Toad (character)

Toad as an individual character made his debut in Super Mario Bros., then Super Mario Bros. 2, where he was a playable character (the fastest and strongest one) on equal standing to the other protagonists — Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. His relationship to the other main characters of the series is unclear (as most of those between characters in the Mario series are), but it can be seen that he is a good friend of Mario and Princess Peach. He lives with the princess in her castle as her personal servant and constant companion.

History
Toad's first appearance in a game was in Super Mario Bros. for the NES, where the species was captured by Bowser, some were even turned into stones, mushrooms, and blocks. In each world, a Toad would be waiting for you when you beat the imitation Bowser, and would tell you that Peach is in another castle. In Super Mario All-Stars, the amount of Toads at the end of each castle depended on which world you were in. For example, if you were in world 4, there would be 4 Toads captured.

Toad's next, and first playable appearance was in a remake of the Japan only Doki Doki Panic, Super Mario Bros. 2, for the U.S. The game was later released in Japan as Super Mario USA. In the game, Toad was the strongest of the 4 playable characters, and also was able to pluck plants and dig faster than any character.

His next appearance was in Super Mario Bros. 3, where he told Mario to find and retrieve the Magic Wands that the Koopalings have stolen, and was also a character in the mini-games. He also appeard as a racer in the mario kart series with lightwight stats.