Toad

Toads, also known as Mushroom People or formerly Mushroom Retainers, are a recurring species in the Mario series. They are the dominant species of the Mushroom Kingdom and have a humanoid appearance. Toads are native to almost every city in the entire kingdom, including Rogueport, but most prominently Toad Town. Many Toads are also loyal servants and citizens to Princess Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom. Numerous members of the species serve Peach as castle attendants, guards or as her Mushroom Retainers. Toads even seem to live and act very similar to humans, but with a more friendly habit. Toads technically don't have genders, despite being mentioned with male pronouns. While most Toads wear vests that match the color of the spots on their mushroom caps, this pattern does not apply to the individual character known as Toad, who is depicted with red spots and a blue vest. He is portrayed as a separate character rather than a representative of the Toad species, often appearing alongside Mario in various games. Toads are named after their mushroom (or Toadstool) like appearance. Because of this, they are believed to be fungi. However they are not biologically related to mushrooms, seemingly have more of a relation to humans and they're essentially mushroom themed. Toads abilities are generally characterized by high speed, allowing them to run faster than most other characters, including regular human figures within the Mario series. Generic Toads first appeared in Super Mario Bros., primarily represented as Red Toads. In Super Mario Bros. 3, they were depicted with the same design as the main character Toad, a style that has continued throughout many platforming titles up to the era of the Nintendo Switch.