Toad

*“Do not touch that mushroom, you'll die!”*
— Toad

**Toad** is the tritagonist of the *The Super Mario Bros. Movie* and the faithful sidekick of the Mushroom Kingdom monarch, Princess Peach.

He is a humanoid mushroom that is both a single character and the collective name of the "Mushroom People" found in the Mushroom Kingdom.

## History

Upon Mario arriving in the Mushroom Forest the first time, Toad is camouflaged behind a few other mushrooms, before popping up and surprising Mario when he goes to touch one. He then introduces himself, and proceeds to guide the plumber through the forest, right before Mario states on needing help to rescue his brother from a dark location that had lava. Toad initially warn Mario about this and states that Luigi is doomed to soon be capture by the tyrannical ruler, Bowser, so he offers him to go to the Mushroom Kingdom and find their princess.

Soon, the two travel through the Mushroom Kingdom and through a series of platforms and pipes, arrive at the castle. However, two guards initially block them from going inside, so Toad decides to sauté them some vegetables, allowing Mario an opening to get inside.

Soon after Mario and Princess Peach head off for an adventure, Toad tags along with the two while stating that he fears nothing. So the three embark an adventure through many different lands, before they stop at a Fire Flower meadow. While Peach talks to Mario, Toad can be seen fiddling a violin. The next day, the three arrive at the Jungle Kingdom, and are taken to see the king there for his army.

After Mario accepts a challenge to defeat his son in a duel, Toad sits alongside Peach and Cranky Kong in a viewing balcony, and cheers when the plumber defeats Donkey Kong. Soon after, he is taken to an underground garage where he gets to build a custom kart. What he ends up going with is the Tiny Titan, and soon after, he alongside everyone else ramp up onto the secret passage, and then onto Rainbow Road. On there Toad can be seen disagreeing with Donkey Kong, who thinks the two are flirting, before Peach tells them to simmer down. He then responds by braking his kart backwards to leave them alone.

After an ambush occurs when the Koopa Troop attacks, Toad ends up falling out of his Tiny Titan and is about to fall into the ocean below, right before Peach rescues him and hitches a ride on her bike. He then becomes shocked when the Koopa Troop's general then blows up Mario and Donkey Kong after the ambush is dealt with. So he and Peach go back to the Mushroom Kingdom to warn the civilians about Bowser's arrival. Soon, the evil king's castle then lands in the kingdom, and Bowser then attempts to propose to the princess. When Peach denies, Bowser's right hand man, Kamek uses magic to torture Toad into making her accept.

Soon at the wedding, Toad gives Peach a bouquet, which he smuggled a power up in, so that the princess can deal with Bowser and the onslaught of numerous enemies. After Peach, soon alongside Mario and Donkey Kong, ruin the wedding, Toad can be seen entering the altar on behalf of the princess' triumph. However, Bowser then launches a Bomber Bill on the kingdom, and he becomes shocked upon realizing that his home town is about to be annihilated, leading to Mario redirecting it into his warp pipe. The blast of the Bomber Bill leads to Toad, alongside everyone else to be sucked in and transported to Brooklyn, where he is then saved by Donkey Kong when a pile of rubble comes crashing down.

He then watches Mario be beaten by Bowser, and ridiculed by him when he is launched into the Punch-Out Pizzeria, soon aiding him by taking on Bowser alongside Peach and Donkey Kong, but is proven to be no match for him, soon being apprehended by the Koopa Troop. As Peach launches the star away from Bowser, Mario and Luigi are able to get it and turn the tables on him. Bowser is then fed a Mini Mushroom, as Toad then proceeds to imprison the Koopa King in a glass jar, holding up to the other heroes, before putting him down as he is cheered by the citizens of Brooklyn. Toad then would later go back to the Mushroom Kingdom and place Bowser in a cage within the castle.

## Origins

The Toad species first appeared in *Super Mario Bros.* as seven guards that serve Princess Peach, called Mushroom Retainers. After defeating a "Bowser" in a castle, Mario rescues a Toad, and is surprised when he says the famous quote *Thank you Mario! But our Princess is in another castle!*

As a singular character, Toad is known for being the long-time servant and attendant of Princess Peach. He always tries to protect her; however, he prominently fails almost every time during the events of her kidnapping. Despite his cowardice, Toad is notable for being one of the few characters who help the Mario Bros. through a variety of different ways throughout their adventures. Toad has even made his fair share of heroic contributions as seen in games such as in *Wario's Woods* (a game that features Toad himself as the main hero) and *Super Mario Bros. 2*.