Episode 311: Tales of Toad
Added 2020-07-06 14:00:04 +0000 UTCI have had a note jotted down in the columns of our Retronauts planning docs to put together some episodes focusing on Mario spinoffs focused on minor characters for several years, but they always get pushed aside in favor of bigger topics. With the surprise announcement of a new Paper Mario game due out in a couple of weeks, though, now seemed the perfect time to make one of those intended topics happen—one focused, quite fittingly, on Toad, one of the franchise O.G.s. After all, the only named Mario characters to have been seen on-screen prior to Toad were Mario, Donkey Kong and Junior, and Luigi. Even the Bowser you encounter in Super Mario Bros. World 1-1 before Toad gives you the bad news about the princess was just a Goomba in disguise!
Fittingly, Toad has (or should that be "Toads have"?) appeared in many more games through the years, with variant characters (one of whom even stars in their own standalone title, the excellent Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker). In this episode, Bob and Henry and I recount the history of Toad from the days of being the "Mushroom Retainer" to the inevitable hundreds we'll encounter in Paper Mario: The Origami King.
Thanks to Greg Leahy for editing this episode. Art by Steph Sybydlo.
Comments
I remember as a very small child that the mushroom regent at the end of the castle was some sort of dog creature.
shea dewar
2020-07-26 05:04:44 +0000 UTCstray thoughts on it : - I really liked how Super Mario Bros. 2 it was - I loved how it presented the second and third sections as "captain toad treasure tracker 2" and "captain toad treasure tracker 3" as if the very small game contained its own very small sequels. - for a game that tried so hard to not repeat ideas, it's very strange that it made you watch the same cutscene animations over and over again
crystalhearts
2020-07-15 06:22:44 +0000 UTCThis inspired me to pick up Captain Toad! It was a good god damned Toad game.
crystalhearts
2020-07-15 06:14:08 +0000 UTCI always loved the Toads in Luigi's Mansion. They're so scared! But then you find them and a happy theme plays.
Mike Mariano
2020-07-08 15:40:27 +0000 UTCI love how Bob always tells it like it is when it comes to Sticker Star.
James Ryall
2020-07-07 16:48:32 +0000 UTCHere's to hoping for a sequel to Captain Toad!
Jeremiah Jones
2020-07-07 09:17:14 +0000 UTCToad and Yoshi were the most fought after in my neighborhood rounds on N64.
littleterr0r
2020-07-07 08:35:57 +0000 UTCI'm with Jeremy here; Toad was go-to in Mario Kart also.
littleterr0r
2020-07-07 08:35:04 +0000 UTC
