Toad did not make an appearance inthe TV show ofSuper Mario WorldwithYoshiand Oogtar (the latter having the same voice actor as Toad) instead taking his place. Toad appeared in theSuper Mario Bros.comic bookspublished byValiantas well. In these comics, Toad often followed Mario on his adventures, seemingly as the hero's sidekick. He was a regular companion for King Toadstool, and even indulged in the King's activities. Played byMojo Nixon,Toad appeared as a street musician in the non-canonSuper Mario Bros.film.[31]In the film, Toad is arrested for singing a song that badmouths Koopa, who punishes him by having him turned into aGoomba.Despite this, the Goomba-fied Toad (portrayed by John Fifer) remains hating Koopa and still manages to helpPrincess Daisyescape and distract the other Goombas by playing hisharmonica.[citation needed]

Toad also makes a cameo appearance in theWii Uversion ofScribblenauts Unlimited,as a guest character from Nintendo'sSuper Marioseries.[32]A costume of Toad is also one of the exclusive Nintendo character costumes available to be equipped to various characters in the Wii U version ofTekken Tag Tournament 2.[33]

Toad is voiced byKeegan-Michael Keyin the2023 film adaptation.[2]He retains his loyalty toPrincess Peach,but he now carries attire relating to Captain Toad including a backpack and a walking stick. He is the first one to meetMariowhen he arrives in theMushroom Kingdomand he helps him find his brother,Luigi.[citation needed]

Promotion and reception

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As a character who appears frequently in the series, Toad is considered to be one of the major characters in theMariofranchise.[34]He has appeared in much of theMariomerchandise in products ranging from toys to plushies and keychains,[citation needed]and is featured inNintendo's board games such as being on the protagonist side in aMariothemed chess set[35]and being a purchasable character in a Nintendo-themedMonopolygame.[citation needed]InAnimal Crossing: City Folk,Toad's hat is available after getting 3000 points in Tom Nook's Point Tracking system.[36]The AmericanClub Nintendowebsite, which is now closed, offered a special reward featuring Toad and some other major Mario characters in a folder set reward named as the "Toad & Friends Set with Bookmarks".[37]The quote repeated by the Toads inSuper Mario Bros.,"Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!", was ranked one of the most repeated video game quotes,[38]and inspired a 2008 song byThe Mountain GoatsandKaki King.[39][40]

Toad ranked in the seventh slot onGameDaily's top 10 Nintendo characters that deserve their own games list; the site explained that he has a strong appeal that Nintendo has yet to tap into.[41]Toad is listed in The Most Neglected Mario Bros. Characters list as a character whom Nintendo has ignored for quite a while due to his lack of starring roles in more recent games.[42]IGNalso listed Toad as one of the top ten characters needing a spin-off.[43]In anOriconpoll conducted inJapanfrom 2008, Toad was voted as the eighth most popular video game character in Japan.[44]Another poll (of over 1000 votes) conducted in Japan by NintendoWorldReport in concern to Japan's favorite Mario Kart racers listed Toad as the second most favorite Mario Kart racer in the country (only being beaten by Yoshi).[45]Toad has been credited for being one of the celebrated characters in the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. games.[46]UGOlisted Toad on their list of "The Cutest Video Game Characters," stating "Once you get over his misleading name, you'll find Toad to be quite the adorable mushroom."[47]

IGNeditorMatt Casamassinacriticized Nintendo for including the two generic Toads over more notable characters (including the red-spotted Toad himself) in theMarioseries forNew Super Mario Bros. Wii,arguing that the developers were being lazy to not include other characters because the Toads were easier to make.[7]The Toads in thePaper Marioseries following the release ofPaper Mario: Sticker Starhave been heavily criticized for lacking their diverse characteristics found in previous entries and for replacing the cast of original fictional races the series previously had.[48][49][50]

Notes

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  1. ^Japanese:キノピオ
  1. ^Japanese:キノピコ

References

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